Legalization of cannabis edibles, topicals, and extracts
As of October 17, 2019, cannabis edibles, topicals, and extracts are legal. But don’t expect to see them on the shelves of your friendly neighbourhood cannabis retailer any time soon. While Health Canada will begin accepting new product applications from licensed cannabis producers tomorrow, the applications include a 60-day notice period, so the new products are not expected to appear in physical or online stores until late-December 2019.
One of AUMA’s top priorities is securing a fair share of cannabis revenue for municipalities. We continue to push for a provincial-municipal agreement to share cannabis excise tax, as well as the amendment of the Municipal Government Act to enable municipalities to assess and tax cannabis grow operations at fair market value.
Our efforts are beginning to bear fruit: the Honourable Kaycee Madu, Minister of Municipal Affairs, has committed to looking at the property tax issue and the Honourable Travis Toews, Minister of Finance, was quoted at the AUMA Convention as saying, “We're looking at the impact on municipalities who are bearing enforcement costs.” We will keep you updated as our cannabis advocacy progresses, so stay tuned to the Digest!
The legalization of cannabis edibles, topicals, and extracts is not anticipated to have significant impacts on municipalities. These products will be subject to the same provincial legislative and regulatory framework as the dried plant and oil products, as well as any municipal bylaws around cannabis consumption, and will be sold in existing retail outlets.
That said, we want to hear from you if your community experiences any issues related to the legalization of these new products. Similarly, if you have any questions about legalization or AUMA’s policy positions on this topic, please visit our online cannabis hub or contact Kelly Santarossa, Senior Policy Analyst, at 780-409-4315 or ksantarossa [at] auma.ca (ksantarossa[at]auma[dot]ca).
