Canada to Make Marijuana Sale Legal

"The eyes of the world are on Canada as the medical marijuana program matures and the recreational program is being implemented," he said in an interview. "Canada will be the first G7 country to have a national recreational program different from Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington," where state laws allowing marijuana use still bump up against U.S. federal prohibition.

According to The Globe and Mail report, even if the drug is presently illegal, the Toronto-based Centre for Addiction and Mental Health discovered that 40% of Canadians claimed they have used marijuana in their lifetime including those 10% who have done so in the past year.

The federal Liberal government has vowed to legalize marijuana while promising to take the time to "get it right" as it establishes major societal change. Important issues that will be determined by a coming federal-provincial task force entails who will be allowed to make recreational marijuana, who sells the drugs and what kind of measures are required to keep the product from children's reach.

As reported by The Washington Post, in Canada the concern falls about only under federal jurisdiction compared to the U.S. where cannabis is shared by the states and the federal government. The weed has been spreading since a court ruling in 2000 permitted Canadians to have and grow little amount for medicinal reasons.  

A study made by a chief Canadian bank estimated that legalization could incite development of a yearly marijuana trade worth about $10 billion Canadian.