Edible cannabis is all set to become legal for sale in Canada come October 2019. The cannabis-infused beverages should come as a healthy alternative for regular weed consumers, as the drinks have, of course, done away with the negative impacts caused by smoking.
Containing a combination of CBD, THC and other cannabinoids, such beverages are already up for sale in some American states like Colorado. However, Canada is still stuck with formulating and implementing the rules and regulations that are fair on “all grounds”.
Here are the latest draft regulations set by the federal government that may put cannabis-infused beverage business into a limited zone:
Manufacturing
First things first, the draft states that no cannabis beverage can be manufactured at a facility that is already producing other food items or beverages. In other words, the companies looking to expand their business through this potentially-booming market need entirely new buildings and production facilities, which implies higher costs both for the makers and the consumers. The biggest drawback of higher costs is that consumers may again resort to smoking weed the traditional way, thus destroying all possibilities of having a healthy recreational time.
Branding
According to the rules, no alcohol brand can use its name on cannabis beverages. However, this is a rather baffling move, especially when the name of a well-established alcohol brand on a marijuana drink would clearly tell minors that this product is not for them.
Bottling
The bottles need to follow the child-resistant packaging norm. However, many experts from the beverage industry believe that child-resistant materials like pry tabs, pry tops and corks are not a good fit for cannabis-based beverages. Thus, a simpler and wiser approach would be to bring these drinks in line with alcohol bottling practices.
Naming
Under the current regulations, marijuana-infused non-alcoholic beverages cannot be referred to as ‘wine’ or ‘beer’. However, would there be a problem if the drinks are rather called ‘cannabis beer’ and ‘cannabis wine’? This is the question that the regulators are trying to address at the moment.
Furthermore, there is a lot of speculation regarding the places where these drinks can be served. Since ingesting a cannabis-based beverage is a lot different than smoking weed, the federal government is wondering if the beverages can be served at venues where consuming alcohol is permitted.
