Cannabis Act (42-1)
The Cannabis Act (S.C. 2018, c. 16) legalized and regulated recreational cannabis for adults across Canada. It received royal assent on June 21, 2018 and came into force on October 17, 2018, making Canada the first G7 country and the second country in the world after Uruguay to fully legalize non-medical cannabis. A flagship bill of the first-term Trudeau government, led by the ministers of Justice and Health, it created a federal licensing system run by Health Canada for cultivation and processing, set a personal public-possession limit of 30 grams of dried cannabis, allowed adults to grow up to four plants per household (subject to provincial limits), and set a federal minimum age of 18 (provinces set their own, mostly 19). The companion Bill C-46 created new impaired-driving offences. Provinces and territories decide their own retail and distribution models, from government-run stores to licensed private retail. The Act required a mandatory parliamentary review, which reported in 2024.
Status
Quick learn
Legalized recreational cannabis for adults, in force October 17, 2018. Health Canada licenses growers; there is a 30-gram public possession limit, a four-plant home-growing allowance, and a federal minimum age of 18 (provinces mostly set 19). Provinces run their own retail rules. Canada was the first G7 country to do this.
Issues this bill touches
- Crime & Public Safety
Removed cannabis from the Schedule I controlled-substances list and replaced it with a separate licensing regime.
- Drug Policy & Harm Reduction
Cannabis Act. Legalized recreational cannabis in Canada in October 2018 and established the federal-provincial regulatory framework.
Legislative history
- Introduced
Tabled in the originating chamber by the sponsor.
View source - Royal assent
Approved by both chambers and granted royal assent; now law.
View source
Official source
Read full text on Parliament of Canada