Health Canada announced its regulations for ingestibles/edibles, extracts, and topicals on Friday during a conference call with media. After four months of public consultations, the rules were scarcely different than the previous draft.
Financial Post
- The regs will be published in Canada Gazette Part II on June 26 and will come into force on October 17, at which time producers must give Health Canada 60-day notification of their intent to produce new cannabis products. The 60-days should be considered a minimum wait period.
MJ Biz Daily - New products will become available for purchase no earlier than mid-December. Vape pens will likely come first.
Twitter - Edibles/ingestibles will be capped at 10mg THC per package to avoid “adverse reactions and accidental hospitalizations,” prompting complaints it will exacerbate overpackaging and inconvenience MED patients.
Twitter - Gummies will be allowed, but must not appeal to children. Health Canada will not tell industry which flavours, colours, shapes, or branding is permissible—they’ll only inform LPs when they find products they believe “appeal to kids.”
- Sweetened vape products will not be allowed, nor will products containing alcohol, tobacco, or caffeine.
CBC Politics - Ingestible extracts will be capped at 10mg THC per unit, with a maximum 1,000mg THC per package.
- Extracts for inhalation will be capped at 1,000mg THC per package.
Globe and Mail—Paywall - All extracts will be subject to a maximum package size of 90ml for liquid extracts below 3% THC, and 7.5 grams for solid extracts over 3% THC.
- Edibles must be shelf-stable, not requiring refrigeration or freezing.
- A Health Canada representative told us, “The framework that’s been constructed does not allow restaurants to prepare and serve foods containing cannabis to the public”—though provincial/municipal law may allow restaurants to invite customers to bring their own.
- The second-building rule stands: infused products must be made in a separate building from regular products.
- The Health Canada rep also said, “Health Canada has committed to hold consultations on precise question of CBD as natural health product.” […] I’m not in a position to say with any certainty when those consultations would be launched.”
- Deepak Anand noted the requirement for tax stamps to fit onto edibles packaging “will result in massive outer packaging! Need new (smaller) tax stamps for smaller packaging and product forms.”
Twitter - Producers and retailers are excited. Valens GroWorks CEO Tyler Robson said, “It should really kick-start the industry. Retailers should start getting excited now that they can actually offer different products to really drive people to their stores.”
MJ Biz Daily
Quick Hits
- Lift & Co. estimates the new products will create 1.5M new cannabis consumers.
InvestingNews - The Ontario Cannabis Store issued a call for producers to submit products in the new “Legalization 2.0” categories.
MJ Biz Daily - The average edible high lasts six to eight hours, but edible experiences depend on individual metabolism.
GrowthOp - You should know what to
