October 15, 2018
On October 17, 2018 the Federal Legislation for the legalization of cannabis in Canada comes into effect. And, like tobacco and alcohol, there will be regulations around its use.
In New Brunswick, public consumption of cannabis in any form will be prohibited.
It will be against the law to:
• Consume cannabis in a public place; and/or
• Consume cannabis in or on a vehicle, moving or not.
Cannabis can only, legally, be consumed in private residences. You must be at least 19 years of age to have or consume cannabis. Consumption is not allowed at restaurants, amusement parks, festivals or outdoor attractions.
In most cases, hotels, inns and campgrounds will restrict visitors from smoking or vaping, as they do with tobacco. However, cannabis will come in many forms and hotels, inns and campgrounds will not be able to ban other forms of cannabis consumption. Medical cannabis consumers are still restricted by “no smoking” rooms and the Smoke-free Places Act.
For more information on cannabis consumption as it relates to tourism, refer to the CANNABIS - Information for Tourism Operators and Visitors Fact Sheet.
Travelling?
When cannabis becomes legal in Canada it will still be illegal to transport cannabis across Canada’s national borders.
Visit Cannabis and international travel for more information.
If travelling within Canada, to another Canadian province or territory, you must respect their laws (provinces and territories can have different rules concerning cannabis and visitors should educate themselves on the legal minimum age, where you can buy cannabis, where you can use it, and how much you can possess).
For more information on other provinces and territories, visit: Cannabis in the provinces and territories.
Road safety and impaired driving
Cannabis use of any kind in or on a vehicle, moving or not, on a highway or on a managed trail will be prohibited. This also includes motorcycles, farm tractors, off-road vehicles and snowmobiles. Similar to alcohol, whether you are a driver or a passenger, if you have cannabis in or on a motor vehicle it must be sealed and inaccessible.
Consumers (including medical consumers) cannot be impaired while driving. In addition to criminal charges, sanctions for drug impaired driving include licence suspension and vehicle impoundment. New drivers in the graduated licensing program and all drivers under 21 years of age must have zero level of drugs in their system.
For additional information on cannabis consumption and driving, visit: Government of Canada, Don't Drive High, MADD Canada and CAA Cannabis Impaired Driving.
Purchasing cannabis
In New Brunswick, cannabis can only be purchased from Cannabis NB, either in store or from their website. For more information, visit Cannabis NB.
You are only able to carry a maximum of 30g of of dried cannabis or equivalent (dried flower equivalent - DFE) on your person at one time.
Fact sheets and quick links for more information can be found on the government of New Brunswick’s website at:
https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/promo/cannabis.html