Canada legalises recreational marijuana use

The Canadian Parliament in Ottawa passed the Cannabis Act yesterday, with the Senate voting 59-20 in favour.

Royal Assent is likely to be given this week.

The new law regulates the production, distribution and sale of the drug.

Canada has become the second country worldwide to legalise the drug for recreational use, after Uruguay in 2013. A number of US states have also voted to legalise it.

Adults will be permitted to possess up to 30 grams of dried cannabis in public, though cannabis-infused food will not be immediately available in order to give the government time to prepare regulations for such products.

The minimum age to buy and consume the drug has been set federally at 18, but some provinces have chosen to set it at 19.

It will, however, be illegal to have more than 30 grams of the drug and to grow more than four plants per household, as well as to buy from an unlicensed dealer.