Health Canada unveils regulations for legalised recreational marijuana
Ottawa, Jun 28 (IBNS): Health Canada has unveiled regulations for the recreational marijuana, which is set to be legalised nationwide on Oct 17, media reports said.
The regulations provide parameters for producing, selling, police enforcement and other aspects of the legalisation.
The government has said the aim is to keep marijuana away from youth.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told CTV that the federal government is looking at the possibility of pardons for people with criminal records for possessing marijuana after the enforcement of the new law.
After years of debate, the Canadian parliament in June passed a nationwide law legalising the use of recreational marijuana or cannabis.
By virtue of the order, Canada became the second country in the world, after Uruguay, to legalise cannabis for recreational use.
However, Canada has been using cannabis medically since 2001.
The authorities have also stated that buying cannabis from unlicensed dealer or growing more than four plants per household will be treated as illegal.
A buyer will need to be at least 18 years or older to obtain it from licensed stores, while some Canadian provinces have set up the age limit to 19.
Cannabis-infused foods will not be available now, but is expected to take a year from the time the bill comes into effect. Within this gap, the government is expected to set up the system.
(Reporting by Suman Das)
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