TORONTO — Canada’s government said Tuesday it would study a federal task force’s recommendation that Canadians over 18 years old be allowed to buy marijuana for recreational purposes and would announce new laws in the spring that would legalize pot.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has long promised to legalize recreational pot use and sales. If passed, Canada would be the largest developed country to end prohibition of recreational marijuana. Voters in California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada voted Nov. 8 to approve the use of recreational marijuana, joining Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska, where it had previously been legalized.
The marijuana task force report, headed by former Canadian Liberal Health Minister Anne McLellan, recommended that adults could carry up to 30 grams for recreational purpose and grow up to four plants. It also recommended that higher-potency pot be taxed at a higher rate than weaker strains. And said recreational marijuana should not be sold in the same location as alcohol or tobacco. Under the proposals, alcohol-free cannabis lounges would be allowed.