Canada to officially legalize cannabis on July 1, 2018

According to CBC, Canada's Liberal government will announce next month that cannabis will be legalized in Canada on July 1, 2018. The announcement is expected to be made during the week of April 10 and should follow the working group recommendations led by Justice Minister Anne McLellan.

In fact, former Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair is said to have already briefed the Liberal election committee on the legalization rollout plan during caucus meetings this weekend.

Among the recommendations is the separation of powers between federal, provincial and municipal governments, all of which will have a stake in the cannabis economy and the taxes it is expected to generate.

The federal government will control the distribution of licenses to cannabis growers. Medical cannabis producers are currently designated by the Canadian Ministry of Health, and distribute their treatments by mail. The future distribution system, whether by mail, delivery or in-store, will be regulated by the provinces, which will also be able to implement a provincial cannabis tax.

Purchase and possession should be legal from the age of 18, but each province will have the option of increasing this limit if it deems it necessary.

However, it is not known whether existing unlicensed medical dispensaries will be able to join the new system and apply for distribution licenses on a priority basis. For the time being, Canada operates on the basis of tolerance for these dispensaries, with some cities like Vancouver already having a licensing system in place. This «tolerance» regularly results in police raids on dispensaries, for example in the boutiques of Marc and Jodie Emery.

Self-cultivation: 4 plants per house

Canadians wishing to grow their own cannabis will be limited to 4 feet per house. Many strong reservations had been expressed about self-cultivation, with police citing safety, health and fire risks.

Once introduced, the law will have to pass through Parliament before it becomes effective. The government expects this to happen on July 1, 2018, the day of the Canada Day, the anniversary of Canada's confederation. The legal market is likely to take a little longer to set up, depending on each province and the need to create its own regulatory system.

It goes without saying that Canada could serve as an example to all countries currently hesitating about how to legalize cannabis.