Cannabis rules in British Columbia
In British Columbia you must be 19 to buy, use, carry or grow cannabis, and you can carry up to 30 grams of dried cannabis (or the equivalent) in public. You can usually smoke or vape where tobacco is allowed, but not in most parks, at playgrounds, near bus stops or in any vehicle. Each home can grow up to four plants, and you can buy from licensed private stores or the government-run BC Cannabis Stores, in person or online at bccannabisstores.com.
How old do you have to be, and how much can you have?
The legal age in B.C. is 19 for buying, using, carrying and growing non-medical cannabis, and for walking into a cannabis store. In public, adults can carry up to 30 grams of dried cannabis or its equivalent, and a store can sell you up to 30 grams in a single transaction. Under federal rules, 1 gram of dried flower equals 5 g of fresh cannabis, 15 g of solid edible product, 70 g of liquid product such as a tincture, 570 g of cannabis beverage or 0.25 g of concentrate. Our weed measurements guide has the full table.
B.C. also caps what you can keep at home: up to 1,000 grams of dried cannabis or equivalent per household. Legal edibles are capped at 10 mg of THC per package, a federal rule our label guide explains.
Where can you smoke or vape cannabis in B.C.?
Adults can generally smoke or vape cannabis in public places where tobacco smoking and vaping are allowed. The big difference from tobacco is parks: provincial, regional and municipal parks are off limits except in designated areas and campsites. National parks follow their own rules.
There are no provincial limits on using cannabis in a home you own, but landlords can restrict smoking or growing in a rental, and stratas can pass bylaws restricting or banning both with a three-quarters vote of owners. Local governments can add their own limits too, so it's worth checking city bylaws before you light up.
| Place | Allowed? |
|---|---|
| Private home you own | Allowed |
| Public places where tobacco smoking is allowed | Allowed, unless local rules say otherwise |
| Designated park areas and campsites | Allowed |
| Provincial, regional and municipal parks (other areas) | Not allowed |
| Playgrounds, sports fields, skate parks and pools | Not allowed |
| School property, and nearby roads, sidewalks and parks | Not allowed |
| Within 6 m of a bus stop, transit shelter, train station or ferry dock | Not allowed |
| Inside public buildings or workplaces, and within 6 m of their doors, windows and air intakes | Not allowed |
| In a vehicle or boat, moving or parked, driver or passenger | Not allowed |
There are two exceptions for vehicles and boats. Adults can use cannabis in a motor home, camper or trailer used as a residence when it's parked where camping is allowed (not on a public road or forest service road), and on a boat with permanent sleeping, cooking and toilet facilities that's used as a residence and is moored or anchored.
Can you grow cannabis at home in B.C.?
Yes. Adults 19 and older can grow up to four plants per household, so two adults in the same home share one limit of four. You have to live in the home, and if you have more than one home you can grow in only one of them. Plants can be indoors or outdoors, but they must not be visible from parks, streets, sidewalks, sports fields or school properties.
Growing isn't allowed in homes licensed for child care, and cannabis co-ops and community gardens aren't allowed either. Landlords and stratas can restrict or ban home growing. Buy seeds from a legal source such as a licensed store or BC Cannabis Stores. You can share homegrown cannabis with another adult, but you can't charge for it.
How do cannabis stores work in B.C.?
B.C. has a mixed system. Licensed private stores are regulated by the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB), while the government's Liquor Distribution Branch runs the BC Cannabis Stores chain and is the wholesaler to everyone. As of March 31, 2026, the province had 551 licensed locations where non-medical cannabis could be bought, 39 of them BC Cannabis Stores. You can browse licensed shops on our B.C. dispensaries page.
Stores may open no earlier than 9 a.m. and close no later than 11 p.m., and local governments can set shorter hours. Look for the Licensed Cannabis Retailer decal in the window and the green B.C. excise stamp on products: the province says a product without a stamp is not legal.
Can you buy cannabis online and get it delivered in B.C.?
Yes. The government's online store is BC Cannabis Stores at bccannabisstores.com, and licensed private stores can also sell online and deliver. Delivery is only allowed within B.C., between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m., and payment has to be made before the order leaves the store. Stores can also hand orders over curbside, but drive-through windows are not permitted.
Drivers can't deliver to anyone under 19 or anyone who seems intoxicated, and an adult has to sign for the order. If no one can, it goes back to the store the same day. The province warns that sellers who ship out of province, have no physical store or take only e-transfer or cryptocurrency are signs of an illegal site.
What are the rules for driving with cannabis?
You can carry up to 30 grams in a vehicle if it's in its original, unopened packaging. If it's opened or unpackaged, it must be somewhere the driver can't reach, like the trunk. You can also transport up to four plants as long as they aren't budding or flowering.
Under the federal Criminal Code, more than 2 ng of THC per mL of blood can lead to a charge, and more than 5 ng (or 2.5 ng combined with alcohol) brings more serious penalties. B.C. adds an immediate 90-day driving prohibition for drivers over those higher limits. New drivers in the graduated licensing program have zero tolerance for THC: any amount means an immediate 12-hour suspension, and the N stage starts over.
What should visitors to B.C. know?
Bring photo ID and remember the age is 19, even if you're visiting from Alberta, where it's 18. You can fly within Canada with up to 30 grams, but if your flight is rerouted through another country, Canadian law no longer protects you. Never take cannabis, or products containing THC or CBD, across the U.S. border or any international border, whatever the rules at your destination. This is general information; the law is what counts.