So, cannabis is legal now. What should you know?
After nearly one hundred years of prohibition, Canada has taken a huge step and become the second country world-wide to legalize cannabis for adult use.
It’s an exciting time to be a cannabis advocate and an even more exciting time to be a curious consumer. If you’re not quite sure what activities are legal, you’re not alone so let’s break the rules down here.
To legally possess cannabis in Canada, the fol- lowing criteria must be met. First you must be 18 years of age. In some provinces, including BC, that age is 19, just like alcohol. You must have obtained your cannabis from a provincially licensed retail source, for example, bccannabisstores.com or one of the (so far just two) licensed brick and mortar retailers.
You may not have been given more than 30 grams of cannabis from another adult who obtained it legally.
You may have grown your own cannabis at home. The caveat here is that each household can grow up to four plants, but those plants must not be visible from the street and not in homes that are also used as daycares.
And of course, you cannot smoke or vape cannabis in any place where tobacco is prohibited and never on school properties or in places where youth commonly gather.
When you are out and about, you can only take 30 grams or less out with you. And 30 grams may be much less than you think, so be careful.
And everyone should be aware that you CANNOT transport cannabis across the US border. Don’t even try. Despite being legal in Canada and in some US states, import or export is definitely not legal.
With legalization comes regulation which means that cannabis and cannabis derived products must meet incredibly strict Health Canada standards before landing on the market.
That criteria includes labelling requirements. Labels are very plain and images and claims of efficacy are restricted, but cultivar names and cannabinoid content must be clearly outlined which means that you will know exactly what you are getting when you purchase legal Canadian weed.