In October of 2019, Canada put into motion the final regulation regarding cannabis edibles, topicals, and extracts. But how long will it take before these products hit the market?
Smoking is still the most common way Canadians consume cannabis. Interest in edibles is quickly gaining in popularity, shooting up to 42% from 34% a few short years ago.
Are you prepared to meet these regulations? How soon will these products be available?
The answer is "sooner than you think"! Keep reading to learn how quickly we'll see new cannabis products on the market and how to make sure your business is prepared for the new regulations.
Legalization of Cannabis Edibles and More
With the Cannabis Act, the government put forth guidelines to measure and control how people use and produce cannabis. Now, as of October 2019, they rolled out new legislation about other cannabis products.
As with the first law, there are rules and regulations providers have to follow. That means that products won't instantly appear on shelves.
The good news is we might not have to wait too long to see them. The better news is that when we do, they'll meet high standards.
Higher Standards, Higher Quality
There are needs to be met before products are ready for sale from both creation to marketing to packaging. Here are a few things that manufacturers need to plan for:
- Cannabis products must be made in a stand-alone facility
- Staff has to be trained on new regulations regarding topicals, edibles, and extracts
- Packaged goods can't exceed 1,000 mg of THC per serving of extract of 10 mg for edibles
- Marketing and packaging can't be appealing to youth (for example, THC candy)
- Packaging has to be child-resistant, plain, and make no health claims
- Current producers need an amended Health Canada cannabis license
As you can see, there are some challenges in these regulations. Existing food processors who want to get in on this market won't be able to use existing facilities, missing this opportunity.
Determining whether a product appeals to youth is tricky and can go down to a case-by-case basis. You're probably better off avoiding controversy and marketing to seniors since they're the fastest-growing new user group for cannabis products.
What Can You Do Now?
Estimates are that with these new regulations in place, the earliest we'll see these products for sale is December 2019. Are you ready to meet all of the new rules and regulations?
You need to make sure your operation is ready to go from top to bottom. Here's what you can do now:
- Get your Health Canada license
- Make sure your facilities follow guidelines and staff are properly trained
- Go over your packaging and dose per package to ensure it meets regulations
- Network now to get your products on store shelves
Being proactive gives you a huge advantage over the stiff competition in the market. Get a jump on these crucial few months.
Manufacturers of cannabis edibles, topicals, extracts and more have a lot to keep in mind to stay within the new regulations. We're here to help -- contact us today and let's navigate these new opportunities together!