Only a year and 60 days after Canada introduced legal marijuana, Canada now has legal edibles with the emphasis on legal.
Technically, edibles have been legal since October 17, the one-year anniversary of legal marijuana in Canada. The timelines in the cannabis regulations didn't allow for edibles, extracts, and topicals to be available in that 60-day window.
Canadians might not be able to get them today, even with the legal status, depending on availability.
There will be no gummy bears or anything youth-oriented in the edibles. THC-infused drinks are a real option. Health Canada has limited the THC content of cannabis edibles to 10 mg per package.
Having edibles opens up possibilities for tourists and others to enjoy marijuana in public since they bypass the smoking of the product. If you are considering that option, keep in mind that provincial laws and often local laws are in force on public consumption.
If you are new to edibles, less is better than more. We might poke fun at how slow Canada has been on edibles, but each individual should learn how much they can handle.
Having 2.5 mg as an initial dose might be a good place to start. Don't let experts with a higher tolerance steer you otherwise. You can always try a higher dosage as you experiment.
A reminder that 30 mg is the maximum amount you can carry on your person in Canada. Don't bring anything marijuana into the United States from Canada.
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23 consecutive workdays, 7,296km driven and 16 Cannabis Pro stories filed, #CannabisAcrossCanada is now complete.
— Jameson Berkow (@grassreporter) October 19, 2019
In year one of post-prohibition Canada, my goal was to learn what went wrong. Here is how to make it right in year two. #Elexn43 #cdnpoli https://t.co/7KEYXw38Kr
Jameson Berkow from The Globe and Mail traveled across Canada to get a sense on how well or poorly the selling of marijuana depending on where you are in Canada.
We have read some incredible numbers that legal marijuana has not worked out as well in the first year. Those numbers are really problematic for those who invested a lot of time and money in marijuana. The lack of edibles could have a lot to do with those numbers.
The black market will remain strong in Canada, especially in Ontario. Having legal edibles brings in a more casual market that might not have a dealer on speed dial. We might have to wait another year to see how well Canada is really doing with legal marijuana.
The black market could be a larger factor in Quebec since the minimum age will go up from 18 to 21 on January 1. The minimum cannabis age in Canada is 19, except in Alberta where the legal age is 18. The contrast is more stark since the Quebec drinking age is 18.
What's Tempting: Marijuana edibles (BalanceofFood.com)
Your Guide to Canada's Edible Pot Rules (Front Burner CBC Radio)
Individual states are also taking their own paths to marijuana legalisation. Michigan allowed the sale of recreational marijuana on December 1. On the state's opening day, there were 6 locations in the entire state where you could buy pot: a location each in Evert and Morenci. Evert is southeast of Cadillac in the lower finger part of the state while Morenci is southwest of Ann Arbor so close to the state line you can likely smell Ohio from the parking lot. The other 4 locations are in Ann Arbor with 0 in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing. Battle Creek, Traverse City, Flint, Saginaw, and Bay City combined.
I happened to be in a car going east on Liberty Street in downtown Ann Arbor on the morning of December 1. The long line was to get into Arbors Wellness on East Liberty Street.
John Sinclair was at the front of that line. Sinclair was given a 9½-10 year prison sentence for giving 2 marijuana joints to an undercover cop in 1969. "They gave him ten for two — what else can the bastards do?" were lyrics from the John Lennon song John Sinclair.
The Michigan Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional the state's marijuana statutes and Sinclair was released from prison in December 1971. The star-studded John Sinclair Freedom Rally pretty much led to the annual Hash Bash rally.
The Michigan story is to remind people that not every place is as well organised on marijuana as Alberta or Colorado. Michigan is getting a lot more locations soon, sooner than Ontario did. As a contrast, Michiganders are allowed to keep 10 oz. of marijuana (versus 30 grams on one's person in Canada) at home and grow up to 12 plants (4 in most of Canada, but 0 in Quebec and Manitoba).
Marc Emery is the most prominent Canadian marijuana activist. Emery, Sinclair, and lots of lesser known people fought and made sacrifices with a goal of legal marijuana. Their sacrifices should be noted.
video credit: CBC News
photo credit: me
Twitter capture: @grassreporter
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