Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that cannabis will be legalized in Canada on Oct. 17, 2018.
The announcement comes hot on the heels of the news that the Senate voted to pass Bill C-45, the Cannabis Act, on Tuesday.
Canada is the second country ever to have legalized marijuana.
BREAKING – Trudeau says that pot will be legal on October 17th, 2018 #cdnpoli
— Mackenzie Gray (@Gray_Mackenzie) June 20, 2018
The date set for legalization falls well outside the eight to 12-week timeline previously laid out by government officials.
According to CBC, it will take weeks for the government to establish a distribution system for producers to transport product to retail.
It will also take time for employees to be hired, trained, and screened so that they can sell cannabis.
Trudeau will host a press conference on Wednesday to go over next steps for legalization in more detail, according to CBC.
