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Rogers Arena and BC Place sit a few blocks from our Dunsmuir Street store, and on game nights or concert nights we see a steady stream of people stopping in before they walk over. The most common question is whether security will actually take cannabis off them at the gate. The answer is more permissive than most people expect, but the rules around what happens once you are inside are stricter than people assume.
Both venues operate under standard BC venue policy, which permits guests to carry legal amounts of cannabis through bag check the same way alcohol-adjacent items or other personal belongings are screened. Up to 30 grams, the same legal possession limit that applies anywhere in BC, is generally not flagged or confiscated at security. Security staff are not searching specifically for cannabis the way they might for weapons or outside alcohol.
This surprises people coming from venues in other cities or countries where any cannabis at the door gets pulled. In Vancouver, since cannabis is federally legal and BC sets a clear possession limit, venues have generally aligned their bag policies with that reality rather than banning it outright.
The short version: Carrying legal cannabis through security is generally fine. Lighting up inside the building is not, regardless of what got through the door.
This is where the leniency ends. Both Rogers Arena and BC Place maintain a strict no-consumption policy inside the building, covering smoking, vaping, and any visible use. There are no designated smoking areas inside either venue. Staff will ask you to stop, and repeated violations can result in ejection without a refund. Neither venue offers in-and-out privileges during most events, so stepping outside to consume and coming back in is usually not an option either.
The practical reality is that you can bring cannabis into the building, but the building itself is not a place to use it. Treat it the way you would treat carrying a flask of alcohol into a venue that does not allow outside drinks. Possession and consumption are two different things with two different sets of rules.
If part of your evening plan includes cannabis, the simplest approach is timing it around the event rather than during it. Visit beforehand, consume what you are going to consume at home or at your hotel, and head to the venue afterward. For people who want something during the event itself without smoking or vaping, fast-acting sublingual products and low-dose beverages are worth asking our team about, since they do not produce visible smoke or vapor and the effects can be more discreet in a crowd setting.
We are not in a position to tell you what to expect from any specific product, but our staff can walk you through formats that fit a no-smoking environment if that is what you are looking for.
Our Dunsmuir Street location is the closest Coastal Green store to both venues and a straightforward stop on the way.
Because we are open until 11PM daily, we are also a reasonable stop on the way home after a late game or a show that runs long, well before most other retail in the area has closed for the night.
Standard bag checks at both venues are mainly looking for weapons, outside food and drink, and prohibited items unrelated to cannabis. A reasonable personal amount inside its original packaging is not generally treated as contraband.
The pen itself is generally not an issue to carry in. Using it inside the building during the event is not permitted under the venue's no-consumption policy.
The no-consumption rule applies throughout the venue regardless of seating type. Floor sections are not treated differently from seated areas.
No. The consumption policy is set by the venue itself and applies across all event types, whether it is a hockey game, a concert, or another type of show.