Petition seeks to raise cannabis age in Canada to 25, ban edibles, and revoke licences over odour

An E-petition launched in December is calling for the federal government to raise the age of access to cannabis to 25, to ban the production of cannabis edibles, and to revoke the licenses of cannabis companies due to odour.

The petition, sponsored by Conservative MP Dean Allison (Niagara West), is open until April 9, 2026. As of Jan 28, it had 787 signatures. The majority of those signatures are from British Columbia (410), followed by Ontario (237), Saskatchewan (62), and Alberta (40).

The petition refers to five key issues to support its arguments, including an Evidence Brief in Public Health Ontario in April 2018 that the petitioner claims says that “exposure to cannabis odours has been reported to result in headaches, eye and throat irritation, nausea and discomfort.” That phrase, however, does not appear to be in the only document from Public Health Ontario from that timeframe. Instead, the document does say “no studies on health effects associated with exposure to cannabis odours were identified in the scientific or grey literature.”

The petition also refers to a statement from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention that notes the potential impact of cannabis use on brain development up until the age of 25, the Legislative Review of the Cannabis Act (March 2024) and its comments about cannabis use among 20-24 year olds, as well as its comments about unintentional consumption of cannabis by children and unnamed public health stakeholders who are “citing concerns about the potential impact on child poisonings, cannabis-related emergency room visits and mental health impacts.”

The petition reads:

We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to:

Wilson, the MP who sponsored the petition, has represented the riding of Niagara West since 2004. The region has been home to several large cannabis production facilities, and Wilson has been raising concerns about the smell of cannabis from these facilities since at least 2018, when he said the smell of cannabis harms property values. He has also raised concerns with what he calls “cannabis co-ops”.

“Our community of Niagara West needs to be clear as to who is responsible for regulating the odour because something needs to be done,” Wilson said in June 2019. “Cannabis odour issues produced by production facilities are yet another oversight of the government with respect to rushed marijuana legislation.”

The MP also repeatedly referred to cannabis legalization as rushed or hurried. The legislation was debated for more than a year before passage.

The federal government is required to provide a response to any finalized petition tabled in the House of Commons within 45 days.

The petition was started by Jim Jeffs from Fenwick, Ontario. A Jim Jeffs is listed on news articles as raising concerns about the smell of cannabis in the region, going back to at least 2019. The same Jeffs has sought to ban cannabis sales in Pelham, Ontario. Jeffs is identified as a member of Pelham’s cannabis control committee.

The town of Pelham, Ontario, has been battling at least one cannabis facility over concerns with what some say is odour and light pollution for several years now. While the town recently avoided an Ontario Land Tribunal hearing by settling zoning requirements with cannabis producer Redecan/Tilray, a looming court challenge will now test whether Pelham has the legal authority to enforce its odour bylaw, according to the St. Catharines Standard.

The town’s chief administrative officer said the community’s regulatory powers are “under direct attack,” citing a separate legal filing by the cannabis producers in a battle that has raged between the town and the producer for years over claims of community disruption.

In the spring of 2019, Pelham’s advisory committee, known as the Cannabis Control Committee (CCC), was formed to provide advice to city council in relation to land use impacts of cannabis production facilities in the town. The CCC completed its mandate in the fall of 2022 and delivered a closing memorandum to council in August 2022.

Pelham regulates cannabis and industrial hemp cultivation through its Official Plan, Zoning By-law, and Site Plan Control By-law. In July 2020, Council initially approved amendments to the Official Plan and Zoning By-law to manage the adverse effects of cannabis production, such as odour, by implementing setbacks and other land use controls.

Later developments include: In April 2023, the new Comprehensive Zoning By-law came into effect, replacing the previous Zoning By-law. In July 2024, the Comprehensive Zoning By-law was further amended to incorporate specific cannabis zoning provisions, ensuring consistency with the Official Plan. Additionally, the Site Plan Control By-law mandates site plan control for all indoor cannabis and industrial hemp uses.

Pelham also has a Site Plan Control By-law that requires site plan control for indoor cannabis and industrial hemp uses.

A second petition, initiated by Jennifer Collett, co-founder of the Canadian Medical Cannabis Partners, on October 29, 2025, and sponsored by NDP MP and current Party leader Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway), calls on the federal government to:

The petition is open until February 26, 2026. As of January 28, 2026, the petition has 103 signatures.