Canada aiming to legalize marijuana in 2017

A woman in Ottawa flies a flag with a marijuana leaf on it.
(Image credit: Chris Roussakis/AFP/Getty Images)

Canadian Health Minister Jane Philpott announced Wednesday at a United Nations special session on drugs that Canada will introduce legislation in 2017 to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana.

Philpott said while it "challenges the status quo in many countries," the move is the best thing for Canada. "I am proud to stand up for our drug policy that is informed by solid scientific evidence and uses a lens of public health to maximize education and minimize harm," she said. "As a doctor, who has worked both in Canada and sub-Saharan Africa, I have seen too many people suffer the devastating consequences of drugs, drug-related crime, and ill-conceived drug policy."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.