As of October 17, 2018 recreational marijuana became legal in all of Canada.  The Canadian legislature passed the Cannabis Act, as an effort by Justin Trudeau, to keep marijuana out of the hands of Canadian youth.  Citizens 19 years old, 18 in two provinces, can legally buy marijuana from federally licensed producers and retailers.  Plans to pardon criminal convictions for possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana are underway.

Why is it significant our neighbors to the north have legalized the devil’s lettuce? Canada is the second nation in the world to legalize recreational marijuana on a federal level. Canada is the first major world economy to legalize recreational use.  This move makes Canada the world’s largest legal marijuana marketplace. It is expected to bring Canada $4 billion in revenue.

This step by the Canadian legislature is a glimmer of hope for federal legalization in the U.S. Nine states in the U.S. and the District of Columbia have already passed recreational marijuana legislation.  To date, 30 states permit medical use of marijuana in some varying degree. With the current status of marijuana in the U.S., legal marijuana sales brought in $9 billion in revenue in 2017.

This is a promising sign that the U.S. is not far behind. Per a Gallop poll conducted in October 2017, 64% of those polled supported legalization of recreational use of marijuana.  Both sides of the aisle are trending towards legalization. With revenue from marijuana continuing to grow, and the world stage opening its doors for recreational use, it is only a matter of time we step up to the plate.

As hammered home many times in our blog, please cast your vote in the upcoming Mid-term elections.  Legal marijuana sales can bring revenue to our nation, healing and pain relief for many, and exoneration of charges related to possession, production, and sale of marijuana.