Cannabis Act

The Cannabis Act, Bill C-45, is an act introduced to Canadian Parliament in 2017 that would legalize cannabis nationwide, when combined with Bill C-46, An Act to Amend the Criminal Code.[1] As such it is a milestone in the legal history of cannabis in Canada, alongside the 1923 prohibition.

History leading up to act

The Liberal Party of Canada proposed legalization in 2012[2] and it was a major campaign platform for Justin Trudeau who became Prime Minister of Canada in 2015.[3] On April 10, 2017, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and sources in other countries reported that the Liberals intended to table legislation by April 13, in time for it to be considered prior to the 420 "holiday".[4][5][6] A legalization date prior to July 1, 2018 was set to avoid Canada Day. [7] Canadian policymakers considered regulations and laws around legalized cannabis in Colorado, Washington State and Uruguay as a model.[8]

Act and its provisions

The bill was sponsored by Jody Wilson-Raybould (pictured in 2014).

On April 13, 2017, Bill C-45, with short title Cannabis Act, was introduced to Parliament, sponsored by Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. It would allow for national use by individuals 18 and over, and possession of 30 grams. Provinces could further restrict possession, sale and use. Provisions were not made for legal sales.[9][10] The bill was said on 14 April 2017 to have a solid majority of support from both the governing Liberal Party and the Conservative Party.[11]

Revenue projections

Tax revenue to the national treasury is projected to be upwards of $675 million a year.[12]

Reactions

National legalization of cannabis north of the Canada–United States border is expected to create a competitive pressure for the United States to legalize at the federal level, lest consumers divert billions of dollars of revenue outside of the country.[11]

A satirical reaction in The Beaverton, an online Canadian publication, said that legalization would make cannabis "shittier and harder to get" in a country where it is already plentiful.[13] Canoe.com reported that the bill was rushed and failed to address concerns of the black market and did not set limits for legal impairment for motor vehicle operators.[14]

References

  1. ↑ gnb.ca: "Report of the New Brunswick Working Group on the Legalization of Cannabis"
  2. ↑ "Liberal delegates vote yes to legalizing marijuana, no to cutting off monarchy".
  3. ↑ Jacob Sullum (October 30, 2015), "Canada is on the brink of making marijuana legal", Newsweek, Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau, Canada's new prime minister, ran on a promise to legalize marijuana.
  4. ↑ Catherine Cullen (April 10, 2017), It could be legal to carry up to 30 grams of marijuana under bill to be tabled Thursday: Highly anticipated pot plans will be made public on Thursday, CBC
  5. ↑ Joel Connelly (April 11, 2017), "Marijuana legalization gets off the pot in Canada: Legislation to come Thursday", Seattle Post-Intelligencer – via San Francisco Chronicle
  6. ↑ Janice Williams (April 10, 2017), "Canada is introducing marijuana legislation on Thursday which could lead to legalization by July 2018", Newsweek
  7. ↑ David Cochrane (April 8, 2017), Liberals want to move up pot legalization to avoid Canada Day celebrations: Legalization target of July 1, 2018 will be changed to 'on or before July 1, 2018', CBC News
  8. ↑ Jillian Kestler-D'Amours (April 12, 2017), Canada set to legalize recreational marijuana, Germany: Deutsche Welle
  9. ↑ Kathleen Harris (April 13, 2017), Liberals table bills to legalize pot, clamp down on impaired driving, CBC News
  10. ↑ Ian Austen (April 13, 2017), "Trudeau Unveils Bill Legalizing Recreational Marijuana in Canada", The New York Times
  11. 1 2 Christopher Ingraham (April 14, 2017), "Digging into the details of Canada’s new law legalizing marijuana nationwide", The Washington Post – via Denver Post's The Cannabist
  12. ↑ Tamara Khandaker (April 11, 2017), A new report suggests Canada will rake in at least $675-million a year from taxing legal weed, Vice News
  13. ↑ Tristan Bradley (March 2017), Liberals plan legislation to make marijuana shittier, harder to get, The Beaverton
  14. ↑ "Rushed pot law could have organized crime lighting up", Canoe.com, April 12, 2017, In their madness to table reefer legislation, the Trudeau Liberals had to jump the gun on 4/20.
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