Canada is first major economy to vote to legalise recreational cannabis use

Canada passed legislation on Tuesday evening to legalise the recreational use of cannabis, making good on an election promise by Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party.

The Cannabis Act completed its final step in a 52-29 Senate vote. It means Canada will be the first of the G7 advanced industrial nations to allow the cultivation, purchase and consumption of the drug nationwide once it comes into force.

Jody Wilson-Raybould, the country's justice minister, said: "This is an historic milestone for progressive policy in Canada as we shift our approach to cannabis. 

"This legislation will help protect our youth from the risks of cannabis while keeping profits out of the hands of criminals and organised crime."

Medical use has been legal in the country since 1981.

The new bill controls how the drug can be grown and distributed for recreational use, introducing new offences for selling marijuana to children.

The law bans sales to anyone under 18, although provinces and territories will be allowed to set higher minimum ages.

It still needs royal assent - which could arrive as early as Wednesday, according to the national broadcaster CTV - and then the government will set a start date for it to take effect.

The move comes amid a growing debate in the UK - and throughout many developed nations - about whether it is time to give up on failing efforts to stamp out recreational use of cannabis.

How will it work in Canada?

Mr Trudeau's government had hoped its reforms would be in force July 1. However, provincial and territorial administrations need up to 12 weeks to finalise their policies, making September the earliest date for legal sales to begin.

Most are expected to keep minimum ages in line with their stance on alcohol consumption - which means 19 in some places.

Cannabis and its oils will be sold at regulated shops although "edibles" will not go on sale for at least a year as new regulations for their production and sale are devised.

Provinces are expected to differ on whether or not they allow smoking in public.

Adults will be allowed to grow up to four marijuana plants at home, although Manitoba and Quebec are expected to ban home cultivation, and carry up to 30 grams in public for personal consumption.

Where else is Cannabis legal?

Until now, the South American nation of Uruguay is the only country to legalise pot for non-medical purposes. The coffee shops of Amsterdam, for example, operate in a grey area - where use is technically illegal but personal consumption is tolerated as part of a policy of "decriminalisation".

The situation is confused in the US, where recreational marijuana use remains illegal under federal law despite the fact that nine states and Washington DC have legalised the practice. It means businesses in Colorado or California that operate freely struggle to use banking or other financial services that are governed by federal laws.

In Canada, the  fresh approach was a 2015 campaign promise of Mr Trudeau, who has admitted having smoked a joint with friends "five or six times".

He promised that his reforms would fix a failed system and remove the "criminal element" linked to the drug.