Federal legislation to legalize marijuana will be ready in a year, Canada’s health minister told the UN at a special session of the General Assembly in New York today.
“We will introduce legislation in spring 2017 that ensures we keep marijuana out of the hands of children and profits out of the hands of criminals,” Jane Philpott said in her prepared speech to delegates.
“We will work with law enforcement partners to encourage appropriate and proportionate criminal justice measures. We know it is impossible to arrest our way out of this problem,” she said.
Delegates are reviewing the progress and implementation of the UN’s 2009 action plan on drugs to assess ongoing challenges in combating the world’s drug problems. Three days of meetings will conclude Thursday.
CBC News – Apr 20, 2016.