Conversion Factors for Cannabis Products Updated

Summary#

This is the Order Amending Schedule 3 to the Cannabis Act (SOR/2022-252). It changes the numeric conversion factors that the Cannabis Act uses to say how much of certain cannabis products equals 1 g of dried cannabis. The order was registered on December 2, 2022 and published in the Canada Gazette on December 21, 2022.

What it does#

• Deletes the previous item 4 from Schedule 3 to the Cannabis Act.
• Adds a new class for “non-solids containing cannabis, other than cannabis beverages” and sets the amount equivalent to 1 g of dried cannabis at 70 g.
• Adds a new class for “cannabis beverages” and sets the amount equivalent to 1 g of dried cannabis at 570 g.
• Says the order comes into force on the same day that the Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Concerning Cannabis Research and Testing and Cannabis Beverages come into force, or on the day this order was registered if that day is later.

Who's affected#

• Licensed cannabis manufacturers and sellers of edibles, concentrates and beverages.
• Labs and researchers who test and report cannabis quantities.
• Regulators and enforcement bodies that use Schedule 3 conversion rules.
• Consumers, because these conversions are used to compare different product types on a common scale (how many grams of product count as the same as 1 g dried cannabis).
  If it is unclear how a particular business or person is affected, their specific situation will depend on how these conversion numbers are used in other rules and decisions.

Why it matters#

• The order changes how different product forms are measured against a common standard. That can change how much of a product counts as an equivalent amount of dried cannabis.
• That matters for packaging, labelling, testing, and any rules or limits that refer to “grams of dried cannabis” as a benchmark.
• The exact legal or practical effects depend on when the linked regulations come into force and on how other parts of the law use Schedule 3’s conversion numbers.