Cannabis in Nanaimo
Nanaimo bans smoking and vaping cannabis on all city-owned property, including parks, trails, dog parks and beaches, even in designated smoking areas where tobacco is allowed. Every cannabis store needs its own rezoning, and council's criteria call for 200 metres from schools, daycares and other cannabis stores. Ferry travellers should know BC Ferries bans cannabis smoking on every vessel and terminal.
Where can you smoke or vape cannabis in Nanaimo?
B.C. allows cannabis smoking in many places where tobacco is allowed, with provincial exceptions such as playgrounds, sports fields and vehicles (see the B.C. rules page). Nanaimo's Smoking Regulation Bylaw, adopted on February 25, 2019, replaced a 1987 bylaw. It covers vaping as well as smoking, and it treats cannabis more strictly than tobacco on city property.
| Place | Tobacco | Cannabis |
|---|---|---|
| Parks, including their beaches, trails, playgrounds and playing fields | Banned | Banned |
| Public squares and outdoor places where people gather or line up | Banned | Banned |
| School yards | Banned | Banned |
| Patios and sidewalk seating where food or drink is served | Banned | Banned |
| Within 6 m of a transit stop, and of public doorways, windows and air intakes | Banned | Banned |
| Other city-owned property | Only in a designated smoking area | Banned, even in designated areas |
| BC Ferries vessels and terminals, including cars at terminals | Banned | Banned |
That leaves private property where the owner allows it. Departure Bay and Duke Point are both ferry terminals, so plan around the BC Ferries rule if you are travelling to or from the mainland.
How does Nanaimo decide where stores go?
A city Cannabis Task Force, set up in early 2018 with members from the RCMP, the Vancouver Island Health Authority and the cannabis industry, recommended treating cannabis stores like liquor stores. On October 1, 2018, council amended the zoning bylaw so a cannabis store is a separate use permitted in no zone by default. Every store needs a site-specific rezoning, with a public process, on top of its provincial licence.
Council endorsed rezoning criteria on September 17, 2018. They are guidelines rather than hard limits, but they shape every application.
- At least 200 metres from a school or licensed daycare, measured from the store's front door to the property line
- At least 200 metres from another cannabis store, with some flexibility downtown
- On or near a highway, arterial or major collector road, or in a commercial centre or corridor
- Neighbours within 200 metres notified before the application reaches council
- Reviewed by the RCMP and city committees, with weight given to neighbourhood support
What happened to Nanaimo's dispensaries?
Nanaimo had at least 10 unlicensed dispensaries before legalization, but unlike Vancouver it is policed by the RCMP, which chose to enforce. In November 2015 officers hand-delivered letters to 10 storefronts ordering them to stop selling within seven days, and in December they raided three, citing complaints of sales to minors and soliciting on the sidewalk. Raids continued case by case into 2017.
The rezoning requirement made the legal transition slow. A year after legalization Nanaimo still had no licensed store; the first opened downtown on December 3, 2019, after a rezoning application filed in November 2018. The first government store followed in July 2020.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| November 2015 | RCMP order 10 dispensaries to stop selling |
| December 2015 | RCMP raid three dispensaries |
| January 2018 | Council sets up a Cannabis Task Force |
| September 17, 2018 | Council endorses store rezoning criteria |
| October 1, 2018 | Zoning bylaw makes cannabis stores a rezoning-only use |
| February 25, 2019 | New smoking bylaw bans cannabis on all city property |
| December 3, 2019 | First licensed cannabis store opens downtown |
| July 2020 | First government cannabis store opens |
