AP: World’s Largest Legal Marijuana Marketplace

Sales of legal recreational marijuana became legal in Canada as of October 17, the second country after Uruguay, and long lines and a celebratory spirt greeted the new product. An announcement is planned on pardoning those with previous convictions for possessing small amounts. Legal retail and online sales will contribute to tax revenues. “Canada has had legal medical marijuana since 2001 and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has spent two years working toward expanding that to include recreational marijuana,” reports the Associated Press. “The goal is to better reflect society’s changing opinion about marijuana and bring black market operators into a regulated system.” The provinces regulate cannabis, and people of Ontario must wait until spring. Recreational marijuana is legal in nine US states and medical marijuana is legal in more than 30, but the US federal government still regards possession and sales a crime. AP explains that many in US worry about missing out on an opportunity as “Canada’s national approach has allowed for unfettered industry banking, inter-province shipments of cannabis and billions of dollars in investment — a sharp contrast with national prohibition in the United States.” – YaleGlobal