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Opinion: Canada’s legalization of marijuana offers a blueprint for the U.S.

If Canada's rollout of its #Cannabis Act continues to unfold smoothly, U.S. lawmakers looking to legalize #marijuana at the federal level will have a credible model to emulate.
A woman smokes marijuana in Vancouver on Oct. 17, 2018, the day Canada legalized cannabis.

When Canada legalized cannabis last fall, the country began blazing a trail that the U.S. should one day follow. There’s much to emulate about the Canadian government’s approach to legalization, and a few things to avoid, but having marijuana legalized on such a large scale so close to home will no doubt have a profound effect on America’s future treatment of the issue.

Medical or recreational marijuana is now even though its possession or use is illegal under federal law. It’s an untenable situation that individuals engaging in an activity that’s now legal in 60 percent of the country are violating federal law. This is problematic for marijuana users, as well as for the cannabis industry. And even though a market is taking shape to support the use of

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