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Oct 21, 2018 Editorial
On Wednesday October 17, Canada legalized the use of recreational marijuana. It joined Uruguay as the only two countries in the world that make marijuana legal for anyone over eighteen years. Uruguay legalized marijuana in 2013.
Although the use of marijuana for medical purposes has been legal in Canada since 2001, the Cannabis Act has made Canada the first G7 nation to implement legislation to permit the use of the substance. Bill C-45 was passed in the House of Commons in November 2017; the Senate passage of the Bill in June 2018 was the final hurdle to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in the country.
Despite the obvious excitement of pot users in Canada and the world about the legalization of marijuana, there are certain restrictions that must be observed before its use. Bill C-45 allows Canadians to have up to 30 grams of marijuana in public. It also permits the growing of a certain number of marijuana plants in the home.
The law insists that marijuana must be obtained legally and cannot be transported in or out of the country without proper authorization. The law stipulates that anyone found high from the use of marijuana would be charged and fined Can.$1000 and their driver’s license would be suspended for at least one year.
Liberal politicians and their supporters have heralded the legalization of marijuana in Canada as transformative and have offered their resounding support to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government. They believe that the decision could weigh heavily in their favor in the next election scheduled for next year.
Many, including investors, believe that the Canadian development would open enormous opportunities for Jamaicans and other marijuana growers to earn revenue from the sales of substance which has been cultivated in Jamaica since the indentured Indians brought the plant with them in 1845.
As reported, an initial shipment of marijuana has left Jamaica for Canada but that is only the tip of the iceberg as Canadian authorities expect a huge influx of marijuana users to Canada from the United States, Europe and elsewhere. This could result in huge tax revenue for the country. The financial firm, Deloitte, has projected that in the first year, recreational sales of marijuana could bring in nearly C$4 billion in sales to Canada and the country could expect an increase of roughly two million more tourists.
Legal marijuana in the country will have an excise tax of 10 percent on the product price, or $1 per gram, whichever is higher. Each province will also apply its own sales taxes.
For years, Americans have been clamoring for the legalization of the use of small amount of marijuana. Some members of Congress, mostly democrats have even floated the idea of federal legalization of the substance but it has not gained traction.
In fact, last year, Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey introduced legislation aimed at ending federal prohibition of marijuana, but it has been stalled in the Republican controlled Senate. However, movement on legalization remains active at the state level.
So far, nine states, including Colorado, California and Massachusetts and the District of Columbia have legalized the use of recreational marijuana and 30 states have authorized its lawful use for medical purposes.
Despite its growing legal status in several states, marijuana is still banned under U.S federal law. In the United States, marijuana is still listed as a Schedule I drug, which is the same classification as heroin.
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