Marijuana legalization, explained: the key facts about Canada's new laws

When can I buy marijuana?

17 October 2018.

The government had intended for recreational marijuana use to be legalized by 1 July 2018. Bill C-45, the Cannabis Act, passed its third reading in the House of Commons last fall, and Trudeau has emphasised that it will be implemented without delay.

But the bill is still under scrutiny in the Senate, which has repeatedly threatened to send it back to the House for amendment. Some indigenous leaders have also expressed concern that the act does not allow them to regulate or ban the sale of pot on their land as they can with alcohol, and that – in violation of section 35 of the constitution – they were never consulted about these legislative changes. Both challenges could delay legalization until parliament’s fall sitting.

But whenever legalization does occur, don’t expect to rush out and buy anything that day. The government anticipates a two- or three-month transition period before cannabis may be legally bought or