Canada’s Cannabis Edibles Market Launches Tomorrow

Cannabis edibles will finally go on sale throughout Canada tomorrow but consumers in Ontario, Quebec, and Alberta are likely going to have to wait until mid-January, the CBC reports. The delay is due to the provinces running their own distribution systems, needing to test the products before they hit store shelves, and, in Quebec’s case, stricter rules on edibles than all other provinces.

In July, Quebec banned the sale of potent THC-infused candies, confections, and deserts over 5 milligrams of THC per unit and no edible – regardless of potency – can be “appealing to children,” which means no sweeteners, colorants or other ingredients “that could increase the appeal of cannabis extracts.”

Fabrice Giguère with provincial retailer Société québécoise du cannabis, said provincial officials and the retailer “just want to give the industry time to adapt” to the new products and regulations.

Aurora spokesperson Laura Gallant told the CBC that teams at the company “are having sleepover parties at the office to be ready to receive and process orders for shipment.”

“[It’s a] nice way to have some fun with this industry milestone, given that we are ready to go right out of the gate,” she said in the report.

However, Hexo Corp CEO Sebastien St-Louis blamed the “regulatory uncertainty” and “jurisdictional decisions” on the company’s decision to downgrade its 202 sales forecast.

In addition to edibles, cannabis retailers will be allowed to sell concentrates, topicals, and other so-called “alternative” cannabis products.