Marijuana rules across Canada a mix of public, private sales
Saskatchewan is the latest province to outline part of its plan for the sale of cannabis, which is to be legalized across the country July 1. Here is a look at other provincial and territorial plans to date:
■ British Columbia has set the age of consumption at 19. Retail sales to be allowed through public and private stores. Retailers will have to get their supply of cannabis from the government’s wholesale distribution system used for alcohol.
■ Alberta plans to control the online sale of pot, but will leave over-the-counter sales to private operators. Details on how sales would work have yet to be determined. Private pot stores would have to be physically separate from stores selling alcohol, tobacco or pharmaceuticals, but how that would be legally defined is also undetermined. Stores would not be allowed to sell anything but cannabis and cannabis-related products.
■ Saskatchewan says the sale of legal cannabis is to be handled by the private sector with about 60 retail permits awarded to private operators in as many as 40 municipalities and First Nations communities. The Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority is to regulate cannabis sales and municipalities to have the option to ban sales.
■ Manitoba plans to set its legal age at 19, a year later than the legal age for drinking alcohol. The government’s legislation would also prohibit people from growing cannabis at home for recreational purposes. The Liquor and Gaming Authority of Manitoba would regulate the sale of cannabis and municipal governments would have the option to ban sales by referendum.
■ Ontario intends to sell the drug in up to 150 stores run by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario to people 19 and older, with a ban on its consumption in public spaces or workplaces.
■ Quebec has tabled a bill whereby all pot would be sold through the provincially run liquor board, although there is flexibility for exceptions. Quebec plans to open 15 marijuana stores by July 1 and control sales online. It would be illegal to cultivate pot for personal or commercial use, unless authorized and possession in a home to be limited to 150 grams and to 30 grams on a person. There is to be a zero-tolerance policy for driving under the influence of any drug.
■ New Brunswick is setting the minimum age at 19 and plans to require users to lock away their marijuana when it’s in their home. The province announced last month that people would be able to buy cannabis at a subsidiary of the province’s liquor commission.
■ Prince Edward Island has set its legal age at 19, and said it will sell marijuana at stand-alone outlets run separately by its liquor commission. P.E.I. plans to allow online sales and restrict marijuana use to private residences.
■ Nova Scotia says marijuana is to be sold alongside alcohol in provincial liquor commission stores, and through online sales, to anyone 19 and over. The province accepts federal rules setting a personal possession limit of up to 30 grams and a personal cultivation limit of up to four plants per household. It plans to establish provincial penalties for youth possession of up to five grams.
■ Newfoundland and Labrador to allow sales in private stores. Legal age set at 19. The Crown-owned liquor corporation is to oversee distribution to private retailers. Consumption to be restricted to private residences.
■ Yukon has proposed 19 as the minimum age for consumption and limiting possession to 30 grams. Its proposals would also allow four plants to be grown per household. Distribution and sales to be limited initially to government outlets.
■ The Northwest Territories has
been holding discussions with residents that include community meetings and an online survey, which has garnered a record response for a government online consultation tool.
■ Nunavut completed initial
stakeholder consultations last summer and was holding a public survey to help guide the development of policy and legislative options.