Cannabis Law Sources

With April 20th around the corner, what better time to highlight, all in one post, resources for answering questions about cannabis law at your library.

A good introduction is the BC government website highlighting information on topics such as:

  • What’s Legal?
  • Growing at home
  • Edibles
  • Health Info

Find this information and more at: Get Cannabis Clarity.

Public consumption

The BC Government has provided this helpful 2-page Factsheet on public consumption:

Screen shot of provincial website "Get Cannabis Clarity.ca"

As stated on the factsheet, local governments may impose additional restrictions on public consumption of non-medical cannabis.

Municipal Bylaws

Speaking of local governments – if you want to take a look at how your local government has treated cannabis legalization you can check out their bylaws and policies. Some cities even have dedicated pages to cannabis legalization which make this much easier.

In general, you will most likely see cannabis-related amendments in the Zoning/Development, Licenses, and/or smoking bylaws.

This can also be helpful if you are curious about which locations have been zoned for cannabis retail.

Bylaws and policies specific to your city or region can be generally be found online through the city or region’s website. Each city organizes their bylaws page a bit differently so they may be organized in a list or keyword searchable.

Here are a few examples:

Where is cannabis purchased legally (non-medical purposes)?

Finding where cannabis can be purchased legally can be somewhat hazy ... fortunately, the interactive map below provides the locations of cannabis retail stores in B.C.

Map of Cannabis Retail Stores in B.C.

Map of British Columbia with bubbles marking each location for cannabis retail spaces

Other

Impairment and cannabis in the workplace

Government of Canada

Protecting Personal Information: Cannabis Transactions (2018)

Guidance Document by Office of the Information & Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia

Books

Our Law Books for Libraries list (LBLL) provides legal collection suggestions for public libraries. Stay tuned for the new 2021 list set to be released this May!