Canada clears major hurdle in legalizing recreational marijuana

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada’s Senate on Thursday voted to legalize recreational marijuana, clearing a major hurdle that puts the country on track to become the first Group of Seven nation to permit national use of the drug.

FILE PHOTO: A marijuana plant is seen at the The Global Marijuana March in Toronto, May 7, 2011. REUTERS/Mark Blinch/File Photo

The upper chamber Senate voted 56-30 in favor of the legislation but included amendments that the House of Commons will need to decide on before the law can be passed.

While there is not yet a definite date for when marijuana will be available for sale, the Senate was one of the last significant obstacles standing in the way of legalization as a number of Conservative senators oppose the bill.

Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor said earlier this year that marijuana would only go on sale a few months after it was legalized because the new retail system needs time to start working properly.

The amendments proposed by the Senate include tighter advertising restrictions and giving the provinces say over whether Canadians can grow marijuana at home. The government’s legislation would allow Canadians to grow up to four plants at…

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