Trudeau warns eager beavers not to light up pot yet
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned citizens Friday not to light up just yet as the government is still at least one year away from legalizing recreational marijuana use.
His comments follow the opening on Thursday of a handful of new storefronts selling pot in Montreal, adding to an estimated 200 that have set up across Canada.
"We haven't changed the legislation yet," Trudeau told reporters in Montreal. "It is coming, but we're going to take the time to do it right."
Until that happens, the current ban on the possession and sale of marijuana for recreational use remains in effect, he stressed.
In cities across Canada in the last year, entrepreneurs have opened storefronts seeking to grab market share ahead of the promised legalization.
The dispensaries themselves claim to be operating in a "gray area" of the law. Many have been raided by police only to defiantly reopen days later.
Trudeau campaigned last year on a promise to end nearly a century of pot prohibition and make Canada the first G7 nation to legalize the weed.
He also admitted in 2013 to having smoked pot five or six times in his life, including at a dinner party with friends since being elected to parliament.
On Tuesday, an expert panel unveiled a blueprint for creating a legal market for cannabis including plain packaging and labelling, restrictions on advertising, and retail distribution.
Under the proposed rules, individuals would be allowed to grow up to four plants at home for personal use.
Personal possession, however, would be limited to 30 grams (one ounce).
In settling on a minimum age of 18, the experts discounted the warnings of health groups concerned about the potential impact of marijuana on developing brains under the age of 25.
Trudeau called this proposal a "fair compromise" after recently pointing out that youths today can buy pot on the black market more easily than beer.