Now that the Liberals are in power, Canadians want to know if prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau will keep his word and legalize marijuana or if his promise will simply go up in smoke.

According to the party’s campaign platform, Canada’s prohibition approach doesn’t work.

“It does not prevent young people from using marijuana and too many Canadians end up with criminal records for possessing small amounts of the drug,” the Liberals say.

“To ensure that we keep marijuana out of the hands of children, and the profits out of the hands of criminals, we will legalize, regulate, and restrict access to marijuana.”

But even the soon-to-be sworn-in prime minister doesn’t know when that might happen.

“We don’t yet know exactly what rate we’re going to be taxing it, how we’re going to control it, or whether it will happen in the first months, within the first year, or whether it’s going to take a year or two to kick in,” he said.

Here are several jurisdictions Trudeau could look to for ideas.

ALASKA

In February, marijuana became legal in Alaska, making it the third U.S. state to officially end the drug’s prohibition. Legalization won 53% support in a state vote back in November 2014.

Alaskans 21 and older may now legally possess up to one ounce of marijuana, grow as many as six marijuana plants in their homes — as long as no more than three are flowering — and possess any extra marijuana produced by those plants.

But shops won’t be able to legally sell marijuana for recreational use until the state legislature creates the necessary regulations, which is expected to happen next year.

Smoking pot in public remains an offence and carries a fine of up to $100.

Possession of less than four ounces is punishable by up to a year in prison or a US$10,000 fine. But if possession occurred in the privacy of the offender’s home for personal use, there’s no penalty because it’s protected under the Alaskan constitutional right to privacy.

Possession of four or more ounces could land you in jail for up to five years and/or result in a fine of up to US$50,000.

COLORADO

Since late 2012, adults 21 and older have been able to legally possess one ounce of marijuana. You don’t need to be a resident and there’s no registration system, minus showing government-issued ID to prove you’re of age. Non-residents are restricted to purchasing no more than a 1/4 ounce. — seven grams — in a single transaction in licensed marijuana retail shops. Cannabis seeds are also available for sale in Colorado. Retail marijuana is intended for private, personal use and the drug may not be consumed openly or publicly.

Penalties range from a fine to a possible prison sentence.

Colorado allows its marijuana retail stores to open from 8 a.m. to midnight, but cities can use their discretion — for example, stores in Denver are required to close by 7 p.m.

The law also allows each adult to legally grow up to six plants, three of which can be in the flowering stage.

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

Since 1976, authorities haven’t prosecuted anyone in possession of less than five grams of marijuana for personal use. The “Dutch model,” called gedoogbeleid, categorizes “illegal drugs” into two sections — hard drugs and soft drugs. Cannabis is seen as a soft drug.

But since 2011, marijuana containing more than 15% THC has been reclassified a “hard drug,” accompanied by stiff penalties to try to curb “unacceptable risk” with its usage.

There are now 200 “coffee shops” where you can legally buy pot in the city and 617 nationwide. It’s always been illegal to grow marijuana in the Netherlands, but in the past, people could grow up to five plants without fear of punishment. But with the 2011 law, police began cracking down on anyone growing marijuana with electric lights, prepared soil, “selected” seeds or ventilation and put them in the “professional” category. Professional growers can be evicted and blacklisted from government-provided housing.

URUGUAY

Marijuana is one of the most widely used drugs in the South American country.

In 2012, President Jose Mujica announced plans to legalize state-controlled sales of cannabis in an effort to combat drug-related crimes and health issues.

In August 2014, Uruguay legalized cultivating up to six plants at a time and growing clubs. It also created a state-controlled cannabis dispensary regime and a cannabis regulatory institute. Two months later, the government began registering grower clubs and allowed them to produce a maximum of 99 plants a year.

People are allowed to buy up to 40 grams of cannabis per month from the government, as long as they’re over 18 and registered in a national database to track their consumption.

Individual growers are allowed to produce up to six crops at home each year, but can’t surpass 480 grams. Foreigners can’t buy the drug and it’s illegal to move it across international borders.

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Activist Matt Mernagh, author of Marijuana Smoker’s Guidebook:

“I think the first thing Mr. Trudeau needs to do is call a moratorium or a halt on all cannabis charges, effective immediately. He needs to get his minister of justice to call Prosecutions Canada and say, ‘No more charges on cannabis will be prosecuted.’”

“I think Washington is overburdened with government control and they overly taxed it. But I think a made-in-Canada model is the best model. We have other ones to look at — Uruguay is a country that has a ... government-organized industry, I don’t think we should adopt it, but I think we should look at a lot of models.”

“Realistically, I don’t think Mr. Trudeau is going to do anything. I hope I’m wrong, but the Liberal government has traditionally promised and campaigned on the left and governed on the right. He might throw us a bone, but he’s made some huge promises to marijuana ... And it’s like, you have a lot of people making demands now.”

jenny.yuen@sunmedia.ca