CALGARY -- As of Tuesday, cannabis edibles are available for sale in Canada but you won’t find any of the legal products on store shelves in Alberta, Ontario or Quebec until the new year.
That’s because the three provinces run their own distribution systems rather than allowing producers to ship directly to retailers.
Edibles include anything from beverages, gummies and baked goods along with topical oils and balms that can be absorbed through the skin for pain relief.
The industry was hoping these products would attract customers who might be reluctant to smoke cannabis but a gauntlet of regulatory issues, logistics and quality checks has delayed the process.
Regulations governing the new products came into force on Oct. 17, one year after Canada legalized recreational pot and began selling flower and oils.
At that point, companies had to give 60 days' notice before they could start selling, meaning the roll-out will be staggered. Canopy Growth Corp., for example, has said most of its products won’t be available until January, while Aurora Cannabis Inc.’s products will be released over the first quarter of 2020.
Alberta won’t have products on retail store shelves until mid-January. The province has the most retail outlets with 373, including contracts with 42 cannabis producers and about half of them anticipate offering the new products.
In mid-January, edible cannabis products will be available for sale at albertacannabis.org. In the meantime, you can legally buy edibles in other provinces including in Manitoba where items are expected to hit store shelves this week.
Nova Scotia also expects to have a small offering of new products in stores on Dec. 23, while online ordering won’t be available there until Jan. 6
New Brunswick will start receiving limited shipments of new products over the next few days, with more details coming later in the week.
Quebec is aiming for a New Year’s Day roll out of products on store shelves, while new products are expected to appear in retail stores in Ontario on Jan. 6
