Canadians should be able to smoke marijuana legally on July 1, 2018, putting Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the path to accomplishing one of his most ambitious goals.

The legislation to legalize recreational marijuana will be announced the week of April 10th and it should become law by July next year, said a senior government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to lack of authorization to discuss the upcoming legislation.

Trudeau, 45, has long promised to legalize recreational cannabis use and sales.

Presently, Canadians can use medical marijuana with a prescription, but recreational use is illegal.

Scroll Down for Video

Canadians should be able to smoke marijuana legally by Canada Day on July 1, 2018

A woman smokes during a rally to celebrate National Marijuana Day on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada, on April 20, 2016

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (pictured) has admitted to smoking marijuana 'five or six times' in his life

If the new legislation is passed, Canada would be the largest developed country to end a nationwide prohibition of recreational marijuana.

Trudeau, who has admitted to smoking marijuana 'five or six times' in his life, said in June that he has no plans to light up even after his government makes it legal to do so.

'I don't think so. I'm not someone who has a history of using drugs,' he said. 'I lived in Whistler (British Columbia) for a few years, surrounded by friends who did. It was never my thing.'

Trudeau admitted to The Huffington Post Canada in a candid August 2013 interview that he smoked pot on a patio by the pool at his house in Montreal since becoming an MP.

'We had a few good friends over for a dinner party, our kids were at their grandmother's for the night, and one of our friends lit a joint and passed it around. I had a puff,' he said.

Trudeau's decision to decriminalize cannabis is influenced by his 23-year-old brother Michel, who had pending marijuana possession charges against him at the time of his death in an avalanche in November 1998.

In the US, voters in California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada voted last year to approve the use of recreational marijuana, joining Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska.

Uruguay in South America is the only nation to legalize recreational pot.

The Canadian government will regulate marijuana safety and Ottawa will license producers.

But provinces will be able to decide where marijuana is distributed and sold.

MAGIC MUSHROOMS IN HIS SPAGHETTI AND POT IN AMSTERDAM: JUSTIN TRUDEAU'S CHECKERED HISTORY WITH DRUGS Even though Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has long promised to legalize recreational pot use and sales in Canada, the 45-year-old said he has no plans to light up after his government makes it legal to do so. Trudeau's admitted to smoking marijuana 'five or six' times in his life, but told The Huffington Post Canada in 2013 that he never bought drugs or consumed enough to pay for them. His initial experience with marijuana was during a backpacking trip in Amsterdam when he was 18, he said. He and his friends went to a cafe and ordered hash. 'We were trying to heat it over a candle, and it was just a total disaster,' he recalled. A few years later, Trudeau was on a trip to the Caribbean with university classmates and smoked his first joint. '(It) was the first time I really ever had a hit, but I don’t keep a clear memory of it, because it’s never really been a big deal,' he said. Since being elected to the House of Commons in 2008, Trudeau admitted to smoking marijuana on a patio by the pool at his house in Montreal. 'We had a few good friends over for a dinner party, our kids were at their grandmother's for the night, and one of our friends lit a joint and passed it around. I had a puff,' he said. Although Trudeau said he's never used 'hard drugs', he suspects his friends in British Columbia of adding hallucinogenic mushrooms to his spaghetti. Advertisement

Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould declined to confirm the dates provided by the official, but said in a statement the government is committed to introducing legislation this spring that would 'legalize, strictly regulate and restrict access to cannabis'.

'This will be done in a careful way to keep it out of the hands of children and youth, and to stop criminals from profiting,' the statement said. 'In order to meet our commitment to legalize, the legislation will need to pass through the parliamentary process in a timely fashion.'

The news was noticed online by Snoop Dogg, who tweeted 'Oh Canada!'

Marijuana legislation will follow the recommendation of a federally appointed task force that was chaired by former Health Minister Anne McLellan as well as the advice of former Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, who is the parliamentary secretary to the justice minister.

Blair has been visiting police departments across the country.

The news was noticed online by Snoop Dogg, who tweeted 'Oh Canada!'

Canadians can use medical marijuana with a prescription, but recreational use is illegal

The task force recommended adults be allowed to carry up to 30 grams of pot for recreational purpose and grow up to four plants.

It also recommended that higher-potency pot be taxed at a higher rate than weaker strains and that recreational marijuana should not be sold in the same location as alcohol or tobacco.

Under the task force proposals, alcohol-free cannabis lounges would be allowed.

The panel's report noted public health experts tend to favor a minimum age of 21 as the brain continues to develop to about 25, but said setting the minimum age too high would preserve the illicit market.

The Canadian government will regulate marijuana safety and Ottawa will license producers. But provinces will be able to decide where marijuana is distributed and sold

Canadian youth have higher rates of cannabis use than their peers worldwide.

While the government moves to legalize marijuana, retail outlets selling pot for recreational use have already been set up.

Trudeau has emphasized current laws should be respected.

'Until we have a framework to control and regulate marijuana, the current laws apply,' he said on March 1.

That warning became more apparent when police in Toronto, Vancouver, and other cities raided stores earlier this month and charged several people with possession and trafficking.