Canadian Senate votes to legalize cannabis

Canadian senators voted yesterday to Cannabis Act, the bill that will legalize cannabis in Canada, by a vote of 56 in favor, 30 against, and one abstention.

The bill will now proceed to the House of Commons, where members of Parliament will decide whether to adopt the dozens of amendments added to the bill by the Senate, before it receives the royal assent. This final stage is expected to last until late August or mid-September due to a recess in legislative proceedings beginning in late June.

The proposed cannabis legalization bill in Canada would authorize the sale of cannabis to adults in the form of flowers, concentrates, or topical products, with a maximum possession limit of 30 grams of dried flowers and their equivalents for other forms. Most aspects of the law are left to the provinces to decide, including the minimum age, whether to allow personal cultivation, and the distribution network (public, private, or a mix of both).

Read more: Canada's Cannabis Legalization Bill Under Scrutiny

Cannabis use will be largely restricted to private residences, and cannabis bars will not be permitted, at least initially. Also, the edibles will be permitted for sale just one year after legalization.

The cannabis industry in Canada is expected to generate more than $7 billion in sales as early as 2019.