Bill C-45, An Act respecting cannabis and to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Criminal Code and other Acts (short title: Cannabis Act), was introduced in the House of Commons by the Minister of Justice on 13 April 2017. It passed third reading in the senate on June 7, 2018 and received royal assent of June 21, 2018. The Cannabis Act went into effect and became law on October 17, 2018.
Among other things, the bill:
enacts a new act entitled the Cannabis Act;
permits some cannabis-related activities that had previously been prohibited (e.g., possessing less than 30 g of dried cannabis or the equivalent in public; cultivating up to four cannabis plants per residence);
prohibits some cannabis-related activities (e.g., sale of cannabis or cannabis accessories to a young person; using or involving a young person to commit certain cannabis-related offences);
lists prohibited activities in relation to cannabis for which a ticket can be issued (as opposed to prosecution for an indictable or a summary conviction offence);
provides a framework in relation to permitted and prohibited promotion and sponsorship of cannabis and cannabis accessories; and
establishes a statutory basis on which the designated minister can issue licences and permits for authorized cannabis-related activities.
A full pdf version of Bill C-45 The Cannabis Act can be found here: