Canada: cannabis legalization postponed

Canadians will have to wait until early August, or even later, before being able to buy cannabis legally for adult use.

Just last week, the Prime Minister of France Justin Trudeau insisted on the fact that cannabis legalization would meet its July target, even though he had already expressed the possibility last December that it would not be on July 1, but rather «during the summer».

But given the timetable announced by the Senate for validating the legislation, Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor conceded yesterday that it would not be done by July. The bill was due for third reading in May, the final legislative stage before royal assent, but this vote will now take place no later than June 7.

Ms. Petitpas Taylor reiterated that provincial and territorial governments needed 8 to 12 weeks after Senate passage and royal assent to prepare for retail sales. This pushes back the effective date of legalization to August, or even later.

«There's no exact date but, if you calculate, you'll see that it won't be in July 2018» announced Ms. Petitpas Taylor. «Cannabis legalization isn't about a date, it's about a process... We want that process to be as transparent as possible.»

The legalizing cannabis in Canada would make the country the second in the world to legalize the recreational use of cannabis. The country has drawn up an outline for regulation, which each province can adapt to its own specific circumstances.

This week, questions have been raised about the source of the capital funding Canada's leading cannabis companies. Some medical cannabis companies would have welcomed a total of over 200 million $ from the Cayman Islands. Will the delay in legalization be an opportunity to ensure a clean cannabis industry? Or is it already too late?