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Winnipeg Free Press
30-04-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘Progress, not perfection': Manitoba's homegrown pot ban ends Thursday
Manitoba is ending an outright ban on homegrown cannabis, but recreational users remain committed to fighting for the right to grow pot in their backyards. As of Thursday, anyone aged 19 and older can grow a maximum of four plants in an indoor room, container or enclosure that is not accessible to underage residents or visitors. The changes bring the province more in line with the rest of Canada — except for Quebec, where it remains illegal to cultivate cannabis for personal use. JESSE BOILY / FREE PRESS FILES Jesse Lavoie launched a legal challenge against the provincial government in 2020 to fight the ban on growing cannabis plants at home. Licensed producer TobaGrown has imported 'exotic seeds' from Spain and elsewhere in Canada that will be up for sale immediately, said Jesse Lavoie, founder of the non-profit organization. It's a bittersweet milestone for Lavoie, who launched a legal challenge against the provincial government in 2020. He argued federal legislation allowed provinces only to restrict the growing of non-medical cannabis at home instead of issuing a sweeping ban. The case — which was dismissed and Lavoie was in the process of appealing until he learned changes were in the works in 2024 — was funded via TobaGrown sales and donations. 'Our lawsuit was fighting for both indoor and outdoor,' he said, noting he plans to revive it if the Kinew government does not widen the rules. 'Keeping it indoors and how they have it written, requiring plants to be locked in a room, essentially in your basement, keeps the taboo in place.' Justice Minister Matt Wiebe defended the legislation as 'balanced,' citing concerns about community access to outdoor gardens. 'This is the right mix of giving that choice to Manitobans, but also protecting kids,' Wiebe said. The rules also allow businesses to tap into new markets and sell both seeds and growing equipment, he noted. Seeds and plants, often called clones, must be bought from a licensed Manitoba store, per the newly updated Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Act. Melanie Bekevich, vice-president of the Retail Cannabis Council of Manitoba, said she does not anticipate a significant impact on member sales, owing to the limited markup on seeds and complexities of growing pot. The co-owner of Winnipeg's Mistik Cannabis Co. said she plans to stock seeds, mainly for educational purposes so customers are up to date with the regulations. 'It's progress, not perfection at this time,' Bekevich said about the inability for cannabis users to take their plants outside unless they have a medical licence. Bekevich and Lavoie both said the cannabis industry is generally on board with the changes that do away with a $2,542 fine for growing non-medical cannabis inside a residence. 'You can make wine and beer at home, but there's still lineups outside liquor stores,' Lavoie added. In the lead up to the regulatory changes, the official Opposition accused the NDP of diverting limited police resources from more pressing issues by bringing in new homegrown rules. 'With violent crime on the rise, how can the premier justify focusing on cannabis policy?' Wayne Ewasko, then-interim leader of the Progressive Conservatives, asked Premier Wab Kinew during question period last week. Ewasko then suggested Kinew must be smoking pot daily. 'I don't smoke weed at all. Guess what? I don't drink either. I don't even use Tylenol — but that's not the point,' Kinew quipped. 'The point is that the member opposite's 1950s Reefer Madness mentality, it just doesn't work.' (Director Louis Gasnier's propaganda film achieved cult classic status owing to its over-the-top depiction of cannabis users as dangerous criminals.) Ewasko later told the Free Press the plan is unenforceable and rests upon 'neighbours ratting on neighbours.' The justice minister said the province does not anticipate the updates will generate significant new activity for police, but rather provide clarity about what is legal. 'People are in this quasi-legal realm again. It's just absurd, to be six years after legalization, and we're still dealing with grey area,' said Steven Stairs, a longtime cannabis advocate. 'If you're going to be progressive, why go 95 per cent of the way?' During Elections Get campaign news, insight, analysis and commentary delivered to your inbox during Canada's 2025 election. Stairs received a medical prescription for pot in 2009 to treat vision problems and alleviate related pain. For the last 15 years, he's been growing weed in his backyard with a medical licence, he said, adding he's never had a plant stolen or received a complaint from a neighbour during that period. Stairs said he protected his children by educating them on the drug and its effects. It's also important to lock up the plants, be it with zipper-secure tents or otherwise, so they cannot be accessed by kids or pets, he said. He likened the process to locking a garage door so no tools are stolen overnight. Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. 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CBC
25-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Changes on homegrown pot rules don't go far enough, says Manitoban who challenged prohibition
Social Sharing More than six years after cannabis was legalized in Canada, Manitoba is about to allow residents to grow their own marijuana at home — but a cannabis advocate who challenged the province's previous prohibition says the changes don't go far enough. Starting May 1, Manitobans over the age of 19 will be allowed to grow up to four cannabis plants — the maximum allowed under the federal Cannabis Act — in their home, as long as they're indoors and not accessible to anyone under 19. Jesse Lavoie founded the cannabis advocacy organization TobaGrown, which took Manitoba to court over its previous rules in 2020. He argues even under the relaxed rules, the ban on outdoor growing feeds negative stereotypes associated with cannabis. "When you're only allowed to grow in a locked room somewhere in your house and you're not allowed to bring those plants outside, that's still keeping the taboo [alive]," Lavoie said. The federal government set up rules for home cultivation when cannabis use became legal in 2018, but gave the provinces and territories the authority to set further restrictions. Manitoba's previous Progressive Conservative banned growing cannabis at home, making Manitoba and Quebec the only provinces to do so. TobaGrown's court challenge argued the federal Cannabis Act gives individual provinces the opportunity to impose restrictions, but not an outright ban. That challenge was dropped when Manitoba's NDP government, elected in 2023, passed an amendment last June to allow homegrown cannabis. But Lavoie said he now plans to continue his legal battle with a new lawsuit against the province over the restriction on growing outdoors. "The ban on outdoor growing still keeps it criminal, so our role at TobaGrown is to remove stigma," Lavoie said. Rules a balancing act: justice minister Manitoba Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said the removal of the ban is intended to bring Manitoba up to speed with other jurisdictions and adhere to federal law. "It gives the ability to those users to have choice, to be able to grow in a responsible way … and ensures we are capturing this part of the market," Wiebe said. Quebec, whose ban was upheld in a 2023 Supreme Court ruling, is now the only province in Canada that bars people from growing their own pot. Wiebe said Manitoba's rules on home-growing, including restricting growing outdoors, are a balancing act between allowing Manitobans access to marijuana, while also protecting kids and neighbourhoods. "When it comes to crime and public safety, if you have plants that grow in an accessible way [outdoors], that might just invite others to come in," he said. Wiebe said the government has also heard from consumers who want to smoke marijuana outside their homes and is listening "very closely," but is working to allow personal choices in a way that also takes public health into account. For now, the legislation change "gives people a lot of more choices … but we're doing it in a responsible way," he said. Retailers licensed by The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba will be the only establishments allowed to sell cannabis seeds and plant material under the rules. Those products will be ordered by the Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, the official wholesaler and distributor of cannabis for licensed retailers, the Crown corporation said in a statement. Manitoba's continued ban on outdoor growing feeds negative cannabis stereotypes: activist 4 minutes ago Duration 1:44 More than six years after cannabis was legalized in Canada, Manitoba is about to allow residents to grow their own marijuana at home — but a cannabis advocate who challenged the province's previous prohibition says the changes don't go far enough.
