The day is here. Cannabis is now legal for recreational purposes across Canada and can be legally purchased from licensed retail and online stores. A question comes to mind for many, however. What about cannabis which is out there which was purchased prior to the legalization? Is there an amnesty for those who bought weed prior to the new law taking effect?

“There will be no more offence under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act as of Wednesday for being in possession of marijuana no matter where you obtained it,” explained Weyburn’s Deputy Police Chief Rod Stafford earlier this week. “What does change, of course, is that providing you have purchased your marijuana from a legal source, then you are legal to possess it within the limits of the law.”

What it means is it will be technically illegal to possess cannabis purchased from an illegal source. Depending on the circumstances, and the amount, it will be a ticketable offence. If it is a large quantity, then there could be charges under the federal laws which would result in criminal proceedings.

Going forward, it will be legal to possess up to 30 grams of cannabis. The 30-gram limit is also the maximum you can buy from a retail location. Retail locations and online stores aren’t the only places where one can legally obtain cannabis, however.

“It also could be, under the law and the changes that come into place Wednesday, your own marijuana,” added Stafford. Residents of Saskatchewan will be authorized to have in their possession up to four plants of their own cannabis. “That will be an investigative nightmare for police to determine if it came from your plants, or from a dealer down a back alley.”

The Weyburn Police Service cautioned it is best to treat cannabis as one would alcohol. This would mean not consuming it in public, keep it out of the hands of minors, and don’t drive while impaired.

As for where you can obtain cannabis legally in Saskatchewan, the two retail locations allowed for the city of Weyburn won’t be opening for a while yet, with estimates of the first store opening in roughly a month, and the second after Christmas. Residents of Saskatchewan can also purchase cannabis online from stores in the province which are set up to handle taking online orders.

Of the 51 permits which were issued by the SLGA earlier this year, just seven are anticipated to be open across the province.