With Canada becoming the second nation to legalize recreational cannabis on a federal level, most of us were already halfway out the door, joint in hand, ready to make moves to the green pastures. Now, with Health Canada, the federal department responsible for maintaining and improving the nation’s health, announcing strict regulations on Friday relating to edibles, topicals and extracts, things are starting to look less like a smoker’s paradise and more like a smoker’s daycare.
The new regulations will impose a 10-mg THC limit on all cannabis edibles, with a maximum of 1,000 mg per package, in addition to the prohibition of vitamins, minerals, nicotine or alcohol being added to such products. Cannabis topicals, such as creams and lip balm, can carry up to 1,000 mg of THC per package. However, these THC regulations are surprisingly looser than those of other cannabis-positive places. Regulators in Colorado, for instance, placed a 100-mg cap on THC-infused products back in 2017.
In further attempts to address risk, Health Canada is focusing its regulations on the protection of minors, barring producers of THC-infused products from selling anything that could be considered appealing to youth. Producers will be required to submit their products for approval 60 days prior to distribution.
Any cannabis edibles, extracts or topicals that do not meet the requirement of plain, child-resistant packaging, clearly labeled for THC, will not make it into the market. Further, any company caught ignoring these regulations could face up to $5 million in fines.
Official regulations will be published in the Canadian Gazette on June 26.
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