Is weed legal in Vancouver?

The federal Cannabis Act made recreational cannabis legal across Canada in 2018. Each province then sets its own rules for age, sales and public use, and British Columbia's apply in Vancouver. The City of Vancouver adds a few local limits of its own, mainly on parks and beaches.

You must be 19 to buy, carry or use cannabis in BC. That holds even if your home province or country sets the age at 18. Stores check government-issued photo ID, such as a passport or driver's licence, on every sale, and they won't accept a photo of your ID on your phone.

Adults can carry up to 30 grams of dried cannabis in public, or the equivalent in edibles, vapes, concentrates and other forms. Licensed stores apply the same 30-gram cap to a single purchase.

The limit counts per person. If you and three friends hold 35 grams between you, whoever carries the bag carries the problem.

BC lets each household grow up to four cannabis plants for personal use. Keep them out of sight from any public place. If you rent, check your lease first, since many Vancouver landlords ban growing and smoking.

BC ties cannabis smoking and vaping to the tobacco rules: where you can't smoke a cigarette, you can't smoke a joint. In Vancouver that rules out:

• parks and beaches, under the city's own bylaw
• any vehicle, moving or parked, whether you drive or ride
• spots within 6 metres of doorways, open windows, air intakes and bus stops
• school grounds, playgrounds and sports fields
• enclosed public spaces, including restaurants, bars, transit and malls

At home you can smoke unless your lease or strata bylaws say otherwise. Most hotels ban smoking of any kind in their rooms.

Driving while impaired by cannabis is a criminal offence in Canada. The Criminal Code sets two blood limits: 2 to 5 nanograms of THC per millilitre brings a fine, and 5 nanograms or more brings the full impaired-driving charge. Police can also charge you on signs of impairment alone.

BC holds new drivers in the Graduated Licensing Program, L and N drivers, to zero tolerance. If you've used cannabis, take transit, a taxi or a rideshare.

Taking cannabis across any international border is illegal. The United States still bans it federally, and federal law governs every land and air crossing, even into states with legal sales. You can fly within Canada with up to 30 grams.

Only provincially licensed stores sell weed legally in BC, and each one displays its licence. Unlicensed shops and online sellers operate outside the law, and their products skip Health Canada testing and accurate labelling. Our guide to where to buy weed in Vancouver lists licensed options downtown and in Mount Pleasant, including our two Coastal Green stores in Vancouver.