After the Senate voted to pass a bill legalizing recreational cannabis in Canada, the legislation sparked headlines and social media reaction around the globe.
News of the bill passing made its way onto CNN, Newsweek, and the BBC, to name a few. Most of the international stories chose to compare Canada’s new law to their own and speculate about the possibility of Canada’s rules spreading elsewhere.
While the Washington Post kept it simple with a headline reading “Canada's Senate votes to legalize marijuana,” Esquire magazine was a tad edgier with “Canada just legalized marijuana throughout the whole damn country.” CBS News had an entire story speculating about the future of legal pot in the U.K., titled “After Canada, will U.K. be next to legalize marijuana?”
A number of stories quoted an AFP interview with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from May where he states that several countries would likely follow suit with legalization after seeing how it goes in Canada.
Other news organizations pointed out that Trudeau has admitted to smoking marijuana “five or six times” with his friends.
Vox, an American news and opinion website, broke down what Canada’s legalization means for U.S. drug policy and said if international treaties against drug trafficking aren’t changed, they could be rendered useless, which would open up the world to legalized pot.
In the United States, nine states have already legalized recreational marijuana, although it’s illegal federally. During a media availability at the recent G7 summit, U.S. President Donald Trump said that he would “probably” support a bill currently making its way through Washington that would no longer consider buying and selling pot drug trafficking.
Business Insider, an American financial and business news website, took a financial angle on the story, by referring to a “new” May 7 report from CIBC indicating legal marijuana could outsell liquor in Canada by 2020.
On Late Night with Seth Meyers, Meyers spoke about Canada’s new regulations during his monologue and joked the rules “make sense considering their prime minister is already smoking.”
On social media, several people chose to contrast the difference in federal politics between Canada and our neighbours to the South, comparing Canada’s pot laws to American immigration policy, in which children are being separated from their parents after illegally crossing the border.
*Runs into Canada @ Farmers Market*
— Ben Philippe (@gohomeben) June 20, 2018
CANADA: "Omg, hi! I just legalized marijuana!"
"Congrats"
CANADA: "How have you been? Something about babies & borders?"
"It's been a busy few days"
CANADA: "Lol, gotta run but let's def catch up at the UN Human Rights Council! Kisses!" pic.twitter.com/wEyiKGZDXd
So Canada legalizes marijuana and we’re locking up toddlers? Yea, making America so great again...
— Kameron Michaels (@KameronMichaels) June 20, 2018
Top news story in the United States: Immigration detention centres are separating children from their parents and holding them.
— TheAsianGoddess™️ (@theasiangoddesx) June 20, 2018
Top news story in Canada: Senate votes to legalise marijuana.
Canada has now legalized marijuana while we are still prosecuting individuals way to go America we are doin a real good job
— moisturemob21 (@Keepitmoist21) June 20, 2018
Way to go Canada for legalizing marijuana! With the a$$ in the white house, we won’t do it soon, but it is inevitable, and it is about time. Safe access to ALL drugs would make this world a much better place. (Besides, weed is safer than alcohol, nicotine and likely sugar!)
— jalfern (@jalfern) June 20, 2018
Other users announced plans to either visit or make the move to Canada following Tuesday’s announcement.
Bruh Canada just legalized recreational marijuana. I’m moving
— A Hot Potato (@KAMaldonado12) June 20, 2018
Canada legalized marijuana... I need to go back
— Fuego El Negro (@fuego782) June 20, 2018