Canada Updates Cannabis Law, Limits on Marijuana Beverages Tightened

The Canadian Ministry of Health has completed revisions to the Cannabis Act, which now includes increased restrictions on the possession of cannabis beverages and relaxed requirements for research and testing.

According to an announcement by the Canadian Department of Health on December 9th, the amendment came into effect on December 2nd.

A copy of the final regulation and a statement on regulatory impact and analysis will be published in the second section of the Canada Gazette on December 21.

According to the announcement, the amendment incorporates feedback from stakeholders in the cannabis industry, universities, researchers, health authorities, trade associations, licensees, provinces, regions, and the public.

A new regulation has been implemented to increase public possession restrictions on marijuana drinks in order to align with other marijuana products. Adults are now allowed to possess a maximum of 17.1 liters (equivalent to 48,355 milliliter cans) for non-medical purposes.

Under previous Canadian regulations, adults were allowed to possess approximately 2.1 liters of cannabis beverage or roughly five 355-milliliter cans.

These amendments also aim to simplify marijuana research by altering the requirements for non-therapeutic studies involving human participants.

In addition, the new regulations allow holders of analytical testing licenses as well as federal and provincial government labs to produce, distribute and sell reference standards and testing kits in order to increase access to cannabis testing materials.

The amendment also expands the educational qualification requirements for laboratory directors, who hold a mandatory position in analytical testing laboratories responsible for all cannabis testing activities at the facility.

These latest amendments are part of Canada's ongoing efforts to improve the Cannabis Act, which came into effect in October 2018 and aims to legalize the production, distribution, sale, and possession of cannabis for adults aged 21 and over.

In September, the Canadian government announced that it has initiated a necessary review of the Cannabis Act to assess its impact on the illegal market, indigenous communities, and the economy.

Last month, government officials appointed a five-member expert panel responsible for conducting reviews.

The group will ultimately present recommendations to Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Deputy Minister of Health Carolyn Bennett on progress towards achieving the objectives of the Cannabis Act, which include protecting the health and safety of Canadians, establishing a diverse and competitive legal industry to replace the illegal market, and identifying areas for legal improvement.