Legalization of weed in Canada now essentially official

The legalization of weed in Canada took a big step forward this week. Marijuana will soon be legal for recreational purposes from coast to coast, making our country the second ever to fully legalize cannabis.

The Liberal government's act to legalize and regulate weed cleared its final legislative hurdle last night when the Senate voted 52-29 in favour of passing Bill C-45.

The bill now awaits royal assent, meaning that a representative for the Queen of England must literally nod her head in approval before we get high and sell weed (lol.) This is expected to happen as soon as Wednesday afternoon.

Bill #C45 has passed in the Senate. It now awaits Royal Assent. It is still illegal to buy, sell, produce, or use #cannabis. pic.twitter.com/y86t77WqWa

— GovCanHealth (@GovCanHealth) June 20, 2018

Retail sales of cannabis products were long meant to begin on July 1, but the timeline was recently been pushed back to give Senators more review time.

"We've just witnessed a very historic vote that ends 90 years of prohibition," said Canadian Senator Tony Dean in a press conference after Tuesday night's vote.

"It ends 90 years of needless criminalization, it ends a prohibition model that inhibited and discouraged public health and community health in favour of just-say-no approaches that simply failed young people miserably."

The Trudeau government is not releasing a legalization date just yet. It had promised to make pot fully legal 2-3 months after the bill receives royal assent #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/PbDvTfTSby

— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) June 20, 2018

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government said this morning in a press conference that marijuana will be made fully legal in Canada within the next 2-3 months.

An official legalization date will be set and announced after royal assent is received. 

Parliamentary secretary Bill Blair told reporters this morning that Trudeau himself will make the announcement this afternoon during a news conference at 4:30 p.m.