Canada's upper house of parliament on Tuesday approved a revised bill to legalise recreational marijuana, setting the stage for the country to become the first Group of Seven nation to legalise cannabis.
The Senate voted 52-29 in favor of the revised bill from the elected House of Commons, paving the way for a fully legal cannabis market within eight to 12 weeks.
"It's been too easy for our kids to get marijuana – and for criminals to reap the profits. Today, we change that. Our plan to legalise & regulate marijuana just passed the Senate," Trudeau said in a tweet.
Canadian marijuana companies like Canopy Growth Corp, Aphria Inc, Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences ETF and Aurora Cannabis Inc have been at the centre of an investor frenzy surrounding attempts to legalise marijuana for recreational use nationwide.
Legalisation has already been delayed from the government's initially planned July launch.
While production of cannabis is regulated by the federal government, provinces and cities have more powers over retail sales either through private or government-owned stores.
"I'm feeling just great," CBC News quoted Tony Dean, who sponsored the bill in the Senate, as saying. "The end of 90 years of prohibition. Transformative social policy, I think. A brave move on the part of the government."
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