Cannabis in Canada

Recreational cannabis has been legal across Canada since October 17, 2018, when the federal Cannabis Act came into force. Edible cannabis, cannabis extracts and topicals followed under amended regulations that took effect on October 17, 2019, with the first of those products allowed on shelves no earlier than mid-December 2019. Ottawa licenses and inspects producers through Health Canada and sets national rules on packaging, labeling, potency and possession; each province and territory decides who may sell cannabis, the minimum age, where it may be used and, within limits, whether it can be grown at home.

That split produces very different shopping experiences. In Quebec, the government-owned SQDC is the only retailer and the minimum age is 21. Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island also sell through government stores, and New Brunswick sells through Cannabis NB, a subsidiary of its liquor corporation. Ontario and British Columbia combine a government online channel with large private networks: about 1,860 authorized store addresses on Ontario's AGCO map and roughly 500 licensed private stores in B.C. in September 2026. Alberta and Saskatchewan rely on private retailers; Alberta, where the age limit is 18, closed its government online store in 2022 so licensed stores could sell and deliver online. Newfoundland and Labrador pairs private stores with a Crown-run online shop.

Some rules apply everywhere. Adults may carry up to 30 grams of dried cannabis or its equivalent in public, for example 150 grams of fresh cannabis or 7.5 grams of concentrates, and a single package of edible cannabis may contain no more than 10 mg of THC. Federal law allows up to four plants per residence, but Quebec bans home growing. Legal products come in plain, child-resistant packaging with the standardized cannabis symbol, health warnings and an excise stamp that differs from province to province. Taking cannabis across Canada's borders remains a serious federal offence, even when travelling to a place where it is legal.

Online buying is where many consumers get caught out. Legal online stores are run or authorized by a province and deliver only within that province. Health Canada lists typical signs of an illegal seller: no age verification, appealing packaging, shipping anywhere in Canada, referral or sign-up bonuses, and payment by e-transfer or cryptocurrency only. When in doubt, check the provincial list of authorized retailers linked for each province on this page.