Legal Home Cultivation Coming To Manitoba In 2025
Canada legalized cannabis for adult use in 2018, making it the first G-7 nation to do so, and only the second country worldwide to make the public policy change. The only other country to legalize at a national level prior to Canada was Uruguay, which adopted its own national recreational cannabis legalization measure in 2013.
Part of Canada’s national legalization model involved permitting adults to cultivate cannabis plants in their private residences. However, not every province and territory got on board with the home cultivation component of Canadian legalization.
One of those jurisdictions is Manitoba, which still prohibits home cultivation. It appears that adults will be able to cultivate cannabis in Manitoba starting in 2025.
“Legislation to allow Manitobans 19 and older to grow their own recreational cannabis isn’t expected to kick in until the new year despite being passed in June.” reported Free Press in its local coverage.
“We expect the bill to come into force in early 2025,” Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said in a recent email.
“The (Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority) is drafting regulations to ensure the framework for growing cannabis at home prioritizes public safety, with a focus on protecting youth and ensuring cannabis plants are not accessible to young people,” the minister said according to the local reporting.
Home cultivation is currently permitted at a national level in Uruguay, Malta, Luxembourg, Germany, and South Africa. A number of other countries have witnessed court decisions being rendered that also provide some level of protection for adults cultivating a personal amount of cannabis in their homes.
Cannabis cultivation is also permitted in several states in the U.S. that have adopted adult-use legalization measures, although not every legalized state permits such activity. Washington State, which was one of the first states to legalize in the U.S. along with Colorado in 2012, still prohibits recreational home cannabis cultivation.
