A marijuana plant is seen before harvesting at a rural area near Corvallis, Ore. in this Sept. 30, 2016 file photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Andrew Selsky

A last-ditch effort by Conservative Senators to prohibit home cultivation of cannabis plants for recreational consumption failed Thursday in a 40-33 vote.

Currently, the Liberal government’s cannabis legalization bill allows for Canadian households to grow as many as four plants.

But the Tories have fought against allowing home growing since the bill was introduced, citing myriad concerns including whether it would increase the means of marijuana access for children.

An amendment by Sen. Vernon White, a former police chief, would have made it illegal – specifically, a ticketable offence to grow up to six pot plants at home and a criminal offence to grow more than six.

But senators rejected the proposal. Independent Sen. Andre Pratte said it would have been inconsistent to legalize the substance and then tell Canadians they can’t produce their own plants.

“If we are going to make cannabis legal, I think it’s a little bit illogical then to tell people they can’t grow it at home,” he said.

Conservative Sen. Denis Patterson had urged senators to support the amendment, warning of “unintended consequences” in Indigenous communities — things like increased likelihood of fires, exposure to mould and higher energy consumption.

Independent Sen. Frances Lankin meanwhile said she had heard a lot of testimony that came close to “reefer madness” that warned against home-growing cannabis. She said when it comes to children and access, the plant still has to be heated before it releases THC, so it’s unlikely a toddler would ever get high or consume the substance, which tastes bad.

Liberal Sen. Art Eggleton said he still has reservations about home cultivation, and weighed that it might have been better to leave it illegal for a year, which the bill does with edible marijuana products. But in the end he voted against the amendment, noting the bill has already been modified by senators to allow provinces to decide if they wish to ban home cultivation in their respective jurisdictions — something already set to happen in Quebec and Manitoba.

Bill C-45 is at third reading stage in the Senate – its last stage before a final vote expected late next week – and the last chance senators have to change aspects of the bill.

Senators meanwhile agreed to a schedule for third reading debate on the bill. After examining issues related to home growing and cultivation Thursday, on Friday they deal with sales and distribution amendments. Monday it’s international affairs, Tuesday it’s criminal penalties, and finally Wednesday, it’s issues related to consumption — including another contentious part of the bill: the minimum age.

After it passes third reading in the Senate, the House of Commons will then have to decide if it accepts or rejects the amendments made by the Senate.

Senators have already made dozens of amendments to the bill, although many were small technical fixes that came from the bill’s sponsor — including one that simply inserted a comma into a clause, which passed at committee on division. Tory Senators even charged this week that the many technical amendments added at the last minute in the Senate show the government has rushed the legislation through Parliament.