Alcohol and the law
Here's what you should know...

There are laws for who can make and sell alcohol, who can export and import alcohol to and from other countries, when you can sell it - and to whom you can and cannot sell it - and various rules with respect to advertising. These laws are not meant to control everything people do but rather to regulate alcohol quality and control its availability. Some of the goals of these laws are to protect people's health and to play a role in alcohol's responsible use. Some of these laws are Canada-wide while others are created and enforced by the individual provinces and territories, like the legal drinking age, based on their own specific circumstances.

Alcohol can be dangerous when it's misused

Because alcohol is a powerful substance, and since some people have problems with alcohol, access to it is controlled to make sure that it's not so easy for kids and teenagers to start drinking at an early age. Research shows that the risk of future problems increases dramatically the earlier a person starts drinking alcohol in their life.

Some issues and laws with respect to alcohol

• There's a minimum legal drinking age of 19 in all provinces and territories - except for Alberta, Manitoba and Québec where the age is set at 18.
• It's illegal - everywhere in Canada - to buy alcohol for someone under the legal age.
• It's illegal for a restaurant, bar or store to sell alcohol to someone who is already drunk.
• It's illegal to drink alcohol in public places without a permit.
• It's illegal - and dangerous - to drive a car, boat or other motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol (there's a set legal limit for how much alcohol is too much).
• It's illegal to sell alcohol before and after a certain time of day.