TORONTO

When the feds finally roll out their plan to legalize marijuana, advocates want to see home-grown weed treated like tobacco or alcohol.

The Toronto Sun spoke with several cannabis advocates who cited the need for laws that allow people to grow pot at home — similar to those permitting the cultivating of tobacco or the brewing of beer for personal use.

A federal task force now examining the best way to regulate and legalize recreational marijuana use is slated to complete its report in 2017.

Task force members say they’re trying to establish a strict system that allows the production, distribution and sale of pot while keeping the drug away from kids.

Recently, the federal government revamped rules to allow patients to grow limited quantities of cannabis for medical purposes at home, or designate someone else to grow it for them, using seeds from licensed producers.

Health Canada has said these changes “should not be interpreted as being the longer-term plan for the regulation of access to cannabis for medical purposes.”

•Dana Larsen, a long-time Vancouver cannabis reform advocate, gave away thousands of marijuana seeds throughout Canada during the Overgrow Campaign this summer “to normalize cannabis cultivation.” It’s a move that resulted in Calgary police charging him with trafficking cannabis seeds.

“Ultimately, I think everybody should be able to grow as much cannabis as they want, like any other plant,” he said. “But to begin with, it would be nice to see at least if medical users can grow what they need, and a non-medical user can grow six plants or 12 plants or some arbitrary number.”

•Brandy Zurborg, co-owner of Queens of Cannabis in Toronto, cites home-brew laws as a model that should be copied.

“You can brew your own beer in your house, or make your own wine,” she said, calling it a process that’s “a lot more dangerous and risky.”

She anticipates more people will want to grow cannabis at home after legalization.

•John Fowler, president and CEO of licensed producer Supreme Pharmaceuticals, said people who want to grow recreational pot safely “should be able to do so.” But, he adds, it’s a “little early” to say what regulating home-grown cannabis should look like.

“All I hope ... is that the government is taking a data-driven approach and has every confidence that we’re going to have a really good well-thought-out and functional marijuana industry for both recreational and medical users in a matter of months or years.”

THE RULES

In Ontario, drinkers can brew their own beer or make their own wine at home “as long as it is only for your personal consumption or to be given away free of charge,” according to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

In Oregon, where pot was legalized in July 2015, pot users can grow up to four plants “per residence, regardless of how many people live in the residence,” according to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission’s website.

In Colorado, where marijuana legalization began in 2012, weed smokers can grow up to six plants per adult over the age 21 for personal use, according to the state government’s website. Cultivation must take place indoors, where plants have to be kept in a locked area, the website says. Some counties and municipalities within the state have stricter laws.

mshah@postmedia.com