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((Short description|none))
((Use Canadian English|date=January 2015))
((Use dmy dates|date=December 2019))
((Cannabis in Canada sidebar))
((if mobile|[[File:2018 Legal Recreational Cannabis Purchase in Canada (45535917312).jpg|thumb|Cannabis flowers next to a plastic canister of 3.5 grams]]))
'''Cannabis in Canada''' is legal for both [[cannabis (drug)|recreational]] and [[Medical cannabis|medicinal]] purposes. Medicinal use of [[cannabis]] was legalized nationwide under conditions outlined in the [[Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations]], later superseded by the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations,<ref name="Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (SOR/2016-230)">((cite web |url=http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2016-230/ |title=Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations |publisher=laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/ |access-date=20 March 2017 |archive-date=19 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719213526/https://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2016-230/ |url-status=live ))</ref> issued by [[Health Canada]] and seed, grain, and fibre production was permitted under licence by Health Canada.<ref name="Hemp Laws">((cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-concerns/controlled-substances-precursor-chemicals/industrial-hemp/about-hemp-canada-hemp-industry/frequently-asked-questions.html|title=Industrial Hemp Regulation Program FAQ|date=November 2012|publisher=Health Canada|access-date=30 October 2013|archive-date=27 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927194345/https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-concerns/controlled-substances-precursor-chemicals/industrial-hemp/about-hemp-canada-hemp-industry/frequently-asked-questions.html|url-status=live))</ref> The federal ''[[Cannabis Act]]'' came into effect on October 17th, 2018 and made Canada the second country in the world, after [[Uruguay]], to formally legalize the cultivation, possession, acquisition, and consumption of cannabis and its [[Cannabis (drug)#Preparations|by-products]].<!--Whereas decriminalization would simply remove laws restricting the use of cannabis products, as has been implemented in many countries, legalization allows for the taxation of legally produced cannabis--><ref name="auto3">((cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/20/health/canada-legalizes-marijuana/index.html|title=Canada becomes second nation in the world to legalize marijuana|last=Sapra|first=Bani|date=20 June 2018|work=[[CNN]]|access-date=20 June 2018|archive-date=12 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212125138/https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/20/health/canada-legalizes-marijuana/index.html|url-status=live))</ref> Canada is the first [[G7]] and [[G20]] nation to do so.<ref>((cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/06/all-eyes-on-canada-as-first-g7-nation-prepares-to-make-marijuana-legal|title=All eyes on Canada as first G7 nation prepares to make marijuana legal|last=Ross|first=Selena|date=6 June 2018|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=10 July 2018|archive-date=6 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606041204/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/06/all-eyes-on-canada-as-first-g7-nation-prepares-to-make-marijuana-legal|url-status=live))</ref>

Cannabis was originally prohibited in 1923 until regulated medical cannabis became legal on 30 July 2001. In response to popular opinion,<ref name=":2">((cite news|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/2995390/canada-will-see-900000-new-pot-smokers-under-legalization-poll-implies/|title=Canada will see 900,000 new pot smokers under legalization, poll implies|last=Cain|first=Patrick|date=12 October 2016|work=[[Global News]]|access-date=4 February 2017|archive-date=6 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606041200/https://globalnews.ca/news/2995390/canada-will-see-900000-new-pot-smokers-under-legalization-poll-implies/|url-status=live))</ref> the legislation to legalize cannabis for recreational use (''[[Cannabis Act]]'', Bill C-45) was passed by the [[House of Commons of Canada]] on 27 November 2017; it passed second reading in the [[Senate of Canada]] on 22 March 2018.<ref>((cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/cannabis/cp-newsalert-senate-backs-bill-to-legalize-recreational-marijuana|title=Bill to legalize marijuana passes second reading in Senate as Conservatives drop threat to block it|last=Vaughan|first=Andrew|date=23 March 2018|work=[[National Post]]|access-date=23 June 2018|agency=[[The Canadian Press]]))</ref> On 18 June 2018, the House passed the bill with most, but not all, of the Senate's amendments.<ref>((cite news|url=https://thehill.com/policy/international/392846-canadas-house-of-commons-votes-to-legalize-marijuana/|title=Canada's House of Commons votes to legalize marijuana|last=Anapol|first=Avery|date=18 June 2018|work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|access-date=19 June 2018|archive-date=18 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618235700/http://thehill.com/policy/international/392846-canadas-house-of-commons-votes-to-legalize-marijuana|url-status=live))</ref> The Senate accepted this version of the Act the following day.<ref>((cite news|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/4282677/pot-bill-senate-passes/|title=Marijuana legalization Bill C-45 officially passes Senate vote, heading for royal assent|last=Scotti|first=Monique|date=19 June 2018|work=[[Global News]]|access-date=20 June 2018|archive-date=20 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620001859/https://globalnews.ca/news/4282677/pot-bill-senate-passes/|url-status=live))</ref>

The federal government announced that recreational use of cannabis would no longer violate criminal law as of 17 October 2018.<ref>((cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cannabis-pot-legalization-bill-1.4713839|title=Trudeau says pot will be legal as of Oct. 17, 2018|last=Tasker|first=John Paul|date=20 June 2018|work=[[CBC News]]|access-date=20 June 2018|archive-date=21 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621014418/http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cannabis-pot-legalization-bill-1.4713839|url-status=live))</ref> This legalization comes with regulation similar to that of [[Alcoholic drinks in Canada|alcohol in Canada]], age restrictions, limiting home production, distribution, consumption areas and sale times.<ref name="Justice">((cite web |title=Cannabis Act (S.C. 2018, c. 16) |url=https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-24.5/index.html |website=Justice Canada |publisher=Government of Canada |access-date=24 November 2018 |archive-date=25 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325210722/https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-24.5/index.html |url-status=live ))</ref> The process removed cannabis possession for personal consumption from the [[Controlled Drugs and Substances Act]]; while implementing taxation and stronger punishments for those convicted of either supplying cannabis to minors, or of impairment while driving a motor vehicle.<ref>((cite news|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/tax-on-legalized-pot-won-t-be-a-cash-cow-pm-1.2704748|title=Tax on legalized pot won't be a cash cow: PM|last=Bronskill|first=Jim|date=17 December 2015|work=[[CTV News]]|access-date=23 December 2015|agency=[[The Canadian Press]]|archive-date=1 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601195409/https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/tax-on-legalized-pot-won-t-be-a-cash-cow-pm-1.2704748|url-status=live))</ref>

As of January 2019, [[Online shopping|online sales]] of cannabis for recreational use were well underway across Canada, via the provincial or territorial governments. Most provinces also had storefront operations selling cannabis, either operated by the government or private enterprise.<ref>((cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/cannabis/2019/01/10/ontario-is-holding-a-lottery-for-cannabis-stores-on-friday-heres-what-the-rest-of-the-country-tried-and-how-it-turned-out.html|title=Ontario is holding a lottery for cannabis stores on Friday. Here's what the rest of the country tried and how it turned out|date=10 January 2019|work=Toronto Star|access-date=11 January 2019|archive-date=10 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410124759/https://www.thestar.com/news/cannabis/2019/01/10/ontario-is-holding-a-lottery-for-cannabis-stores-on-friday-heres-what-the-rest-of-the-country-tried-and-how-it-turned-out.html|url-status=live))</ref>

==History==
((main|Legal history of cannabis in Canada))
[[File:BlackCandle.jpg|thumb|200px|The cover of Murphy's 1922 book ''The Black Candle'', that claimed "marijuana turned its users into homicidal maniacs"<ref name="BrunoCsiernik2018">((cite book|author1=Tara L. Bruno|author2=Rick Csiernik|title=The Drug Paradox: An Introduction to the Sociology of Psychoactive Substances in Canada|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hbpaDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA21|year=2018|publisher=Canadian Scholars|isbn=978-1-77338-052-0|page=21|access-date=26 November 2018|archive-date=21 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421015302/https://books.google.com/books?id=hbpaDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA21|url-status=live))</ref>]]
Drug prohibition in Canada began with the Opium Act of 1908.<ref name="McCormickMcCormick2005">((cite book|author1=Christopher Ray McCormick|author2=Chris McCormick|author3=Len Green|title=Crime and Deviance in Canada: Historical Perspectives|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NcVZPgwoNvoC&pg=PA355|year=2005|publisher=Canadian Scholars' Press|isbn=978-1-55130-274-4|page=355|access-date=26 November 2018|archive-date=21 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421015303/https://books.google.com/books?id=NcVZPgwoNvoC&pg=PA355|url-status=live))</ref> Historians often point to the 1922 publication of [[Emily Murphy]]'s ''The Black Candle''  as the catalyst for the addition of the three extra drugs to a list of prohibited substances.<ref name="Lee2012">((cite book|author=Martin A. Lee|title=Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana – Medical, Recreational and Scientific|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n-SG3oWUjhMC&pg=PA325|date=14 August 2012|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-1-4391-0260-2|pages=325))</ref> Although Murphy's anti-drug screeds were widely read and helped spread the drug panic across the country, historian Catharine Carstairs disputes that the seven-page chapter "Marahuana – a new menace" inspired the inclusion of cannabis as a restricted substance.<ref>((cite thesis |title="The Grandmother of Marijuana Prohibition": The Myth of Emily Murphy and the Criminalization of Marijuana in Canada |last=House |first=Yolande |date=May 2003 |type=MA thesis |publisher=Queen's University at Kingston |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk4/etd/MQ81078.pdf |access-date=18 December 2016 |oclc=56682491 |archive-date=20 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220185821/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk4/etd/MQ81078.pdf |url-status=live ))</ref><ref>((cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/marijuana-was-criminalized-in-1923-but-why-1.2630436|title=A Canadian mystery: Why was pot criminalized in 1923?|publisher=CBC News|access-date=27 August 2018|archive-date=25 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180825080556/http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/marijuana-was-criminalized-in-1923-but-why-1.2630436|url-status=live))</ref>

Cannabis was made illegal when it was added to the country's Confidential Restricted List in 1923 under the ''Narcotics Drug Act Amendment Bill'' after a vague reference to a "new drug" during a late night session of the House of Commons on 23 April 1923.<ref>((cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/marijuana-was-criminalized-in-1923-but-why-1.2630436|title=Marijuana was criminalized in 1923, but why?|last=Daniel|first=Schartz|date=3 May 2014|work=[[CBC News]]|access-date=29 July 2014|quote=The only mention of the proposed changes to the schedule recorded in Hansard was on 23 April, when Beland told the House of Commons, "There is a new drug in the schedule."|archive-date=3 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140803171139/http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/marijuana-was-criminalized-in-1923-but-why-1.2630436|url-status=live))</ref> According to one government official, cannabis was outlawed after the Director of the Federal Division of Narcotic Control returned from [[League of Nations]] meetings where the international control of cannabis was broached.<ref name="Carstairs">((cite thesis|last=Carstairs|first=Catherine|year=2000|title='Hop Heads' and 'Hypes': Drug Use, Regulation and Resistance in Canada, 1920–1961|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp03/NQ53757.pdf|type=PhD dissertation|publisher=University of Toronto|access-date=2 January 2008|hdl=1807/14452|archive-date=16 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216043842/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp03/NQ53757.pdf|url-status=live))</ref>((rp|49)) Cannabis did not begin to attract official attention in Canada until the later 1930s, and even then it was minimal.<ref name="Carstairs" />((rp|51)) The first seizure of cannabis by Canadian police was not made until 1937.<ref name="Carstairs" />((rp|48)) Commercial cultivation of [[industrial hemp]] was forbidden in 1938.<ref>((cite book|title=Textile Horizons|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8uPxAAAAMAAJ|year=2005|publisher=ITBD|page=119|access-date=23 December 2017|archive-date=21 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421015338/https://books.google.com/books?id=8uPxAAAAMAAJ|url-status=live))</ref> Between 1946 and 1961, cannabis accounted for only 2% of all drug arrests in Canada.<ref name="Carstairs" />((rp|112))

In the 1960s, cannabis arrests began to increase rapidly in Canada. For the entire period of 1930–1946, the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police|RCMP]] recorded only 25 cannabis arrests, but this rose to 2,300 cases in 1968, and to 12,000 cases in 1972.<ref name="DrugsKenny2003">((cite book|author1=Canada. Parliament. Senate. Special Committee on Illegal Drugs|author2=Colin Kenny|author3=Pierre Claude Nolin|title=Cannabis: Report of the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L_5gu-eUfE8C&pg=PA59|year=2003|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=978-0-8020-8630-3|pages=59))</ref> In response to the increased popularization of marijuana and the increase in criminal charges against middle class citizens, the government formed the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Non-Medical Use of Drugs, usually referred to as the [[Le Dain Commission]], in 1969 to investigate non-medical cannabis use in Canada.<ref name="RutherdaleFahrni2008">((cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8uKz-8jB4WsC&pg=PA318|title=Creating Postwar Canada: Community, Diversity, and Dissent, 1945–75|date=1 July 2008|publisher=[[UBC Press]]|isbn=978-0-7748-5815-1|editor-last=Rutherdale|editor-first=Robert|pages=318–|editor-last2=Fahrni|editor-first2=Magda|access-date=8 March 2017|archive-date=21 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421015305/https://books.google.com/books?id=8uKz-8jB4WsC&pg=PA318|url-status=live))</ref> The commission's 1972 report recommended removing criminal penalties for cannabis possession, though not legalization, per se. While the subsequent two federal governments discussed the recommendation, no steps were actually taken to change legislation.<ref>((Cite journal|last=Hathaway|first=Andrew D.|date=2009|title=The Legal History and Cultural Experience of Cannabis|url=http://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/sites/default/files/visions_cannabis.pdf|journal=Visions|volume=5|issue=4|pages=12–13|access-date=16 December 2016|quote=In Canada, the government rejected the Le Dain proposal to remove criminal penalties for cannabis possession.|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031119/http://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/sites/default/files/visions_cannabis.pdf|url-status=live))</ref>

In 2001, the country started a medical marijuana program, managed by [[Health Canada]]. The program originally offered people access to home grown cannabis or sales directly from Health Canada. This was replaced with new regulations that set up a more traditional commercial sector for cannabis cultivation and distribution in 2013.<ref>((cite news |title=A timeline of some significant events in the history of medical marijuana in Canada |url=https://london.ctvnews.ca/medicalmarijuana/a-timeline-of-some-significant-events-in-the-history-of-medical-marijuana-in-canada-1.3858860 |access-date=13 November 2018 |work=The Canadian Press, CTV News-London |date=2018 |archive-date=13 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113075628/https://london.ctvnews.ca/medicalmarijuana/a-timeline-of-some-significant-events-in-the-history-of-medical-marijuana-in-canada-1.3858860 |url-status=live ))</ref><ref>((cite news|url=https://www.leafly.com/news/canada/guide-to-canada-medical-marijuana-program|title=A Guide to Canada's Medical Marijuana Program ((!)) Leafly|date=28 June 2017|work=Leafly|access-date=12 November 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=13 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113025648/https://www.leafly.com/news/canada/guide-to-canada-medical-marijuana-program|url-status=live))</ref>

== Steps to legalization ==
((See|Cannabis Act))
In 2015, after he was elected Prime Minister, the first significant step that [[Justin Trudeau]] took was the creation of a federal-provincial-territorial task force to discuss a jointly suitable process for the legalization of cannabis possession for casual use.<ref>((Cite magazine |date=2015-11-17 |title=Canada Begins to Move on Legalizing Marijuana |url=https://time.com/4115711/marijuana-legalization-justin-trudeau/ |access-date=2023-06-14 |magazine=Time |language=en))</ref> This Task Force on Marijuana Legalization and Regulation released a 106-page report to the public on 13 December 2016, with various recommendations. Those were provided for consideration by the federal and provincial governments, but they were not binding.<ref>((cite web|url=https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/ottawa-to-release-task-force-report-on-marijuana-legalization-1.630354|title=Task force recommends setting 18 as minimum age for pot purchases|author=The Canadian Press<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=13 December 2016|website=BNN|publisher=Bell Media|access-date=13 December 2016|quote=recreational marijuana should not be sold in the same location as alcohol or tobacco|archive-date=20 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620124915/https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/ottawa-to-release-task-force-report-on-marijuana-legalization-1.630354|url-status=live))</ref> Sales for recreational use were not to commence until 1 July 2018, at the earliest, based on legislation (Bill C-45, the ''Cannabis Act'') passed by the federal government in June 2018.<ref>((cite web|url=https://ipolitics.ca/2017/11/27/house-passes-pot-legalization-bill-senate-wild-card/|title=House passes pot legalization bill – but Senate could be a 'wild card'|last=Duggan|first=Kyle|date=27 November 2017|website=iPolitics|access-date=13 December 2017|archive-date=14 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214015630/https://ipolitics.ca/2017/11/27/house-passes-pot-legalization-bill-senate-wild-card/|url-status=live))</ref>

The substance remains controlled: sold only at government licensed retailers, and grown only by licensed producers.<ref>((cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/business/2016/11/14/shoppers-drug-mart-right-spot-to-sell-medicinal-pot-poll.html|title=Shoppers Drug Mart right spot to sell medicinal pot: poll|last=Wright|first=Lisa|date=14 November 2016|newspaper=[[Toronto Star]]|access-date=4 December 2016|archive-date=20 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220051601/https://www.thestar.com/business/2016/11/14/shoppers-drug-mart-right-spot-to-sell-medicinal-pot-poll.html|url-status=live))</ref><ref>((cite news|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/2987372/how-will-legal-pot-be-sold-liquor-stores-are-most-likely-option/|title=How will legal pot be sold? Three things that might happen, and one that won't|last=Cain|first=Patrick|date=9 October 2016|work=[[Global News]]|access-date=1 December 2016|archive-date=1 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201213819/http://globalnews.ca/news/2987372/how-will-legal-pot-be-sold-liquor-stores-are-most-likely-option/|url-status=live))</ref> During the federal election campaign, the Liberals had promised "new, stronger laws" against sales to minors, driving while impaired, and sales through channels not specifically authorized to do so.<ref>((cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/marijuana-advisory-panel-report-questions-1.3872633|title=8 burning questions about the coming federal pot report|last=Cullen|first=Catherine|date=30 November 2016|work=[[CBC News]]|access-date=30 November 2016|archive-date=30 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130124404/http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/marijuana-advisory-panel-report-questions-1.3872633|url-status=live))</ref>

Until 17 October 2018, cannabis remained illegal (except with a physician's prescription, for medical purposes), as Trudeau reminded police forces across the country in late 2016. He insisted that they "enforce the law": criminally charge illegal storefront dispensaries. Trudeau also explained that the intent of the legislation is not to encourage recreational use of cannabis. The intent is "to better protect our kids from the easy access they have right now to marijuana [and] to remove the criminal elements that were profiting from marijuana", he told the ''[[Toronto Star]]'' on 2 December 2016.<ref name="Benzie">((cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2016/12/03/trudeau-urges-police-to-enforce-the-law-on-marijuana.html|title=Trudeau urges police to 'enforce the law' on marijuana|last=Benzie|first=Robert|date=3 December 2016|newspaper=[[Toronto Star]]|access-date=4 December 2016|archive-date=4 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204184643/https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2016/12/03/trudeau-urges-police-to-enforce-the-law-on-marijuana.html|url-status=live))</ref>
[[File:Marc Emery and Jodie Emery.JPG|thumb|[[Marc Emery|Marc]] and [[Jodie Emery]], Canadian [[cannabis rights]] activists]]
Police forces took the Prime Minister seriously, and in March 2017, raided five locations of the Cannabis Culture retailer in [[Toronto]], one in [[Vancouver]], and another in [[Hamilton, Ontario]]. They also searched homes in Toronto, [[Stoney Creek, Ontario|Stoney Creek]], and Vancouver. Multiple charges were laid against [[Marc Emery]] and [[Jodie Emery]], owners of [[Cannabis Culture (magazine)|Cannabis Culture]], a company that franchised pot dispensary shops. The couple was convicted in December 2017 of drug-related charges, including possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking; fined; and placed on two years of probation.<ref name="autogenerated1">((cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/pot-activists-marc-and-jodie-emery-plead-guilty-to-drug-related-charges|title=Pot activists Marc and Jodie Emery plead guilty to drug-related charges|last=Casey|first=Liam|date=18 December 2017|work=[[National Post]]|agency=[[The Canadian Press]]))</ref> Drug-related charges were laid against three others who were also subsequently convicted.<ref name=autogenerated1 />

[[Toronto Police Service|Toronto Police]] had told the media that the unlicensed cannabis dispensaries are linked to "high-level drug traffickers ... often tied to organized crime, given the amount of marijuana sold".<ref>((cite news |last=Brait |first=Ellen |date=10 March 2017 |title='Prince and Princess of Pot' released on bail |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/03/09/prince-and-princess-of-pot-reportedly-arrested-at-toronto-airport.html |work=Toronto Star |location=Toronto |access-date=13 March 2017 |archive-date=14 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314153427/https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/03/09/prince-and-princess-of-pot-reportedly-arrested-at-toronto-airport.html |url-status=live ))</ref>

[[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] chiefs attending the [[Assembly of First Nations]] widely agreed that the distribution of cannabis on [[List of Indian reserves in Canada|reserve lands]] should be governed by First Nations governments, and not provincial legislation.<ref>((cite news |title=First Nations demand control over cannabis sales |newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]] |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/first-nations-want-to-set-own-rules-for-cannabis-sales/article37231232/ |first=Gloria |last=Galloway |date=7 December 2017 |access-date=20 December 2017 |archive-date=12 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212050746/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/first-nations-want-to-set-own-rules-for-cannabis-sales/article37231232/ |url-status=live ))</ref>

Immediately after legalization, licensed growers often had difficulty accessing financial services. [[Alterna Savings]] and [[Alterna Bank]] were among the first financial institutions to make loans to businesses focusing on cannabis in Canada, providing primary banking services for approximately two-thirds of the hundred licensed growers in 2018.<ref>((cite news |last1=Alexander |first1=Doug |title=Alterna CEO embraced weed business when nobody else would |url=https://www.thestar.com/business/2018/04/06/alterna-ceo-embraced-weed-business-when-nobody-else-would.html |access-date=2 May 2019 |work=Toronto Star |date=6 April 2018 |language=en |archive-date=2 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502131252/https://www.thestar.com/business/2018/04/06/alterna-ceo-embraced-weed-business-when-nobody-else-would.html |url-status=live ))</ref>

===Final legalization===
((see|An Act to amend the Criminal Code (offences relating to conveyances)))
[[File:Canadian_House_of_Commons_-_Bill_C-45_(Cannabis_Act)_-_Voting_Results_by_MP_(Simple_Map).svg|thumb|250px|Map showing which MPs voted in favour (green), against (red), abstained (grey) or whether the seat was vacant (black)]]

After the House of Commons passed Bill C-45, it was sent to the Senate. On 1 June 2018, the Senate passed an amendment to C-45 outlawing cannabis "brand-stretching". The amendment, which passed 34–28 in the Senate,<ref name=dnapvp /> would have outlawed the sale and display of cannabis-related merchandise once legalized.<ref name="dnapvp">((cite web|url=https://ipolitics.ca/2018/06/01/senate-votes-to-ban-company-branded-cannabis-swag/|title=Senate votes to ban company branded cannabis swag|last=Duggan|first=Kyle|date=1 June 2018|website=iPolitics|access-date=4 June 2018|archive-date=21 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621020113/https://ipolitics.ca/2018/06/01/senate-votes-to-ban-company-branded-cannabis-swag/|url-status=live))</ref><ref>((cite news|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/marijuana-bill-faces-critical-vote-at-last-step-ahead-of-legalization-1.3958662|title=Timeline of key events in marijuana bill's passage through Parliament|last=Aiello|first=Rachel|date=4 June 2018|work=[[CTV News]]|access-date=4 June 2018|archive-date=14 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614074026/https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/marijuana-bill-faces-critical-vote-at-last-step-ahead-of-legalization-1.3958662|url-status=live))</ref> The amendment was rejected by the House of Commons.<ref>((cite web |title=Motions Respecting Senate Amendments to Bills |publisher=[[Parliament of Canada]] |url=http://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/42-1/house/sitting-316/order-notice/page-13 |date=18 June 2018 |access-date=23 June 2018 |archive-date=15 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715144235/https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/42-1/house/sitting-316/order-notice/page-13 |url-status=live ))</ref>

On 19 June 2018, the Senate finally passed the bill, without the rejected amendment, and the Prime Minister announced the effective legalization date as 17 October 2018.<ref>((cite news|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/4285946/marijuana-legal-date-october-17-canada-trudeau-confirms/|title=Marijuana to be legal in Canada starting October 17, Trudeau confirms|last=Scott|first=Monique|date=20 June 2018|work=[[Global News]]|access-date=20 June 2018|archive-date=27 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927194129/https://globalnews.ca/news/4285946/marijuana-legal-date-october-17-canada-trudeau-confirms/|url-status=live))</ref> Canada became the second nation (after [[Uruguay]]) to legalize the drug.<ref name="auto3"/>

As expected, the use of cannabis for recreational purposes became legal across the country on 17 October 2018, under the ''Cannabis Act'' which "creates a legal and regulatory framework for controlling the production, distribution, sale and possession of cannabis in Canada", according to a Government of Canada web site.<ref>((cite web |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2018/06/backgrounder-the-cannabis-act-the-facts.html |title=The Cannabis Act: The Facts |date=20 June 2018 |website=Health Canada |publisher=Government of Canada |access-date=27 October 2018 |archive-date=28 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181028002630/https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2018/06/backgrounder-the-cannabis-act-the-facts.html |url-status=live ))</ref> Persons aged 18 or older can possess up to 30 grams of dried or "equivalent non-dried form" in public. Adults are also allowed to make cannabis-infused food and drinks "as long as organic solvents are not used to create concentrated products". Each household is allowed to grow up to four cannabis plants from "licensed seed or seedlings", although Quebec and Manitoba chose to be excluded from this aspect of the legislation. There has been a legal challenge against Quebec's decision by a citizen who contested the ban on growing because the federal government allowed growing up to four plants per household. In June 2019 the Quebec Superior court agreed and declared once again in June 2019 that Quebecers could possess and grow as many as four plants. The Quebec government appealed that decision; it was declared by the Quebec Court of Appeal the previous decision was incorrect and that the province had the power to ban Quebecers from possessing and growing any cannabis plants with a simple fine imposed. Presently some Canadian lawyers are in the process of challenging the Manitoba ruling and following that will move on to challenge Quebec, this appears to be a joint effort between TOBA ''grown'' and NORML.<ref>((Cite web|url=https://stratcann.com/2021/04/28/ruling-in-quebec-home-grow-appeal-expected-later-this-year/|title=Ruling in Quebec home grow appeal expected later this year|date=28 April 2021|access-date=21 February 2022|archive-date=21 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221160554/https://stratcann.com/2021/04/28/ruling-in-quebec-home-grow-appeal-expected-later-this-year/|url-status=live))</ref>

Each province set its own procedures for retail sales. These vary as to ownership or retail outlets (by the provincial government or private enterprise), but all include an option for online sales. Since marijuana is illegal in the U.S. per federal legislation, the government warned that "previous use of cannabis, or any substance prohibited by U.S. federal laws, could mean that you are denied entry to the U.S." Canadians travelling within the country (but not internationally) are allowed to carry up to 30 grams of cannabis. Naturally, driving under the influence of drugs remained illegal.<ref>((cite web |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/4559085/marijuana-legalization-canada-midnight/ |title=Marijuana is legal everywhere across Canada now |date=17 October 2018 |website=Inside Halton |publisher=Metroland News |access-date=27 October 2018 |archive-date=28 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181028074313/https://globalnews.ca/news/4559085/marijuana-legalization-canada-midnight/ |url-status=live ))</ref><ref>((cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/marijuana-faq-legalization-need-to-know-1.4862207 |title=Cannabis is legal in Canada – here's what you need to know |date=17 October 2018 |website=CBC News |publisher=CBC |access-date=27 October 2018 |archive-date=25 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025205048/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/marijuana-faq-legalization-need-to-know-1.4862207 |url-status=live ))</ref> It was announced that on 1 May 2019, Canada would introduce excise tax on all products containing THC, and introduce three new product classes for recreational sale: cannabis edibles, cannabis extracts, and cannabis topicals.<ref>((cite web |url=https://extractmag.com/cannabis-edibles-extracts-and-topicals-thc-excise-tax-coming-to-canadians-may-1-2019/ |title=Cannabis Edibles, Extracts and Topicals & THC Excise Tax Coming To Canadians May 1, 2019 |date=19 March 2019 |website=Extract Magazine |publisher=Jordan Alexander |access-date=26 April 2019 |archive-date=27 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427004242/https://extractmag.com/cannabis-edibles-extracts-and-topicals-thc-excise-tax-coming-to-canadians-may-1-2019/ |url-status=live ))</ref>

On 17 October 2019, edibles were made legal in Canada, but with restrictions. The intent was to not allow any products that would be "appealing to young persons", probably including the colourful "gummies" candy which was popular on the black market.<ref>((cite news|last=Ligaya|first=Armina|date=2019-08-25|title=Companies push ahead on pot gummy plans despite hazy regulations|language=en-US|work=CBC|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/companies-push-ahead-pot-gummy-plans-hazy-regulations-1.5259374|url-status=live|access-date=2021-01-30|archive-date=27 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827093851/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/companies-push-ahead-pot-gummy-plans-hazy-regulations-1.5259374))</ref><ref>((Cite web|last=Rodriguez|first=Jeremiah|date=2019-10-15|title=Cannabis edibles are now legal: Everything you need to know|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/cannabis-edibles-are-now-legal-everything-you-need-to-know-1.4639484|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018083358/https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/cannabis-edibles-are-now-legal-everything-you-need-to-know-1.4639484 |archive-date=18 October 2019 |access-date=2021-01-30|website=CTV News|language=en))</ref> THC content in edibles is limited to 10 miligrams of THC per serving, an amount that the [[Competition Bureau]] has stated should be raised to fight the black market.<ref>((cite news |last=Evans |first=Pete |date=May 26, 2023 |title=Boost THC limit for cannabis edibles and loosen packaging rules, Competition Bureau recommends |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/cannabis-rules-competition-bureau-1.6855729 |work=CBC |access-date=February 14, 2024))</ref> [[NORML]] has spread a petition calling for the limit to be raised to 100mg.<ref>((cite news |last=Soucy |first=Paul |date=21 November 2023 |title=Why a cannabis lobby group is petitioning feds to raise THC levels in edibles |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/10106233/cannabis-lobbying-group-petition-thc-levels-edibles/ |work=Global News |access-date=14 February 2024))</ref> A 100mg limit for edibles is supported by the Cannabis Council of Canada.<ref>((cite web |url=https://cannabis-council.ca/files/advocacy/GotH-leave-behind.pdf |title=Growing the Pie |date=2023 |website=Cannabis Council of Canada |access-date=14 February 2024 |quote=Increase edibles THC limit to 100 mg of THC (each package containing up to 10 units of 10 mg THC each.)))</ref><ref>((cite news |date=17 October 2023 |title=Cannabis Council of Canada calls for regulatory changes on fifth anniversary of legalization |url=https://stratcann.com/news/cannabis-council-of-canada-calls-for-regulatory-change-on-fifth-anniversary-of-legalization/ |work=Stratcann |access-date=14 February 2024)) </ref>

== Public opinion prior to legislation ==
[[File:Canada - Cannabis Day, Marijuana Party 2014 @ Art Gallery (14370054340).jpg|right|thumb|"Canada/Cannabis Day", 2014]]
Since 1997, public opinion polls have found an increasing majority of Canadians agree with the statement, "Smoking marijuana should not be a criminal offence".<ref name="The Fraser Institute 1997">((cite web|url=http://oldfraser.lexi.net/publications/books/drug_papers/UDSavas.pdf|title=Public Opinion and Illicit Drugs – Canadian Attitudes towards Decriminalizing the Use of Marijuana|publisher=The Fraser Institute|date=April 2001|access-date=23 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130629082437/http://oldfraser.lexi.net/publications/books/drug_papers/UDSavas.pdf|archive-date=29 June 2013|url-status=dead))</ref> In June 2016, a national poll conducted by [[Nanos Research]] showed that 7 in 10 Canadians were in favour of legalization.<ref name="Nanos Poll 2016">((cite news|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/7-in-10-canadians-support-marijuana-legalization-nanos-poll-1.2968953|title=7 in 10 Canadians support marijuana legalization: Nanos poll|last=Tahirali|first=Jesse|date=30 June 2016|work=[[CTV News]]|access-date=11 October 2016|archive-date=15 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315213047/https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/7-in-10-canadians-support-marijuana-legalization-nanos-poll-1.2968953|url-status=live))</ref>

By 2006, a high percentage of the population was using cannabis,<ref name="Martel2006">((cite book|author=Marcel Martel|title=Not This Time: Canadians, Public Policy, and the Marijuana Question, 1961–1975|url=https://archive.org/details/notthistimecanad0000mart|url-access=registration|year=2006|publisher=University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division|isbn=978-1-4426-5885-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/notthistimecanad0000mart/page/28 28]))</ref> in spite of the risk of police charges for possession, and especially for selling it without the required licence, according to statistics gathered by the [[Centre for Addiction and Mental Health]] (CAMH). Nearly half (44%) of Canadians admit to trying it at least once; no statistics were provided as to the percentage who use it frequently. The CAMH report also indicates that by the last year of high school, nearly half (46%) of Ontario students admit to having used marijuana in the past year.<ref>((cite web |url=http://www.camh.ca/en/hospital/health_information/a_z_mental_health_and_addiction_information/marijuana/Pages/about_marijuana.aspx |title=About Marijuana |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=2012 |website=CAMH |access-date=2 December 2016 |archive-date=3 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203043918/http://www.camh.ca/en/hospital/health_information/a_z_mental_health_and_addiction_information/marijuana/Pages/about_marijuana.aspx |url-status=live ))</ref> The CAMH discussion includes warnings about the negative [[effects of cannabis]]. Other groups also warn about the risk, including the [[Canadian Automobile Association]] whose 2016 poll indicated, "Almost two-thirds of Canadians are concerned that roads will become more dangerous [due to impairment by the drug] with the legalization of marijuana".<ref>((cite web |url=https://www.bcaa.com/learning-centre/bcaa-newsroom/news-releases/2016-11-14-caa-media-release-roads-unsafe-marijuana-legalized |title=Canadians Worry Roads Will Be Unsafe When Marijuana Legalized |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=14 November 2016 |website=BCAA |access-date=2 December 2016 |quote=There are a lot of misconceptions out there that marijuana doesn't affect your driving, or even worse, it makes you a better driver ... There needs to be significant resources devoted to educating the public in the run-up to – and after – marijuana is legalized. |archive-date=3 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203123732/https://www.bcaa.com/learning-centre/bcaa-newsroom/news-releases/2016-11-14-caa-media-release-roads-unsafe-marijuana-legalized |url-status=live ))</ref> An October 2016 national poll by Forum suggests that about five million adult Canadians now use cannabis at least once a month; this is expected to increase by 19 percent after marijuana is legalized.<ref name=":2" /> [[Canaccord Genuity]] analysts Matt Bottomley and Neil Maruoka released a research note with a more moderate estimate of the number of users. They predicted that approximately 3.8 million persons will be recreational users (presumably on a frequent basis) by 2021.<ref name="Skerrit">((cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/investment-ideas/marijuana-producer-jumps-356-in-canadas-investor-pot-frenzy/article33100749/|title=Marijuana producer jumps 356% as Canada's investor pot frenzy intensifies|last1=Skerrit|first1=Jen|date=30 November 2016|newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]]|access-date=2 December 2016|agency=[[Bloomberg News]]|last2=Lam|first2=Eric|archive-date=2 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202091048/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/investment-ideas/marijuana-producer-jumps-356-in-canadas-investor-pot-frenzy/article33100749/|url-status=live))</ref> A report by Canada's [[Parliamentary Budget Officer]] (PBO) is more bullish, estimating that by 2021 some 5.2 million adults may be users.<ref name="Cullen">((cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/marijuana-parliamentary-budget-officer-revenues-1.3830593|title=Legal marijuana could raise federal cash – but not right away, PBO says|last=Cullen|first=Catherine|date=1 November 2016|work=[[CBC News]]|access-date=4 December 2016|quote=In the first three years, it expects the number of cannabis users aged 15 and over to grow by more than half a million, rising to an estimated 5.2 million in 2021.|archive-date=4 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204041012/http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/marijuana-parliamentary-budget-officer-revenues-1.3830593|url-status=live))</ref> The Canadian government's Canadian Cannabis Survey 2021 found that 17% of Canadians aged 16 and older reported using cannabis in the last 30 days.<ref>((Cite web |last= |first= |date=2021-12-23 |title=Canadian Cannabis Survey 2021: Summary |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/research-data/canadian-cannabis-survey-2021-summary.html |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=Canada.ca |archive-date=2 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220402041834/https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/research-data/canadian-cannabis-survey-2021-summary.html |url-status=live ))</ref>

== Cannabis as a commodity ==
[[File:Cannabis Indica 01.jpg|Example of a container and the recreational cannabis purchase in Canada|thumb]] [[File:Emballage de cannabis Indica 03.jpg|Mandatory cannabis excise stamp on recreational cannabis sold in Canada|thumb]]
Growers that currently produce marijuana are licensed by Health Canada under the [[Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR).]] As of late 2016, there were 36 authorized producers across the country in Health Canada's list. Sales were allowed only by mail order, but by late 2017, some major retailers had applied for a change in the rules to allow them to also sell the product.<ref>((cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/11/13/shoppers-drug-mart-seeks-medical-marijuana-brand-manager.html|title=Shoppers Drug Mart seeks medical marijuana brand manager|last=Ligaya|first=Armina|date=13 November 2017|work=[[Toronto Star]]|access-date=14 November 2017|archive-date=14 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114202620/https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/11/13/shoppers-drug-mart-seeks-medical-marijuana-brand-manager.html|url-status=live))</ref> By 21 December 2017, 82 licences had been issued<ref>((cite news|url=https://business.financialpost.com/investing/marijuana-stocks-see-big-gains-as-trading-resumes-after-christmas-break|title=Marijuana stocks surge again as trading resumes after Christmas break|last=Zochodne|first=Geoff|date=27 December 2017|work=[[Financial Post]]|access-date=27 August 2018|archive-date=31 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731093619/https://business.financialpost.com/investing/marijuana-stocks-see-big-gains-as-trading-resumes-after-christmas-break|url-status=live))</ref> under the ACMPR, but not all of the producers had been licensed to begin selling medical marijuana. The vast majority of these companies were located in Ontario.<ref>((cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/medical-use-marijuana/licensed-producers/authorized-licensed-producers-medical-purposes.html|title=Authorized Licensed Producers of Cannabis for Medical Purposes – Canada.ca|first=Health|last=Canada|website=canada.ca|access-date=14 November 2017|archive-date=15 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115014635/https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/medical-use-marijuana/licensed-producers/authorized-licensed-producers-medical-purposes.html|url-status=dead))</ref> At that time, no licences had been issued yet for producing recreational cannabis; the producers already licensed were hoping to be added to that list after it is created.<ref name="financialpost.com">((cite news|url=https://business.financialpost.com/investing/medical-marijuana-producers-bristle-at-ontarios-planned-monopoly-on-recreational-cannabis-sales|title=Medical marijuana producers bristle at Ontario's planned monopoly on recreational cannabis sales|last=Zochodne|first=Geoff|date=11 September 2017|work=[[Financial Post]]|access-date=27 August 2018|archive-date=27 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927194749/https://business.financialpost.com/investing/medical-marijuana-producers-bristle-at-ontarios-planned-monopoly-on-recreational-cannabis-sales|url-status=live))</ref> Between 1 February and early April 2018, some 89 additional applicants were approved as cannabis growers by Health Canada; at the time, the agency was considering the merits of another 244 applications.<ref>((cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-05/marijuana-millionaires-riding-canada-s-legalization-wave|title=Marijuana Millionaires Ride Canada's Legalization Wave|last=Skerritt|first=Jen|date=5 April 2018|work=[[Bloomberg News]]|access-date=7 April 2018|archive-date=8 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180408141315/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-05/marijuana-millionaires-riding-canada-s-legalization-wave|url-status=live))</ref>

Statistics indicate that, as of September 2016, nearly 100,000 Canadians had bought medical marijuana legally, a significant increase over the 30,537 in September 2015, presumably since it is becoming a mainstream drug and since supplies are becoming more readily available.<ref>((cite news|url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/number-of-canadians-buying-legal-medical-marijuana-triples-in-just-one-year|title=Number of Canadians buying legal medical marijuana triples in just one year|last=Miller|first=Jacquie|date=12 December 2016|newspaper=[[Ottawa Citizen]]|access-date=14 December 2016|archive-date=13 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161213140651/http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/number-of-canadians-buying-legal-medical-marijuana-triples-in-just-one-year|url-status=live))</ref> According to a [[StatsCan]] estimate, Canadians may have spent roughly CAD$6.2 billion (US$4.8 billion) on marijuana in 2015, although the agency admits that there is no scientific method of accurately measuring illegal consumption.<ref>((cite news|url=https://www.bloombergquint.com/business/2017/12/18/marijuana-use-may-have-hit-c-6-2-bln-before-canada-legalization|title=Canadians Consume Almost as Much Weed as Wine, Report Shows|last=Quinn|first=Greg|date=19 December 2017|work=[[BloombergQuint]]|access-date=19 December 2017|archive-date=22 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051608/https://www.bloombergquint.com/business/2017/12/18/marijuana-use-may-have-hit-c-6-2-bln-before-canada-legalization|url-status=live))</ref>

The report by the Task Force on Marijuana Legalization and Regulation had recommended that recreational cannabis growers should be licensed at a federal level, separately from the producers of medical marijuana. The expert panel also recommended that the process ensure competition by licensing both large and small producers. While licensing should be federal, each of the provinces should be allowed to determine how and where the product will be sold.<ref>((cite news|url=https://in.reuters.com/article/us-canada-marijuana-idINKBN1421UG|title=Canada should regulate recreational pot production: panel|last1=Schnurr|first1=Leah|date=13 December 2016|access-date=13 December 2016|work=[[Reuters]]|last2=Ljunggren|first2=David|quote=The Canadian government should regulate the production of cannabis when it is legalized for recreational use while the provinces should be allowed to determine how it is sold, an official panel recommended on Tuesday.|archive-date=14 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161214101631/http://in.reuters.com/article/us-canada-marijuana-idINKBN1421UG|url-status=live))</ref>

After the plans for legalization<ref>((cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-20/trudeau-sees-pot-legalized-by-summer-as-law-sits-in-senate|title=Trudeau Sees Pot Legalized by Summer as Law Sits in Senate|last=Wingrove|first=Josh|date=20 December 2017|work=[[Bloomberg News]]|access-date=3 January 2018|archive-date=14 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180214112240/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-20/trudeau-sees-pot-legalized-by-summer-as-law-sits-in-senate|url-status=live))</ref> became well-publicized, industry analysts reported that some of the producers who had been licensed for medical marijuana, including [[Aurora Cannabis]], were already increasing the capacity of their operations for future sales to the distributors of recreational cannabis.<ref>((cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/marijuana-businesses-legalization-date-1.4042599|title=Marijuana industry gets boost from legalization target date|last=Israel|first=Solomon|date=28 March 2017|work=[[CBC News]]|access-date=28 March 2017|archive-date=28 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328095534/http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/marijuana-businesses-legalization-date-1.4042599|url-status=live))</ref>

A report in late November 2017 by [[Ernst & Young]] suggested that there would be mergers, leaving fewer players in this industry. "Many believe that consolidation is inevitable, leaving a few large players post-legalization." Also in late 2017, [[Deloitte]] predicted that the recreational cannabis market would be worth close to $23 billion.<ref>((cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/marijuana-cannabis-mergers-pot-canada-1.4415933|title=Merger madness: Canada's marijuana industry enters consolidation phase|last=Armstrong|first=Peter|date=27 November 2017|work=[[CBC News]]|access-date=27 August 2018|archive-date=27 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827214439/http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/marijuana-cannabis-mergers-pot-canada-1.4415933|url-status=live))</ref> Lately, US Alcohol companies have been showing interest in the Cannabis business in Canada.<ref>((cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomaspellechia/2018/09/13/canadas-cannabis-future-attracts-u-s-alcohol-companies/#5039255ec40c|title=Canada's Cannabis Future Attracts U.S. Alcohol Companies|last=Pellechia|first=Thomas|work=Forbes|access-date=30 September 2018|language=en|archive-date=30 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930121541/https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomaspellechia/2018/09/13/canadas-cannabis-future-attracts-u-s-alcohol-companies/#5039255ec40c|url-status=live))</ref> US Cannabis producers are afraid that Canada is going to be the prime dominator in the market.<ref>((cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2018/09/29/canadian-cannabis-dominate-industry_a_23545796/|title=U.S. Cannabis Producers Fear Canada Will 'Dominate The Industry'|date=29 September 2018|work=HuffPost Canada|access-date=30 September 2018|language=en-CA|archive-date=29 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929183241/https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2018/09/29/canadian-cannabis-dominate-industry_a_23545796/|url-status=live))</ref>

On 17 October 2019, alternative cannabis products such as drinks, edibles, and topicals became legal for production,<ref>((cite news |title=Cannabis edibles available for sale legally in mid-December |first=Hannah |last=Thibedeau |date=24 June 2019 |website=CBC News |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/marijuana-cannabis-edibles-extracts-vaping-1.5174844 |access-date=20 August 2019 |archive-date=20 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820014136/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/marijuana-cannabis-edibles-extracts-vaping-1.5174844 |url-status=live ))</ref> and were expected to be available for sale two months later. [[Deloitte]] has predicted that the alternative cannabis product market will be worth close to $2.7 billion.<ref>((cite news |last1=Sokic |first1=Nicholas |title=Deloitte pegs market for alternative cannabis products at $2.7 billion |url=https://business.financialpost.com/cannabis/deloitte-pegs-market-for-alternative-cannabis-products-at-2-7-billion |work=Financial Post |date=20 June 2019 |access-date=20 August 2019 |archive-date=20 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820191824/https://business.financialpost.com/cannabis/deloitte-pegs-market-for-alternative-cannabis-products-at-2-7-billion |url-status=live ))</ref>

Due to illegality of cannabis [[Cannabis in the United States|federally in the United States]], crossing the international border from Canada into the United States while carrying cannabis is still illegal. Past consumption of cannabis can also lead to a permanent ban on entry to the U.S.<ref>((cite news |last1=Tasker |first1=John Paul |title=Cannabis and the border: what pot-smoking Canadians need to know |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tasker-smoke-pot-us-border-oct-17-1.4865696 |access-date=3 March 2019 |work=CBC |date=16 October 2018 |archive-date=1 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301235545/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tasker-smoke-pot-us-border-oct-17-1.4865696 |url-status=live ))</ref>

===2019 sales volume===
[[File:Alcohol and cannabis sales in Canada, April 2022 - March 2023.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|Alcohol and cannabis sales in Canada, April 2022 to March 2023]]
An October 2019 report stated that total cannabis sales for the first seven months of the year were only C$524 million when C$4.34 billion (US$3.29 billion) was forecast a year ago.<ref name="owram">((cite news|author=Kristine Owram|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-15/one-year-in-legal-canadian-pot-fails-to-match-the-hype|title=One Year In, Legal Canadian Pot Fails to Match the Hype|date=15 October 2019|work=Bloomberg News|access-date=15 October 2019|archive-date=16 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191016160527/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-15/one-year-in-legal-canadian-pot-fails-to-match-the-hype|url-status=live))</ref> Sales were modest because of the limited number of retail operations in Ontario and Quebec where some 23 million people resided; each province had only 25 outlets, as of October 2019.<ref name=owram/> The relatively high cost of the legal product – almost double that of the [[black market]] – and the limited types of product (dried flower and oils) also worked against retail sales.<ref name=owram/> In late 2019, more stores were being opened and a wider range of legal cannabis was becoming available, including edibles, topicals, and [[vaping]] products.<ref name=owram/>

Profitability was a problem however, according to a report in early November 2019 which stated, "pot stocks down nearly 60 per cent since March highs". This was leading companies to sell off real estate holdings as a method of raising capital to finance expansion.<ref>((cite news|url=https://business.financialpost.com/real-estate/property-post/pot-companies-shed-real-estate-amid-dearth-of-financing-options|title=Cannabis companies are selling off real estate amid a dearth of financing options|author=Kristine Owram|date=6 November 2019|work=Financial Post|publisher=Bloomberg News|access-date=8 November 2019|quote=Sale-leaseback transactions have stepped in to fill the void, becoming a key financial lifeline for an industry that needs capital to fund expansion.|archive-date=8 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108034940/https://business.financialpost.com/real-estate/property-post/pot-companies-shed-real-estate-amid-dearth-of-financing-options|url-status=live))</ref>

===Competing with the black market===
A report in October 2019 by [[Bloomberg News]] painted a bleak picture of the legal cannabis industry. Because of the relatively few retail outlets, especially in Ontario, and the high retail prices, the black market remained persistent. An independent cannabis research firm estimated that the black market accounted for 86% of cannabis sales. On average, on a Canada-wide basis, legal cannabis was selling for about $10.23 per gram versus $5.59 found on the black market according to StatsCan.<ref>((Cite web|url=https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/cannabis-gold-rush-falling-short-amid-lure-of-cheaper-black-market-pot-say-analysts-1.1329064|title=Cannabis 'gold rush' falling short amid cheap black market: Analysts - Article|first=David|last=George-Cosh|date=9 October 2019|website=BNN|access-date=17 December 2019|archive-date=2 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200202224340/https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/cannabis-gold-rush-falling-short-amid-lure-of-cheaper-black-market-pot-say-analysts-1.1329064|url-status=live))</ref> The province of Ontario tooks steps in 2020 to increase the number of retail licenses issued per month to increase the availability of legal cannabis, in order to combat the illicit market.<ref>((Cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/cannibis-store-cap-1.5394662 |title=Ontario removing cap on number of pot shops, opening up market for retailers |access-date=17 December 2019 |archive-date=17 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191217131642/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/cannibis-store-cap-1.5394662 |url-status=live ))</ref> The market share of legal cannabis products has since risen rapidly, with a Statistics Canada analysis suggesting that Canadians were spending more on legal than illegal cannabis products by the third quarter of 2020, with the amount spent in the black market having dropped by nearly half since immediately prior to legalization.<ref>((Cite web|url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/13-610-x/cannabis-eng.htm|title=Statistics Canada Cannabis Stats Hub (archived)|date=26 June 2022|website=Statistics Canada|access-date=26 June 2022|archive-date=30 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130223036/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/13-610-x/cannabis-eng.htm|url-status=live))</ref> In response to Statistics Canada's 2021 Canadian Cannabis Survey, 64% of cannabis users reported that they usually purchased cannabis from a legal storefront or online store, up from 54% in 2020 and 37% in 2019.<ref>((Cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/research-data/canadian-cannabis-survey-2021-summary.html|title=Canadian Cannabis Survey 2021: Summary|date=26 June 2022|website=Canada.ca|access-date=2 April 2022|archive-date=2 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220402041834/https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/research-data/canadian-cannabis-survey-2021-summary.html|url-status=live))</ref>

[[File:Ross Rebagliati July 17 2013.jpg|thumb|right|Canadian Olympic gold medalist [[Ross Rebagliati]] is an entrepreneur in the cannabis industry.]]

===Craft cannabis===
Under the ''Cannabis Act'' passed in 2018, only producers licensed by the government are allowed to grow the product. As of early October 2018, there were at least 117 such licensed producers.<ref>((cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/legal-cannabis-shortage-looms-1.4845816 |title=Don't delete your dealer's number yet – legal cannabis shortage looms |publisher=CBC News |access-date=27 October 2018 |archive-date=23 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181023202811/https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/legal-cannabis-shortage-looms-1.4845816 |url-status=live ))</ref>

Although consolidation of the cannabis market in Canada is expected to the point where "a handful of companies will control the majority of the market",<ref>((cite news|last=Wood|first=David|date=19 October 2018|title=The cannabis industry can expect more growth – and consolidation|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/cannabis/article-the-cannabis-industry-can-expect-more-growth-and-consolidation/|work=Globe and Mail|access-date=21 October 2018|archive-date=20 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020205039/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/cannabis/article-the-cannabis-industry-can-expect-more-growth-and-consolidation/|url-status=live))</ref> many claim that there is an important need for smaller craft cannabis producers that are "more able to adapt to consumer demand".<ref>((cite news|last=Campbell|first=Lisa|date=1 July 2018|title=New regulations may spark Canada's craft cannabis revolution|url=https://www.straight.com/cannabis/1097161/new-regulations-may-spark-canadas-craft-cannabis-revolution|work=The Georgia Straight|access-date=21 October 2018|archive-date=22 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022194948/https://www.straight.com/cannabis/1097161/new-regulations-may-spark-canadas-craft-cannabis-revolution|url-status=live))</ref> The craft cannabis industry has been compared to the craft beer industry<ref name="auto5">((cite web|url=https://licensedproducerscanada.ca/faq/what-is-a-health-canada-licensed-producer|title=Will Craft Cannabis Growers in Canada Succeed Like Craft Brewers?|website=Licensed Producers Canada|date=13 April 2018 |access-date=21 October 2018|archive-date=9 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509021725/https://licensedproducerscanada.ca/faq/what-is-a-health-canada-licensed-producer|url-status=live))</ref> – smaller producers who are able to experiment more and provide a wider variety to the larger companies, which will likely try to please as many consumers as possible. However, the difference is that the relatively new rise of craft brewers in a mature market is different than craft cannabis starting at the same time as larger producers (for recreational cannabis). This will give larger producers the edge in the short term since those companies have more money.<ref>((cite news|last=Reid|first=Sarah|date=15 November 2017|title=Small pot producers' plans go up in smoke|url=https://tvo.org/article/current-affairs/small-pot-producers-plans-go-up-in-smoke|work=TVO|access-date=21 October 2018|archive-date=27 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627014245/https://tvo.org/article/current-affairs/small-pot-producers-plans-go-up-in-smoke|url-status=live))</ref>

The expected buy-in for craft cannabis producers is perhaps slightly higher than craft brewers,<ref name="auto5"/> but there are other barriers to launching a craft cannabis company including the ability to market product. Cannabis marketing will be closer to tobacco marketing (which is prohibited in Canada with few limited exceptions<ref>((cite web|url=https://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/legislation/country/canada/summary|title=Legislation by Country: Canada|website=Tobacco Control Laws|access-date=21 October 2018|archive-date=13 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813113034/https://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/legislation/country/canada/summary|url-status=live))</ref>) cannabis will be sold in plain packaging and traditional advertising such as TV commercials will be prohibited.<ref>((cite news|last=Delacourt|first=Susan|date=23 June 2017|title=Canadian pot ads? Think beer ads. Then think again: Delacourt|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2017/06/23/canadian-pot-ads-think-beer-ads-then-think-again-delacourt.html|work=Toronto Star|access-date=21 October 2018|archive-date=22 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022194939/https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2017/06/23/canadian-pot-ads-think-beer-ads-then-think-again-delacourt.html|url-status=live))</ref> They will likely not even be able to mention things that could be important to the consumer such as where it's grown (i.e., "buy local") and if it's organic.<ref>((cite news|date=19 May 2017|title=Craft cannabis growers in B.C. sound alarm over survival of sector|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/cannabis-growers-bc-sound-alarm-over-sector-1.4670742|work=Canadian Press|access-date=21 October 2018|archive-date=19 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019202948/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/cannabis-growers-bc-sound-alarm-over-sector-1.4670742|url-status=live))</ref>

Further, simply selling their product may be difficult. The supply chain is still not entirely clear as it is in the beer industry, but there are ways for craft cannabis producers to sell their product through selling to other micro-processors – and potentially larger producers – or applying for a micro-processing licence themselves.<ref name="auto6">((cite news|last=Efron|first=Sarah|date=22 June 2018|title=Craft cannabis growers say better bud will be key to thriving in the legal market|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/small-business/growth/article-craft-cannabis-growers-say-better-bud-will-be-key-to-thriving-in-the/|work=Globe and Mail|access-date=21 October 2018|archive-date=20 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020224033/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/small-business/growth/article-craft-cannabis-growers-say-better-bud-will-be-key-to-thriving-in-the/|url-status=live))</ref> As of the legalization date, consumers cannot sample or purchase product directly from a craft cannabis producer's storefront as you can with craft beer or buy cannabis from a stall on the side of the road as you might from a farmer. However, [[British Columbia]]'s Public Safety Minister Mike Farnsworth said that the province wouldn't rule out farmers selling direct to consumer.<ref>((cite news|date=19 May 2017|title=Craft cannabis growers in B.C. sound alarm over survival of sector|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/cannabis-growers-bc-sound-alarm-over-sector-1.4670742|work=CBC|access-date=22 October 2018|archive-date=19 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019202948/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/cannabis-growers-bc-sound-alarm-over-sector-1.4670742|url-status=live))</ref>

Still, most craft cannabis producers are optimistic. One craft cannabis producer told ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' that "I think there is a real opportunity there for small independents."<ref name="auto6"/> Craft cannabis producers are seen by some as the "artisans of the industry"<ref>((cite news|last=Ross|first=Andrea|date=24 June 2018|title=First comes legal cannabis. Then, say industry insiders, will come the artisan stuff|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-cannabis-industry-craft-growers-1.4758573|work=CBC|access-date=22 October 2018|archive-date=8 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181008070639/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-cannabis-industry-craft-growers-1.4758573|url-status=live))</ref> who will experiment with strains, increase variety, and produce a quality product that it can sell at a premium.<ref name="auto5"/>

====Excise tax and sales tax====

From the early planning stages, the government indicated that the substance would be taxed. An estimate in late 2016 suggested revenues of $618 million per year from a federal tax initially, and eventually, billions, according to a report by Canada's [[Parliamentary Budget Officer]] (PBO).<ref name="Cullen"/> (A recent government estimate indicates that the illegal marijuana industry is worth $7 billion per year.<ref>((cite news |last=Cryderman |first=Kelley |date=27 November 2016 |title=Report on Canada's marijuana legalization due this week |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/report-on-marijuana-legalization-in-canada-due-this-week/article33065608/ |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |location=Toronto |access-date=2 December 2016 |archive-date=1 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201134359/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/report-on-marijuana-legalization-in-canada-due-this-week/article33065608/ |url-status=live ))</ref>) The Task Force report recommended that high-potency cannabis (with a high THC content) be taxed at a higher level than the conventional product to make it less attractive to consumers.<ref name="auto2">((cite web |url=https://ipolitics.ca/2016/12/13/set-minimum-legal-age-for-marijuana-at-18-says-task-force/ |title=Set minimum legal age for marijuana at 18, says task force |last=Duggan |first=Kyle |date=13 December 2016 |website=iPolitics |access-date=15 December 2016 |archive-date=14 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161214181147/http://ipolitics.ca/2016/12/13/set-minimum-legal-age-for-marijuana-at-18-says-task-force/ |url-status=live ))</ref><ref>((cite web |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/federal-task-force-advises-wide-ranging-legalization-of-recreational-marijuana/article33307322/ |title=Federal task force advises wide-ranging legalization of recreational marijuana |last=LeBlanc |first=Daniel |date=13 December 2017 |website=The Globe and Mail |access-date=13 December 2016 |quote=The group of experts, chaired by former Liberal minister Anne McLellan, is also recommending that high-potency products be more heavily taxed, to "discourage" their use in the general public. |archive-date=14 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161214035627/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/federal-task-force-advises-wide-ranging-legalization-of-recreational-marijuana/article33307322/ |url-status=live ))</ref>

The federal government had announced in October 2017 that its budget would include $546 million over five years to prepare the "legal framework to strictly regulate and restrict access to cannabis" and another $150 million over six years to enforce the restrictions on drug-impaired driving.<ref>((cite web|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/canadas-new-budget-numbers-show-booming-economic-growth-and-booming-spending|title=Canada's new budget numbers show booming economic growth – and booming spending|date=25 October 2017))</ref> Health Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police will receive a share of the funds.<ref>((cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-26/rolling-out-legal-weed-comes-with-a-high-price-tag-for-canada|title=Rolling Out Legal Weed Comes With a High Price Tag for Canada|newspaper=Bloomberg |date=26 October 2017|via=www.bloomberg.com|access-date=27 October 2017|archive-date=28 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028042858/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-26/rolling-out-legal-weed-comes-with-a-high-price-tag-for-canada|url-status=live))</ref> Of this amount, municipal and indigenous police services should receive $81 million to offset the increased cost of training and resources.<ref>((cite web|url=http://business.financialpost.com/commodities/agriculture/ottawa-proposing-legal-weed-tax-of-at-least-1-per-gram-plus-gst|title=Marijuana stocks rally as Ottawa proposes legal weed tax of at least $1 per gram, plus GST|date=10 November 2017|access-date=13 November 2017|archive-date=13 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113151954/http://business.financialpost.com/commodities/agriculture/ottawa-proposing-legal-weed-tax-of-at-least-1-per-gram-plus-gst|url-status=live))</ref>

On 10 November 2017, the government announced that the federal excise tax, to be shared 50/50 with the provinces and territories, should not exceed $1 a gram or 10 per cent of the producer's price, whichever is higher. The government's press released did not specify higher tax on high-potency products.<ref name=Globe>Mike Hager and Carrie Tait, [https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/provinces-keep-lucrative-online-market-for-legal-marijuana-tothemselves/article37019186/ "Provinces to keep control of online cannabis sales"] ((Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119094945/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/provinces-keep-lucrative-online-market-for-legal-marijuana-tothemselves/article37019186/ |date=19 November 2017 )), 18 November 2017.</ref><ref name=":1" /> In December 2017, after demands from provinces for a higher percentage, a two-year agreement was signed to provide a full 75% of the tax; as well, the maximum to be taken by the federal government would be $100 million per annum, with any excess paid to the provinces and territories. The final retail price of the product will include provincial sales tax,<ref name=":0" /> ranging from 5% to 15% depending on the province.<ref name=autogenerated2 /> This arrangement will be discussed again in December 2018 to determine whether the five months of experience indicated that the 75/25 tax splitting scheme had proved to be appropriate.<ref>((cite web |author1=Caroline Cahill |title=Finance Ministers Revise Canadian Cannabis Tax Plan |url=http://mjinews.com/finance-ministers-canadian-cannabis-tax-plan/ |website=mjinews.com |date=12 December 2017 |access-date=3 January 2018 |archive-date=4 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104015249/http://mjinews.com/finance-ministers-canadian-cannabis-tax-plan/ |url-status=live ))</ref>

== Regulation by province ==
((see|Cannabis laws of Canada by province or territory))
[[File:2018 British Columbia advertisement of cannabis use.jpg|thumb|Government public service advertisement about the effects of cannabis use in [[Vancouver]]]]
In Canada, regulation varies province to province, though there are some general rules regarding promotion, packaging, and advertising. Adult-use cannabis can only be sold in packages of a single colour without graphics other than the logo and a health warning.<ref>((cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/business/2018/06/08/marijuana-industry-seeks-creative-ways-to-brand-product.html|title=Marijuana industry seeks 'creative ways' to brand product|last=Bissett|first=Kevin|date=8 June 2018|work=[[Toronto Star]]|access-date=22 July 2018|agency=[[The Canadian Press]]|archive-date=22 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722041244/https://www.thestar.com/business/2018/06/08/marijuana-industry-seeks-creative-ways-to-brand-product.html|url-status=live))</ref> Cannabis companies in Canada will not be allowed to promote themselves through TV commercials, billboards, or glossy magazine ads, sponsor people or events, or put their names on sports and cultural facilities. To address these advertising challenges, some brands are connecting with popular media influencers like [[Gene Simmons]] and the [[Trailer Park Boys]].<ref>((cite news|url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/pot-packages|title=Rock stars, actors getting in on Canada's race to legal weed|last=Miller|first=Jacquie|date=3 April 2018|work=[[Ottawa Citizen]]|access-date=22 July 2018|archive-date=22 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722070122/https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/pot-packages|url-status=live))</ref>

The ''Cannabis Act'' (2018) gave provinces the power to determine the method of distribution and sale and whether cannabis use will be legal inside private residence or homes if children are present in the home 12 or more hours in a day,<ref>((cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/provincial-marijuana-sales-retail-1.4167735|title=As provinces seek the 'right' price for pot, how it's sold could matter|last=Israel|first=Solomon|date=20 June 2017|work=[[CBC News]]|access-date=27 August 2018|archive-date=18 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818221252/http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/provincial-marijuana-sales-retail-1.4167735|url-status=live))</ref> and each will also establish the legal age for cannabis use.<ref name="auto">((cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/liberal-legal-marijuana-pot-1.4041902|title=Liberals to announce marijuana will be legal by July 1, 2018|last=Cochrane|first=David|date=26 March 2017|work=[[CBC News]]|access-date=28 March 2017|archive-date=27 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327232444/http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/liberal-legal-marijuana-pot-1.4041902|url-status=live))</ref> An [[Excise Tax|excise tax]] will be levied, to be shared with the provinces and territories.<ref name=":0">((cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/pot-joe-ceci-cannabis-finance-ministers-excise-taxes-1.4443836|title=New cannabis deal an improvement but legal pot won't be a revenue generator, Alberta finance minister predicts|last=Bellefontaine|first=Michelle|date=11 December 2017|work=[[CBC News]]|access-date=27 August 2018|archive-date=11 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180811074133/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/pot-joe-ceci-cannabis-finance-ministers-excise-taxes-1.4443836|url-status=live))</ref> According to the federal government, estimated annual sales will be $4 billion (US$3.2b).<ref name="autogenerated2">((cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-02/taxes-could-help-canada-keep-its-legal-marijuana-prices-in-check|title=Taxes Could Help Canada Keep Its Legal Marijuana Prices in Check|last=Wingrove|first=Josh|date=2 January 2018|work=[[Bloomberg News]]|access-date=3 January 2018|archive-date=4 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104013703/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-02/taxes-could-help-canada-keep-its-legal-marijuana-prices-in-check|url-status=live))</ref>

The ''Cannabis Act'' (2018) also allows householders to grow up to four cannabis plants, but [[Quebec]] and [[Manitoba]] announced that they would not permit this option.<ref name=":1">((cite news|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/3867467/marijuana-legalization-canada-progress/|title=Just months away, here's how pot legalization is shaping up in Canada|last1=Paperny|first1=Anna Mehler|date=17 November 2017|work=[[Global News]]|agency=[[Reuters]]|last2=Saminather|first2=Nichola|access-date=19 November 2017|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201045852/https://globalnews.ca/news/3867467/marijuana-legalization-canada-progress/|url-status=live))</ref> [[New Brunswick]] is specifying indoor growing only in a separate locked space, but will also allow outdoor growing for plants that are up to 1.52m (5 feet) high.<ref>((cite news|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/4238754/quebec-ban-marijuana-home-grows/|title=Why marijuana legalization will likely include bans on home grows|last=Cain|first=Patrick|date=29 May 2018|work=[[Global News]]|access-date=2 July 2018|archive-date=2 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702210550/https://globalnews.ca/news/4238754/quebec-ban-marijuana-home-grows/|url-status=live))</ref><ref name=":3">((cite news|url=https://thehighinvestor.ca/2018/10/02/new-cannabis-regulations-explained-by-province/|title=New Cannabis Regulations Explained – By Province|date=2 October 2018|work=The High Investor|access-date=7 October 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=7 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007145400/https://thehighinvestor.ca/2018/10/02/new-cannabis-regulations-explained-by-province/|url-status=live))</ref>

The minimum age to purchase and consume cannabis in most of Canada is 19 years old with the only exceptions being Alberta which has it at 18 years old and Quebec where it is 21 years old (the highest in the country).<ref name=":3" /> Manitoba and Quebec are currently the only provinces or territories where the legal cannabis age is not identical to the alcohol and tobacco purchase age (19 for cannabis in Manitoba and 21 in Quebec vs. 18 for alcohol/tobacco in both provinces).<ref>((cite web| url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/legal-pot-age-19-wrong-message-manitoba-1.4435236| title = Setting pot purchasing age at 19 suggests 'marijuana is more of a concern than alcohol': doctor ((!)) CBC News| access-date = 23 October 2019| archive-date = 9 November 2020| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201109032838/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/legal-pot-age-19-wrong-message-manitoba-1.4435236| url-status = live))</ref>

Under the newly elected [[Coalition Avenir Québec]] government, the Deputy Minister for Health in October 2018, [[Lionel Carmant]] announced that the Government will tighten the rules on cannabis consumption, including increasing the legal age to consume to 21 from 18.<ref>((cite web|url=https://montrealgazette.com/news/quebec/caq-wants-to-hike-legal-age-for-cannabis-to-21-by-march-minister-says|title=CAQ wants to hike legal age for cannabis to 21 by March, minister says|date=25 October 2018|access-date=28 October 2018|archive-date=28 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181028151717/https://montrealgazette.com/news/quebec/caq-wants-to-hike-legal-age-for-cannabis-to-21-by-march-minister-says|url-status=live))</ref><ref>((cite web|url=https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/cannabis-at-21-quebec-confirms-it-will-raise-age-asap-1.4148095|title=Cannabis at 21: Quebec confirms it will raise age ASAP|date=24 October 2018|access-date=28 October 2018|archive-date=28 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181028190252/https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/cannabis-at-21-quebec-confirms-it-will-raise-age-asap-1.4148095|url-status=live))</ref> In 2019, CAQ announced Quebec will also ban the sale of cannabis candies and desserts, including chocolate, because federal cannabis regulations don't go far enough in protecting children from accidentally consuming the drug. However, as recently as 2022, the SQDC (Quebec) has marketed an edible two-pack of 2.5mg THC and 5mg CBD per piece.<ref>((cite web| url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/cannabis-regulations-quebec-legal-1.5223723| title = No pot brownies in Quebec as government clamps down further on cannabis ((!)) CBC News| access-date = 25 July 2019| archive-date = 25 July 2019| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190725135502/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/cannabis-regulations-quebec-legal-1.5223723| url-status = live))</ref><ref>((Cite web|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/5679335/quebec-to-ban-sale-of-cannabis-candies-in-effort-to-protect-kids/|title=Quebec to ban sale of cannabis candies in effort to protect kids|website=Global News|access-date=25 July 2019|archive-date=25 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725123837/https://globalnews.ca/news/5679335/quebec-to-ban-sale-of-cannabis-candies-in-effort-to-protect-kids/|url-status=live))</ref>

==Military==
((main|Cannabis and the Canadian military))
In early September 2018, the Canadian government released a directive stating that service members will be allowed to use cannabis following legalization in October, but with restrictions on use depending on the individual's duties.<ref>((cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/janetwburns/2018/09/11/canadas-military-green-lights-adult-cannabis-use-for-most-personnel/#2dd92e2875a3|title=Canadian Military Green-Lights Cannabis Use For Most Personnel|first=Janet|last=Burns|website=[[Forbes]]|access-date=2 October 2018|archive-date=3 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003063028/https://www.forbes.com/sites/janetwburns/2018/09/11/canadas-military-green-lights-adult-cannabis-use-for-most-personnel/#2dd92e2875a3|url-status=live))</ref> Per the new regulations, service members may use legal cannabis, but must cease usage:<ref>((cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-cannabis-military/canadas-military-unveils-rules-governing-troop-cannabis-use-idUSKCN1LN29V|title=Canada's military unveils rules governing troop cannabis use|first=Anna Mehler|last=Paperny|website=[[Reuters]]|access-date=2 October 2018|archive-date=3 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003061932/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-cannabis-military/canadas-military-unveils-rules-governing-troop-cannabis-use-idUSKCN1LN29V|url-status=live))</ref>

* 8 hours prior to duty: all personnel
* 24 hours prior to duty: anyone operating a weapon or vehicle
* 28 days before duty: members involved in high-risk activities such as [[high-altitude]] parachuting, operating in a [[hyperbaric]] environment, and serving on military aircraft on international operations

==See also==
((portal|Canada|Cannabis))
((div col|colwidth=22em))
* [[Cannabis in Alberta]]
* [[Cannabis in British Columbia]]
* [[Cannabis in Manitoba]]
* [[Cannabis in New Brunswick]]
* [[Cannabis in Newfoundland and Labrador]]
* [[Cannabis in the Northwest Territories]]
* [[Cannabis in Nova Scotia]]
* [[Cannabis in Nunavut]]
* [[Cannabis in Ontario]]
* [[Cannabis in Prince Edward Island]]
* [[Cannabis in Quebec]]
* [[Cannabis in Saskatchewan]]
* [[Cannabis in Yukon]]
* [[Cannabis on Canadian Indian reserves]]
* [[Marijuana Party (Canada)]]
((div col end))

==References==
((Reflist))

==Further reading==
((Refbegin))
* ((cite book |last1 =Nolin |first1 =Pierre Claude |last2 =Kenny |first2 =Colin |year =2003 |title =Cannabis: Report of the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=L_5gu-eUfE8C&pg=PP1 |publisher =University of Toronto Press |isbn =0-8020-8946-1 |access-date =4 July 2018 |archive-date =21 April 2023 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20230421015306/https://books.google.com/books?id=L_5gu-eUfE8C&pg=PP1 |url-status =live ))
* ((cite book|author=Kyle Grayson|title=Chasing Dragons: Security, Identity, and Illicit Drugs in Canada|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KUQHs7XNZ2AC&pg=PP1|date=12 April 2008|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=978-0-8020-9479-7))
*((cite web|url=http://www.ccsa.ca/Resource%20Library/CCSA-Canadian-Drug-Summary-Cannabis-2018-en.pdf|publisher=Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction|title=Cannabis (Canadian Drug Summary)|date=June 2018|access-date=11 November 2018|archive-date=12 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181112021432/http://www.ccsa.ca/Resource%20Library/CCSA-Canadian-Drug-Summary-Cannabis-2018-en.pdf|url-status=live))
*Ryan Macdonald; Michelle Rotermann, ( 2017) ((cite book|url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-626-x/11-626-x2017077-eng.htm|title=Experimental Estimates of Cannabis Consumption in Canada, 1960 to 2015|date=18 December 2017 |publisher=Statistics Canada – Economic Analysis Division and Health Analysis Division|access-date=19 November 2018|archive-date=31 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031151758/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-626-x/11-626-x2017077-eng.htm|url-status=live))
((Refend))

==External links==
((Commons category|Cannabis in Canada))
* [http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/Committee_SenHome.asp?Language=E&Parl=37&Ses=1&comm_id=85 2002 Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illicit Drugs]
* [http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?pub=bill&doc=C-38&parl=37&ses=2&language=E Failed decriminalization bill]
* [http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/ledain/ldctoc.html The Report of the Canadian Government Commission of Inquiry into the Non-Medical Use of Drugs – 1972] – LeDain Commission Report
* [http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/marihuana/info/list-eng.php Authorized Licensed Producers under the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations] ((Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304035355/http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/marihuana/info/list-eng.php |date=4 March 2014 ))
* [http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/13-610-x/13-610-x2018001-eng.htm Cannabis Statistics Hub]

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