The Supreme Court of Canada is pictured in Ottawa on Friday, March 3, 2023. The Supreme Court of Canada is set to rule on whether Quebec's ban on growing cannabis plants at home is constitutional. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
OTTAWA – The Supreme Court of Canada is set to rule today on whether Quebec’s ban on growing cannabis plants at home is constitutional.
The ruling is in a case first brought before the courts in 2019 by Janick Murray-Hall.
Murray-Hall’s lawyer argued that Quebec’s ban on owning and cultivating plants for personal use is unconstitutional and contradicts the federal cannabis law enacted in 2018.
The federal law allows people to grow or own up to four cannabis plants at home, but the Quebec government banned growing for personal use, with fines running between $250 and $750.
Quebec Superior Court sided with Murray-Hall and found the law to be unconstitutional.
But the province successfully appealed to the Quebec Court of Appeal, and now the final word lies with the country’s highest court.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2023.
