Canada is entering a new reality.
In just a few short months, one of the drugs that has been long considered illegal in Canada, will soon be legalized, taxed and regulated. Whether you believe that it is a “gateway” to stronger, more addictive drugs (where there is some data providing conflicting information) or not, the reality is coming that marijuana will become a legal drug – along the lines of tobacco and alcohol products – all across the country.
While America is dealing with the issue on a state-to-state basis, the entire country of Canada may replace its maple leaf with a cannabis plant on its national flag.
This will be a step of progress – whether it will be positive or negative will be up to interpretation and will be revealed in several years. But in the meantime, what can Canadians expect with this new reality? What will things look like in July?
When the Cannabis Act Comes Live
The Cannabis Act goes into effect October 1, and any cannabis activity that is considered illegal will remain illegal through September 31st, so there will likely be a transition period after October 1 to deal with the new reality. Once October 1 comes around, here are what Canada-resident adults will be allowed to do with cannabis:
- Buy fresh or dried leaves, cannabis oil, plants and seeds from a retailer licensed by the province or territory, or from a producer that is federally licensed.
- Have about 30 grams (little more than an ounce) of dried cannabis on your person in public.
- Share up to an ounce (30 grams) of cannabis with other adults.
- Grow and cultivate up to four plants at a time on your property (four plants per household, not per adult).
- Develop cannabis products for personal use, as long as organic solvents are not used in the processing.
In other words, cannabis won’t become completely legal, but it will be very decriminalized and will be a new, open way of life for many people.
About Edible Cannabis
Many cannabis products will be legal to sell and buy starting July 1, but such products as what are called edibles and cannabis concentrates will not be ready for legal sale, as some research is due to come in about the effects of these products. From there, the national government will establish regulatory guidelines for these products before they are approved for legal sale – guidelines that will keep these products relatively safe for consumption. The government isn’t promising, but it says it may have those guidelines in before July 1, 2019.
The 30-gram Limit in Detail
To be the most clear as possible, the 30-gram possession limit declared in the Cannabis Act applies to dried cannabis, which is different than some of th other forms of cannabis. Thus, 30 grams is not universal to all cannabis. Thanks to definitions placed in marijuana-legalization statutes in a couple of U.S. states (Colorado and Washington, primarily), the Cannabis Act addresses what are called “equivalencies” to 30 grams of dried cannabis in regards to other forms. According to the law’s definitions, 30 grams of dried cannabis is equivalent to:
- 150 grams of fresh cannabis;
- 450 grams of edibles;
- 2,100 grams of liquid products;
- 7.5 grams of concentrate (either solid or liquid form); and
- 30 cannabis seeds.
These are all the legal limits under the Cannabis Act for marijuana possession. Any amount above these limits will be treated as before the Act was passed, as criminal possession and a person may forfeit all of the product, not just the amount of excess.
Next up, we’ll look into more details about those who are doing personal cultivation of cannabis, and those who wish to use cannabis for medical or medicinal purposes. Later, we’ll address how the Act aims to protect minors, and we’ll look into the responsibilities and duties of provincial, territorial and municipal governments in regards to enforcement and execution of the legislation.