CALGARY—Weed will be legal in less than 24 hours.

Plenty of ink has been spilled at StarMetro Calgary over what cannabis legalization will mean for residents of this city after midnight Oct. 17. The provincial government, city council, and the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission have all outlined the new rules. Plenty of cannabis companies are also doing their best to educate the public about weed’s properties and uses.

But Calgarians no doubt have more basic questions. Where will I be able to smoke weed? How will I be able to buy cannabis online — and how can I do so without my 12-year-old getting their hands on it? How do I roll a joint?

We won’t be answering that last one. What we can do is offer you a primer — a guide to weed in Calgary and the new rules — so you’ll be able to enjoy a little legal weed Wednesday without any trouble.

SMOKING

Calgary’s got a strict set of bylaws when it comes to smoking or vaping weed in public. Basically, it’ll still be illegal, although you’ll be fined up to $100 rather than be arrested for possession of a controlled substance. Post-secondary institutions in Calgary are also banning its use on their campuses, even indoors.

The only places to legally get high in Calgary on Oct. 17 will be the comfort of your own home or apartment, assuming your landlord is fine with it (and Boardwalk, Alberta’s biggest property rental company, has already said it isn’t). You’ll also be able to do so inside a parked RV under provincial regulations.

There was talk of designating four spaces in public parks across Calgary for cannabis consumption, but that plan went up in smoke last September after the public overwhelmingly disapproved. And the province has said it won’t consider cannabis lounges in Alberta for at least a year, despite calls by at least one Calgary city councillor to approve them.

GROWING

Under federal regulations, you’ll be allowed to grow up to four plants per household. Again, if you’re a renter, this assumes your landlord is on board.

BUYING

As of Oct. 17, Calgary will be home to two stores — a 420 Premium Market store at D290-9737 Macleod Tr. S.W., and a Nova Cannabis store in Willow Park, at 252 10816 Macleod Tr. S.E. More stores are expected to open over the next several weeks pending approval by both the City of Calgary and the AGLC.

Retail stores’ doors will open at 10 a.m. on Oct. 17 (they’re allowed to be open from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., the same hours as liquor stores). Bring photo ID with you, and don’t expect to take your little cousin — under provincial regulations, minors will not be allowed inside any cannabis stores, even if they’re accompanied by an adult.

The AGLC will also be launching albertacannabis.org — the only legal online cannabis store in the province — at precisely midnight on Oct. 17. You’ll need to upload either government-issued photo ID or your credit information to register as an adult on the site, but once that’s done, you’ll be able to order up to 30 grams per day. It’ll arrive in the mail within one to two business days delivered by either Canada Post or Purolator. When the packages comes, you’ll need to show photo ID and sign for it — and no, your buddy won’t be allowed to do it for you.

You’ll be able to buy dried flowers and oils, but shatter and edibles won’t be legal for at least another year. (The federal government’s still working on how to regulate them.)

DRIVING

Driving high is illegal right now, and it’ll still be illegal after Oct. 17. The difference is that, like with alcohol, there will be a set limit to the amount of THC in your bloodstream. (THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis.)

If you have two nanograms of THC per millilitre of blood, you can expect to be fined a maximum of $1,000. Having over five nanograms or more in your blood — or a mix of 2.5 nanograms per millilitre of TCH combined with 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood — will get you a minimum of a $1,000 fine on your first offence, a mandatory 30 days imprisonment on your second offence, and 120 days imprisonment on your third offence. The province said penalties are more serious for those who are driving with high levels of impairment or who injure others while driving impaired, as well as repeat offenders.

Having any amount of cannabis or illegal drugs in your bloodstream is also going to mean a 30-day licence suspension at the roadside, the seizure of your ride for a week, and require you to remain in the graduated driver licensing program for two years — and have no suspensions within the last year to graduate.

It’s worse if you’re found to be criminally impaired. You’ll lose your licence for 90 days, lose your ride for three days (or a week if it’s the second time) and be required to participate in “mandatory remedial education,” as well as participate in a provincial ignition interlock program for a year.

LEAVING TOWN

Want to smoke weed in public without going to Edmonton? Head to Lethbridge. While Calgary’s got fairly strict bylaws, Lethbridge allows residents to smoke pot in public. The only restrictions will be those set by the province, which bars pot use on hospital and school grounds, as well as certain other areas, such as zoos and playgrounds.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

There’s also the backcountry. Parks Canada has decided to allow cannabis use at campsites and hiking trails, although public consumption will still be banned in the Banff and Jasper townsites.

And, of course, don’t try to bring any weed south of the border. While U.S. Customs and Border Protection said last week that Canadians working in the cannabis industry will be “generally admissible” to the United States, admitting to smoking weed at the border could earn you a lifetime ban.

With files from Kevin Maimann

Read more about: