The Canadian federal government will legalize edibles on Oct 17th 2019. Retailers are required to submit a request which takes 2 months to be processed. Edibles will be available for purchase as your next Christmas gift.
Many people thought all marijuana products were legal on Oct 17th 2018. That was not the case. In fact, from a consumer perspective, only the flower aka bud, was made legal. Edibles are still very much illegal for sale.
From a producer perspective, if they are already licensed, they will have to get re-licensed. They will have to apply on or after Oct 17th. The Canadian government says the delay was based on protecting children. They are adamant that the resulting products should not be attractive to children. All edibles will be limited to 100mg of the drug
WHAT ARE EDIBLES
So if you are new to this whole world of Cannabis, you may not be aware of the various ways it can be consumed. For those focused on the negative effects of smoking anything, here are some other ways you could consider consuming cannabis
- Spray/Arisol
- Food aka edibles
- Topical e.g. patch or cream
- Pills
- Drinks
Yes that’s right, there is no excuse to avoid Cannabis if smoking is the deterrence. There is a wide world of solutions available and companies are just getting started
In short, an edible is anything you would consider as food, being infused with Cannabis. Gummies and cookies are the most popular examples of this. Maybe because marijuana is unfairly associated with over eating aka munchies. In fact, some categories of marijuana like Sativa, are not known for increasing appetite.
WHERE CAN I GET IT?
In the near future, you will have to depend on the government website. They are the bottle neck for all cannabis related distribution in Canada. As they make it available, eventually other dispensaries will also start providing options
In the long run, you should expect rules to relax and a free for all to ensue. Expect you favorite drink maker to start rolling out cannabis infused drinks to the masses. Expect restaurants to have specials infused with marijuana, just like they do with alcohol today. In fact, that’s the biggest point to be made here, anywhere you see alcohol today, you should expect to see marijuana.
HOW DO EDIBLES AFFECT ME?
Everyone is different. Everyone responds to cannabis differently. No one can tell you exactly how edibles will affect you. However, there are somethings to consider
This is not an exact science. Food is far from exact. The calorie and other details you see on packaging, is inherently given a degree of error by the federal agencies of north america. This is because, you can’t possible dictate how nutrients will shift in food during its preparation process, especially under heat. So whatever the package says, your first bite may have way more THC in it than your second. Its important to start small.
My first experience with edibles after 10 years smoking, hit me harder than my virgin smoke 10 years ago. The high itself is also different. Its going to be more of a body high, probably because its passing through so much of your body. When smoked, the THC (active psychedelic ingredient in marijuana) goes straight to your lungs, to your blood stream. Just like we saw oxygen do on popular children’s shows like magic school bus growing up. Once in your blood, the THC quickly goes through your heart and is sent to the brain where it bonds with the receptors. This direct to brain delivery feels different to the injected route. It also takes far longer to feel the effects from eating, compared to the rocket experience of smoking. Up Up and Away!
It should also be said, that edibles could be made with CBD, the cousin of THC. I personally have never consumed such a thing. It would probably put you to sleep quickly which has never been the goal of my edible consumption. Whatever the goal, this instagram post shows that people love edibles
CONCLUSION
Many of you have tried them already, probably by experimenting with weed butter in your kitchen. Some of you have experience the popular edibles makers that have been distributing their products across Canada for years. All of use will be able to legally partake for Christmas 2019 hurray! If you don’t live in Canada, its probably best to plan your next trip asap
