When new marijuana laws come into place in Canada on Oct. 17, it's up to users to know what is allowed and what isn’t.

It is far from a free-for-all, and laws are not the same across the country.

“Cannabis laws are different between provinces and territories so that includes legal age, where you can smoke or vape, consume and where you can buy it, so make sure you know the laws before you travel,” said Cpl. Chris Manseau with Sidney RCMP.

You can take cannabis with you, even when travelling by air within Canada, and the amount you can have with you is the same across the board: 30 grams of dried cannabis or its equivalent in a public place.

The word “equivalent” is key.

For example, when it comes to a fresh-cut plant, you can have up to 150 grams.

If the marijuana is baked into something, such as brownies, it goes up to 450 grams, which is almost a pound.

In other words, a tin of cannabis cookies is probably okay, while a whole case of tins of cookies is not.

Manseau says if you're over the personal limit, you can still be hit with a possession charge under the Criminal Code of Canada – but it won't jump right up to a more serious charge for distribution.

He said people have been asking plenty of questions about the new laws, but the most common questions have come from people who don’t use marijuana.

“They were more concerned about where people could smoke it and they weren’t smokers themselves,” explained Manseau.

“A couple of people said ‘I smoked in the 70s, got it out of my system, not interested anymore, but I don’t want to be walking my grandchild through the park and have to walk through all the smoke,’” he added.

Determining where you can smoke pot falls to local governments, so the rules can vary dramatically, but generally the same rules will apply as those for smokers.

The government has a special cannabis website dedicated to providing all the information you may need.

It might be a lot to take in, but Manseau said if you are going to use marijuana, it is important to do your homework.

“Know what the rules and regulations are.”