Français Cannabis seeds are legal to buy in Canada, and legal to buy and ship in the United States under the 2018 Farm Bill, because a seed contains almost no THC. Growing the plant is a separate question with a separate answer, and that is where the rules actually differ. This page separates the two, with sources, because most pages on this subject blur them together.
This is general information, not legal advice. Cannabis law changes, and the rules where you live govern.
The short answer
| Buying seeds | Growing plants at home | |
| Canada, federal | Legal for adults from authorised sellers | Up to 4 plants per household |
| Quebec | Legal to buy | Prohibited |
| Manitoba | Legal to buy | Legal since 1 May 2025, age 19+ |
| Other provinces and territories | Legal to buy | Generally up to 4 plants, with local rules |
| United States, federal | Legal, seeds at or under 0.3% delta-9 THC are hemp | Depends entirely on your state |
Why seeds are treated differently from the plant
A cannabis seed contains virtually no delta-9 THC. The cannabinoids are produced later, in the trichomes of the flowering plant. That biological fact is what the law hangs on.
In the United States, the 2018 Farm Bill defined hemp as cannabis material containing no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC on a dry weight basis, and removed it from the Controlled Substances Act. On 6 January 2022, Terrence Boos, chief of the Drug and Chemical Evaluation Section of the DEA's Diversion Control Division, confirmed in writing that cannabis seed meeting that threshold falls within the hemp definition and is therefore not a controlled substance. The letter was a response to attorney Shane Pennington, and it is the clearest federal statement available on the question.
That is why seeds can be sold openly and shipped across state lines in the US, even to states where growing remains illegal. Buying the seed and germinating it are two different acts under the law.
Canada, buying is simple, growing depends on your province
Under the federal Cannabis Act, adults may buy cannabis seeds and grow up to four plants per household — per household, not per person. Provinces may restrict further, and two have mattered:
- Quebec prohibits home cultivation entirely. The province's ban was challenged and the Supreme Court of Canada upheld it on 14 April 2023 in Murray-Hall v. Quebec, confirming that provinces may go further than the federal limit. Buying and possessing seeds remains lawful; planting them does not.
- Manitoba reversed its ban. Home cultivation became legal there on 1 May 2025 for adults 19 and over, after the province repealed the prohibition it had carried since legalisation.
Everywhere else in Canada, the federal four-plant limit is the baseline, with provincial details on where plants may be grown and whether they must be out of public view.
United States, federally legal to buy, state law decides the rest
Following the DEA's 2022 confirmation, cannabis seeds are federally treated as hemp and may be bought and shipped. What you may legally do next is entirely a state question: some states permit home cultivation outright, some permit it only for medical patients, and some prohibit it. A seed arriving legally at your door does not make growing it legal where you live.
Shipping, customs and packaging
Within Canada, seeds shipped domestically do not cross any border, which removes the main source of trouble. Our own orders ship from Quebec by Canada Post, 3 to 7 days standard or 2 to 3 days by Express.
For the United States we ship by Express, 1 to 2 business days. Because seeds at or below the hemp threshold are not controlled federally, this is a lawful shipment rather than a grey area.
Every order goes in plain, unbranded packaging with nothing on the outside indicating the contents, and no signature is required. That is standard practice across the industry and a reasonable privacy measure, not an attempt to conceal anything unlawful.
Frequently asked questions
Are cannabis seeds legal to buy?
Yes, in Canada for adults, and in the United States under the 2018 Farm Bill provided the seed contains no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC, which cannabis seeds do not exceed. The DEA confirmed this in writing in January 2022.
Is it illegal to buy marijuana seeds online?
No, not in Canada, and not federally in the United States. The legal question that matters is what you do with them afterwards, which depends on your province or state.
Are marijuana seeds legal in the USA?
Federally, yes. The DEA stated on 6 January 2022 that cannabis seed at or under 0.3% delta-9 THC meets the hemp definition and is not controlled under the Controlled Substances Act. Growing the resulting plant is governed by state law.
Can I grow cannabis at home in Canada?
In most provinces, up to four plants per household. Not in Quebec, where home cultivation is prohibited and that ban was upheld by the Supreme Court in April 2023. Manitoba allowed it from 1 May 2025.
How many plants can I legally grow?
Four per household under federal Canadian law, not four per adult living there. Provinces may reduce or prohibit this.
Is it legal to collect seeds but not grow them?
In Canada, buying and possessing seeds is lawful everywhere, including Quebec. Many people buy seeds to store as genetics without germinating them, which is lawful.
Will cannabis seeds be seized at the border?
Shipments within Canada do not cross a border. Our US orders ship under the federal hemp threshold described above. We guarantee delivery of every order regardless.
Can airport scanners detect cannabis seeds?
Airport screening looks for threats to aviation, not seeds. That said, carrying cannabis products across an international border is a federal offence in both Canada and the United States regardless of what either jurisdiction permits domestically. Do not do it. Have seeds shipped instead.
Buying from Quebec Cannabis Seeds
We ship from Quebec, usually the same day or within 24 hours of payment, Monday to Friday. Canada takes 3 to 7 days by standard post or 2 to 3 by Express; the USA is 1 to 2 business days by Express. Shipping is free over $200.
Every pack carries our 80% germination guarantee and our delivery guarantee, in plain unbranded packaging with no signature required. Browse all cannabis seeds.
Sources
- Murray-Hall v. Quebec (Attorney General), 2023 SCC 10 — Supreme Court of Canada, 14 April 2023
- DEA Diversion Control Division letter, Terrence Boos to Shane Pennington, 6 January 2022, on cannabis seeds and the hemp definition
- Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the Farm Bill), hemp definition at 0.3% delta-9 THC
- Cannabis Act (Canada), four plants per household
