Visiting Toronto? How to Buy Cannabis Legally as a Tourist

A visitor's guide to buying cannabis legally in Toronto: the age rule, ID, how to spot a licensed store, where you can and cannot consume, and the border rules for the trip home.

Yes, visitors can buy cannabis legally in Toronto if they are 19 or older and buy from a licensed store or the Ontario Cannabis Store. Bring valid government-issued photo ID, buy no more than 30 grams of dried cannabis or the equivalent, and buy only what you need for your stay, because cannabis cannot be taken across the Canadian border.

This guide walks you through the whole trip, from finding a licensed store to the rules at your hotel and the airport.

Step 1: Know the age and the limits

• Age: Ontario's legal age to buy, use and possess recreational cannabis is 19. The province's buying recreational cannabis page frames the rule around age; it does not set a separate residency requirement.
• Purchase limit: a licensed store can sell up to 30 grams of dried cannabis, or the equivalent in other forms, at one time.
• Possession limit: adults can carry up to 30 grams of dried cannabis, or the equivalent, in public, according to Ontario's cannabis laws.

If you are used to different rules at home, note that Ontario's age is 19, not 18 or 21. Our guide to possession limits in Ontario explains how edibles, beverages and extracts count toward the 30 gram limit.

Step 2: Buy only from a licensed source

There are two legal ways to buy in Ontario: online from the Ontario Cannabis Store, or in person at an authorized retail store. In a busy downtown, some storefronts that look like stores are not licensed. To check:

1. Look for the official cannabis retail seal. The province says authorized retailers must display it, and the AGCO requires it to be visible from outside the public entrance.
2. If in doubt, check the store on the official list of authorized stores.

The province notes that buying from other sources can carry penalties. Read more in how to tell if a dispensary is licensed.

Step 3: Bring the right ID

Licensed stores cannot sell to anyone under 19, and staff must ask for ID from anyone who appears to be under 25. At Sugar Beach Cannabis, we check government-issued photo ID for every purchase. If your ID was issued outside Canada, call us at 437-780-0285 before you visit to confirm what we can accept.

Step 4: Order ahead, then pick up

Visitors are often on a schedule. The easiest way to shop with us:

1. Browse the live menu: dried flower, pre-rolls and blunts, vapes, edibles, beverages, extracts and concentrates, and oils and drops.
2. Order online.
3. Come to 192 Queens Quay East, show ID, pay and pick up.

Walk-ins are welcome, and our staff help first-timers and experienced buyers alike, including people who have never read an Ontario label. We are a pickup store, so plan to collect your order in person. Every product shows a regular price and a lower member price.

Getting here from common visitor spots

TTC bus routes also run along Queens Quay East. Coming in by train? See our Union Station guide.

Step 5: Know where you can and can't consume

Buying legally does not mean you can consume anywhere. Ontario allows smoking and vaping cannabis in private residences and in many outdoor public places, but there is a long list of exceptions:

• enclosed public places and workplaces
• indoor common areas of condos and apartment buildings, which matters if you are staying in a short-term rental
• hotel, motel and inn rooms, unless the room is designated for smoking
• restaurant and bar patios, and public areas within 9 metres of a patio
• school grounds, playgrounds and public areas within 20 metres of them
• in any vehicle or boat that is being driven or will be driven, in any form, including edibles

Toronto adds its own rules in city parks: the City's parks bylaw page prohibits smoking or vaping, including cannabis, within 20 metres of playgrounds, splash pads, sports fields and similar features, and on swimming beaches.

If you are staying in a hotel, read cannabis and Toronto hotels before you check in.

Driving a rental car

Ontario's cannabis and driving rules make it illegal to transport cannabis in a vehicle if it is open and not in its original packaging, or not packed in baggage and readily available to anyone in the vehicle. The province lists penalties for impaired driving that include an immediate licence suspension, fines, vehicle impoundment, a criminal record and jail time. Never drive impaired.

Leaving Toronto: borders and flights

This is where visitors most often get caught out.

• Crossing the border: the Government of Canada's travel advice on drugs says it is illegal to take cannabis, including products containing cannabis and CBD, across the Canadian border, even if you are travelling to or from a place where cannabis is legal. The CBSA puts it simply: don't bring it in, don't take it out.
• Flying within Canada: CATSA says passengers are responsible for knowing the laws at their destination within Canada.
• Flying internationally: CATSA states that flying outside of Canada with cannabis is illegal.

More detail is in flying with cannabis from Toronto.

A few final reminders

Start low and go slow, especially with edibles if you have not tried Canadian products before. Keep products sealed and stored securely, away from children. For medical questions, talk to a healthcare provider.

Visit Sugar Beach Cannabis

Sugar Beach Cannabis is a licensed store at 192 Queens Quay East, Unit A5, Toronto, ON M5A 3Y4, on the waterfront beside Sherbourne Common and about a 20-minute walk from Union Station. Order online and pick up in store from our live menu. Questions about ID or products? Use the contact page, call 437-780-0285, or read more about us.

Frequently asked questions

This article is general information about cannabis rules and products in Ontario, not legal or medical advice. Rules change: check the official sources linked above. Cannabis is for adults 19+. Never drive impaired.