MONTREAL – Canada’s decision to legalize marijuana could influence other countries as they mull whether to end their own bans.

Drug law reform advocates say the nation’s status as a major economy and a good international partner lends additional weight to its decision. Legal sales began Wednesday as more than 110 legal pot shops opened across Canada.

Among the other nations considering legalization are Mexico, where the incoming president has expressed an interest in legalizing pot, and New Zealand, where the government has promised a referendum by 2020 on whether to regulate marijuana.

Uruguay is the only other country with legal sales.

(The Associated Press contributed to this story)