Canada is Now the World's Largest Legal Marijuana Marketplace
By AP
Canada became the largest country with a legal national marijuana marketplace.
Sales began early Wednesday in Newfoundland.
Hours before a handful of retail outlets opened, a federal official said Canada will pardon all those with convictions for possessing up to 30 grams of marijuana, the now-legal threshold
Ian Power was among the first to buy legal recreational marijuana in Canada but he has no plans to smoke it. He plans to frame it.
Canada became the largest country with a legal national marijuana marketplace as sales began early Wednesday in Newfoundland. Power was first in line at a store in St. John's, Newfoundland.
"I am going to frame it and hang it on my wall. I'm not even going to smoke it. I'm just going to save it forever," Power said.
And there was more good news for pot aficionados: Hours before a handful of retail outlets opened in the country's easternmost province a federal official told The Associated Press that Canada will pardon all those with convictions for possessing up to 30 grams of marijuana, the now-legal threshold.
A formal announcement was planned for later Wednesday. The official, who was not authorized to speak public ahead of the announcement, said those who want to take advantage of the pardons will have to apply.
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. The goal is to better reflect society's changing opinion about marijuana and bring black market operators into a regulated system.
Uruguay was first was the first country to legalize marijuana.
To read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/17/canada-is-now-the-worlds-largest-legal-marijuana-marketplace.html
