# Canada, the copycats
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-the-copycats/752797
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [April 21, 2016, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-the-copycats/752797 "2016-04-21T09:31:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2016, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-the-copycats/752797/1 "2016-04-21T09:31:16Z")
First Canada is going to legalize [physician-assisted suicide](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/15/world/americas/canadian-prime-minister-seeks-to-legalize-physician-assistedsuicide.html).
Now they’re going to legalize [recreational marijuana](http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/04/20/marijuana-legislation-coming-to-canada-next-spring.html) (real subtle as to the day they announced it, too :rolleyes:).
Both these are already legal in Oregon and Washington. Canada is just copycatting us.
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### Author:  [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2016, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-the-copycats/752797/2 "2016-04-21T10:46:45Z")
We [had a bill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_history_of_cannabis_in_Canada#Failed_decriminalization_bills_.282003.2C_2004.29) that was going to legalize it in 2005, but the [Liberal government fell to the Tories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_federal_election,_2006) who ultimately didn’t pass it. The Libs are back in power now so legalization is back on track.
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### Author:  [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2016, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-the-copycats/752797/3 "2016-04-21T13:12:18Z")
> [@dtilque](#):
>
> Now they’re going to legalize [recreational marijuana](http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/04/20/marijuana-legislation-coming-to-canada-next-spring.html) (real subtle as to the day they announced it, too :rolleyes:).
>
> Both these are already legal in Oregon and Washington. Canada is just copycatting us.
I thought your Federal government still considered marijuana illegal but didn’t enforce that prohibition in those states that consider it legal? In our case when it is made legal it will be legal **nation-wide**.
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### Author:  [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2016, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-the-copycats/752797/4 "2016-04-21T13:19:08Z")
Actually, Oregon is copying us, in an anticipatory fashion. 😛
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### Author:  [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2016, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-the-copycats/752797/5 "2016-04-21T14:07:33Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#):
>
> Actually, Oregon is copying us, in an anticipatory fashion. 😛
Those stoners just can’t keep track of time.
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### Author:  [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2016, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-the-copycats/752797/6 "2016-04-21T15:53:40Z")
We’re operating on a federal level, while you’re boasting on a couple of puny states making changes?
I think it’s pretty clear, when y’all finally do decide to act federally, you’ll be ‘following’ us, in fact.
(Nice try, but a swing and a miss!)
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### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2016, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-the-copycats/752797/7 "2016-04-23T04:15:13Z")
> [@Canadjun](#):
>
> I thought your Federal government still considered marijuana illegal but didn’t enforce that prohibition in those states that consider it legal?
Yes, but the states are collecting taxes on it, so it looks legal enough to me.
Everyone’s concentrating on the mj legalization, but my point was that there are two things they are going to legalize and they made the announcements only a week apart. There are other states (CO and AK) that have legal recreational mj and other states (CA and VT) that have physician assisted suicide. OR and WA are the only ones with both.
I suppose that instead of calling you copycats, I should have said something like “welcome to the 21st century…”
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2016, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-the-copycats/752797/8 "2016-04-23T14:41:33Z")
I don’t mind. That’s what little brothers are like, they copy everything you do.
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### Author:  [@polar\_bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/polar_bear)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2016, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-the-copycats/752797/9 "2016-04-23T15:50:26Z")
> [@TriPolar](#):
>
> I don’t mind. That’s what little brothers are like, they copy everything you do.
Does this mean the Dutch can treat the US as our petulant little brother?🙂
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2016, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-the-copycats/752797/10 "2016-04-23T15:54:18Z")
> [@polar\_bear](#):
>
> Does this mean the Dutch can treat the US as our petulant little brother?🙂
I’m missing your meaning unless you’re referring to the freakishly tall average height of the wooden shoe crowd.
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### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [April 24, 2016, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-the-copycats/752797/11 "2016-04-24T00:58:27Z")
> [@TriPolar](#):
>
> I’m missing your meaning unless you’re referring to the freakishly tall average height of the wooden shoe crowd.
I think he is refering to the Dutch having something more extreme than death-with-dignity (i.e. euthanasia) and the infamous Amsterdam coffeeshops where weed is smoked with wild abandon. However, it should be noted that marijuana is technically illegal in the Netherlands.
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### Author:  [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)
#### Post date: [April 24, 2016, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-the-copycats/752797/12 "2016-04-24T02:26:35Z")
Also the Dutch Republic was backed the Patriots in the Revolutionary War and the Articles of Confederation were based on the it’s political system.
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### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [April 24, 2016, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-the-copycats/752797/13 "2016-04-24T08:33:46Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#):
>
> Also the Dutch Republic was backed the Patriots in the Revolutionary War and the Articles of Confederation were based on the it’s political system.
Really doubt that was what they were refering to. However, after I posted my last post (quoting multiple other posts is still not working), I realized that, as others have pointed out, mj is still technically illegal in Oregon and Washington, just as it is in Netherlands although for different reasons. So I guess they have a point, we’re copycatting the Netherlands. But we were copying them first!