Where You Can (and Can't) Smoke Cannabis in Sudbury

Ontario sets the baseline rules for where you can smoke or vape cannabis, and the City of Greater Sudbury adds its own on top. Here's how the two fit together.

The basic rule: same as tobacco

The City of Greater Sudbury's position is simple: cannabis can be used wherever tobacco can be used. If you can't light a cigarette somewhere, you can't light a joint or use a vape there either.

That means most of the answers come from two places: Ontario's Smoke-Free Ontario Act, and Sudbury's own smoking rules for city property.

Generally OK

• Your own home. This includes your yard, porch or balcony, unless your lease or condo rules say otherwise.
• Most sidewalks and streets. These fall under provincial law rather than the city's parks bylaw.
• Designated smoking rooms in hotels and motels.
• A parked or anchored RV or boat with permanent sleeping and cooking facilities.

"Generally OK" isn't the same as "always considerate." Smoking on a downtown sidewalk outside a busy storefront or bus stop is legal in many spots, but it doesn't win you any friends.

Not allowed in Sudbury

City parks, trails and beaches

Greater Sudbury's municipal parks have been smoke-free since 2013, and the city's parks bylaw was updated in 2018 to cover cannabis explicitly. The ban covers:

• parks and sports fields, including tennis courts
• playgrounds
• amphitheatres and gazebos
• beaches
• trails and walkways

That last one catches people out. City-run green space, such as Bell Park and its boardwalk, is off-limits even when nobody is around. Conservation areas and provincial parks set their own rules, so check the posted signs. Bylaw officers can issue fines or ask you to leave.

Anywhere Ontario bans it

The provincial rules apply everywhere in the city:

• school grounds, playgrounds and publicly owned sports fields, plus 20 metres around them
• restaurant and bar patios, plus 9 metres
• within 9 metres of hospital entrances, such as Health Sciences North
• bus shelters and other sheltered outdoor areas with a roof and more than two walls
• indoor common areas of apartment and condo buildings
• any enclosed workplace or public place

In a vehicle or boat that's being driven

You can't smoke, vape or eat cannabis in a car, truck or boat that's being driven or will be driven, and that includes passengers. It's a provincial rule, and it applies on Highway 17 the same as anywhere else.

Renting or living in a condo?

Your lease or condo declaration can be stricter than the law. Many newer leases and condo rules ban smoking inside units, and some ban growing. Read yours before you assume your balcony is fair game.

At camp or the cottage

Camp season comes with its own questions:

• On your own property: generally fine, unless the property is also a workplace.
• On the water: you can't consume on a boat that's being driven. An anchored boat with permanent sleeping and cooking facilities is treated like a residence.
• Provincial parks: follow the park's posted rules and keep cannabis sealed when you're travelling.

Edibles are different

The smoking rules are about smoke and vapour. Edibles and drinks don't produce either, but the vehicle rule still applies, and so does common sense. Don't drive, and don't operate a boat.

If you're new to edibles, read How Long Do Edibles Take to Kick In? first. Timing is where most people go wrong.

Quick answers

For the full provincial picture, including possession limits and home grow rules, see Ontario Cannabis Laws: What Adults Need to Know.