What Drugs Are Legal in Quebec

It is important to know that illicit drugs can be mixed with products that are dangerous to health or other drugs. There is no way to know what these drugs contain, regardless of their shape, color or origin. An Act respecting the control of certain drugs, their precursors and other substances, amending certain other Acts and repealing the Narcotic Control Act in respect of which (3) Nothing in subsection (1) shall render admissible as evidence in judicial proceedings any part of a record which is proved to have been made in the course of an inquiry or inquiry. Recreational cannabis was legalized in Canada in 2018. However, “legalized” does not mean that everything is allowed. The amendment also criminalized being in a building containing narcotics and, in particular, shifted the burden of proof for this crime to the accused. Flogging and deportation became punishments in 1922 for violations of the 1911 law. [4] These drugs usually cause disorientation (distorted sense of space and time). They also affect the senses (for example, seeing and touching), which changes perception. Canada`s drug regulations are a measure of the Food and Drugs Act and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. With respect to controlled and restricted products, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act establishes eight lists of drugs and new penalties for the possession, trafficking, export and manufacture of controlled substances, as defined by the Governor of the Council. Canadian drug policy has traditionally favoured the punishment of smaller offences, but this convention was partially violated with the passage of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act in 1996. [1] Cannabis has been available in Canada since the 17th century.

October 2018 legal, but remains a controlled substance like alcohol and tobacco. Canada has begun the process of pardoning citizens convicted of cannabis possession in the past. “Canada also plans to pardon citizens who have already been convicted of cannabis possession.” [11] Various studies, research and guides are now produced because cannabis is legal. “[…] The information guides were paired with an appropriate public education strategy that was only available after legalization. [11] For more information on cannabis laws, see Cannabis in Canada and Canadian Cannabis Laws by Province/Territory. In 1923, the government introduced legislation prohibiting the misuse of opium and other drugs; It was a consolidation of other laws, but now listed three new drugs, including marijuana. [6] Historians often cite the 1922 publication of Emily Murphy`s The Black Candle (reprinted in 1973) as inspiration for the addition of the three additional drugs. However, according to Canadian historian Catherine Carstairs, Murphy was not respected by the Narcotics Control Division because she took creative liberties in presenting the research for which she had helped her. “There were hints in the files that the bureaucrats in the Department of Drug Control didn`t think much about Emily Murphy and didn`t pay attention to what she wrote, and they didn`t think she was a particularly accurate or valuable source.” [7] Between 1969 and 1973, the Commission of Inquiry into the Non-Medical Use of Drugs (or Le Dain Commission) investigated drug use in Canada and recommended that drug laws be amended to make them softer and gradually decriminalize illicit drugs.

While consensus in Parliament appears to be gradually shifting in favour of implementing the Commission`s recommendations, drug laws have remained unchanged, although a bill to remove cannabis from the Narcotic Control Act and create a new Part V of the Food and Drugs Act, which reduced sentences for all crimes, passed the Senate but failed in the House of Commons. [1] [2] At the planning stage, the Société québécoise du cannabis should be the only legal entity that transports or sells cannabis at retail. Unlike the general minimum age of 19 in most provinces, the age limit in Quebec would be 18, which was later raised to 21. The new government justified the increase in the age requirement out of concern about the effects of cannabis on the developing brain of young adults under the age of 21. However, critics argue that changing the law is unwarranted, as people between the ages of 18 and 21 or even up to the age of 25 are the heaviest users of marijuana and if denied access to legal dispensaries, they will turn to the unregulated black market. It is also incompatible with the age limit for other legal substances, since it is sufficient to be 18 years old to purchase alcohol, tobacco and vaping products in Quebec and to have reached the age of majority. [7] Under the newly elected coalition government of Avenir Québec, Deputy Minister of Health Lionel Carmant announced in October 2018 that the government would tighten the rules on cannabis use, including raising the legal age of consumption from 18 to 21. [8] [9] Self-cultivation would also not be allowed. [10] In 1996, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act was passed. This Act repealed the Narcotic Control Act and Parts III and IV of the Food and Drugs Act (Controlled Substances Advertising Parts). This law classified drugs into eight regimes, I to VIII.

While penalties for illicit drug trafficking in Schedule I and II have been increased to a maximum of life imprisonment, penalties for possession of Schedule VIII drugs (up to 30 g of cannabis and 1 g of hashish) have been reduced to a maximum of six months` imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $1,000. [8] Be careful when sharing cannabis with others. It is illegal to buy or share cannabis for anyone under the age of 21 in Quebec. Recently, the idea of drug treatment courts has grown in popularity in Canada, numbering in the hundreds. These drug treatment courts seek to divert people who violate controlled drug regulations from prisons to treatment programs. The Canadian model is based on the U.S. drug treatment justice system, which aimed to reduce prison overcrowding after it was found that up to three-quarters of the growth in the inmate population was attributable to drug-related offenders. An example of a Canadian drug treatment court can be found in Toronto, where it has been in existence since 1998.

Of the 284 substance abuse offenders referred to the Toronto Drug Treatment Court, more than two-thirds were excluded from the program. [15] There is so much information circulating about drugs. This information is sometimes correct, but it can also be far from the truth. Maxime Guérin said he was surprised by the decision, but he and his team were ready to appeal to the Supreme Court and intended to call in additional lawyers. They had 60 days to appeal, and Guerin said he expected the Supreme Court to hear the appeal in about 12 to 18 months (update: see Murray Hall v.