Canada's House of Commons votes to legalize marijuana
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Canada's House of Commons votes to legalize marijuana
By Avery Anapol, THE HILL (Reported by MSN) June 18/19 2018
© Arindam Shivaani/NurPhoto via Getty Images A man walking wrapped with a replica of a Canadian flag where the maple leaf has been replaced by Marijuana leaves during the Global Marijuana March in Toronto.
Canadian lawmakers on Monday voted to legalize recreational marijuana nationwide.
The House of Commons voted 205-82 to accept some of the Senate's proposed amendments on the bill, sending the bill back to the upper chamber for continued debate and a final decision.
The bill would lift a 95-year-old ban on recreational marijuana, and sets the government up to regulate production, possession and sale of marijuana to Canadians over the age of 18.
The House of Commons turned down some of the Senate's proposed amendments, including a ban on pot producers selling branded merchandise and giving provinces the power to ban home-grown marijuana, according to CTV News.
The Senate could take its next step forward as early as Monday evening. Lawmakers have said they expect marijuana to be legal and available around September.
Regulated medical marijuana has been legal in the country since 2001.
In the U.S., medical marijuana is legal in more than two dozen states, and recreational marijuana is legal in nine states and Washington, D.C.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions in January reversed the Obama-era "Cole memo" that allowed states to legalize recreational marijuana. Sessions has been a vocal opponent to legal marijuana.
Breaking with his own attorney general, President Trump said earlier this month that he would likely support a bipartisan bill that would allow states to regulate marijuana without federal interference.
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It still needs the Senate's final approval, but it's looking good. I guess I was just born too soon.