Marijuana Legalization Canada: Intro

Recreational Marijuana is slowly becoming globally accepted and Canadians want to know about Marijuana Legalization Canada.  At the time of this writing marijuana for recreational use still remains illegal with Uruguay becoming the first nation to claim that achievement when it passed regulation in 2014 that allowed residents to purchase, grow, and possess limited amounts.  However new laws have been passed that will legalize recreational weed in 2018.  Read on to find out more.

Canada Legalization Timeline – Past to Present

The Current laws that are in place grant access to Canadians that have a medical reason to use and possess marijuana. This regulation is the ACMPR and was enacted on August 2016.  You can learn more about it in our previous article, Is marijuana legal in Canada? To learn about how to obtain a medical marijuana prescription from a licensed physician in Ontario click here.

Marijuana Legalization Canada – Current Recreational Status

As of this writing recreational marijuana is not legal to possess or use by anyone of any age in any province.  This law is set to change next year.  Read on for full details.

Marijuana Legalization Canada… The Cannabis Act (2018)

In Canada legalization news, On April 13, 2017, a bill to legalize Cannabis was introduced to Parliament.  The proposed Cannabis Act would create a strict legal framework for controlling the production, distribution, sale and possession of cannabis across Canada. According to the Government of Canada website the Act seeks to restrict youth access to cannabis, deter and reduce criminal activity, protect public health through strict product safety and quality requirements, reduce the burden on the criminal justice system, provide for the legal production of cannabis to reduce illegal activities, and allow adults to possess and access regulated, quality controlled legal cannabis.

The current program for accessing cannabis for medical purposes would continue under the new Act. Although cannabis is legal for medical use it will still remain illegal for recreational use as the bill moves through the legislative process. If it is approved by Parliament, the bill could become law with a target date of no later than July 1 2018, which is the Canada Legalization Date.

Marijuana Legalization Canada – Highlights of The Cannabis Act

No person could sell or provide cannabis to any person under the age of 18.

The Act would create 2 new criminal offences, with maximum penalties of 14 years in jail, for giving or selling cannabis to youth, and using a youth to commit a cannabis-related offence.

The Act would also prohibit:

• products that are appealing to youth
• packaging or labelling cannabis in a way that makes it appealing to youth
• selling cannabis through self-service displays or vending machines
• promoting cannabis, except in narrow circumstances where the promotion could not be seen by a young person

Penalties for violating these prohibitions include a fine up to $5 million or 3 years in jail.

Should the Cannabis Act become law in July 2018, adults who are 18 years or older would be able to legally:

• possess up to 30 grams of legal dried cannabis or equivalent in non-dried form
• share up to 30 grams of legal cannabis with other adults
• purchase dried or fresh cannabis and cannabis oil from a provincially-licensed retailer
  • In those provinces that have not yet or choose not to put in place a regulated retail framework, individuals would be able to purchase cannabis online from a federally-licensed producer.
• grow up to 4 cannabis plants, up to a maximum height of 100cm, per residence for personal use from licensed seed or seedlings
• make cannabis products, such as food and drinks, at home provided that  organic solvents are not used

Other products, such as edibles, would be made available for purchase once appropriate rules for their production and sale are developed.

Strict regulation

The federal, provincial and territorial governments would share responsibility for overseeing the new system.

The federal government’s responsibilities would be to:

• set strict requirements for producers who grow and manufacture cannabis
• set industry-wide rules and standards, including:
  • the types of cannabis products that will be allowed for sale
  • packaging and labelling requirements for products
  • standardized serving sizes and potency
  • prohibiting the use of certain ingredients
  • good production practices
  • tracking of cannabis from seed to sale to prevent diversion to the illicit market
  • restrictions on promotional activities

The provinces and territories would license and oversee the distribution and sale of cannabis, subject to federal conditions. They could also:

• increase the minimum age in their province or territory (but not lower it). Ontario has increased their minimum age to 19.
• lower the personal possession limit in their jurisdiction
• create additional rules for growing cannabis at home, such as lowering the number of plants per residence
• restrict where adults can consume cannabis, such as in public or in vehicles

On Sept 8, 2017 the Ontario government released details of provincial distribution and possession laws coming into effect on July 1st.

Highlights of the Ontario plan are as follows:

The recreational marijuana market in Ontario will restrict sales to 150 LCBO-run stores.

There will be 80 LCBO weed stores in place across the province by July 1, 2019 and another 70 by 2020.

Online sales will begin next July after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government legalizes recreational marijuana.

The government is also looking at new road safety rules to curb impaired driving.

Criminal penalties

The Cannabis Act proposes offences targeting those acting outside the legal framework, such as those involved in organized crime.

Penalties would be set in proportion to the seriousness of the offence. Sanctions would range from warnings and tickets for minor offences to criminal prosecution and imprisonment for more serious offences.

When legalization or decriminalization finally takes place, Canadians will be welcoming Marijuana Legalization Canada 2018 with open arms.

Marijuana Legalization Canada… A Final Word on Recreational Dispensaries in Canada

Dispensaries are currently operating within a grey area of the law.  Under the current regulation dispensaries are operating illegally since only licensed producers are allowed to sell marijuana to patients however any time a dispensary is brought to trial the courts have not been convicted and thus leaving the dispensaries to operate with no real risk of conviction for their illegal activity. It should be noted that dispensaries do not sell regulated product from licensed producers and patients who choose to purchase medicine from a dispensary is doing so at the risk of possible contamination from pests, pesticides, fertilizers, heavy metals, and pathogens.

Marijuana Legalization Canada is coming in 2018 and the future looks pretty bright.

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