Canada aims for pot legalization in 2017
Guess the Canadians see what the US government doesn’t.
MONTREAL — Canada is moving to legalize pot in 2017, but dont expect it to become a new Amsterdam for Americans hoping to get a legal high just across the northern border. Canada’s Liberal Party government will introduce a law next spring to legalize recreational marijuana, Health Minister Jane Philpott disclosed last week at the United Nations. She did not detail who would be allowed to grow or distribute cannabis products. “Canada has a lot of options here,” said RAND Drug Policy Research Center co-director Beau Kilmer. “You have to pay attention to what’s going to happen with the regulation and the taxes. That could really shape what happens in terms of people coming in from other countries. You have to decide whether you want to allow that. ”Since most major Canadian cities are within 100 miles of the U.S. border, Canada’s legalization could spur border states to enact their own legislation to prevent the exodus of tourism dollars to the north.
