Legislation that would legalize and regulate cannabis in Canada is one step closer to being law, after being adopted at second reading in the Senate on Thursday.

Senate committees have already started reviewing the Cannabis Act after an earlier agreement to leverage the expertise of five Senate committees for in-depth consideration of the legislation.

The Social Affairs, Science and Technology Committee is tasked with reviewing the legalization framework in its entirety, while the Aboriginal Peoples Committee, the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee, the National Security and Defence Committee and the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Committee are each tasked with focusing in on specific elements of the bill.

Senate leaders have also agreed to a legislative timetable that will lead to a final vote on the legislation on or before June 7.

• Senate leadership agrees to timetable on cannabis bill

The Cannabis Act arrived in the Senate at the end of November and has heard from 40 Senators at second reading, starting with Senate sponsor Senator Tony Dean.

Also known as Bill C-45, the legislation proposes to set out controls for the production, distribution, sale and possession of cannabis. The legislation aims to restrict youth access to cannabis; protect the health and safety of the public through strict product safety and quality requirements; and deter criminal activity by imposing serious criminal penalties for those operating outside the legal framework.

FIND OUT MORE

• Niagara College getting ahead of curve with cannabis production program
• Senators take a field trip to a licensed cannabis production facility