The task force appointed by the federal government to study the legalization of marijuana said Tuesday cannabis sales should be restricted to those 18 and older with a personal possession limit of 30 grams.
The Canadian Medical Association had recommended setting the age at 21 — with strict limits on quantity and potency until 25 — but the task force said that higher age limits would simply drive young consumers into the hands of the black market, something the government hopes to actively discourage with its push to legalize. 
Provinces and territories should, however, be provided with the flexibility to set their own age restrictions on purchasing the drug, the report said.
The nine U.S. jurisdictions that have legalized marijuana sales have matched the age limit to the drinking age of 21.
A news conference with the chair of the task force, former federal cabinet minister Anne McLellan, will take place at 10:45 a.m., and CBCNews.ca will carry it live.

Choke off organized crime

The report recommends Ottawa impose many of the same restrictions that currently apply to alcohol and tobacco sales, namely limits on advertising, to cannabis, to discourage use by young people.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said key objectives of the legislation are to keep marijuana out of the hands children and to choke off profits to organized crime.
While it says cannabis consumption for personal purposes should be legalized, the task force recommends criminal penalties for illicit production and for those trafficking the drug to youth and international markets.
Cannabis should be sold in storefront locations, the report said, but it recommends a ban of co-locating cannabis with alcohol and tobacco products, a blow to some provinces, like Ontario, which had hoped to sell marijuana in government-owned liquor stores.
The task force did not recommend a set price for cannabis, but suggested higher taxes on cannabis with elevated levels of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical responsible for most of marijuana's psychological effects, to discourage use.
Tax revenues generated from the sale of cannabis should be directed toward public education campaigns and further research on the health risks associated with cannabis consumption, the report recommended. It also said the government should help develop a body of research on the effects of cannabis-impaired driving.

Potential boon

The task force suggested the current medical marijuana regime, set up after successive court challenges, be maintained for the time being.
In fact, it said the professional production techniques developed under the current system should be applied to the cultivation of cannabis for personal consumption, a potential boon for some producers who have been looking to cash in on a liberalized marijuana market.
Personal cultivation should also be maintained, the report recommended, but with a limit on four plants per home, and a height restriction of 100 cm to reduce fire risks.

The government has promised to table legislation in the spring 2017, but it could take much time for the bill to be studied and eventually pass into law. 
Anne McLellan
Former federal cabinet minister Anne McLellan chaired the federal task force on legalizing and regulating pot. (CBC)
The task force's recommendations are not binding on the government.
Nine members of the task force held roundtables with experts across the country, visited two U.S. states where pot is already legal and heard from about 28,000 Canadians through online consultations.