Mexico will legalize sales of marijuana-based medicines, foods, drinks, cosmetics and other products early next year, its health regulator said on Wednesday, bringing some forms of cannabis into legal commerce even as the country struggles with the illicit drug trade.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says ''next summer," and not July 1, is the date cannabis will become legal across the country.

Under current law, Ministry of Health approval is required before most cannabis-based products can be prescribed.

Canadians consumed an estimated $5-billion to $6.2-billion worth of cannabis in 2015, a study by Statistics Canada showed on Monday, ahead of the nationwide legalization of recreational use of the drug next year.

The trillium is Ontario’s official flower and marijuana could now be considered the province’s official weed with the passage of the Cannabis Act.

Five months after legalising recreational marijuana, there are more than 16,000 Uruguayans registered to buy the drug from pharmacies, up from 5,000 users in July.

Nova Scotia and P.E.I. both set their legal age for marijuana at 19 on Thursday, but the two East Coast provinces are taking different paths on how weed will be sold.

The BC government has released its plan for recreational marijuana following a public consultation process with more than 48,000 responses.