The legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Canada, expected to take place this year, is a game-changer for lawyers, businesses, citizens and governments. It will have significant implications in many different areas of law, raising challenging new questions and offering exciting opportunities to break new ground for members of the legal profession.

For this article, Queen's Law Reports invited the views of 11 professionals – 10 law alumni and a physician – who have already established their bona fides in the complex specialities attending the regulation, business, and health risks of what will be seen, historically, as a legal, political, and cultural revolution in Canada.

James Munro, co-chair of McMillan LLP's Vancouver Cannabis Practice Group, spoke to Mark Witten from Queen's Law Reports on how the upcoming legalization and regulation opens the door to a dynamic new field of practice for cannabis law practitioners.

"This is a once-to-twice-a-generation opportunity for lawyers," says Munro. "To be a first mover in any area of law is exciting because you're shaping industry. Just four years of experience in the cannabis sector makes you very experienced, which is comical, but also true."

To read the rest of James Munro's interview go to the Queen's Law Reports 2018.

The foregoing provides only an overview and does not constitute legal advice. Readers are cautioned against making any decisions based on this material alone. Rather, specific legal advice should be obtained.

© McMillan LLP 2018