- Law will permit the legal growing, sale and recreational consumption of pot
- Jane Philpott announced new legislation due for next year at UN summit
- Said law will keep drugs away from children and money away from gangs
- Legalizing cannabis was key election pledge of Liberal Justin Trudeau
The
Canadian health minister has pledged to overhaul Canada's drug laws in
order to legalize the sale and recreational use of marijuana by spring
next year during a speech at the UN.
Jane
Philpott told a cheering audience that Canada's liberal government will
develop legislation to 'keep marijuana out of the hands of children and
profits out of the hands of criminals.'
Philpott
made the announcement yesterday on 4/20, the unofficial holiday
celebrating marijuana and stoner culture, though she insisted the timing
was a 'coincidence'.
Jane Philpott, Canada's health
minister, pledged to legalize the production, sale and recreational use
of cannabis by spring next year during a speech to the UN yesterday
The announcement was well received by
hundreds of people who had gathered on Parliament Hill in Ottawa to
celebrate 4/20, the unofficial yearly celebration of cannabis culture
The news was welcomed by hundreds of pro-cannabis demonstrators who had already gathered to smoke on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
If
the proposal does become law then Canada will be only the second nation
to have legislated for the sale and recreational use of the drug after
Uruguay.
Other
countries such as Jamaica, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain all have
relaxed laws when it comes to the possession of cannabis, but the
growing and selling of it remains technically illegal.
Meanwhile
four U.S. states - Colorado, Alaska, Oregon and Washington, along with
Washington D.C. - allow the growing and sale of cannabis for
recreational use, though federal law still prohibits it.
Around a dozen other states allow medicinal cannabis use, which is already legal in Canada.
Philpott
announced a taskforce will be set up in the next few weeks in order to
examine the best way to write the legislation, and how to organize the
sale of cannabis.
The health minister told CBC:
'We will task them with a very specific set of questions around how it
will be produced, where it will be accessed and sold and around
questions of taxation.'
If the legislation goes ahead, Canada
will be the second country to completely decriminalize cannabis use
after Uruguay, which passed similar legislation in 2013 (pictured,
people celebrate 4/20 in Ottawa)
Justin
Trudeau, who promised a review of cannabis laws as part of his election
drive, has named Bill Blair, a former Toronto police chief, as his lead
on the issue.
Blair has advocated applying a system similar to the way alcohol is sold to cannabis.
He
said: 'We control who it's sold to, when it's sold and how it's used,
and organised crime doesn't have the opportunity to profit from it.'
However,
Blair reminded cannabis users that the drug will remain illegal until
the legislation is drafted and passed, and said police will still be
expected to enforce the law.
Trudeau has said legalizing marijuana would fix a 'failed system' and help remove the 'criminal element' linked to the drug.
He also has said Canadians would benefit from analyzing the experiences of Colorado and Washington state.
Gerard
Deltell, a Conservative politician, said the country's proposed
legislation would harm people's health and lead to life-long problems
among users.
He
said: 'That's one of the worst things you can do to Canadian youth - to
open the door to marijuana ... it's wrong, all wrong.'
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