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Who should be able to buy it? Should it be against the law for people under 16? Under 18? Under 21? If so, what should the penalties be for consuming it while underage or providing it to minors?

Where should people be able to use marijuana? In the privacy of their homes? In their back yards? In special toking zones? While walking down the street?

How should marijuana be taxed? And how should those tax revenues be split between federal and provincial governments?

How do we test drivers or workers to see if they’re impaired? And can you test an employee for cannabis use if it’s legal?

How do we regulate and label marijuana and cannabis products so that people know example how much hash is in their brownies or how much THC is in their weed?

Those are just a few of the complicated legal, medical and social questions and quandaries the volunteer panel has to tackle.

“We’re all seized with the importance of this. We’re the first country to move in this direction. As a nation, we’re breaking new ground and that’s obviously a big challenge,” says McLellan. “But I think it’s clear now that the current situation is not working. We need to find a new way forward.”

“Pragmatic, useful, balanced recommendations — that is our goal.”

The illicit trade in marijuana, McLellan says, generates $7 billion in annual income for organized crime in Canada.

“We want to take the profit out of marijuana for those who would profit illegally.”

McLellan says the government isn’t imagining a future of cool cannabis bakeries, bistros and bars.