It's official! Cannabis will be legal on October 17, 2018 in Canada

Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, announced yesterday that cannabis would be legal in Canada from October 17, 2018.

After months of intense debate and a slight delay in the originally planned date, Bill C-45 or Cannabis Act passed the Senate's final stop last Tuesday, This paves the way for a legal cannabis market for adults.

«One of the things we've heard very clearly from the provinces is that they need some time to get their online sales in place, and that producers need time to prepare for a regulated and prosperous marketplace. The implementation of the regime ... It's something we want to do well,» Justin Trudeau told reporters at a press conference yesterday before the House of Commons recessed for the summer.

«By giving the provinces more time to really be ready on the day this law comes into force, it will be a success in every sense of the word.»

Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould urged Canadians to respect the current law until legal sales open in October. Any amnesties for past cannabis-related convictions will also await legalization.

«The law remains the law» said Jody Wilson-Raybould.

As of October 17, 2018, Canadians of legal age (18 or 19, depending on the province) will be legally allowed to :

• purchase fresh or dried cannabis, cannabis oil, plants and seeds for cultivation from a provincially or territorially regulated retailer or, if this option is not available, directly from a federally licensed producer
• possess up to 30 grams of legal dried cannabis or its equivalent in public
• share up to 30 grams (or equivalent) of legal cannabis and legal cannabis products with other adults
• grow up to four plants at home (four plants in total per household)
• preparing various types of cannabis products (e.g. edibles) at home for personal use, provided no hazardous organic solvents are used in the process.