In Canada, adults can legally carry up to 30 grams of dried cannabis, or the equivalent in other product forms, in any public place. At home, federal law sets no limit at all, though a few provinces impose their own. The rules shift again for growing plants, driving with cannabis, medical patients, and crossing the border, so how much weed you can legally have in Canada depends on where the cannabis is and what form it’s in.
The 30-Gram Public Possession Limit
The Cannabis Act makes it illegal for anyone 18 or older to carry more than 30 grams of dried cannabis, or its equivalent, in a public place.1Department of Justice Canada. Cannabis Act SC 2018 c 16 – Section 8 The 30 grams is a total ceiling, not a per-product allowance. Carry a mix of flower, gummies, and a vape cartridge, and everything converts into a single dried-cannabis equivalent that cannot go over 30 grams.
Schedule 3 of the Cannabis Act sets the conversion rates. One gram of dried cannabis is equal to:2Department of Justice Canada. Cannabis Act SC 2018 c 16 – Schedule 3
- 5 grams of fresh cannabis
- 15 grams of edible solids
- 70 grams of non-solid products such as oils and topicals (beverages excluded)
- 570 grams of cannabis beverages
- 0.25 grams of concentrates like shatter, wax, or vape cartridge contents
- 1 cannabis seed
The seed conversion catches people out. Each seed counts as a full gram, so 30 seeds uses your entire allowance with no room for anything else. Ten seeds leaves you room for 20 grams of dried flower or its equivalent.
One more thing the 30-gram limit assumes: the cannabis was legally produced and sold. Knowingly possessing cannabis from an unlicensed source is a separate offense even if the quantity is small.3Department of Justice Canada. Cannabis Act SC 2018 c 16 – Full Text Legal products carry an excise stamp reading “Duty Paid Canada” with a nine-character identifier; no stamp means it did not come through the legal system.4Government of Canada. Excise Stamps – Information for Consumers
How Much You Can Keep at Home
The 30-gram rule applies to a “public place.” Federal law puts no cap on how much legally obtained cannabis you can store in your home.1Department of Justice Canada. Cannabis Act SC 2018 c 16 – Section 8 That matters most for home growers, since a single harvest can easily exceed 30 grams.
Some provinces override this. British Columbia caps household possession at 1,000 grams of dried cannabis or its equivalent, and the limit is per household regardless of how many adults live there.5Government of British Columbia. Growing Non-Medical Cannabis at Home in British Columbia – Factsheet Quebec sets a much lower household ceiling of 150 grams. Check your province before assuming the federal “no limit” applies where you live.
Growing Your Own
Adults can grow up to four cannabis plants per dwelling. The cap applies to the residence, not to each occupant, so three adults sharing a house still get four plants between them.6Department of Justice Canada. Cannabis Act SC 2018 c 16 – Section 12 In apartments and condos, each unit is its own dwelling for this purpose. Seeds and starter plants must come from a licensed producer or a provincially authorized retailer.
Two provinces sit outside this framework. Quebec bans personal cultivation of non-medical cannabis outright, and growing even one plant can bring a fine. Manitoba banned home growing for years but reversed course on May 1, 2025, and now allows the standard four plants per household, indoors only, and kept out of reach of young people.7Government of Manitoba. You Can Grow Cannabis at Home in Manitoba
Even where the province allows it, a landlord or condo board can prohibit growing. Landlords in many jurisdictions can notify tenants in writing that cultivation is not permitted, and post-legalization leases often include the restriction.8Government of Northwest Territories. Cannabis Information for Tenants and Landlords Read your lease or bylaws before planting anything.
Carrying Cannabis in a Vehicle
The 30-gram public limit follows you into a car. Staying under it is legal, but storage matters. In British Columbia, cannabis in a vehicle must be either in its original sealed packaging from a licensed producer, or kept somewhere not readily accessible to the driver or passengers, which effectively means the trunk.9Government of British Columbia. Transporting or Consuming Non-Medical Cannabis in a Vehicle Ready-to-consume items like pre-rolled joints face the same rule. Most provinces take a similar approach, so treat sealed-or-in-the-trunk as the practical baseline.
Medical Cannabis Patients
Patients registered for medical cannabis get a higher allowance in public. The medical limit is the lesser of 150 grams or a 30-day supply of dried cannabis based on the healthcare practitioner’s authorization, and this is on top of the 30 grams every adult can carry.10Government of Canada. Cannabis for Medical Purposes Under the Cannabis Act So a prescription of 3 grams per day works out to a 90-gram medical supply, plus the 30-gram non-medical allowance, for a legal public total of 120 grams.
Medical patients need to carry their registration documentation. The system is administered through Health Canada, and what a patient can possess ties directly to the medical document their practitioner issued.11Government of Canada. Medical Use of Cannabis
Domestic Flights and International Borders
Domestic air travel with cannabis is allowed within the 30-gram public limit. Airports and planes fall under federal regulation, so the same ceiling applies.12Province of British Columbia. Travelling With Cannabis Age limits and local rules change between provinces, so check the destination before you pack.
Crossing the international border with cannabis, in either direction, is illegal. It does not matter how small the amount is, whether the destination has legalized cannabis, or what form the product takes. Taking Canadian cannabis into another country can bring criminal charges abroad and future entry bans. Bringing cannabis into Canada is also illegal unless you hold a specific Health Canada exemption for a prescription cannabis medication, and even then you must declare it. Failing to declare cannabis to the Canada Border Services Agency is a serious criminal offense on its own.13Government of Canada. Drugs, Alcohol and Travel
Legal Age by Province
The Cannabis Act sets a federal minimum age of 18 for possession, but provinces and territories can raise it, and most have.14Government of Canada. Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Nineteen is the common figure, matching provincial drinking ages. Quebec sits alone at 21, having raised its minimum from 18 in January 2020. A 19-year-old traveling from Ontario to Quebec can legally buy cannabis at home but cannot legally possess it after crossing the provincial line.
Penalties for Going Over
Consequences depend on what you did and how far past the limit you went.
Over the 30-Gram Public Limit
An adult caught with more than 30 grams of dried cannabis equivalent in public can be charged by summary conviction or indictment. Summary conviction carries a maximum $5,000 fine, six months in jail, or both. As an indictable offense, the maximum is imprisonment for up to five years less a day.1Department of Justice Canada. Cannabis Act SC 2018 c 16 – Section 8
Possessing Illicit Cannabis
Knowingly holding cannabis from an unlicensed source is its own offense even under 30 grams. Penalties mirror the over-possession charges: up to $5,000 or six months on summary conviction, or up to five years less a day as an indictable offense.3Department of Justice Canada. Cannabis Act SC 2018 c 16 – Full Text This is the offense the excise stamp check is really about.
Selling, Distributing, or Crossing Borders
Unauthorized selling or distribution carries the heaviest penalties in the Cannabis Act. Summary conviction tops out at a $5,000 fine, six months in jail, or both. As an indictable offense, the maximum jumps to 14 years in prison.3Department of Justice Canada. Cannabis Act SC 2018 c 16 – Full Text Giving cannabis to a minor, or taking it across the international border, sits in the same 14-year tier.
Youth Possession
Anyone under 18 is not permitted to possess more than 5 grams of dried cannabis equivalent. Above that, it becomes a criminal offense under the Cannabis Act.15Department of Justice Canada. Cannabis Act SC 2018 c 16 – Section 8 Provinces that raised the minimum age to 19 or 21 can add their own consequences for anyone under the local threshold.