In another prominent step towards recreational legalization in Canada, cannabis edibles will be coming to a store near you no later than Oct. 17, 2019, Health Canada has confirmed. The market is up for grabs.
The edibles industry is expected to be worth $4.1 billion in Canada and the United States by 2022, according to a report by a marijuana market research company called The Arcview.
Right now, in Canada, you can make cannabis-infused food at home but it is illegal for anyone to buy and or sell them to the public.
Canada’s proposed edible pot regulations have been published by Health Canada and the 60-day consultation process has come to an end. The public health agency is now reviewing the responses.
Under the proposed federal rules, a single serving would be limited to 10 milligrams of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, and each serving must be individually wrapped. This is considered a low to moderate dose of THC.
This dosage limit is stricter than in Colorado, Washington or California, where multiple servings are allowed per package. So for example in a chocolate bar, each breakable square can contain 10 milligrams each for a total of 100 milligrams.
Pot meant for ingestion cannot have alcohol, have limited caffeine and come in a plain, child-resistant package. The draft regulations say the products must not be appealing to youth and the packaging can’t advertise dessert or confectionery flavours — so no gummies shaped like bears.
The proposed rules are an attempt to address one of the main concerns with edibles: making sure it doesn’t pose a risk to public health, especially for those who are underage.