A little over two months after the legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada, the federal government announced it is now seeking feedback on draft regulations around cannabis edibles and other similar products to minimize what it calls “the public health and public safety risks” posed by such products.

The government said it is seeking ideas and input from the public on the draft regulations, specifically around three themes including product rules, packaging and labelling, and quality control requirements.

The consultation opened late last week and runs until February 20, 2019.

The government said that products such as edibles, extracts, and topicals will all be permitted for legal sale under the Cannabis Act no later than October 17, 2019, and that the proposed regulations and Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement (RIAS) are published in the Canada Gazette, Part I. For more information on the proposed regulations, please see the Backgrounder: Consultation on the strict regulation of additional cannabis products.

“We are actively seeking the input of all interested and affected parties to support development of the regulations,” the government said. “We will continue to promote understanding of the proposal.”

The government added that it intends to engage with all Canadians, including provinces, territories, and municipalities, Indigenous peoples, industry, patients and patient groups, health care practitioners, the public health community, and law enforcement.

A more detailed description of the regulations is available as part of the RIAS.

How to participate

For those interested in partaking in the study, the government is offering a series of options on how to do so:

On the website:

Participants can fill out and submit the online questionnaire. This does not require you to sign up for an account or share any of your personal information.

By email:

Participants can email written submissions to [email protected].

By mail:

Written submissions are also being accepted via mail to:

Strategic Policy Directorate

Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Branch

Address locator: 0302B

Health Canada

Ottawa, Ontario

K1A 0K9

See also