Here’s When You’ll be Able to Purchase Cannabis Edibles in Mississauga

It’s official: Cannabis edibles are coming.

And they should be available in December. 

Recently, the federal government announced that it is making some changes to the Cannabis Regulations, which sets out the rules for governing the legal production and sale of edible cannabis, cannabis extracts and cannabis topicals.

The Canadian government states they have implemented a strict legal framework to regulate and restrict access to cannabis to keep it out of the hands of youth, and profits out of the pockets of criminals and organized crime.

The amendments aim to reduce the health risks of these cannabis products while introducing a broad diversity of cannabis products.

“The amended regulations under the Cannabis Act will support our overarching goal of keeping cannabis out of the hands of youth and protecting Canadians by helping to mitigate the health risks posed by these new cannabis products,” said Minister of Health Ginette Petitpas Taylor.

The amended Cannabis Regulations will be published in the Canada Gazette, Part II, on June 26.

“These products pose unique health risks, which is why we have taken the necessary time to establish appropriate safeguards,” states the Canadian government’s press release.

The amended regulations will come into force on October 17. However, it will take some time before the new cannabis products are available for purchase by the general public. 

A limited selection of products will appear gradually in physical and online stores after mid-December 2019. Federal licence holders will need to provide 60-days notice to Health Canada of their intent to sell new products, as they are currently required to do.

The government acknowledges that it will take a long time to put the products on the shelves because federally licensed processors have to prepare the products to comply with the new rules and provincially or territorially authorized distributors/ retailers will also need time to obtain the new products.

“The amended regulations are the next step in our process to reduce the risks to public health and safety from edible cannabis, cannabis extracts and cannabis topicals and displace the illegal market for these products in Canada. We are committed to working closely with the provinces and territories as well as the industry in the weeks ahead to prepare for effective implementation of these new regulations,” said Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction Bill Blair.

The government says it will continue to work closely with the provinces and territories, Indigenous communities, the regulated industry, public health organizations, and law enforcement to support the effective implementation of the amended Cannabis Regulations.