Roughly a month after announcing its proposed approach to legalizing recreational cannabis, the Government of Ontario has tabled legislation that would enact that vision. Specifically, Bill 174, the Cannabis, Smoke-Free Ontario and Road Safety Statute Law Amendment Act, would: 

• Create a new provincial body, overseen by the LCBO to distribute recreation cannabis in stand-alone stores and through an online order service 

• Set a minimum age of 19 to use, buy, possess and cultivate cannabis in Ontario 

• Ban the use of cannabis in public places, workplaces and motor vehicles

• Regulate the smoking and vaping of medical cannabis 

• Introduce new provincial offences with strict, escalating penalties, which are designed to eliminate the illicit market 

• Establish even tougher drug-impaired driving laws, including a zero-tolerance approach for young, novice and commercial drivers 

Read the full bill here.