View Full Version : Is Pot Legal In Canada?
Profane Motherfucker
08-17-2005, 03:33 AM
I'm British and I live in Chicago while I'm in grad school. I'm going to Canada later this year, and I wanted to know if bud is legal there, or decriminalized or what. I've heard about coffee shops - the "poor man's Amsterdam" - and if anyone knows, please tell me! (I've smoked BC buds once, and it knocked me on my ass!!!)
Makaveli
08-17-2005, 03:49 AM
whats up profane. im from Houston so not too familiar with canadian law. however, with the recent shit with marc emery i think weed is decriminalized and very tolerated as long as your not a huge dealer or smuggler. if u wanna smoke in Canada tho goto Vancouver, BC, they got a place called Vansterdam that has the coffeeshops and all that. be sure to visit the bc mariuana party bookstore.
Dewave
08-17-2005, 02:44 PM
I live in Quebec and weed is still "illegal" (no real laws for it since 2001, but cops keep arresting people). If you smoke at night or in a concealed place where not too much people see you there's no problem. I smoke at parties and around midnight around schools, libraries and forest and I've never saw any cops coming for me or somone else. They do arrest dealers tho. I guess it's more relaxed in BC.
Good Luck, and Good smoking,
Dewave.
Cannada777
08-17-2005, 02:55 PM
ya, I live in Toronto and I really don tthink the cops give a shit about a person smoking a joint theyd rather bust some crackhead but ya, its pretty downwind around there...I few weeks ago i stopped by kensington market ( a must see ) which is basically a bunch of stoner shops and rastas, and I picked up a lil over a quart just by asking around - people are really cool there - also make sure you get to the hotbox café there you can smoke as much weed there as you want.. . I dont think weed is legal yet though but it is definetely under revision by the government because there are so many movements towardds legalization they cant just ignore it anymore - and medical marijuana is legal and i know a couple ppl with fake prescriptions
so ya if you come up here make sure you get to toronto and kensington market - or Vancouver definetely, but you can still get some good hydro in toronto
Leonard12
08-17-2005, 11:44 PM
i live in toronto too and i think as long as there is under 2.5 they just will search you and confiscate or throw away your weed. just dont give the cop attitude and they are usually cool with it
FunkyMonkey
08-18-2005, 06:19 AM
Its still illegal but the police have more discretionary leway than before. Some policed areas are stricter than others with fines and such and charges but its way more relaxed than the US by far.Basically if you are just holding personal and not toking at the mall you will not get a criminal record for it. It has gotten med approval and is gaining recreational acceptance as well.
moeburn
08-18-2005, 11:32 PM
The law states it is decriminalized, federally i believe, for 1.5g or under. Most cops don't really give a shit about us potheads, but they are looking for dealers who have more harmful drugs than pot, so be careful. If you are caught giving someone pot, they won't lay the law on you because of the pot, they will do it to make sure you dont have something worse.
bluntman3000
08-24-2005, 08:37 PM
yo well i live in a town near toronto.....(Grimsby) well no canada is not legal but its not really strict on it too....but like in city like toronto or hamilton or any tourist place they always have up and smoke cafes, and bong shops
ermitonto
08-24-2005, 10:14 PM
Weed is not legal anywhere, not even in Amsterdam. It is just tolerated to various degrees.
moeburn
08-25-2005, 12:21 AM
Weed is not legal anywhere, not even in Amsterdam. It is just tolerated to various degrees.
It's legal on my island.
Im from Guelph Ontario and weed is very much illegal but is currently under review by the goverment as alot of people in the goverment are pushing for it to be decrminlized and some even want it fully legal and taxed. unknown to alot of people though is that in 2003 for a short period, (like 3 months i believe) it was decriminalized to the extent that if you had anything under 30 g's you were fine. durning frosh week at my university (back in 2003) Marc Emery had this big rally called "Folk and Toke" and there must have been about 100 people in the main university plaza just toking up because it was perfectly legal. But that wsa an experimental phase and currently it is illegal. My brother not to long ago got busted for only about 1.5 grams. He lives in Brampton and got his appartment searched and was arrested, he only had to serve 20 hours of community service. Even though it is illegal it is very much just brushed aside, no one really cares and if you do get caught odds are you wont get a stiff punishment. I remember hearing of this one guy in the GTA in the spring that had a very large grow op starting, the report claimed he had 1500 plants growing, all in differen stages, and he had over 500 thousand dollars worth of growing equipment and he got 1 year in jail. I dont know about you but that is a very relaxed punishment for what he got himself into. So either way it is illegal, but no one really cares, but that dosnt mean you get to be careless because you can still end up paying big time.
beachguy in thongs
08-27-2005, 05:02 PM
Weed is not legal anywhere
I think my friend from Ghana said it's legal there. It probably is legal in Trinidad, I can find out, that's where my best friend is from.
i live in hamilton and although its not legal, we still have a cafe called up in smoke its a marc emey thing and they had a protest on the 20th and they gave away free pot and hash and no its not legal but like they said above its tolerated well and like practicly every one does it....
calve
08-28-2005, 05:28 AM
well turm. Im also from guelph uni. you wouldnt happen to still be a student there would ya...
yeah im heading into my third year
calve
08-28-2005, 05:40 AM
no shit eh...damn i wouldnt be surprised if i blazed with ya a couple of times... I tore up grass last year dood, me and my buddies smoke till the entire buidling reeeeeked like bud...good tiems
lmao, i have only smoked with very few people from around here, all of which are close friends so i find that unlikely. but yeah i have had many good times too...lol... but i do find it rather difficult to find dealers over here which sucks major ass
calve
08-28-2005, 06:07 AM
gimme a shout sometime. i might know some people who can help you out . whats ur msn..
420purplehaze420
08-29-2005, 10:47 PM
no weed isnt legal in canada and im not to sure about all this tolerence everyone is talking about, if a cop suspects you of trafficking, buying, selling, smoking, eating, er whatever, ur fucked ur going to get busted, i was smoking a J on my way home one night, a cop pulled up got out of his car searched me found a couple Gs, i got charged and got 20 hours community service, i guess i got one of those non stoner tolerent cops you hear about. but yeah check out vancouver or if your in the london ON area go downtown and check out the hippie cafe, high times, and organics.
onestonedmotherfuck
08-29-2005, 11:24 PM
I've always heard about coffee shops where you can buy weed and smoke it. Is this untrue? I'd like to go to Canada sometime this year, so if anyone knows about coffee shops, please let me know.
moeburn
08-29-2005, 11:52 PM
All I know is that I was caught smoking what was obviously weed, and the only thing that pissed the cop off was that he didn't want smoke in that particular area.
420purplehaze420
08-30-2005, 01:20 AM
I've always heard about coffee shops where you can buy weed and smoke it. Is this untrue? I'd like to go to Canada sometime this year, so if anyone knows about coffee shops, please let me know.
yeah up here in canada we also have those the one near where i live (London, ON) is called the Hippie Cafe, u can rent a bong and buy weed im not sure if the weed is real or any good but what ever you buy or bring in has to be smoked before you leave or they confinscate it from you, I at 15 got in with the ID of a 30 yr old korean guy, they new it wasnt me but they were to baked to care
Tha Joint Killah
08-09-2006, 01:34 PM
Marijuana laws aren`t so relaxed in Canada that you can just go off and buy pot at a coffee shop..Cops don`t want you smoking it in a public place and if they catch you the very worst there gonna do is take your weed and send you on your way. Just be careful where your smoking it and you will have a good time, lots of people enjoy it up here!
Justin.J
08-09-2006, 02:04 PM
I'm from New brunswick, Canada, And I walk down the street with A joint in my hand all the time, no one cares, say's or does anything..
orangeman
08-09-2006, 05:12 PM
Marijuana isnt legal in Canada but when the LEO there sees you with marijuana, unlike America they dont go "OMFG LOOK" rush over to you like your about to shoot their children, tackle you and take your bag of one fucking gram and send you to prison for 4 years for it. Instead in Canada they might just take it or might not say anything at all or warn you, or so I'm told :p.
lagstronaut
08-09-2006, 06:14 PM
I've never had problems with the police over pot. I smoked a huge bong on a bench in front of a hospital at 3pm the other day and no one said anything.
Of course it's not to say I would get away with it if I did it every day, but nobody really cares
Captain Hanks
08-09-2006, 06:17 PM
I'm British and I live in Chicago while I'm in grad school. I'm going to Canada later this year, and I wanted to know if bud is legal there, or decriminalized or what. I've heard about coffee shops - the "poor man's Amsterdam" - and if anyone knows, please tell me! (I've smoked BC buds once, and it knocked me on my ass!!!)
Legal, no. Decriminalized, yes! I have a friend who used to live in Canada and he said walking down the street you can see it being grown in peoples gardens and if the pigs see they don't really mind unless you selling it. However there is your occasionall gnarc who will bust your ass. For medicinal uses with a doctors note it is 100% legal though!:dance:
orange floyd
08-09-2006, 06:21 PM
no weed isnt legal in canada and im not to sure about all this tolerence everyone is talking about, if a cop suspects you of trafficking, buying, selling, smoking, eating, er whatever, ur fucked ur going to get busted, i was smoking a J on my way home one night, a cop pulled up got out of his car searched me found a couple Gs, i got charged and got 20 hours community service, i guess i got one of those non stoner tolerent cops you hear about. but yeah check out vancouver or if your in the london ON area go downtown and check out the hippie cafe, high times, and organics.
well in that case, tahts worse than the laws here in new york... under 20gs and the only penalty is 100$ fine..
Jaycub
08-19-2006, 01:43 PM
well in that case, tahts worse than the laws here in new york... under 20gs and the only penalty is 100$ fine..
Is that for real?
i.m.high
08-19-2006, 05:29 PM
From what little I know, the best place is Vancouver. I guess you should ask people on the streets for the best coffee shops.
CaptainDankNuggets
08-20-2006, 07:30 AM
In some parts i hear it still is but id for sure
litoz22
08-20-2006, 08:53 AM
i live in toronto.. ive been cauhgt afew times.. but it was jus taken away and a warning, there pretty cool wit it... if u have more than 30 grams.. than u gotta go to court .. anything below tthat.. u jus get a fine(ticket) .. u can even grow up to 3 plants and jus get a fine up to $250.. read this..
http://justice.gc.ca/en/news/nr/2004/doc_31276.html
duckfool
08-20-2006, 05:03 PM
yeah a lot of people are under the misguided idea that weed is legal / near legal in Canada. It is not... in no way, shape or form. possesion is illegal whether its 1g or 1lb. In most of canada its basically identical to the US.
BUT..
There are a few exceptions:
-Toronto
-Hamilton
-Vancouver
These are the three cities in Canada (major ones) where there is a lot of tolerance for pot. All three have cafe's that allow the public inside to smoke (although they dont sell.. its "byop").
Finding weed in these places is, most of the time, as easy as.. being alive. Just walk through certain places in downtown and people will COME TO YOU!
law enforcement is prety relaxed. Dont expect anything more than a slap on the wrist.. ever. Seed selling is ignored by police, moderate quantities.. at worst.. are confiscated and your on your way. People caught with 100+ plant grows routinely only recieve community service, or a couple of months.
Enjoy your visit, whenever it may be.
duckfool
08-20-2006, 05:11 PM
*moderate quantities or weed, not seeds
420mory
08-20-2006, 05:12 PM
NO they are illegal in canada. just no one for a long time had been prosecuted for them. but not now. they are busting ppl. it's a shit for sure. but that's the way it is. this place is becoming like the USA fast. i think some states in the USA are more liberal than their currant useless shit cock gov't
and no pot there in not legal. it was ignored as Monk-e said. but not anymore. with harper in gov't screaming for a "war on drugs" things there have gotten a bit shittie. the cops there have got a real hard on for busting ppl for some weed seeds and a joint of MJ or running a canabus cafe but they ignore the pediphiles and murders. what the fuck? it's just bullshit.
that's why i voted for one of the only parties that was for complete legalization : GREEN PARTY OF CANADA. of course there is the Marijuania party. but that's about it. it either was conservative assholes american wantabees or wishie washie do nothing liberals and NDP. if i could have voted for the bloc i would have. :D
fuck even i used to want to seprate from this shit hole country.
Justin Incredible
08-20-2006, 06:39 PM
In England the cops dont care really my mates have got done for it. If you admit to having it then they just put it down the drain and give you a caution. My mates sparked up in a club at the bar and he got hauled out of there but nothing came from it. They let dealers off aswell there was a cannabis factory near where I live it was a big haul about 500 plants but coz it was shit weed they just gave him community service. Most cops want it legal because it is just paper work without a reward.
Think about it cop stops a teenager with a half arrest him takes him in about 2 hours till there back on the streets. They could have spent that time catching someone that they could get some brownie points for.
litoz22
08-20-2006, 06:51 PM
http://justice.gc.ca/en/news/nr/2004/doc_31276.html
read the god damn link it tells u everything.. if u have under 30 grams.. than u jus get a fine.. .no criminal record... and u can have up to 3 plants.. anything above than u gotta go to court etc... if u have less than 3 u jus get fined:stoned:
duckfool
08-20-2006, 08:17 PM
http://justice.gc.ca/en/news/nr/2004/doc_31276.html
read the god damn link it tells u everything..
why don't you read the "god damn link"? The sixth word says "proposing".
please tell me you know what this word means... :rolleyes:
Steve420
08-21-2006, 05:08 AM
Cannabis use – under the current or proposed law – is illegal in Canada. Period. Yes, if cops see you, and question you, most will let you go, at worst take your weed, but that doesn't change that fact that it is, and probably always will be, illeagal.
Captain Hanks
08-21-2006, 05:10 AM
I'm British and I live in Chicago while I'm in grad school. I'm going to Canada later this year, and I wanted to know if bud is legal there, or decriminalized or what. I've heard about coffee shops - the "poor man's Amsterdam" - and if anyone knows, please tell me! (I've smoked BC buds once, and it knocked me on my ass!!!)
as far as i know it's only legal for medicinal uses currently, but people grow it in their gardens and smoke it in public all the time and cops don't see to mind
litoz22
08-21-2006, 06:28 AM
:stoned: it was accepted or w.e, that was in 2004 wen it was proposed and it was indeed accepted.... ill find u the actual bill... trust me .. my aunts a cop.. shes even told me... i laff at her tho.. bcuz she cant smoke weed n e more LOL
Jaycub
08-21-2006, 06:47 AM
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2958.html
"Marijuana advocates across Canada are celebrating a May 16 Ontario court decision, which effectively legalized possession in Canada's largest province.
On Friday, May 16, Ontario Superior Court Justice Steven Rogin upheld the lower court ruling of Justice Philips, concerning a case of pot possession in Ontario.
Justice Rogin agreed that the federal government had failed in its obligation to change the law to allow for medical use of marijuana, and so the entire law was void.
This decision is binding on Ontario's lower courts, which means that no-one can be convicted of pot possession in Ontario. This effectively means that marijuana is now legal in Canada's largest province."
litoz22
08-21-2006, 08:58 PM
ye supposenly it was legal for a lil.. but they ended up fixing it .. trust me.. it was all voer teh news...
duckfool
08-22-2006, 12:22 PM
your an idiot if you think that weed is legal or decriminalized here.
kindred
08-26-2006, 04:58 AM
www.torontohemp.com/canadian.htm
"Summary:
Many people visiting this page are doing so because they are truly confused about the legal status of Cannabis (marijuana) in Canada, and with good reason. You've surely heard over and over in the media, from the courts, and straight from the lying mouths of our elected representatives, that changes are being made to our marijuana laws - but what changes actually have been made!? Well, sadly, not many!
It is still, as it has been for around a decade (since the introduction of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act - CDSA 1996) and similarly for many decades before that, a criminal offense with serious penalties, for someone to be caught in possession of even a small amount of marijuana or a single plant or marijuana seed in Canada. And as ridiculous as this may be, it is also still very possible for one to be charged with Trafficking for so innocent an activity as passing a joint. And sick people are still being toyed with and are still having to jump through ridiculous hoops in order to potentially (against great odds) receive a not-very-helpful government-granted exemption from these idiotic laws as well as the ability to purchase sub-standard marijuana from the Health Canada marijuana mine monopoly, which is greatly lacking in variety, potency, accessibility and compassion. Sadly, we're now amazingly WAY BEHIND many U.S. States! Surprised? So are we! We were promised, and have expected, major positive changes to our drug laws and efforts to end the damage and chaos created by prohibition, for many years now. But all is not lost! There have been major steps in the right direction, mostly in the courts and courts of public opinion as well as the findings of many government appointed and funded committees and reports. And as you surely know, archaic and ridiculous laws often remain 'on the books' long after our leaders and police have ceased to enforce them.
"But I thought the Canadian government 'decriminalized' marijuana!?" - Lots of people think that the Canadian government made changes, but that never happened. What actually happened was that the Chretien government years ago drafted a 'legacy' bill that proposed to replace the potential jail time, criminal record and other sanctions for possession of a very small amount (30 and later 15 grams) of marijuana or a very small number (perhaps 3) of marijuana plants with a system of fines. This bill was introduced and debated, but was not made 'law' before the end of Chretien's parliament, then re-introduced and re-debated again a few times with various incantations of our government, never to be actually accepted or made law. This all involved quite a double-edged sword, however, because while the bill would undoubtedly have eased some of the problems caused by marijuana prohibition (primarily the saddling of countless thousands of Canadians with a criminal record for very minor marijuana possession and the restrictions that come with such a record), it was also a 'wolf in sheep's clothing' in that it would have made many 'bad' changes, counterproductive ones, such as doubling penalties for possession or cultivation of not-too-large quantities of marijuana or plants (50 plants for instance leading to a proposed 14 years in prison rather than the current maximum of 7). Clearly there was an unreasonable amount of misguided 'compromise' involved, and so the death of such a schizophrenic bill is not altogether a bad thing.
Our government also started (after being forced to by a couple court decisions), and continues, selling marijuana to a few hundred very sick Canadians who have been able (against great odds) to convince their doctor to help them make the necessary application. Canadian doctors have gone from not at all wanting the slightest thing to do with the situation, to a small handful being willing (usually with liability release and other stipulations) to be somewhat cooperative with their generally dying patients' applications for exemption. We also have a government-appointed marijuana farm (in a mine deep down below Flin-Flon Manitoba, amazingly) which is the sole legal provider of marijuana to those 'exempted' Canadians (aside from the option they have to 'grow their own' or to designate a personal cultivator who also must apply and be accepted by the Marihuana Medical Access Regulations [MMAR] program). As most of you have probably heard, there have been major problems with the quality and effectiveness, and even the safety, of the government marijuana - most of the problems have somewhat improved over the years and with great effort, but people still generally are very unhappy with the whole program. The struggle has involved a handful of court cases, including one in which the Toronto Compassion Centre along with a handful of medicinal users took the Canadian government to court alleging (and proving) that the MMAR and consequently the CDSA are unconstitutional and unfair. Each time a case was won, the government was basically ordered to make some changes to their program, and often they did make some change although that change more often than not actually resulted in the situation being worse than it had been before - sounds like government, doesn't it!?
One of the changes resulted in the government's pot farm (Prarie Plant Systems) starting to sell Cannabis seeds (but only for one or two strains) to those people entitled to grow medicinal marijuana under the MMAR regime. In 2005 and 2006, a couple large marijuana seed companies found themselves in legal hot water (Marc Emery's pending extradition to the USA and the Heaven's Stairway situation in Montreal with the RCMP) apparently due to 'excessive' political action and the formation of a number of RCMP squads devoted to wiping out the 'scourge' of Cannabis gardens. Before these busts, however, Cannabis seed selling had been greatly tolerated with the only few charges resulting in very small fines. Due to this confusion, and the situation of medical necessity caused by there being no legitimate source of a variety of Cannabis strain genetics, the legality of marijuana seeds and their sale in Canada is very much in question.
With the government exemption of medicinal cannabis users and distribution of cannabis products to some of the sick folks in our Nation who need them being very much less than adequate in many ways, "Compassion Clubs" a.k.a. Compassion Centres, a.k.a. Compassion Societies, a.k.a. Buyer's Clubs - non-profit and somewhat underground but 'tolerated' dispensaries for Canadians with a verified medical necessity for cannabis products continue to exist and thrive and grow and evolve as the chaotic situation changes.
A number of court cases and acts of civil disobedience back in 2003 proved that for at least a short time the section of the CDSA regarding possession of marijuana was actually no longer constitutional or in effect (as a result of the government failing to acceptably make some of the legislative modifications they were ordered by the courts to make, as mentioned above). Later in 2003 the Ontario Court of Appeal, apparently overstepping the bounds of their jurisdiction, declared that the CDSA was back in effect (and hence the "Summer of Legalization" was over).
More recently, court cases have shown that cannabis-based 'edibles' ('pot brownies' and 'pot cookies' for example) may not necessarily be illegal - depending on how they are prepared, what charges the police choose to lay, and what happens when those 'edibles' are tested. It is still somewhat unclear to what degree 'baked goods' are against the law.
Another recent trend is the widespread opening of "Cannabis Cafes", coffee shops that have various forms of 'cannabis-friendliness' including allowing people to 'bring your own bud' and smoke or vaporize whatever herb they prefer in or around the cafe, and even the selling of marijuana seeds and cannabis-based baked goods. It appears (as you will see much further below) that there is no law prohibiting the operation of cannabis-smoke-friendly cafes (even while the patrons, of course, may be guilty of possession) and that the legality and level of tolerance for activities like selling seeds and edibles varies and is somewhat 'up in the air.' One way or another, Cannabis Cafes are here to stay, and they're popping up in towns all over including many near you!
So that's pretty much it, things are at least as confused and confusing as ever, but there is a general shift happening in the right direction - it's just happening extremely slowly and against great resistance from our leaders and a bunch of people who are too ignorant to know any better! We're going to keep on struggling and hoping for positive change, because believe it or not the prohibition of Cannabis (and other 'drugs') is one of the most horrendous human rights abuses of our time. So please, do what you can to educate yourselves and those around you, and to otherwise help make this world a better place."
...
All the best,
Dom
www.torontohemp.com / www.tccentre.org / www.sacredseed.com / www.theherbcollective.com / www.kindredcafe.com
S.P.Q.R.
08-26-2006, 05:45 AM
Marijuana isnt legal in Canada but when the LEO there sees you with marijuana, unlike America they dont go "OMFG LOOK" rush over to you like your about to shoot their children, tackle you and take your bag of one fucking gram and send you to prison for 4 years for it. Instead in Canada they might just take it or might not say anything at all or warn you, or so I'm told :p.
Sounds like heaven...
Seriously I really hate our weed laws
Web Smoker
08-26-2006, 05:51 AM
Weed is not legal anywhere, not even in Amsterdam. It is just tolerated to various degrees.
Acutally the only place weed is fully legal is prog
JordaN23
08-26-2006, 05:55 AM
Depends on the cops that bust you...I had some cops take my pipe and 6 gs all in g's in baggies (for dealing obviously) and I watched them put it in their pocket.
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