Can You Buy Recreational Weed In Canada
You may have heard that cannabis (marijuana) is now legal across Canada for both medicinal and recreational use. Well, it's true! However, like alcohol, for example, cannabis and its use are regulated by the Federal and Provincial Governments. Important to note that while Federal regulations apply across the country, each Province also has it's own set of regulations so make sure you know the ones in the Province(s) you plan on visiting. This article was written to provide traveling tourists with information on cannabis in Canada, and the regulations and laws that apply to its use. So we have scoured the information out there and summarized it here for our readers.
can you buy recreational weed in canada
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario is the provincial regulator authorized to grant store licences and make sure stores sell recreational cannabis safely, responsibly and lawfully. The Ontario Cannabis Store is the exclusive wholesaler to these stores.
Cannabis in Canada is legal for both recreational and medicinal purposes. Medicinal use of cannabis was legalized nationwide under conditions outlined in the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations, later superseded by the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations,[1] issued by Health Canada and seed, grain, and fibre production was permitted under licence by Health Canada.[2] The federal Cannabis Act came into effect on 17 October 2018 and made Canada the second country in the world, after Uruguay, to formally legalize the cultivation, possession, acquisition and consumption of cannabis and its by-products.[3] Canada is the first G7 and G20 nation to do so.[4]
Cannabis was originally prohibited in 1923 until regulated medical cannabis became legal on 30 July 2001. In response to popular opinion,[5] the legislation to legalize cannabis for recreational use (Cannabis Act, Bill C-45) was passed by the House of Commons of Canada on 27 November 2017; it passed second reading in the Senate of Canada on 22 March 2018.[6] On 18 June 2018, the House passed the bill with most, but not all, of the Senate's amendments.[7] The Senate accepted this version of the Act the following day.[8]
The federal government announced that recreational use of cannabis would no longer violate criminal law as of 17 October 2018.[9] This legalization comes with regulation similar to that of alcohol in Canada, limiting home production, distribution, consumption areas and sale times.[10] The process removed cannabis possession for personal consumption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act; while implementing taxation and stronger punishments for those convicted of either supplying cannabis to minors, or of impairment while driving a motor vehicle.[11]
As of January 2019, online sales of cannabis for recreational use were well underway across Canada, via the provincial or territorial governments. Most provinces also had storefront operations selling cannabis, either operated by the government or private enterprise.[12]
After he was elected Prime Minister in 2015, the first significant step that Justin Trudeau took was the creation of a federal-provincial-territorial task force to discuss a jointly suitable process for the legalization of cannabis possession for casual use. This Task Force on Marijuana Legalization and Regulation released a 106-page report to the public on 13 December 2016, with various recommendations. Those were provided for consideration by the federal and provincial governments, but they were not binding.[26] Sales for recreational use were not to commence until 1 July 2018, at the earliest, based on legislation (Bill C-45, the Cannabis Act) passed by the federal government in June 2018.[27]
Until 17 October 2018, cannabis remained illegal (except with a physician's prescription, for medical purposes), as Trudeau reminded police forces across the country in late 2016. He insisted that they "enforce the law": criminally charge illegal storefront dispensaries. Trudeau also explained that the intent of the legislation is not to encourage recreational use of cannabis. The intent is "to better protect our kids from the easy access they have right now to marijuana [and] to remove the criminal elements that were profiting from marijuana", he told the Toronto Star on 2 December 2016.[31]
As expected, the use of cannabis for recreational purposes became legal across the country on 17 October 2018, under the Cannabis Act which "creates a legal and regulatory framework for controlling the production, distribution, sale and possession of cannabis in Canada", according to a Government of Canada web site.[40] Persons aged 18 or older can possess up to 30 grams of dried or "equivalent non-dried form" in public. Adults are also allowed to make cannabis-infused food and drinks "as long as organic solvents are not used to create concentrated products". Each household is allowed to grow up to four cannabis plants from "licensed seed or seedlings", although Quebec and Manitoba chose to be excluded from this aspect of the legislation. There has been a legal challenge against Quebec's decision by a citizen who contested the ban on growing because the federal government allowed growing up to 4 plants per household. In June 2019 the Quebec Superior court agreed and declared once again in June 2019 that Quebecers could possess and grow as many as 4 plants. The Quebec government appealed that decision and it was declared by the Quebec Court of Appeal the previous decision was incorrect and that the province had the power to ban Quebecers from possessing and growing any cannabis plants with a simple fine imposed. Presently some Canadian lawyers are in the process of challenging the Manitoba ruling and following that will move on to challenge Quebec, this appears to be a joint effort between TOBA grown and NORML.[41]
Each province set its own procedures for retail sales, and these vary as to ownership or retail outlets (by the provincial government or private enterprise), but all include an option for online sales. Since marijuana is illegal in the U.S. per federal legislation, the government warned that "previous use of cannabis, or any substance prohibited by U.S. federal laws, could mean that you are denied entry to the U.S." Canadians travelling within the country (but not internationally) are allowed to carry up to 30 grams of cannabis. Naturally, driving under the influence of drugs remained illegal.[42][43] It was announced that on 1 May 2019, Canada would introduce excise tax on all products containing THC, and introduce three new product classes for recreational sale: cannabis edibles, cannabis extracts, and cannabis topicals.[44]
By 2006, a high percentage of the population was using cannabis,[49] in spite of the risk of police charges for possession, and especially for selling it without the required licence, according to statistics gathered by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Nearly half (44%) of Canadians admit to trying it at least once; no statistics were provided as to the percentage who use it frequently. The CAMH report also indicates that by the last year of high school, nearly half (46%) of Ontario students admit to having used marijuana in the past year.[50] The CAMH discussion includes warnings about the negative effects of cannabis. Other groups also warn about the risk, including the Canadian Automobile Association whose 2016 poll indicated, "Almost two-thirds of Canadians are concerned that roads will become more dangerous [due to impairment by the drug] with the legalization of marijuana".[51] An October 2016 national poll by Forum suggests that about five million adult Canadians now use cannabis at least once a month; this is expected to increase by 19 percent after marijuana is legalized.[5] Canaccord Genuity analysts Matt Bottomley and Neil Maruoka released a research note with a more moderate estimate of the number of users. They predicted that approximately 3.8 million persons will be recreational users (presumably on a frequent basis) by 2021.[52] A report by Canada's Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) is more bullish, estimating that by 2021 some 5.2 million adults may be users.[53] The Canadian government's Canadian Cannabis Survey 2021 found that 17% of Canadians aged 16 and older reported using cannabis in the last 30 days.[54]
Growers that currently produce marijuana are licensed by Health Canada under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR). As of late 2016, there were 36 authorized producers across the country in Health Canada's list. Sales were allowed only by mail order, but by late 2017, some major retailers had applied for a change in the rules to allow them to also sell the product.[55] By 21 December 2017, 82 licences had been issued[56] under the ACMPR, but not all of the producers had been licensed to begin selling medical marijuana. The vast majority of these companies were located in Ontario.[57] At that time, no licences had been issued yet for producing recreational cannabis; the producers already licensed were hoping to be added to that list after it is created.[58] Between 1 February and early April 2018, some 89 additional applicants were approved as cannabis growers by Health Canada; at the time, the agency was considering the merits of another 244 applications.[59]
The report by the Task Force on Marijuana Legalization and Regulation had recommended that recreational cannabis growers should be licensed at a federal level, separately from the producers of medical marijuana. The expert panel also recommended that the process ensure competition by licensing both large and small producers. While licensing should be federal, each of the provinces should be allowed to determine how and where the product will be sold.[62]
After the plans for legalization[63] became well-publicized, industry analysts reported that some of the producers who had been licensed for medical marijuana, including Aurora Cannabis, were already increasing the capacity of their operations for future sales to the distributors of recreational cannabis.[64] 041b061a72