Marijuana now legal in Canada. 12 a.m. local time, Oct. 17th, 2018, saw Newfoundland usher in a new era, one in which the purchase of cannabis was made legal. It was cold and windy, but that did not deter people from waiting in long lines outside shops, to make their first legal purchase of cannabis. Meanwhile, people were driving by in cars, honking and shouting excitedly, “Happy Cannabis.”
What Excited Customers Had To Say…
Here is what one customer, Ian Power, one of the first people to legally purchase cannabis had to say, “It’s been my dream to be the first person to buy the first legal gram of cannabis in Canada, and here I finally am. I’m elated. I’m so excited, I can’t stop smiling. I’m not cold. It’s freezing cold out, but I’m not cold. I’m having a plaque made with the date and time and everything. This is never actually going to be smoked. I’m going to keep it forever. Who else gets to be first to help ring in the end of prohibition? It feels great to have it happen in my home town. A lot of things first happen on the mainland … but to have it happen in St. John’s? That’s epic.”
Tara O’Reilly, was another customer, lining up for this memorable day. But, she said that though she does not use cannabis, she had just come to be here, as part of a historic day, “I’m looking forward to buying it and having it as a memory of tonight.”
Don Clarke, another customer and a user of marijuana for 50 years said, “It’s awesome, a bit late. I mean, we could have done this in 1969 or ’71. It’s been discussed at length — to overkill.”
A License To Sell Cannabis
Canopy Growth Corp., is the producer who has the license to sell cannabis. In St. John’s, N.L., at a very late hour, the company opened the Tweed-branded store, to sell cannabis. Canopy Growth Corp., is the parent company of Tweed’s. Canopy Growth, is one of the largest cannabis companies in Canada. At 11:30 P.M., they officially opened their Tweed store, to usher in the first legal sales of cannabis. On the other hand, Loblaw Companies Ltd., a retailer, had made plans to start selling cannabis, from 9 A.M., at 10 different locations. There were also many other retailers such as THC Distribution in Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s, who had also opened to herald in the legal sales of cannabis. Though quite a few stores opened before midnight to sell legal cannabis, people were seen scurrying about to make purchases, as stores had to mandatorily shut down at 2 A.M.
Bruce Linton, CEO of Canopy Growth Corp., flew all the way down to St. John’s, N.L., to make the first sale there. He said he was very excited to be there for the first sale of legal cannabis, that too, right opposite a provincial courthouse, where over the years, innumerable cases of cannabis related charges were dealt with. He said, “This is a marked day, but this has been a six- or seven-year build and a whole bunch of people who shouldn’t be forgotten.”
Now Legal In Canada
As of October 17, 2018, across Canada, Marijuana is now legal. The Bill was passed earlier this year, by the Senate. Canada thus becomes only the second country in the world, to legalize cannabis.
Bruce Linton, CEO of Canopy Growth Corp., said to customers, “When’s the last time you bought a gram and got a receipt for it? Never happened. For me it just proves that Canadians are open to this, they’re ready for this. It’s not like, ‘Oh my God look at that sketchy character.'”
Andy Roberts is a seasoned journalist with nearly 9 years experience. While studying journalism at Ryerson, Annie found a passion for finding engaging stories. As a contributor to White Pine Tribune, Annie mostly covers provincial and national developments..
