As of October 17, 2018 it is legal to buy, use and possess cannabis in Canada. Each province has its own set of rules pertaining to buying and using cannabis. They all have one thing in common – the opportunity to receive same day cannabis delivery in any part of Canada.
In Vancouver, a lot of the laws around the use and purchase of marijuana are similar to the province’s alcohol and tobacco laws.
How much cannabis are you legally allowed to purchase in Canada?
Are you ready for it? No matter where you are in Canada, you can legally possess, carry, and share (with other adults, obviously) 30 grams of cannabis. If you’re trying to wrap your head around just how much that is, it is about 60 to 75 pre-rolled joints. Depending on where you are in the country, it could cost anywhere from 160-400 Canadian dollars.
How old do I have to be to buy cannabis legally in New Westminster and across Canada?
You must be 19 to buy, possess and consume cannabis in most of Canada, including British Columbia. The minimum legal age is 18 in Alberta and Québec, although Québec’s newly elected government has pledged to raise the minimum age to 21. And everyone in your group needs to be of age: Sharing with minors is a crime.
How is cannabis ordered online across Canada delivered to ensure it is going to someone of legal age?
For all shipments of cannabis in Coquitlam and across Canada from a licensed seller that deliver or [are] picked up at a postal outlet, proof of age will be mandatory, as it is for other regulated products. The required minimum age to receive cannabis is defined by each province and territory.
If the receiver appears to be younger than 25 years old, a trained delivery agent will require an acceptable photo ID… before handing the parcel to the individual. The proof of age requirement means must also record the name and signature of the receiver.
All cannabis shipments will continue to require the use of a trackable service. Therefore, the sender, the receiver, and Canada Post can track the package as it works its way through the processing and delivery network.
Possession limits for cannabis products
The possession limits in the Cannabis Act in Vancouver and anywhere in Canada are based on dried cannabis. Equivalents were developed for other cannabis products to identify what their possession limit would be.
One (1) gram of dried cannabis is equal to:
- 5 grams of fresh cannabis
- 15 grams of edible product
- 70 grams of liquid product
- 0.25 grams of concentrates (solid or liquid)
- 1 cannabis plant seed
This means, for example, that an adult 18 years of age or older, can legally possess 150 grams of fresh cannabis.
You can’t consume cannabis in public
You cannot consume (vape, smoke, etc.) cannabis in a public place in Richmond and across Canada. The list of public places includes all:
- outside public places, including parks, playgrounds, sports fields, day camps and summer camps.
- public roads (sidewalks, alleyways, streets, highways, footpaths, etc.)
- bus shelters
- terraces or other outdoor commercial spaces
You also can’t smoke on a bike or in a car, even if it’s parked, and even if you’re not the one driving.
Where is it legal to smoke or vape cannabis?
The new Act makes it legal to smoke and vape cannabis in the following places:
- Private residences
- Many outdoor public places (e.g. sidewalks, parks)
- Guest rooms in hotels, motels and inns designated as smoking rooms
- Residential vehicles and boats that meet certain criteria (e.g. have permanent sleeping accommodations and cooking facilities, and are parked or anchored)
- Scientific research and testing facilities (if the cannabis use is for scientific research and testing purposes)
- Controlled areas in:
- long-term care homes
- certain retirement homes
- residential hospices
- provincially-funded supportive housing
- designated psychiatric facilities or veterans’ facilities
