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Rebecca Jesseman of the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addiction said the regulations were positive overall but restrictions on brand elements should be clearer.

“It’s a tricky balance, because we don’t want to promote increased use and we don’t want (packaging) to be flashy, but we do certainly want to use it as a way to convey information effectively,” she said.

“I think we’re looking at something that’s informative, truthful and perhaps a little bit bland.”

Canada can learn from U.S. states that have legalized pot. Colorado allows print, radio, TV and Internet ads if there’s reliable evidence that 70 per cent of the audience is over 21, while Washington state requires ads to contain a number of warnings.

Colorado banned promotions that appeal to kids when it legalized cannabis, but over time the rules became more specific, including prohibiting edibles shaped like animals, said Lewis Koski, the state’s former marijuana enforcement director.

The federal government has given itself extra time to allow edibles, such as candies and cookies, in the marketplace, with regulations expected by July 2019. Koski, co-founder of consulting firm Freedman & Koski, praised the strategy.

“Health Canada has done a really, really good job,” he said. “They’ve been very thoughtful in their approach and they recognize that this is going to take some time and it’s going to evolve.”

The department said companies that violate the advertising or packaging rules, if passed, could face licence suspensions or revocations, fines of up to $1 million and potentially be referred to police.

Brown, the Kwantlen instructor, said he expects Health Canada to make examples of those who don’t comply early on. The department already sends a stern letter about once a year to all the licensed medical producers, he said.

“Inevitably, it’s a cycle where they all agree and they all comply, and then six or seven months later, they tend to drift away from that compliance,” he said. “We’ve yet to see any enforcement of that.”

— Follow @ellekane on Twitter.