Here’s an only-in-Canada story for you: Government officials are worried that it’s too difficult to sell people weed right now.
What happened: The Competition Bureau is asking Health Canada to loosen rules that restrict how cannabis is marketed and allow people to buy stronger edibles.
- Under the current regulations, cannabis has to be sold in plain packaging and edibles, like weed brownies and gummies, can contain a maximum of 10 milligrams of THC—the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis—per serving.
- The Competition Bureau thinks all those rules are really harshing the vibe of cannabis buyers and pushing many of them to black market products, which are often cheaper and more potent.
Why it matters: Legal cannabis was supposed to wipe out the black market, but that hasn’t happened. 46% of cannabis is still bought from illicit sellers, and legal businesses—which follow strict regulations and charge tax—are struggling to compete.
Yes, but: The federal government wants people who already use cannabis to switch to legal products without encouraging people who don’t use it to start. In other words, legal weed has to be appealing but not too appealing—a tricky balance to strike.