Experts are criticizing Canada’s proposed cannabis edibles regulations, saying the rules would lead to unpleasant and over-packaged products. Canada legalized the sale of recreational marijuana in October 2018, and initial regulations only permitted the sale of cannabis flower and oil. From that time, regulators have been establishing rules for cannabis edibles, extracts, beverages, and topicals.
Health Canada established the proposed regulations last year. The federal health agency is expected to have developed the final version of rules by October 17, the first anniversary of legalization.
However, suggestions in the draft regulations want cannabis products away from children and ban packages from promoting dessert or confectionary flavors. The rules also propose that the products must be shelf-stable and not “promote overconsumption.” Even though Health Canada has acknowledged that ingredients like chocolate and sugar will be permitted, edibles should lack elements, sizes, colors, aroma, packaging, or branding which are appealing to kids. A dispensary owner in Vancouver fears that the rules won’t include tasty products. Jessika Villano, the owner of Buddha Barn.
Villano said the rules don’t favor them and she believes that consumers will prefer cannabis sugar in their tea.
Furthermore, some other suggested rules require that a maximum of 10 milligrams of THC is permitted per edible serving and that each meal must be separately sold in non-appealing packaging. Due to the high doses of THC consumed by some medical marijuana patients, Villano senses that the price of the packaging will rise.
Villano fears that Health Canada is establishing an ecological nightmare.
According to the CEO of cannabis edibles manufacturer Zenabis Global Inc., Andrew Grieve, the company is planning to create multi-serving packages as a means to limit packaging.
Grieve said that his company has been working hard to limit its overall packaging. He also believes that it’s essential to restrict packages in any scenario.
According to the spokeswoman for health Canada, Tammy Jarbeau, the rules were meant to stop ignorant consumption and reduce the rate at which teenagers are attracted to edibles.
She also said that Health Canada encourages licensed processors to use creative and ecologically safe packaging methodologies as long as the regulations are being followed.
CEO’s of edibles companies in Canada who offer medical cannabis patients with up to 220 milligrams of THC fears that the heavy-regulation of cannabis will lead to the reestablishment of the illicit market.
According to the CEO of Canopy Growth Corp. Bruce Linton, despite the skepticism, this is a standard method used by governments to regulate marijuana. The Canadian government has created rules regarding the eating, drinking of cannabis and are monitoring the sales of edibles at a federal level and are offering it through the use of provincially regulated entities.
Nevertheless, some dispensary owners believe that all the burdensome regulations on the sale of edibles are going to take a while before they become effective.
According to Vilano, the regulators will not take the rules into account, and she feels like nobody is listening on behalf of dispensary owners.
