The packaging might look legit, but here's what's missing

Legal adult use cannabis for sale in the province of Saskatchewan features some fairly distinct symbols and imagery designed to help consumers identify products that come from a licensed, legal source.

But the illicit market has spawned more than just illegal weed — as those symbols are popping up on fake cannabis packaging labels across the province.

The faux labels bear the same yellow warning label telling consumers to keep the product out of the reach of minors, and the same red octagon bearing the white silhouette of a pot leaf and the letters “THC” on a black background.

There's "a lot of confusion" about which websites are legal and the fake labelling only adds to the uncertainty.



Fake cannabis labels circulating in Saskatchewanhttps://t.co/3uHbuMMIxf pic.twitter.com/82Qyny3BsJ — Courtney Markewich (@cjmarkewich) June 25, 2019

Although the packaging looks legit at first glance, tell-tale pieces of important information are missing from the label — such as an indication of the potency of the product and a lot number.

The Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) says they have been informed of the fake labels circulating in the province.

“SLGA is aware of the illegal cannabis with packaging designed to look like official Health Canada approved product,” SLGA spokesperson David Morris told CBC News in a statement. “Whenever SLGA becomes aware of information like this, we share it with Health Canada and the police.”

Legal cannabis can only be purchased from licensed retailers in the province, which opted to adopt a “competitive private model” for the retail sale of recreational weed when the drug was federally legalized last October.

Stores or individuals who are apprehended selling illicit cannabis risk incurring hefty fines or charges under the Cannabis Control (Saskatchewan) Act.

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