America’s neighbors to the North recently made a huge economic and national change: the legalization of recreational marijuana. Canada opened its first dispensaries on Wednesday, October 17. Hundreds of Canadians are flocking to get their hands on this new legal product. Lines outside of these dispensaries were blocks long and longtime stoners were itching to finally get their fill, without being forced to buy a gram or two under the table.

Canadian marijuana enthusiasts are of course, overjoyed about the legalization, but there are rules in place to regulate the law. In the majority of the country, 19 year-olds have the ability to legally possess, use, buy and grow marijuana. There will be various stores that specialize in the sale of cannabis, separately from other drugs such as tobacco and alcohol. International visitors should be aware of this, in addition to the golden rule: Canadian marijuana is illegal to take across the border. Even when traveling back to one of the eight American states that have legalized marijuana, smuggling pot across the border is not the best idea. In terms of those Canadians who had previously been charged with marijuana-related crimes, the government is making plans to pardon individuals who had previously been convicted of possessing 30 grams or less of the drug.

Canadian officials made the decision to legalize marijuana for many reasons. The top few being financial improvement in the country and the decrease in marijuana-related crimes. The legalization of Canadian marijuana is projected to create an industry worth approximately $4 billion. Of course, this influx will increase stability for the Canadian economy. In terms of the criminal aspect, legalizing the drug is expected to drastically decrease the number of Canadians convicted for possession or use. It seems that what is considered to be the friendliest country in the world will become even friendlier once the Canadians finally get their fix.

Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/17/health/canada-legalizes-recreational-marijuana/index.html