Cannabis tracking: cultivation waste amendments

Summary#

This is a proposed change called the Order Amending the Cannabis Tracking System Order (Cultivation Waste) from the Department of Health. It would change how certain unpackaged cannabis is recorded in the federal tracking system, add a definition for “cultivation waste,” and change the unit used to report seeds to number of seeds. Interested people have 30 days from publication (June 8, 2024) to comment.

What it does#

• Updates reporting fields in the Cannabis Tracking System Order so quantities of unpackaged cannabis (excluding cultivation waste) are recorded differently when they are added to or removed from inventory.
• Adds a definition of “cultivation waste” by referring to the meaning in the related regulations (the Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Concerning Cannabis (Streamlining of Requirements)).
• Changes the unit of measurement in Schedule 2 for item 1 so seeds are reported as number of seeds.
• Sets when the changes take effect:
  • Most of the order comes into force on the day it is published in Canada Gazette, Part II.
  • The amendments in section 1 come into force on the later of when the related streamlining regulations come into force and the day the order is published in Canada Gazette, Part II.

Who's affected#

• Licensed cannabis growers and businesses that must use the cannabis tracking system (cultivators, processors and others required to report inventory).
• Compliance and record-keeping staff at those licensed businesses.
• Regulators who use the tracking data, including Health Canada.
• It is not always clear from the notice whether all licence classes or only specific licence types are affected; the change mainly targets those reporting unpackaged cannabis and seeds.

Why it matters#

• It changes how inventory is counted and reported. That can affect daily record-keeping and compliance checks for licensed producers.
• Defining “cultivation waste” the same way as in the related regulations aims to reduce confusion about what must be tracked and what can be treated as waste.
• Reporting seeds by number of seeds may change how businesses measure and report seed inventory (from weight or other units to a simple count).
• The timing depends on a related set of regulations, so businesses should watch for when those come into force to know exactly when they must follow the new rules.