Canada's Supreme Court Has Confirmed Quebec Stoners Can't Get High On Their Own Supply
The court ruled Quebec's ban on homegrown weed is constitutional.
The leaves of a cannabis plant.
Hear that sound? That's hundreds of Quebec stoners falling to their knees, their home-grown herb plans dashed once and for all by the Supreme Court of Canada.
In a decision published on April 14, the court determined that Quebec's provincial ban on the at-home growing of cannabis plants is constitutional, meaning the most discerning of dab-heads will never live their dreams of cultivating the perfect strain in their closet greenhouse.
One intrepid cannabis enthusiast brought the case to the Superior Court, arguing that Quebec's ban on possessing cannabis plants in one's home is outside the purview of provincial legislation. The Superior Court agreed with this champion of herbal rights, but upon appeal, that decision was rejected, and Quebec's hatred of homegrown hash prevailed.
This doesn't change anything for Quebecers, who have been living under this legislation since 2018, when the federal government decriminalized cannabis and Quebec immediately re-criminalized many cannabis-related acts, including growing your own plants.
The Supreme Court justified its ruling by emphasizing that Quebec's ban is intended to "regulate, not to suppress a threat or an evil," according to the text of the decision. In other words, the Supreme Court believes that Quebec doesn't actually think growing weed at home is a horrendous crime, but rather that the province is enforcing measures to keep cannabis consumption controlled by the government, and therefore "safer" or less risky for consumers. The Supreme Court also emphasizes the importance of the decision because "health [...] is an overlapping jurisdiction."
In practice, though, this ruling will undoubtedly disappoint many cannabis connoisseurs in Quebec, especially those who consider the SQDC's supply to be inferior to whatever they could grow themselves. Unfortunately for this demographic, it seems we're stuck with government-approved bud for the foreseeable future.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.