Marijuana FAQ
What does the “legalization of cannabis” mean?
Why did the Government of Canada legalize cannabis?
How can cannabis be sold? Do you need a license to sell?
Where can cannabis be consumed? Can I smoke in public?
- Private residences.
- Many outdoor public places.
- Designated guest rooms in hotels, motels and inns.
- Scientific research and testing facilities.
- Controlled areas in long-term care homes, certain retirement homes, residential hospices, provincially-funded supportive housing, designated psychiatric facilities or veterans facilities.
Under the new law, you are not allowed to smoke cannabis in the following places:
- Indoor common areas in condos, apartment buildings and university/college residences.
- Enclosed public places and enclosed workplaces.
- Non-designated guest rooms in hotels, motels and inns.
- Schools and places where children gather.
- On school grounds.
- All public areas within 20 metres of these grounds.
- On children’s playgrounds and public areas within 20 metres of playgrounds.
- in child care centres, or where an early years program is provided
- In places where home child care is provided — even if children aren’t present
- Hospitals, hospices, care homes and other facilities.
Also, you will not be able to smoke or vape cannabis:
- Within nine metres from the entrance or exit of hospitals (public/private), psychiatric facilities, long-term care homes, independent health facilities.
- On outdoor grounds of hospitals (public/private) and psychiatric facilities.
- In non-controlled areas in long-term care homes, certain retirement homes, provincially-funded supportive housing, designated psychiatric or veterans’ facilities, and residential hospices.
- Publicly owned spaces, including sports fields, nearby spectator areas and public areas within 20 metres of these areas.
- Vehicles and boats being driven or at risk of being put into motion.
And you are not allowed to smoke or vape cannabis in other outdoor areas, including:
- Restaurants and on bar patios and public areas within 9m of a patio.
- On outdoor grounds of specified Ontario government office buildings.
- In reserved seating areas at outdoor sports and entertainment locations.
- Grounds of community recreational facilities, and public areas within 20 metres of those grounds.
- In sheltered outdoor areas with a roof and more than two walls which the public or employees frequent, or are invited to (e.g. a bus shelter).
Will tickets or fines be issued for smoking cannabis in public?
What is the legal age to buy and use cannabis?
How many plants can I grow in my own home?
Can home grown cannabis be shared with family members who are underage?
Can I legally share cannabis with other adults (over the age of 19)?
Can I make food or drinks out of cannabis and serve them in my home?
If I rent an apartment/condo/home, am I allowed to grow plants? If yes, how many?
If I own a condo, am I allowed to grow plants? If yes, how many?
Can a landlord evict a tenant or deny a rental if the renter wants to grow plants on the premises?
How much cannabis can I have on my person at any given time? -OR- What are the possession limits?
One gram of dried cannabis is equal to:
- 5 grams of fresh cannabis.
- 15 grams of edible product.
- 70 grams of liquid product.
- 0.25 grams of concentrates (solid or liquid).
- 1 cannabis plant seed.
This means, for example, that an adult 19 years of age or older in Ontario can legally possess 150 grams of fresh cannabis.
What are the measures in place to ensure youth can not access cannabis? Who will be enforcing these measures?
- products that are appealing to youth.
- packaging or labelling cannabis that appeals to youth.
- selling cannabis through self-service displays or vending machines.
- promoting cannabis, such as by using celebrities or cartoon characters to promote cannabis, except in extreme cases where young people could not see the promotion.
Penalties for violating these prohibitions include a fine of up to $5 million or three years in jail. Police will be enforcing these measures.
Is there a list of all offences and their resulting penalties under the Act?
Can my employer set workplace safety guidelines relating to cannabis usage?
How is cannabis impairment defined?
However, drugs such as cannabis generally impair your ability to drive by:
- affecting motor skills;
- slowing reaction time;
- impairing short term memory and concentration;
- causing drivers to vary speed and to wander;
- reducing the ability to make decisions quickly or handle unexpected events.
While there are no guidelines for how long you should wait before driving after having cannabis, you could be impaired by cannabis for more that 24 hours after using it, and your impairment may be greatly increased if cannabis use is mixed with alcohol use. The time it takes for cannabis to wear off depends on whether it was smoked or ingested, and how much and how often you’ve consumed it.
How will roadside stops check for cannabis impairment?
- Standard Field Sobriety Testing (SFST), which is typically administered at the roadside;
- Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) evaluation, which includes a series of tests and a urine or blood sample collected at the police station;
- Oral fluid drug screening equipment. Police can require a driver provide an oral fluid sample on approved drug screening equipment to screen for the presence of drugs.
What are the convictions if you are caught and convicted of impaired driving while under the influence of cannabis?
Will existing pot charges be removed from my record?
As of writing, the policy to be implemented for purging of old convictions has yet to be finalized.
Will cannabis have restrictions like those imposed on alcohol and tobacco products?
Can producers advertise their products on the radio/internet/etc without any restrictions?
It would allow ads that present facts or promote brand preference. But these ads could only be shown in places where youth are not legally allowed, or broadcast only if “reasonable steps” have been taken to ensure they “cannot be accessed by a young person.”
The US Border Patrol is asking Canadians if they have ever smoked marijuana. Can I be denied entry to the United States of America if I answer 'yes'? What happens if I lie and say 'no'?
You can, however, decline to answer the question and remove your application to enter the U.S. That way, while you won’t be allowed to enter the country this one time, you will not be banned for life from travelling to the U.S. in the future, either.