Starting today, October 17th marijuana is legal to grow, sell and to buy throughout Canada. Doesn’t matter if you are using it or not, cannabis is coming, it is already here and as of today, it is sold in your local stores and online. People are still debating if it is good for Canada, what effect will it have on the youth and if it was the right decision to legalize it, we have to face the fact – cannabis is legal.
Businesses across the country, from growers and retailers to the tech and tourism sectors, are preparing to reap a windfall from legal marijuana. But Canadians also face difficult questions about cannabis use in the workplace, in their homes and among their friends and loved ones.
When the federal government legalized cannabis earlier this year, it left the provinces in charge of how the drug will be sold and where consumers can smoke it. Some things are mostly constant across the country: You can’t buy cannabis if you’re under 18 (though you may have to be 19 in some provinces), you can grow up to four plants at home (except in Manitoba and Quebec, where you can’t) and you’ll be able to carry up to 30 grams outside your residence.
The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority has set out their rules for employees when it comes to cannabis.
The health authority released their policy, it specifies some key rules for employees:
• Employees can’t possess cannabis in the workplace, even if they don’t plan on using it.
• Employees can’t purchase cannabis during a break and store it in the workplace until the end of their shift.
• Employees are encouraged to tell a manager if they believe themselves or a co-worker is high on the job.
You can also share up to 30 grams of cannabis with other adults.
The act also stipulates that people can buy “dried or fresh cannabis or cannabis oil” from provincially-licensed retailers; where there aren’t brick-and-mortar retailers, you can buy it online from “federally-licensed producers.” People can likewise grow up to four cannabis plants per home from “licensed seed or seedlings.” They can also make cannabis-infused food and drinks at home, “as long as organic solvents are not used to create concentrated products.”
The act, however, severely restricts underage people from possessing cannabis. You could face a maximum penalty of 14 years in jail if you give or sell cannabis to a youth, or if you use a youth to commit a “cannabis-related offense.” These are new criminal offenses.
It is completely up to every adult now to decide if they would like to buy and use marijuana, even share with adult friends. Let’s all be smart and responsible and make the best out of the cannabis legalization.