Highlights from federal Liberals’ pot-legalization bills

The federal Liberal government unveiled a suite of bills on Thursday to legalize recreational marijuana. The legislation will come into effect on July 1, 2018.

Below are some of the highlights:

–Sales to be restricted to people age 18 and older, although provinces would have the jurisdiction to increase their own minimum age.

–Adults 18 and older would be allowed to publicly possess up to 30 grams of dried cannabis, or its equivalent in non-dried form.

–Sales by mail or courier through a federally licensed producer would be allowed in provinces that lack a regulated retail system.

–Adults aged 18 and older would be allowed to grow up to four cannabis plants for each residence, with plants not to exceed one metre in height.

–Adults aged 18 and older would also be allowed to produce legal cannabis products, such as food or drinks, for personal use at home.

–At first, sales will entail only fresh and dried cannabis, cannabis oils and seeds and plants for cultivation. Sales of edibles will come later, once regulations for production and sale can be developed.

–Possession, production and distribution outside the legal system would remain illegal, as would imports or exports without a federal permit. Such permits will cover only limited purposes, such as medical or scientific cannabis and industrial hemp.

–Travellers entering Canada would still be subject to inspections for prohibited goods, including cannabis.

–The existing program for access to medical marijuana would continue as it currently exists.

–Once passed, the bills would make Canada the first member of the G7 to legalize marijuana for recreational use across the country.