Can tourists buy cannabis in Vancouver?

Yes. Visitors from other provinces and other countries buy cannabis under the same rules as people who live here. You need to be 19, show ID and shop at a licensed store. Your home country's laws don't change what you can do in BC, and BC's laws don't follow you home.

Bring one valid, government-issued photo ID showing your name, date of birth and photo. Staff check it on every sale, and an expired card or a photo of your ID on your phone won't work. If you look young, bring your passport even if you carry other ID.

There's no paperwork, prescription or residency rule. At a licensed store the visit takes four steps.

Step 1: Show Your ID

Have your ID ready at the counter. Every customer shows it before buying.

Step 2: Tell the Budtender What You Want

You don't need to know product names. Say what effect you're after, how much experience you have, how you'd like to consume it and what you want to spend, and the budtender will narrow it down.

Step 3: Choose Your Product

Licensed stores carry flower, pre-rolls, vapes, edibles, drinks, concentrates and CBD. For occasional users on a trip, a 2.5 mg to 5 mg edible or a low-dose drink is the easiest start. Vapes are discreet and give a steady dose.

Step 4: Pay and Go

Your product comes sealed in a labelled package that meets Health Canada rules.

Canadian dispensaries run on normal card processing, unlike many US stores. Every Coastal Green store takes Visa, Mastercard, American Express, debit, Apple Pay, Google Pay and cash. American Express isn't accepted everywhere in Canadian cannabis retail, so check before you rely on it elsewhere.

You can buy and carry up to 30 grams of dried cannabis, or the equivalent in edibles, vapes and other forms. The limit counts per person, so a group of four can't pool their allowance into one bag.

You can't smoke or vape in parks, on beaches, in any vehicle or within 6 metres of doorways, windows and bus stops. Most hotels ban smoking in rooms, so check your hotel's policy before you book. Our page on whether weed is legal in Vancouver covers every public-use rule in detail.

Finish or leave behind what you buy before you cross a border. Taking cannabis out of Canada is illegal, and the United States bans it at every crossing, including flights from YVR and the drive south on Highway 99. Flights within Canada allow up to 30 grams.

Canadian law lets any adult 19 or older buy cannabis here, whatever their passport. Some countries, though, punish their own citizens for using it abroad, or treat a positive drug test on the way home as a crime. Check your home country's rules before you buy.

Can Chinese Tourists Use Cannabis in Vancouver?

You can legally buy it here, but China treats cannabis as a drug wherever you use it. Chinese consulates in Canada warn that if you test positive for drugs after landing in China, it counts as using drugs in China, even if you carry none. That brings 10 to 15 days' detention and a fine of up to ¥3,000 under the Public Security Administration Punishments Law. THC can show up in a urine test for weeks and in a hair test for months. Taking any cannabis product into China, CBD included, counts as smuggling.

Can Korean Tourists Use Cannabis in Vancouver?

Not under Korean law. Korean criminal law applies to Korean nationals wherever they are, and the Korean Embassy in Canada warns that using cannabis here, including liquid cannabis and pills, is punishable in Korea. Using or possessing cannabis carries up to 5 years in prison or a fine of up to ₩50 million. Korean police have prosecuted a traveller for cannabis smoked on a trip to Canada, and hair tests can reveal use from months earlier.

Can Singaporean Tourists Use Cannabis in Vancouver?

Singapore citizens and permanent residents can be charged for drugs used overseas as if they'd used them at home. The Central Narcotics Bureau runs random urine tests at Changi Airport and the land checkpoints, and drug consumption carries up to 10 years in prison. Foreigners living in Singapore on a work pass risk losing it.

Can Japanese Tourists Use Cannabis in Vancouver?

Japan's law doesn't punish using cannabis abroad, but possessing it is a crime wherever it happens, with up to 7 years in prison, and buying cannabis means possessing it. The Consulate-General of Japan in Vancouver warns that Japan's cannabis law can apply overseas. Bringing any back is a separate offence, and that includes CBD products with THC above Japan's strict limits.

Can Indian Tourists Use Cannabis in Vancouver?

India's narcotics law applies to Indian citizens outside India, and using cannabis carries up to 6 months in prison or a fine of up to ₹10,000. We found no sign of it being enforced against travellers returning from Canada, but the law is on the books. Bringing cannabis into India is a serious offence.

Can Taiwanese Tourists Use Cannabis in Vancouver?

Taiwan's Criminal Code specifically leaves out using or possessing drugs abroad, so using cannabis in Canada isn't a crime there. Bringing it home is: importing cannabis carries at least 10 years in prison. A proposed rule to suspend the driving licences of people caught using drugs, including abroad, was under review in 2026.

Can Hong Kong Tourists Use Cannabis in Vancouver?

Hong Kong's drug law doesn't reach use abroad, but it's one of the strictest on imports. CBD has been a dangerous drug there since February 2023, and importing it carries up to life in prison. Leave every cannabis and CBD product in Canada, lotions included.

Can Filipino Tourists Use Cannabis in Vancouver?

Philippine law doesn't cover cannabis use abroad. Bringing cannabis into the Philippines carries life imprisonment, so finish or leave behind anything you buy.

Can British, Australian, European and Mexican Tourists Use Cannabis in Vancouver?

Yes. The UK, Australia, Germany, France and Mexico don't punish cannabis use in Canada. Importing it is still a crime in all of them, including Germany, where adults can possess cannabis but can't bring it into the country. Australian Border Force seizes CBD gummies and oils too.

I'm Travelling On to the United States. Does Using Cannabis Here Matter?

It can. A US border officer can refuse entry to someone who isn't a US citizen and admits using cannabis, even where it was legal. Carry nothing across, and don't lie if you're asked.

Disclaimer: This section is general information about other countries' laws, based on public sources as of September 2026. It isn't legal advice, and Coastal Green can't advise you on the law where you live. Laws and how they're enforced can change without notice. Before you buy or use cannabis in Canada, check with your government, your embassy or consulate, or a lawyer in your home country.

Legal cannabis is lab-tested, so the THC on the label is what you get, and it's often stronger than visitors expect. With edibles, start at 2.5 mg to 5 mg and wait at least 2 hours before taking more: taking a second dose early is the most common mistake. With flower or a vape, take one small puff and wait 10 minutes.

Coastal Green Dunsmuir, at 565 Dunsmuir St, sits two minutes from Granville SkyTrain Station and a short walk from Canada Place and the cruise ship terminal. We open 9AM to 11PM daily. Our staff will talk first-time visitors through the menu in plain language. If you're heading to the Sunshine Coast on the Langdale ferry, Coastal Green Sechelt is 20 minutes from the terminal. See hours and directions for both Vancouver stores on our Vancouver dispensary page.

I'm From a US State Where Cannabis Is Legal. Do Different Rules Apply?

No. Canadian and BC law apply while you're here: 19 or older, valid ID and nothing across the border.

Can I Buy Cannabis at YVR Airport?

No. There's no cannabis store at Vancouver International Airport. Take the Canada Line to Vancouver City Centre Station, about 30 minutes, and walk a few minutes to our Dunsmuir Street store.

Can I Fly Within Canada With Cannabis?

Yes, with up to 30 grams in your carry-on or checked bag. Flights to the US are a different matter: US pre-clearance at YVR applies US federal law before you board.

What Should I Buy if I've Never Used Cannabis?

Tell the budtender it's your first time. A 2.5 mg edible, a CBD-dominant product or a small vape are common starting points, and nobody will push you toward anything.