Canadians holding their breath for legal cannabis can relax a little, as Senators voted Bill C-45 be passed on to a committee for a third reading.
The final vote was 44 to 29, with one of those opposing the bill being Kamloops Senator Nancy Greene-Raine. She says evidence shows smoking pot does permanent brain changes until the age of 25, and the proposed age to use pot under the legislation is 18.
“And they’ve invited the province to raise the age if they want. That means there’s going to be all kinds of different ages all across Canada, some of them as low as 18. I think when you look at 18 year olds having legal access to use marijuana, its problematic. Some of them are still in high school, they’re also in touch with younger teenagers. It’s just too young.”
The bill will now be scrutinized by five different Senate committees, which could recommend amendments, before returning it to the upper house for a final debate and vote by June 7th.