As of Wednesday, Canada, not known traditionally for a liberal official policy on drugs, launched its own legal marijuana marketplace marking what a Jamaica Gleaner article calls “a profound social shift” though the article argues that what has pushed Canada in this direction is a “fervent desire to rein in an unregulated and continually growing black market for the widely popular substance and to bring it into a regulated tax system.”
The move is even more significant when account is taken of the fact that by placing a tag of legalization of the commercialization of marijuana, Canada outflanks its historically more liberal neighbour, the United States, where still only some states allow recreational and medicinal use of marijuana among people aged 21 and older.
Canada’s marijuana commercialization regime allows for major investments in what can now be described as a potentially highly profitable industry.