PHOTO Federico Ettlin

The first few months were jammed packed with tales about how weed shortages stood to cripple the market for the next several years, as well as cops telling citizens to stop narcing on their neighbors and a few stoned driving warnings, but all-in-all there’s not been a lot of chatter regarding the post-legalization vibe in the northern nation. However, the country is far from finished with the business at hand. In a matter of months, it will unleash the next phase of its legalization scheme – the edibles market – which some believe is the missing link the country needs to drive more customers into the legal sector.

By the end of summer, cannabis stores should have the freedom to carry a variety of THC-infused food and beverages. Everything from pot candies to the long-awaited marijuana beers will start to appear on the shelves of reefer retail establishments nationwide. But the country is approaching its edibles sector with care, taking into consideration all of the horror stories that have been spread throughout the years about inexperienced users freaking out full-blown panic (or even taking a trip to the emergency room ) because they ate too much weed. Still, even with the fear factor built in, it doesn’t appear the edible regulations will be any more strict than they are in the United States.

Low Dose, Child Repellant Edibles

The proposed rules are calling for a single serving size to come with no more than 10 milligrams of THC. But unlike what we’ve seen in legal states, the rules would dictate that each serving be individually packaged. So while it is possible to walk into a dispensary in Colorado or California and purchase a chocolate bar containing 100 milligrams of THC (one that can be broken up in 10-milligram sizes) the Canadian rules are calling for each chocolate square to come with its own plain wrapper.

Very plain.

Companies are not given creative license when it comes to designing their packaging. The best they can hope for is that their logo appears somewhere on the wrapper. The Canadian government doesn’t want to sensationalize legal weed too much, so it has essentially imposed a one-size-fits-all labeling spec.

The proposed rules also indicate that none of the cannabis edibles products can contain any other drug than marijuana. This means no caffeine, no alcohol and they must all be sealed in child-resistant containers. As an added safety measure, all of the edible confections must be generic shapes – no animals or anything fun. The goal is produce edible products that minors do not find charming enough to eat.

Cannabis Industry Works to Improve Edibles Experience

Some cannabis companies are working to develop edible products that will be a little more user-friendly. A business called Delta 9 Cannabis is working with Nanosphere Cannabis International (NCI) to produce a new cannabis oil that takes effect in less than 10 minutes. Traditionally, pot edibles are known for their surprise attack. They can sometimes take an hour or more to kick in, which can trick the user into thinking that the buzz isn’t coming, so they eat more. In a couple of hours, they are as high as they’ve ever been in their lives and they can start to flip out.

But by shortening the time it takes to feel the boom, Delta 9 CEO says it will prevent more people from going overboard.

“As we roll out the expanded regulations this fall, consumers aren’t going to want to be waiting up to an hour or more to experience the effect of the product. If we can shorten that uptake to similar to drinking a beer that’s a value proposition that’s interesting to us,” he told the Global News.

Onset time is one aspect that the big brewers set to launch cannabis-infused beers in the Canadian market are attempting to work out as well. While beer is water soluble, making it quick to hit the bloodstream, cannabis doesn’t work that way. It is metabolized much later in the digestive process. This, of course, is a major snag when it comes to serving people cannabis beer, as they could easily consume several beverages before ever feeling the effects of the first one. So, brewers are experimenting with methods to make THC water soluble, which they hope will allow cannabis beverages to be moderated much in the same way that people do with beer.

Cannabis Industry is Skeptical of Launch

There is some concern that Health Canada will miss the deadline to roll out the legal edibles market. After all, the government promised to legalize marijuana last year on Canada Day but that didn’t end up happening until a few months later. Nevertheless, the agency is sifting through thousands of responses regarding the prosed edibles regulations to put a regulatory scheme into place… hopefully by October. The government hasn’t said yet whether there are any unexpected delays.

In the meantime, DIY cannabis edibles are perfectly legal. Some companies have even assembled kits to help the consumer make their own marijuana candies in a manner they say is safer than buying them in the black market. Zen Zinger is one of them. It provides the consumer with everything they need to make cannabis edibles except for marijuana. These kits are available online for right around $20.

TELL US, do you think scientists will ever be able to make THC water soluble?