Cannabis becomes legal in Canada

It's official: as of yesterday, Canada becomes the first G7 state to legalize the consumption, selling and production of cannabis.
The Cannabis Act ushers in a profound shift in public policy. Approved last July by the Canadian Parliament, it was strongly endorsed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, along with media battles on migrants and trade agreements with Europe. The new law regulates the possession and sale of marijuana and the goal is to decrease the black cannabis market by allowing the state to raise about $ 400 million a year through taxes. The law had already been amended in 2001 to allow consumption for health purposes, for example in palliative care against chronic pain.

Tonight, the first stores opened to the public and sold the first grams.
Favored by the time zone, the province of Terranova (Newfoundland), the most easterly in all of Canada, was the first to start sales of marijuana, with queues outside the stores. Ian Power was the first to buy a gram, but not to smoke it. He will frame it, remembering October 17 as a historic day: "I'm going to frame it and hang it on the wall, I will not even smoke it, I'll save it forever," he said.

FAQ about smoking pot in Canada

Even if several states have long since decriminalized the use of the substance - in all of the Netherlands and Portugal - Canada is just the second state in the world after Uruguay to proceed to a total legalization (with the exception of California, which also has more inhabitants than Canada itself, but is not a sovereign state). It is going to clearly be the biggest legal market worldwide and it could become the most interesting law experiment regarding the depenalization of drugs.
The New York Times wrote a series of frequently asked questions in this article that answer all doubts about the new law:

- How many grams of marijuana can you hold personally?
The maximum ceiling is 30 grams

- How much will it cost per gram?
It will vary according to the shops, the state and of course the quality, the average will be around 7 Canadian dollars per gram (less than 5 euros)

- Where can I buy marijuana?
In some states there will be government stores, in other individuals.

- How much Marijuana can you grow?
Basic 4 seedlings, but some states like Quebec or Manitoba have banned self-production.

- How many private and public investments will this law trigger? So many, considering that Canada's largest medical marijuana industry is worth $ 8 billion today. The estimated impact on the country's GDP would be about 22.6 billion Canadian dollars.

- What will happen to those who have a conviction for possession of marijuana? 
It's still unclear, but official sources are already talking about a possible amnesty for minor offenses (about half a million Canadians have criminal records for cannabis use or dealing)