Is Cannabis / THC legal in Canada?
- Legal status
- Legal for adults within Canada (Cannabis Act 2018) — but illegal to take across the Canadian border in either direction
- Consequences if caught
- Recreational cannabis is legal for adults inside Canada under the Cannabis Act 2018. However, it remains illegal to take cannabis across the Canadian border in either direction — entering OR leaving — even in small amounts. Prescribed cannabis medicines (e.g. Sativex/Epidiolex) may be carried under the s.56 traveller exemption.
- If prescribed or medical
- Prescribed cannabis medicines (Sativex/Epidiolex) are allowed under the s.56 traveller exemption; recreational cannabis cannot cross the border in either direction.
- Documentation
- Section 56 traveller exemption: you may carry a prescribed narcotic/controlled drug for personal use if the quantity is no more than the lesser of a single course of treatment or a 30-day supply, and you declare it to customs on arrival; it cannot be mailed or couriered. Stays longer than 30 days require a Canadian prescription. Carry the prescription plus original pharmacy packaging/label, and declare at the border.
- Cannabis Act 2018
- cbsa-asfc.gc.ca
- canada.ca
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Canada’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
Verify current rules with the destination country’s official drug authority and your own country’s embassy before traveling. Find the destination’s U.S. embassy & official country guidance →
Non-U.S. travelers: check your own government’s travel advisory and embassy.
If you’re detained or arrested abroad
Contact your own country’s embassy or consulate in the destination immediately — not the destination’s authorities. U.S. citizens: contact the nearest U.S. embassy/consulate and the U.S. State Department at +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad). If a U.S. citizen is arrested or detained abroad →