There are still questions to be answered ahead of the legalization of edible cannabis products in Canada.
Just like the rollout of legal cannabis, it could be a slow go around, according to Kamloops business licence inspector Dave Jones.
He is also a member of the Joint Provincial-Local Government Committee (JCCR) on Cannabis Regulation.
Speaking on NL Newsday, Jones said the Federal Government want to make sure that they have all their policies in place.
“That’s to make sure that they don’t appeal to the youth and obviously with all that in line, then, of course, anybody that wants to make application to the Federal Government for those types of licences will have to do so,” he said.
“It’s a little bit slow to get out there but I mean obviously from a business proposition I think this is a huge opportunity for many areas to look at.”
He expects there to be a “big cry” for more products as cannabis becomes more user-friendly.
“Whatever the legalization date, don’t expect the shelves to be full,” Jones added. “I think the people that are going to produce that stuff have some limitation on the packaging of how much THC there is.”
“There’s also going to be some limitations of how it can look and how it can taste and what it can be mixed in with. I think that complete list isn’t finalized yet by the Federal Government.”
That said, he noted it’s important to remember that the regulations are not finalized yet.
“There can’t be any claim that it’s good for any kind of health or medical benefits,” he noted. “Can’t make a claim that it’s suitable for a particular type of diet. They’ll have to have ingredients on it, saying what else is in there besides THC. That stuff is still coming in the legislation from the Federal side.”
Edibles will fall under the Cannabis Act and not the Food and Drugs Act in Canada.
Jones noted that the JCCR is optimistic that with proper legislation and good production practices, things will all work out once edibles are legalized.
The Feds expect edibles to be legal no later than October 17. You can have your say via an online survey until February 20.
