Canada Senate Committee Approves Marijuana Legalization Bill
Legislation to legalize marijuana, which has already been passed by Canada’s House of Commons, has been given approval by a key Senate committee.
The Senate committee passed 40 amendments Monday to Bill C-45, including one that would allow provinces and territories to ban homegrown marijuana. Most of the other amendments were technical in nature and didn’t fundamentally change the measure (29 of the 40 were actually introduced by the bill’s primary sponsor).
Bill C-45 was passed by the House of Commons in November by a vote of 200 to 82. In March the Senate voted 44 to 29 to pass it through its 2nd reading. The measure must now be passed through a third reading in the Senate before it can be sent to the Governor General for Royal Assent (final approval).
If the measure does become law as Prime Minister Justin Trudea has promised, the possession and personal cultivation of marijuana will become legal for those 18 and older. The measure would establish a system of licensed brick-and-mortar cannabis retail outlets, while also allowing cannabis to be sold online.
