Canada
North America
#1 of 196 worldwide
#1 of 23 in North America
Fully legal since October 2018: 30 g in public, four plants per household in most provinces, gifting between adults, and licensed retail and delivery across the country.
Score breakdown ▏world average
Select a segment to show or hide the exact rules and sources.
Possession · 25%6/10adds 15.0 of 25 points
Adults (18+, 19 or 21 in most provinces) may carry up to 30 g of dried cannabis in public, or its equivalent in other forms (for example 150 g of fresh cannabis or 7.5 g of concentrate). Federal law sets no cap at home, though some provinces add one. It must be 'legal cannabis' from a licensed source. Carrying more than 30 g in public is an offence punishable by up to five years less a day.
Personal cultivation · 25%4/10adds 10.0 of 25 points
Up to four plants per residence — not per adult — grown from licensed seeds or seedlings. Quebec prohibits home growing entirely. Any fifth plant is an offence. A hard household cap and a required legal seed source keep this well short of gardening freedom.
Punishment & enforcement · 20%6/10adds 12.0 of 20 points
Personal conduct inside the limits is not punished. Outside them the Act is severe: up to 14 years for unlicensed sale, production, export or supplying a minor, with ticketing for small overages.
Sharing & gifting · 10%5/10adds 5.0 of 10 points
Adults may give up to 30 g of legal cannabis to another adult without payment. Any payment turns it into unlicensed sale, and giving to anyone under 18 carries up to 14 years.
Consumption · 10%5/10adds 5.0 of 10 points
Using is legal, but where is decided by provinces and cities. Some treat it like tobacco; others restrict it to private residences. Landlords and condo boards can ban smoking, and licensed consumption lounges remain rare.
Legal access · 10%6/10adds 6.0 of 10 points
Licensed shops and online ordering exist in every province and territory, privately run in some and government monopolies in others. Purchases are capped at 30 g per transaction. Only provincially authorised retailers may sell; everything else is a criminal market.
By province or territory 13 scored
The federal Cannabis Act applies everywhere in Canada. Provinces and territories set the minimum age, where you may consume, how shops work, and whether you may grow at home.
More context not part of the score
Anyone can apply for a federal cultivation or processing licence, including small 'micro' classes, and there is no cap on licence numbers. But security clearances, site requirements, excise stamps and compliance costs are heavy, and unlicensed commercial production carries up to 14 years.
Flower, pre-rolls, oils, edibles, drinks, vapes, concentrates and topicals are all legal. Limits: edibles are capped at 10 mg THC per package, extracts at 1,000 mg per container, with plain packaging, health warnings and a near-total ban on promotion.
Any physician or nurse practitioner can authorise medical use with no list of qualifying conditions. Patients buy from federal licence holders by mail, or register with Health Canada to grow their own or designate a grower. Still a registration system, and not covered by public insurance.
Drug-impaired driving law uses per-se THC blood limits, so a regular user can be over the limit without being impaired. Past simple-possession convictions can be cleared through a free, expedited record suspension — on application, not automatically. Admitting to cannabis use can still get a traveller refused at the US border.
All sources
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