Changes to the Law

Cannabis Legalization in Canada

The federal government made cannabis legal with The Cannabis Act (Bill C-45), creating a strict legal framework for controlling the production, distribution, sale and possession of cannabis across Canada. Each province and its municipalities have areas of responsibilities where they can set their own legislation, and the provincial government has made a number of decisions about BC’s cannabis regulations, outlined in the table below.

BC's Regulations – Cannabis Legalization

Activity	Regulation
Minimum Age	19+ to possess, purchase and consume cannabis.
Personal Possession Limits	Allowance of up to 30g non-medical cannabis in a public place. No more than 1,000g of dried non-medical cannabis, or its equivalent in a non-public place, such as in your home. If transported in a motor vehicle, it must be in a sealed package or inaccessible to vehicle occupants.
Edible Cannabis THC Limits	Licensed producers have to submit a written 60-day notice to Health Canada to declare their intent to sell a new cannabis product. Edibles: Up to 10mg of THC in a single package Extracts: Up to 10mg per capsule; capped at 1,000mg per package Topicals: Up to 1,000mg per package
Places of Use	Can be used in public spaces where tobacco smoking and vaping are permitted. Cannabis consumption is not permitted in the following places: Playgrounds, sports fields, skate parks, swimming pools, spray pools, or any decks or seating areas associated with these places. Public buildings, workplaces, or common areas of apartments, condos or dormitories within 6 metres of air intakes, windows and doorways attached to these places Within 6 metres of bus stops, transit shelters, train stations, ferry docks and similar places Regional and municipal parks, except for designated campsites Provincial parks, except for designated areas Public patios Health board properties, except for designed areas Non-medical cannabis in any form is banned on all Kindergarten to Grade 12 school properties, including adjacent sidewalks or boulevards. Use of cannabis in any form is banned for all occupants in a motor vehicle. Local governments can set additional restrictions. Landlords and strata councils can restrict or prohibit non-medical cannabis smoking at tenanted and strata properties.
Home Cultivation	Up to 4 cannabis plants. Landlords and strata councils can restrict or prohibit home cultivation. Plants cannot be visible from public spaces off the property. Non-medical cannabis cultivation banned in dwellings used as daycares.
Wholesale Distribution	The Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) is the wholesale distributor of non-medical cannabis.
Impaired Driving	Illegal to drive while under cannabis influence. A 90-day administrative driving prohibition for any driver whom police reasonably believe operated a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs, based on analysis of a bodily substance or an evaluation by a specially trained police drug recognition expert (DRE). Zero tolerance for drivers in the Graduated Licensing Program (GLP).
Retail Framework	The Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) is the sole, wholesale distributor of non-medical cannabis for BC. It operates the BC Cannabis Stores in public retail and online and is responsible for licensing private non-medical cannabis stores.