The provincial government is seeking public input on a proposed amendment to cannabis regulations that would allow people to legally grow plants at home as soon as April.
While federal guidelines allow up to four marijuana plants to be grown at a residence at one time, Manitoba and Quebec were the only provinces to ban the practice provincially.
The proposed amendment would bring Manitoba in line with the federal standard, requiring that growers keep their plants indoors and away from people under the age of 19. It also allows licensed retailers to sell cannabis seeds.
CHARLIE RIEDEL / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES A proposed amendment would bring Manitoba in line with the federal standard, requiring that cannabis growers keep their plants indoors and away from people under the age of 19.
”Our government is committed to keeping Manitobans safe by imposing reasonable restrictions on home-grown cannabis, while also bringing Manitoba in line with other provinces in Canada and ensuring consistency with the federal Cannabis Act,” a spokesperson for Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said in an email Friday.
Public consultation began Thursday and will continue 30 days. Feedback and comments on the amendment can be submitted online.
Retail Cannabis Council of Manitoba vice-president Melanie Bekevich said their organization was consulted on the amendment and was “pleased” with the current proposal.
She’d like to see a public education campaign focused on home growing regulations.
“I suspect a lot of people who are interested in growing are likely growing already, and this just brings us into alignment with the rest of the country in terms of our regulations about home growing,” said Bekevich, who owns Mistik Cannabis in Winnipeg.
“We also think that that this will help lessen the stigma around the plant as we’re six years into legalization in Canada.”
She doesn’t believe the retail sector will see any impact from the change.
“We see that in other jurisdictions, some retailers will bring in seeds and sell them from their retail locations. That, of course, will be a positive impact for us,” she said.
“I think in general, that we’re pretty happy with how this government has been handling the cannabis file. We’ve felt very heard.”
At Character Co., a local cannabis shop on Corydon Avenue, co-owner Shira Bellan said the change is a non-issue for them and would like to see the province focus on crackdowns in the grey market, which includes unlicensed, illegal cannabis sellers.
“I really do think they have bigger concerns,” she said. “In what way is someone growing for house plants going to affect anyone?… If they really want to crack down, it has to be on the online side of things, not someone growing in their house.”
Longtime cannabis advocate Steven Stairs said he has questions about the change, including why Manitobans will be allowed to grow their own, while it remains illegal to consume cannabis in public or a provincially licensed space.
Similar to current regulations on smoking in apartments and other rented residences, landlords will be able to decide whether growing cannabis is allowed on their properties.
Malak Abas
Reporter
Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg’s North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak.
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