On Oct. 17, 2018, Canada legalized recreational cannabis, according to the BBC and CBC News. The BBC reported that Canada became the second country, after Uruguay, to legalize the possession and use of recreational cannabis, and CBC News reported that it was the largest country to legalize recreational use.

The first recreational cannabis legally bought in Canada was sold at midnight on the eastern island of Newfoundland, amid lines of hundreds of people, the BBC reported. Ian Power of St. John's began lining up at 8 p.m. so he could "make history," the BBC reported. "It's been my dream to be the first person to buy the first legal gram of cannabis in Canada, and here I finally am," he said, according to the BBC. At the Tweed shop in St. John's, the store estimated it sold about $9,000 worth of product in the two hours before a mandatory 2 a.m. closing, CBC News reported.

There were no major problems reported in the first hours of legal sales, though there were signs that supply could run short at shops and online, CBC News reported. Provinces and cities set the rules for where cannabis could be bought and used, creating a patchwork of laws across the country, the BBC reported. Ontario, the most populous province, planned to open stores only the next spring, and British Columbia had just one legal store open on the first day, the BBC reported.

Legalization fulfilled a 2015 campaign promise by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the BBC reported. His stated goals were to keep the drug away from young people, ease the burden on the justice system and undercut the illegal market, the BBC reported. Border Security Minister Bill Blair said the old state of affairs "will not change overnight" but called it an important day, CBC News reported.

What we know: Canada's legal recreational cannabis market opened on Oct. 17, 2018, with the first sale in Newfoundland.
What we don't: These 2018 reports cannot say how fully legal sales would replace the illegal market in later years.