MedReleaf has always supported a responsible, measured approach to legalization and regulation of cannabis use in Canada and appreciate the Government’s cautious and thorough approach to legalizing and regulating the industry.

Nonetheless, we have concerns with the announcement from Health Canada and the Department of Justice in their Summary of Comments Received During the Public Consultation report released on Monday the 19th of March.

As a licensed producer of cannabis, our goal is to ensure consumers have access to all the facts and details necessary to make informed decisions when purchasing cannabis products. On this point, we believe Health Canada’s packaging and branding recommendations miss the mark. Defaulting to a tobacco-like regime fails to recognize fundamental differences between products, or to account for current and future variations in consumption methods, such as oils or capsules.

We believe the common-sense and true risk-based approach is to regulate cannabis in a way similar to alcohol and provide consumers the ability to distinguish between brands (and all they represent) including product types, qualities, varieties, effects, sources of origin and awards garnered. As a dedicated corporate partner in the delivery of legal and regulated cannabis products, we firmly believe that adult-focused branded packaging will also better differentiate legal products from black market offerings thereby serving a fundamental public policy objective.

While we applaud the government in making these recommendations accessible for public review, we ask Health Canada to work with us to further refine their recommendations. Finding a compromise position on potentially unsafe suggestions for branding, packaging, and labeling requirements is in the best interest of all Canadians.

About MedReleaf

Voted Top Licensed Producer at the Lift Canadian Cannabis Awards, MedReleaf is dedicated to innovation, operational excellence and the production of top-quality cannabis. Sourced from around the world and carefully cultivated in one of two state-of-the-art ICH-GMP and ISO 9001 certified facilities in Ontario, we deliver premium products to the global medical market and products for the adult-use recreational consumer.

Contact:

Darren Karasiuk

VP, Strategy

MedReleaf

416-580-8768

dkarasiuk@medreleaf.com