Cannabis Non-solid and Beverage Equivalency

Summary#

This is a proposed Order Amending Schedule 3 to the Cannabis Act published on March 12, 2022. It would set how much of certain non-solid cannabis products and cannabis beverages count as the equivalent of 1 g of dried cannabis — 70 g for most non-solids and 570 g for cannabis beverages. Interested people had 45 days to comment.

What it does#

• Removes the previous item 4 in Schedule 3 of the Cannabis Act and replaces the entries that define equivalencies.
• Adds an entry saying that a non-solid product containing cannabis, other than a cannabis beverage, is counted as 70 g to be equivalent to 1 g of dried cannabis.
• Adds an entry saying that a cannabis beverage is counted as 570 g to be equivalent to 1 g of dried cannabis.
• Says the Order comes into force on the same day as the Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Concerning Cannabis Research and Testing and Cannabis Beverages, or on the day the Order is registered if that is later.

Who's affected#

• Cannabis producers and manufacturers who make edibles, oils, tinctures and beverages.
• Retailers and distributors who package and sell those products.
• Testing labs and researchers working with non-solid cannabis products or beverages.
• Consumers could notice changes in how product amounts relate to possession or serving-size rules.
• Department of Health and other regulators who apply the Cannabis Act rules.

Why it matters#

• These equivalency numbers determine how different product forms are counted under the law. That can affect possession limits, labelling, packaging and how products are tested or tracked.
• For consumers, the change could alter how many servings are treated as the same as a gram of dried cannabis.
• The rule only takes effect when the linked regulations come into force (date not specified here), so the timing depends on that separate regulation.