Government set to move on legalizing pot, report says

By Dustin Cook

The federal Liberal government plans to announce legislation the week of April 10 with regards to legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, according to CBC News.

CBC reported that the plan is to have the substance legalized across the country by Canada Day 2018. The plan flows from recommendations by a federally appointed task force that was chaired by former justice minister Anne McLellan.

The task force presented a 106-page report to the federal government at the end of November outlining 80 recommendations on the legalization of the substance.

According to the CBC report, provincial governments will have the right to decide how marijuana is distributed and will also set the price. They will also have the ability to raise the age limit for marijuana use from the minimum age of 18 set by the federal government.

It will be within the jurisdiction of the federal government to ensure the marijuana supply is secure and to license the cannabis producers.

Reports about the impending legislation comes just weeks after the raid of several Cannabis Culture marijuana dispensaries across the country, including the Centretown location on Bank Street, where five people were charged.

Marijuana legalization was also a main topic of discussion recently during the second NDP federal leadership debate in Montreal, with candidates describing the delayed legalization as a broken Liberal campaign promise.

The legalization of cannabis was a high-profile promise made by Liberal leader Justin Trudeau during the 2015 election, and was seen as one of the reasons for the strong youth vote for the party.

Last April, Health Minister Jane Philpott said legislation would be introduced in the spring of 2017, a timeline that would be met if the announcement comes this month.