Let’s ban strong cannabis extracts

Despite a healthcare system that was on the brink of collapse even before COVID, Health Canada bureaucrats have focused on companies that sell cannabis extracts.

Health Canada recently ordered state-licensed cannabis companies to stop selling cannabis products the bureaucracy found mislabeled. Health Canada is concerned that adults are consuming cannabis products labeled “edibles” rather than “extracts.”

The move is expected to cost cannabis companies millions of dollars. And it comes at a time when most publicly traded cannabis producers are still losing money.

Why target products that have been on the market for three years? Health Canada has not responded to any media on the matter, including a request for clarification from the Cannabis Life Network.

While Health Canada’s focus on cannabis extracts surprises many, others, like CLN, have been anticipating the move for some time.

In the letter, seen by MJBizDaily, Health Canada said: “Following further review of the products in question, Health Canada has determined that this product is edible cannabis and consequently contains a level of THC that exceeds the legal limit of 10mg per unit exceeds instant container.”

The letter further defines “extract”, “edible” and “food”.

“Health Canada has determined that (the products in question) are consumed in the same manner as food and therefore meet the definition of edible cannabis,” Health Canada’s letter said.

Cannabis extracts may not exceed 1,000 milligrams per container, 100 times more than Health Canada allows in the edibles class. Ergo, companies would rather produce extracts than edibles.

However, the line is blurred, and that probably affects the busybodies of the bureaucracy. For example, New Brunswick-based cannabis producer Organigram has a “Jolts” product advertised as a lozenge. While each candy contains 10mg, the entire pack contains 100mg.

Likewise, Redecan has a cannabis extract that contains 800 to 1000mg of THC per bottle. However, the oral delivery syringe limits each “dose” to 8-10 mg.

Are these the products Health Canada wants to discontinue?

Health Canada on Extracts: Useless

Why HealthCanada? And why now? Why?

Industry sources expect losses in the tens of millions if Health Canada requires extracts and lozenges to be withdrawn from the Canadian cannabis market. They also expect the illicit and legacy markets to fill the gap.

Regardless of what you think about public health and safety, or an individual’s freedom to consume as much THC as they wish, there are significant concerns about how Health Canada is addressing it.

This type of regulatory enforcement is similar to banana republics. Health Canada has already approved these products. Organigram’s “Jolts” have been on the market for over a year.

The manufacturers of these extracts followed all the rules and regulations. And now Health Canada will arbitrarily restrict (or ban) these products because… what? Canadian consumers prefer potent extracts to dim-witted edibles?

The lesson here is to get rid of all THC limits and not throw the hammer at companies that make legal products. This is not how you regulate an industry.

infantilization of adults

Although Health Canada did not respond to a request for comment, I suspect the justification will likely be via “public health” and “increased hospitalizations due to high-THC products.”

In other words, we’re so bad at providing health care that instead of improving it, we’ll start controlling the behaviors that can lead to people needing a hospital bed.

That’s the most insulting part of all of this. Health Canada treats adult cannabis users like children by restricting their autonomy and decision-making.

Actions speak louder than words. Health Canada bureaucrats (who live off our taxes) lack confidence in cannabis use Adult make their own decisions and take responsibility for their actions.

If regulations are not based on evidence or are not well founded, they constitute an infringement of personal freedom and autonomy.

Even with “conventional thinking” in which government regulations are effective and immune to corruption and politics, it is important that regulators balance the need to protect public health and safety with the need to enhance the autonomy and decision-making capacity of people to respect adults.

Health Canada’s crackdown on cannabis extracts clearly violates that balance.

This situation would be like Health Canada discovering that vodka and whiskey are stronger than beer. And so they’re ordering distilleries across the country to arbitrarily limit their alcohol content and pull products off the shelves.

Health Canada has nothing to do with regulating cannabis.

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