WINNIPEG -- A provincial crackdown on illegal cannabis has made for stricter rules when it comes to how much non-medical cannabis you can carry in public. 

Effective Jan. 1, 2020, Manitoba Justice said it will be illegal to carry more than 30 grams of non-medical cannabis in a public area.  It will also be illegal to carry cannabis that is not packaged, stamped and labelled. 

The province said people found breaking these rules will be slapped with a $672 fine. 

The stricter rules come in response to the illicit cannabis market. 

“Our government has made health and safety our top priority throughout the legalization process,” Justice Minister Cliff Cullen said in a provincial news release. “ These legislative changes about possession restrictions give provincial inspectors the ability to seize illicit cannabis, helping us crack down on the illicit market without further increasing the burden on police officers.” 

The province said these possession rules are similar to existing federal legislation, but under federal law – provincial inspectors cannot enforce the prohibition. 

The province said these new amendments are the first in Canada to allow provincial officers to issue tickets and seize the cannabis.