Canada set to legalize marijuana: reports

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Ont. (AA) – The Canadian government is set to introduce legislation Thursday to legalize marijuana, according to media reports.

The drug will be subject to strict rules, including a minimum age of 18 to purchase and a limit of 30 grams carried by any one person, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported Monday.

There will also be a ceiling on the growth of four plants of cannabis per household.

The government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau created a task force last year to study legalization of marijuana.

More than 80 recommendations were put forth by the task force on how to sell and distribute the drug, CTV News reported.

The goal is to legalize marijuana on or before July 1, 2018, which would fulfill a campaign promise to decriminalize recreational use of the drug made by Trudeau in the 2015 federal election campaign.

Each of Canada’s 10 province and three territories will decide what to charge and how to distribute the marijuana, according to CTV News.

The legislation will also include penalties for selling to minors and driving under the drug’s influence, and bring roadside saliva tests by police to detect the drug in drivers’ systems.

The government said legalizing the drug would keep the profits out of the hands of organized crime.