Canada is the second country in the world to legalise the possession and use of recreational cannabis
SCORES of stoners puffed cannabis on the streets in Canada yesterday after the drug was legalised.
Hundreds earlier queued outside stores waiting for the new law to come into force after a ban lasting almost a century.
One happy pot-lover exhales a plume of smoke as she celebrates the ban being lifted
Pot-lovers were snapped rolling joints in public as they celebrated their newfound smoking freedom.
Canada is the second country in the world, after Uruguay in 2013, to legalise the possession and use of recreational cannabis.
People can now possess up to 30 grams of marijuana without being arrested.
Those convicted of having that amount in the past are set to be pardoned by authorities.
Canadians openly rolled joints in the streets yesterday
Canada is the second country in the world, after Uruguay in 2013, to legalise the possession and use of recreational cannabis
The smokers were out in force and puffing hard after a ban that lasted almost a century
Another smoker lights-up in public
And relax…
Official stores in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada’s easternmost province, were the first to open after the ban was lifted at midnight on Tuesday.
Tom Clarke, 43, has sold pot illegally for 30 years.
As he welcomed customers to his shop in Portugal Cove, he said: “This is awesome. I’ve been waiting my whole life for this. Teenage Tom Clarke is loving what I am doing with my life right now.”
Cannabis for medical use has been legal since 2011. The new law fulfils a 2015 pledge by Liberal PM Justin Trudeau. It is aimed at keeping cannabis away from kids and cutting off criminal profits.
the ban was lifted at midnight on Tuesday – and those in favour were quick to make the most of it
People can now possess up to 30 grams of marijuana without being arrested
Those convicted of having that amount in the past are set to be pardoned by authorities
There was a festival atmosphere on the streets as smokers united
Scottish Lib Dems last night renewed calls for legalisation.
Health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “The laws surrounding recreational use are outdated and harmful. We will continue to campaign for a robust approach to licensing, rather than leaving the market in the hands of criminals.”
Anyone caught selling the drug to a minor could be jailed for up to 14 years.
Stores opened to sell cannabis on the stroke of midnight
And hundreds of customers queued, waiting for the law to come into force
In 2017, Canadians spent an estimated £3.5billion on combined medical and recreational use – about £910 per user. The bulk of that spending was on black market marijuana.
Provinces within the country will dictate where a person can consume cannabis, so some residents could be restricted on where they can use the drug.
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.
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