Cannabis Laws in BC and Vancouver

Cannabis has been legal in British Columbia since October 17, 2018. The basic framework is federal under the Cannabis Act, but provinces set their own rules on top of that. BC landed in a reasonable spot. Here is what the law actually says, without the government-website formatting.

The Legal Age in BC is 19

Not 18. British Columbia set the minimum age at 19, which matches the provincial drinking age. If you are 18, you cannot legally purchase or possess cannabis in BC regardless of what the rules are in your home province or country. Every Coastal Green location checks ID on every transaction. No exceptions, no judgment, just the law.

Valid ID means government-issued photo identification showing your name and date of birth. A passport works everywhere. A BC driver's licence works. A foreign driver's licence works. Digital ID on your phone does not.

How Much You Can Buy and Carry

In a single transaction at a licensed retailer, you can purchase up to 30 grams of dried cannabis or the equivalent in other forms. In public, you can possess up to 30 grams of dried cannabis on your person.

At home, there is no possession limit for cannabis purchased legally. You can also grow up to four plants per household for personal use, though the plants cannot be visible from a public space.

The 30-gram public limit is per person, not per group. If you are with three friends and between you there are 35 grams, that is a problem for the person holding them.

Where You Can Consume Cannabis in BC

The rule follows tobacco. You can smoke or vape cannabis in most outdoor public spaces where smoking tobacco is permitted. That means most sidewalks and public areas are technically legal. It also means the same restrictions apply: no smoking within 6 metres of doors, windows, or air intakes of public buildings. No smoking in parks or public spaces specifically designated smoke-free. No smoking in vehicles, whether moving or parked. No smoking anywhere near schools, playgrounds, or sports fields.

Indoor consumption is almost entirely off the table in public spaces. Restaurants, bars, transit, malls, public buildings: no. Your private home: yes, unless your lease prohibits it, which many in Vancouver do.

Driving and Cannabis

Zero tolerance if you are under 21 or a new driver. For everyone else, the legal blood THC limit in Canada is 2 nanograms per millilitre. Between 2 and 5 nanograms carries administrative penalties. Above 5 nanograms is a criminal charge.

The more practical point: driving while impaired by cannabis is illegal regardless of what the blood test shows. BC police use standardised field sobriety tests. The safest rule is the same as alcohol: if you have consumed cannabis recently, don't drive.

Crossing Borders With Cannabis

Do not. Cannabis is federally illegal in the United States. The Canada-US border is a federal crossing. It does not matter that you purchased it legally in BC or that cannabis is legal in whatever US state you are driving into. The federal law applies at the crossing and the consequences are serious. This applies to air travel to international destinations as well.

Flying within Canada with up to 30 grams is legal. Flying internationally is not.

Where to Buy Legal Cannabis in Vancouver

Only from a licensed retailer. BC has a provincial licensing system and every legal dispensary displays their licence. At Coastal Green, we are licensed at all three locations: Dunsmuir Street in Downtown Vancouver, Main Street in Mount Pleasant, and Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast. Every product on our shelves has been through Health Canada mandatory testing and meets federally mandated safety standards.

Buying from unlicensed sources in BC remains illegal regardless of how it is sold or presented. The practical risk beyond the legal one is that unlicensed product has no mandatory testing, no accurate labelling, and no accountability for what is actually in it.