Can Deacons Give Blessings?

Canon Law says the following: “A deacon can impart only those blessings which are expressly permitted to him by law” (CIC 1169 §3). This differs from priests in that while a deacon can only give those blessings expressly permitted to him, the rule for priests is that they can impart any blessings, except those reserved to the pope or to bishops (CIC 1169 §2). In other words, the law appears to be more restrictive about the ability of deacons to impart blessings than it is about the ability of priests to do so.