Now that legalization has passed and is set to come into effect October 17, 2018, many are wondering about the various products that will be offered. While the plan is to have dried flower or bud available for purchase, cannabis connoisseurs and novices alike are wondering about edibles, concentrates, topicals, beverages, and growing at home.

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The government of Canada has stipulated that more products will be legalized for purchase in cannabis retail stores by end of 2019, but why the delay? While medicinal and recreational cannabis consumers love the discretion and whole body effects that edibles provide, the issue is regulating the dosage for consistency’s sake. Consumers need reliability in the amount of THC (and other cannabinoids) in each serving from bite to bite and batch to batch, putting the onus on Health Canada to regulate producers thoroughly, a significant undertaking.

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Cannabis education campaigns can also support in teaching the public on the various methods of consumption, and the differences in effects and when they take place. If you are smoking cannabis for example, the effects are almost immediately felt within 2-3 minutes, versus eating an edible which may take effect 30-60 minutes later. Be sure to read any dosing instructions on the packaging to know exactly what you’re getting per serving. For example, a 100mg THC infused beverage will indicate how much THC is in a capful so that you can moderate your consumption accordingly.

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Despite political opposition to legalize edibles, the rationale behind making these popular marijuana based edible treats available for purchase in retail stores is to further reduce black market sales. If they are not being offered for sale in legal cannabis retail outlets, it leaves the door open for black market distributors to continue to dominate the market and undermine legalization efforts. A stipulation has also been made to ensure that edibles are not appealing to children in terms of being in the shapes of fruits or animals, with clear warning labels on child resistant packaging.

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Until these products are available for purchase in cannabis retail stores, Canadian citizens have the option to make their own at home. Online tutorials and recipes are available that instruct how to cook dried flower in butter or oil so that the end product can be used in any recipe that would call for those ingredients. Small countertop appliances are also now on the market to help you make butters with your choice of herb, like a Levo Oil Diffuser, making cooking and cleanup a piece of cake.

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Supporters of the legalization of edibles argue that with the proper safeguards, and with accompanying public education campaigns on the risk of imbibing, edibles can be sold while minimizing the risk of overconsumption in adults and accidental consumption by children. You’ve probably heard it before friends, but remember to go low and slow if you’re planning on trying a tasty THC treat.

Compass Cannabis is a medical cannabis consultation company whose core business is focused on providing educational and consultation services to Canadians who are able to obtain cannabis from a licensed producer under Canada’s Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR). Compass Cannabis has forty clinics that are now open or confirmed across Canada, and has been recently selected by the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority as a cannabis retailer for Weyburn, SK. The retail license is through their subsidiary company and in partnership with Starbuds Colorado, one of the leading multiple state cannabis retailers in the United States. With a rapidly growing patient base currently being served and an aggressive real estate acquisition strategy, Compass is poised to be one of the largest marijuana organizations in Canada.