Cannabis arrived in the Americas with the colonization. George Washington, the first president of the United States of America, grew hemp on his plantation, as evidenced by his diary. In 1794, he encouraged its cultivation to his fellow citizens in a speech: Make the most you can of hemp seed and sow it everywhere.
The Mexicans also cultivated it and started exporting the flowering tops to Texas in 1910. It is to the Mexicans that we owe the use of the word marijuana which, originally, indicated a cigarette of bad quality.
As cannabis gained prominence, its use expanded, and so did the legal frameworks surrounding it, leading to complex regulations that mirror the challenges faced by other emerging industries, such as online gambling. The regulatory landscape in Canada presents a unique case study, where both cannabis legalization and online gambling have undergone significant legal transformations. Understanding these parallels offers insights into how Canada navigates the legalization and regulation of new industries.
The Project’s Primary Backers
Medical And Recreational Use
The oldest tradition of medical use of hemp seems to be Chinese: the plant is part of the three hundred and sixty-five plant remedies described in the oldest pharmacopeia treatise of mankind found to date.
The Shen Nung Ben Cao Jing (Treaty of the medicinal plants of the emperor Shen Nung), 2737 BC, does not give a precise therapeutic indication, at least in its original version: analgesic, anti-emetic, laxative…
Many countries today legalize the medical use of cannabisy. It is then consumed in the form of oil, pills, spray or directly from dried flowers.
Medical applications of cannabis include pain relief, chemotherapy side effects (nausea, vomiting), spasticity, appetite stimulation (for HIV/AIDS patients) or memory enhancement for the elderly.
On the other hand, recreational use defines the use of cannabis without any link to a pathology. The separation between medical and recreational use is often tenuous. Is an occasional user who smokes to de-stress a medical or recreational user?
Cannabis Status in Canada
Hemp in Canada is currently legal for both recreational and medicinal purposes. In 2001, the country launched a medical marijuana program controlled by Health Canada.
It offered access to home-grown cannabis or direct sales through Health Canada. It was replaced by new regulations that established a more traditional commercial sector for cannabis cultivation and distribution in 2013. Then, the Cannabis Act was passed on October 17, 2018. This is what controls the sale, possession, production and distribution of cannabis now.
Next year, on the same date of October 17, 2019, Canada legalized the production and sale of edible cannabis, cannabis extracts, and cannabis topicals.
How To Buy and Where To Use
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many provinces have tried to rethink their regulations about cannabis delivery. One thing that has been introduced is a click-and-collect ordering program: How it works is that you order online and pay, then pick up in-store.
For people who want to buy weed Canada became a great country to be in, but one still needs to know and follow the regulations. Here are some guidelines.
Age: With the exception of Alberta and Quebec, most states allow weed consumption starting at 19 years. The two exceptions have the lowest and the highest age limit, respectively: 18+ in Alberta and 21+ in Quebec.
Possession limit: Adults can possess up to 30 grams of cannabis, by dry weight or its equivalent, at any given time. This amount can also be shared with other adults.
Where to use: It differs for different provinces, but generally, one can not use it:
- In private residences.
- Workplaces.
- Hotels and restaurants.
- School and public institutions.
- Vehicles.
The Impact of COVID-19 And Where to Buy Weed Legally
A majority of Canada’s recreational cannabis stores have been ordered to stay open by their provincial governments, as they were judged to be essential businesses. So in most provinces, the hemp can be bought either online or from brick and mortar weed stores.
Each province or territory controls wholesale cannabis purchases, and many also host government-run online marketplaces. And the striking thing that you’ll notice when trying to buy your weed online is that all seller websites ask you to confirm your age.
This is because legal marketplaces are regulated by the provincial governments, and age confirmation is required – if you don’t run into it, there might be something wrong with the website.
Here are some places to start with:
- In Alberta, it’s Alberta Cannabis (AC);
- Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) in Ontario;
- British Columbia operates BC Cannabis Stores (BCCS);
- New Brunswick operates Cannabis NB CNB.
Weed In Other Countries
The right to self-cultivation often accompanies the legalization of cannabis. This varies from country to country, both in terms of the number of plants allowed and the equipment that can be used. Here is a list of countries where it is legal to grow weed.
Europe
- In Germany, the consumption of weed is tolerated, and the cultivation is allowed on a case-by-case basis, only for medicinal purposes.
- In Austria, the cultivation of cannabis is theoretically allowed, but if you can grow it for yourself with certain restrictions, you can’t sell it. Seeds for sale, however, are readily available.
- In Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, the cultivation of cannabis is legal if the THC content is less than 0.3%.
- In Greece, cultivation is legal for cannabis used for medicinal purposes.
- In Spain, cannabis cultivation is tolerated for Cannabis Social Clubs and decriminalized for personal use.
- In the Netherlands, cannabis cultivation is tolerated up to 5 feet per house, with only one cultivation device (either a tent or a lamp, for example)
Asia
- In Cambodia, cannabis cultivation is illegal, but the government is turning a blind eye to the issue.
- In India, cannabis cultivation is legal in the north of the country. This is the region where Malana Cream (or charas) is made.
- In Pakistan, cannabis cultivation is widespread and tolerated.
- In Russia, they allowed it in 2010 on the condition that no more than 20 plants per house are owned.
America
- In Colombia, cannabis cultivation is legal for medicinal purposes. In this country, where the plant grows almost naturally, the emergence of norms and rules clashes with the artisanal and ancestral knowledge of small producers.
- In Costa Rica, cannabis is not legal, but the authorities do not penalize it.
- In Ecuador, it is legal, but only if it is for personal use.
- In the United States, cannabis cultivation is legal in states that have legalized cannabis for medicinal and/or recreational purposes, including Colorado, Nevada and Oregon. You can legally buy your weed online – but only in some states.
- In Mexico, the cultivation of medical cannabis is authorized.
- In Uruguay, cultivation is legal. For personal use or in Cannabis Social Clubs, Uruguayans can grow legally.
Africa
- In Morocco, weed cultivation is tolerated in some parts of the Rif, notably in the Ketama region.
- In South Africa, the cultivation of medical cannabis is allowed.
Oceania
In Australia, cannabis grown for medical purposes is legal. It is permitted to apply for a license to manufacture or grow cannabis for medical purposes or for scientific research, effectively restricting cultivation to medical companies or research centers.