Cannabis legalisation in Canada: what you need to know

The Cannabis Act sets the general rules applicable across Canadian territory: minimum age, the quantity that may be possessed in public, and the regulation of production under licence issued by Health Canada. Each province then retains control over the organisation of retail sale, which explains notable differences from one region to another, for example between a network of public shops and a system of private licences.

Before 2018, Canada already had a medical cannabis access programme, set up in the early 2000s and regularly revised. This medical programme continues to exist alongside the recreational market, with separate prescription and production rules, in particular for patients with specific dosage needs not covered by the standard commercial offering.

Legalisation created a regulated market, with traceability, labelling and quality-control requirements imposed on licensed producers. It also led to the introduction of strict rules on driving after consumption, with detection thresholds specific to the Canadian Criminal Code, comparable in their logic, without being identical, to the French rules applicable to THC at the wheel.

Recreational cannabis remains prohibited in France, regardless of the Canadian framework. A product legally bought in Canada cannot be imported or legally consumed on French territory. CBD sold in France falls under an entirely different framework: sale remains authorised for any finished product whose THC content is at or below 0.30%, in accordance with the Conseil d'État decision of 29 December 2022, a far stricter threshold than that of the Canadian recreational market.

The Canadian model is regularly cited in French public debate about a possible change to the cannabis framework, notably for its traceability and quality-control aspects. That reference remains theoretical: no comparable reform is on the agenda in France, where only CBD with very low THC benefits from a settled commercial framework.

Can you bring cannabis back from Canada to France?

No. Even when legally bought in Canada, cannabis cannot be imported into France, where recreational use remains prohibited and punishable.

Does medical cannabis still exist in Canada since 2018?

Yes, a medical access programme distinct from the recreational market continues to operate, with its own prescription and production rules.

Do the rules vary from one Canadian province to another?

Yes, particularly for retail sale, since each province organises its own system, which creates notable differences in distribution across the country.

Is French CBD comparable to legal Canadian cannabis?

No. French CBD must comply with a THC threshold of 0.30% in the finished product, a far more restrictive framework than that of the Canadian recreational market.