Concerns mount as edible cannabis becomes legal

CALGARY (660 NEWS) – Many were apprehensive ahead of cannabis legalization a year ago in Canada but just weeks after, a cannabis review says the industry is more confident and mature.

It comes as the next phase of legalization begins Thursday with edibles, topicals, and beverages now allowed for sale.

“We’ve gone from the fear and trepidation pre-legalization to a much more confident and mature industry where consumers are able to access legalized cannabis in a variety of different formats and a variety of different retail experiences,” said Roger Beharry Lall with Lift and co.

While edible products can now be for sale, don’t expect them to be in your local stores right away.

READ MORE: Cannabis edibles could take time before coming to Calgary

Producers can begin submitting products to Health Canada, but the review process takes up to 90 days meaning you likely won’t see any of these products on shelves until mid-December.

Heather Holmen, A spokesperson with Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis said you can expect edible products to be in stores by early-to-mid January.

“Most likely there will be a limited number of products available initially, as licensed producers (LPs) determine market demand. All cannabis products sold in Alberta, including EETs, will come from the LPs we have contracts with. Currently, we are working with 33 LPs and are always looking to work with more. We have no issues with supply and have issued 306 retail licences (as of Oct. 15, 2019), which is very close to the 250 we had estimated for year one.”

However, there are still questions about how police will enforce consumption.

“I have a little bit more concern probably about the legalization of edibles and moving into that sphere than I was in relation to smokeable cannabis,” said Calgary police Chief Mark Neufeld. “What we saw in Colorado was at times, people would eat a brownie and (they wouldn’t feel high right away) and have another one and maybe another one, and then just the way that it impacts you, people ended up in the emergency ward.”

The City of Calgary reminds consumers using non-medical cannabis in any form is still prohibited and only designated in private consumption areas and festivals.

There are also concerns about what cannabis edibles can do to your health.

“We expect an even further increase in emergency department visits as a result of legalized edible cannabis,” said Dr. Eddy Lang with the Cumming School of Medicine.

According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, cannabis was the cause of around 40 per cent of hospitalization for 10-24 year olds.

“The experience in the U.S. is that not only do emergency department visits go up for kids as a result of legalized edibles but hospitalizations do as well. That suggests that the children are arriving in the emergency department in a much sicker state.”

As for Lall, he said most of the fear and trepidation from before legalization has gone away in just the first year and is excited for what happens as edibles hit the market.

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