Marijuana has made waves in the Canadian Senate this week as the vote to legalize marijuana has passed with a vote of 52 to 29. According to Global News, pot has been banned from Canada for almost 100 years. With all the knowledge of what this herb can do to improve our world why has it been illegal for so long in so many countries? To be honest, this little leaf that we have a multitude of names for coincidently has a multitude of uses to make our world cleaner and healthier.

That's right - something that our forefathers banned has multiple uses to make this world better and that is why so many people have been fighting to make it legal.

Over at least the last 5 years, I have read, watched and learned some facts on marijuana from many different sources like legalization pages running through my Facebook page, news articles from the Sun, the Star, the Globe and Mail, and National Post (all Ontario newspapers) and on some televised new stations like CNN, CBC, and Global News. I have also met some people who have had cancer and were later diagnosed as cancer-free and they had started using pot.

The positives of pot

This drug, to start with, has proven time and time again its usefulness in cancer treatments, Parkinson's disease, and other muscular diseases. This drug or herb can also help people kick the habit of addiction to opioids. A common fact with opioids is that they were made to be a magical cure for pain control that ended up being more harmful to the patient. Pot has allowed the addicted opioid users to calmly end their opioid use and not have the pain of their injuries flare up.

Marijuana has been growing on our planet for centuries and has been used by many people for medical purposes. This leaf also goes by the name "Hemp." Hemp if you have noticed is made into a plethora of different items.

A few months ago there was a clip spreading around facebook that a company can make hemp into water bottles that will decompose in 10 years, eliminating the plastic waste that has been building since the 90's. They also make amazing rope, sheets, paper, and can also be mulched up and used for insulation for a home.

Turning a new leaf

This past week has been a historic one for Canada, their Senate has finally passed the C-45 federal bill. According to CBC News, the Canadian government is giving their provinces 8-12 weeks to prepare their laws and handling of marijuana so it won't technically be legal until, their new prediction, October 17, 2018, which is 17 weeks away. Just think of the candy sales in Canada this Halloween with people being allowed to smoke up.

This push is mainly to make sure all of the provinces have a protected way to distribute the pot without minors getting into it. This also gives the provinces time to hire and train staff for the positions needed to distribute marijuana. Due to the different laws in each province, the legalization of pot will be coast-to-coast, but the rules surrounding it will vary from province to province.

Jody Wilson-Raybould claimed to CBC News that this vote represents a historic day as we are the second country in the world, behind Uruguay, South America, to have pot legalized for recreational and medical use.

The legal hand

The bill C-45 is on its last journey of the Canadian legal system. Its last step is for Royal Assent to sign it into law.

The Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould did remind and warn the Canadian public that pot is still illegal and should be treated as a crime until the aforementioned date. CBC News also added the "coming into force" laws on their website that explains amounts people able to carry, the number of plants per household, and rules on edibles.

According to CBC News, there has been chatter about prisoners that have been convicted for using pot. Jody Wilson-Raybould took hold of these questions and stated that for now, they are "premature". She did state that the law is still in effect and technically they were breaking the law when they were caught, so it is a grey area indeed. During this discussion, however, the NDP mentioned the idea of "pot amnesty" for those convicted of cannabis possession offenses to get a pardon.

Only time will tell over the next few weeks how the laws get ironed out.