A newsletter distributed by Arnold Viersen, MP for Peace River-Westlock, claimed that Bill C-45, now the Cannabis Act, fails to protect kids. It said, “children aged 12 to 17 can possess up to five grams [of marijuana]” and “children can distribute up to five grams to other 12 to 17-year-olds.”
The newsletter came to our attention in November 2018, but there’s no print date.
This check looks into whether youth aged 12 to 17 can possess or distribute five grams or less of marijuana under the new law.
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Michael Spratt, a partner at Abergel Goldstein & Partners specializing in criminal law, said that while it’s true that possession and distribution of five grams or less are no longer offences, it is false to say that the law condones these acts. He compared it to liquor laws. The provinces are in charge of controlling alcohol possession by youth. While youth are not guilty of federal offenses for possessing alcohol, they are still prohibited by provincial legislation. The same is now the case for marijuana of five grams or less.
Currently, every province in Canada prohibits possession of marijuana by youth, setting a minimum age for possession at 18 years old or higher.
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Read Jacob Schroeder full article: FactCan
