Last week the Canadian Senate passed a historic bill legalizing marijuana across the nation, becoming just the second country on Earth to lift such restrictions against the plant. With our northern neighbors taking such progressive steps, many in the United States are now wondering if it’s soon going to be our turn to join the party, and many are already clamoring to make reform a reality.
The only other nation on the planet that’s legalized the production, sale, and consumption of marijuana is Uruguay, but already nine states in the US have passed legislation allowing recreational use, and twenty-nine have come to see the light regarding medical use. This has built up a significant momentum for legalization on Capitol Hill, and already several prominent politicians have pledged to do what they can to create a change. “The time has come to decriminalize marijuana” New York Senator Chuck Schumer explained in an interview with Vice News. “My thinking — as well as the general population’s views — on the issue has evolved, and so I believe there’s no better time than the present to get this done. It’s simply the right thing to do. ”
It’s been too easy for our kids to get marijuana – and for criminals to reap the profits. Today, we change that. Our plan to legalize & regulate marijuana just passed the Senate. #PromiseKept
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 20, 2018
A major factor in the Canadian decision to legalize marijuana was the fact that its sale has helped to line the pockets of criminals across the country. With legalization, the government now has the means to regulate the industry and to take cash out of the hands of crooks and place it into bank accounts of legitimate business owners. “It’s been too easy for our kids to get marijuana – and for criminals to reap the profits” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted shortly after news broke of the bill’s passing. “Today, we change that. Our plan to legalize & regulate marijuana just passed the Senate.”
Canada’s new laws will allow all Canadians over 18 to possess up to an ounce of weed on them, and also enable individuals to keep as many as four plants within their homes for personal use. Additionally, the bill has mandated the creation of government-sponsored dispensaries to begin setting up shop across the country and experts believe that the first federal retail outlets should be up and running by October. These new shops are expected to generate a significant amount of revenue too, with CNN analysts predicting sales in excess of $4 billion within its first year alone. This means good things for the government coffers: that influx of cash is also expected to generate over $300 million in tax dollars that the government can use for other projects.
Recent polls show that overwhelmingly the majority of American voters also want to see legalization take place across the United States. 77% of Democrats, 62% of Independents, and 57% of Republicans say that they would be in favor of nationwide marijuana reform, and surprisingly even President Donald Trump has hinted that he might back such a measure. “We’re looking at it, but I probably will end up supporting that deal,” the President told reporters in Quebec after being asked about a bill being sponsored by Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) which seeks to lift federal restrictions and intervention over state marijuana laws.
“We need to take a states’ rights approach to the legal marijuana question,” Sen. Gardner said in a tweet clarifying the purpose of his sponsored legislation. “Our bill does not legalize marijuana. Instead, it allows the principle of federalism to prevail as the founding fathers intended and leaves the marijuana question up to the states.” Should this pass, it would represent a massive about-face in the way the federal government approaches the marijuana issue, and could potentially herald a new way of thinking in local and state government’s nationwide.
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