With a Senate vote on the legalization of recreational marijuana set for June, the earliest Canadians will be able to buy and smoke cannabis is now expected to be sometime in August.
That means the Trudeau government’s own planned legalization date of July 1st will not be met.
Federal health minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor explains more time is needed.
“The provinces and territories have also advised us that they need approximately eight to 12 weeks after we receive royal assent to get the products on their shelves. So if you do the math it will be eight to 12 weeks. So I’m assuming sometime in the summer,” she notes.
While some police forces say they won’t be ready for cannabis legalization in terms of timeline, costs and enforcing new laws, Petitpas Taylor believes significant investments are being made to ensure police officers will be ready.
