Will marijuana be 100 % legal in Canada?

The Canadian government had planned to legalize recreational marijuana by the end of the summer in 2018. The legalization is delayed and uncertain.

Canada's Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor said that in terms of legally purchasing recreational marijuana, the government needs more time: “Pot will be legalized by early August or early September”.

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As soon as marijuana is legalized, people will have two options in terms of buying pot: Public and private sale. For example, in Ontario it is more organized than other provinces. By the end of this year, the government is going to create 40 stores called: Ontario Cannabis Store.

By 2019 the government will own 80 stores and by 2020 it will be 150. That would make the marijuana industry as large as the beer industry and tobacco.

In addition, the legalization of cannabis has highlighted new opportunities in multiple workplaces for Canadians.

What should you know after the legalization?

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• Possession limit is 30 grams per person.

• Each gram of marijuana will cost $10.00

• The minimum age to purchase is 18 in eight provinces and 19 in Quebec and Alberta. 

What can you buy?  

• Dry cannabis, fresh cannabis, oil cannabis, cannabis seeds and cannabis plants.
• Online marijuana is available in all provinces and territories of Canada. Only the Northwest territory said no to online purchases.

New Jobs for Canadians 

• The Government is going to create multiple jobs and they want people to be trained.
• If you have green experience on your resume, you can apply to any cannabis industry.  
• Some of the best cannabis jobs are farming, production, sales, distribution, research and lab work.

What do ILSC students say about this?

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Colombian students, who have been in Canada for the last six months, don't agree with the legalization of marijuana. One of them said: “ Canada seems to believe marijuana is already legalized. It's common to smell marijuana in the street while we walk.  So if people want to smoke drugs, do it in private”.

G. Pedroso and J. G. Rosa, who are from Brazil, do not doubt, for them, the answer is a big YES: “ It will reduce the crime rate. The government can take control of the market. I think if that ever happened in Brazil, the dealers and drug trafficking could be controlled”.

In addition, a Caribbean female S. Greaux, who doesn't like drugs, is neutral in her opinion: “ It is okay if smokers don't affect others if they don't make people feel unsafe. For me, it is the same as cigarettes. People should know the risks and preventions of smoking weed”.

Finally, Misaki Kuroi, a fashion designer from Japan agrees with the legalization of cannabis, but only in Canada, not in her country:“ If it happens in my country, it will affect my country, my friends, and my children. In Japan were educated to believe it is deadly; teachers in the schools used to tell us that if we took any drugs, it would mean the end of our life”.

Consequences of smoking marijuana  

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• Youth are more likely to suffer negative mental health outcomes from cannabis use, according to Ontario Public Health Association Position Paper.

• People with mental illnesses are 10 times more likely to have a cannabis use disorder.

• Long-term cannabis smoking is associated with increased risk of respiratory problems similar to that of tobacco smoking or worse.

• With 28% of children aged 11, 13 and 15, Canadian youth have the highest reported rate of cannabis use among developed countries according to a UNICEF Report on Child Wellbeing. 

•  Cannabis toxicity induces symptoms such as euphoria, increased hunger, dry mouth and impaired reaction time 
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• Ingesting cannabis delays the onset of action by 30-45 minutes. 
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• Cannabis use more strongly has a dose-response relationship,  associated with health, social impact and psychotic disorder.

Why is the legalization of pot still uncertain?

For Trudeau's government proposing legislation to legalize cannabis was easier than implementing the regulation. However, by the end of this year, marijuana will be 100 percent legal.

• Politicians need to do more research for improvement.
• Conservatives are not agreeing with the legalization.
• The sale and commercialization of recreational cannabis once legalized is a concern for public health. 
• Legalization takes 8-12 weeks for the implementation in all the provinces and territories.

Trudeau's government believes that legalized marijuana is a way to protect youth. “ Regulating the sale of marijuana will protect young people and take the money away from criminal gangs, we are going to make it more difficult to access marijuana,”  said the Prime Minister. 

Canadians spent more than 5.7 billion Canadian dollars on cannabis in 2017 for recreational use, according to a Statistics Canada report. Thus, the finance minister agreed they wanted to set a specific price that would deter people from buying pot from the black market. Other drugs like cocaine and opium have also increased in recent years.

Legalization varies state by state. Actually, some countries in Latin America such as Colombia and Mexico allows medical prescriptions, but only in forms that cannot be smoked. This is the result of a history of drug trafficking and violence that these countries have faced for more than 50 years.

All in all, 2018 is the year when marijuana will be legalized in Canada. Despite questions and different interests circulating across the country.