On Oct. 17, non-medical cannabis became legalized. The laws regarding non-medical cannabis are different in each province, so we’re breaking down some of the B.C. laws and RCMP legislation for you here.
1. Can I smoke it in car? Can I smoke it in a bar? No. Drug-impaired driving is illegal in Canada. Impaired driving remains a leading criminal cause of death. Driving after using drugs, even prescription drugs, is just as dangerous as drinking and driving. Smoking and vaping are not permitted in any fully or substantially enclosed public place or work place, or in the buffer zone around doors, open windows, and air intakes to these locations.
2. Can I take it on a bus? On a train? On a plane? Don’t cross the border with cannabis: it’s illegal to transport cannabis across the Canadian border. It doesn’t matter whether you’re leaving or entering Canada, or what the laws of your destination are. As for travelling between provinces, cannabis laws are different between provinces and territories. This includes legal age, and where you can smoke, vape, consume, and buy cannabis. Make sure to learn the laws before you travel.
3. Can I make it in a cake so I can sell it where I bake? The sale of edibles containing cannabis and cannabis concentrates is not currently legal.
4. Try it, try it, they all say! Actually, marijuana use among Canadians aged 15 or older only sits at around 12 per cent; so no, not all your friends are trying it. A reminder: in B.C. you must be 19 years or older to buy, use, possess, or grow non-medical cannabis. Youth under 19 years of age are banned from entering cannabis stores. It is an offence to sell or supply non-medical cannabis to individuals under 19, and there are strict penalties.
5. I drive better when I am stoned, far and away. Don’t drive high: it does not make you a better driver. Not only can cannabis slow your reaction time and affect your ability to drive, impairment can last for more than 24 hours after use, well after other effects have faded. Police officers are trained to detect drug impairment and are conducting roadside drug screenings.
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