For Justin Trudeau, making the legalization of marijuana a key plank in his election platform was relatively easy. 

Now his government faces the complicated – and potentially controversial – task of regulating the distribution and sale.

These are not uncharted waters. A handful of American states have recently taken the plunge, and the experiences in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and the District of Columbia provide examples of how marijuana sales could be introduced in Canada.

While it's nice that Trudeau says he wants to legalize marijuana, let's be clear that the reasons he's giving for legalization are all wrong.

While it may be politically wise to call for legalization mainly as a way of limiting access to minors while also raising some tax revenue, these are actually not at all the real reasons cannabis should be legalized.

Cannabis should be legalized because it is a wonderful plant, and because Canada's 100-year war on cannabis has had no redeeming features whatsoever.

Cannabis is beneficial and prohibition is wrong.

While industrial hemp comes from the same plant (cannabis sativa) as marijuana, it contains only trace amounts of THC — the chemical that creates the “high” when hemp is smoked or ingested. Instead, industrial hemp can be grown for a variety of uses, including textiles and clothing, paper, paints, clothing, plastics, cosmetics, and many, many other products. 

In addition to the advocacy movement for legalizing weed, there is a movement to legalize industrial hemp — a crop that has the potential to have a serious positive impact on the U.S. economy. 

 RCMP have uncovered a large marijuana grow operation in Rocky View County, southern Alberta, Tuesday afternoon. Strathmore RCMP executed a search warrant at a rural property north of Langdon, where they found 1,140 marijuana plants with an estimated value of $1.4 million.RCMP said the grow op was located inside multiple rooms in a residence, as well as a large outbuilding on the property.Thong Vihn Nguyen, 63, and Phan Thi Dang, 62, were arrested and face multiple charges, including production and possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.Strathmore RCMP received assistance from the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit “Green Team,” the RCMP Police Dog Service and the Strathmore RCMP Crime Reduction Unit.

Five days after the Saskatoon police raided the Saskatchewan Compassion Club and charged four of its employees with drug trafficking, the service has released a public statement clarifying its reasons for the raid and the arrests. 

Attributed to spokeswoman Alyson Edwards, the release stated that the Saskatchewan Compassion Club, a medical marijuana dispensary in downtown Saskatoon, "was operating without a licence from Health Canada under the Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations."

"It is an offence under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to possess or sell (traffic) marijuana. The compassion club received a letter from Health Canada warning them to stop operation or face legal consequences," the release stated. 

SASKATOON – Computer equipment, doughnuts and cash are among the donations going to an unlicensed medical marijuana dispensary in Saskatoon after it was raided last week, according to its owner. The Saskatchewan Compassion Club re-opened its doors Monday morning after being shut-down by police last Thursday.

Mark Hauk, the dispensary’s owner, said a number of people have donated items to him after police seized his operational equipment.

“We needed some computer equipment,” said Hauk, who opened the club roughly two months ago and was arrested in the raid.

“It’s all been taken from us, so we’ve had a handful of computers come through the door,” he added.

"We will legalize, regulate and restrict access to marijuana” – Liberal Party of Canada.

Of the dozens of promises that make up the Liberal Party election platform, this one could have the greatest lasting impact on Justin Trudeau’s administration – and the country as a whole, according to industry experts who are eyeing a potentially sizzling new market.

In part, it’s a matter of scale. If the Liberals succeed in legalizing marijuana, an estimated 1.2 million Canadians could eventually use legal variants of the drug daily – and perhaps another 2.5 million will consume them occasionally. This assumes Canadians will embrace new rules as people have in Colorado, which legalized marijuana for recreational use following a 2012 referendum.

Deciding where federal & provincial authority lies in regard to legalization of commercial & personal production, age restrictions and taxes will take time

Marijuana Legalization. Like making great wine, braising a perfect pork shoulder, or convincing your mother that leaving a law firm to run a marijuana company is a good idea: marijuana legalization will take time. It may even take a long time. But like good wine, great food and living your dreams, the time and energy expended is well worth it when it’s time to enjoy the end result.

"I only wanted to help people who needed their medicine," compassion club owner Mark Hauk said Monday. (Devin Heroux/CBC News)

The Saskatchewan Compassion Club has reopened its doors after being raided by Saskatoon police last week — but you won't find any marijuana inside. 

Police took the unlicensed dispensary's stock when they arrested owner Mark Hauk and three others on Thursday. All of them are facing drug-related charges including trafficking and possession. Saskatoon Police say the charges relate to selling marijuana to recreational users and people with marijuana prescriptions. Because the facility is not licensed with Health Canada, any sale of drugs is considered illegal.