Vote in Canada Paves the Way for Legalization of Marijuana

Canadians celebrated National Marijuana Day in Ottawa in April 2016. On Tuesday, Canada’s Senate voted to legalize marijuana for recreational use, though Canadians will not be able to buy it legally for a few more months.CreditChris Roussakis/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Canada’s Senate passed legislation on Tuesday that will make Canada the first country with a major economy to legalize recreational marijuana use.

The bill, which was approved by the House of Commons on Monday, goes next to the governor-general, the representative of Queen Elizabeth, as a formality. Once it is formally approved, the legislation is expected to create a multibillion dollar industry, with Canada joining Uruguay as the only countries to allow their citizens on a national level to use marijuana without fear of arrest.

“We’ve just witnessed a historic vote for Canada, the end of 90 years of prohibition,” said Tony Dean, the senator who sponsored the bill in the chamber.

There remain significant concerns about the social and health effects of marijuana.

“Now we can start to tackle some of the harms of cannabis,’’ Mr. Dean said. “We can start to be proactive in public education. We’ll see the end of criminalization and we can start addressing Canada’s $7 billion illegal market.”

NYTimes