Cannabis edibles just became legal. Now what?

As of Thursday October 17, 2019, cannabis edibles, extracts and topicals are now legal in Canada.

But what does that mean exactly?

Cannabis 2.0

This second wave of Canada’s cannabis legalization is known as “Cannabis 2.0.”

While the Government of Canada has deemed these recreational cannabis products, legal, “Federal licence holders will need to provide 60-days notice to Health Canada of their intent to sell new products, as they are currently required to do,” as required by the Cannabis Act.

That means the earliest possible date for products to be approved and hit the shelves is December 17, 2019, thought likely will take longer.

Smoke-free cannabis products including edibles, beverages, and CBD-infused food and drinks - along with vaping - is projected to be “a billion-dollar boon for Canada's burgeoning cannabis businesses,” according to a CNN Business article.

Culinary kush 

Think cooking with cannabis is merely dumping kush into brownie mix? Think again. First, you need to know the limits for edible cannabis and cannabis extracts: 10mg of THC of edible cannabis per package for food and drinks, and for cannabis extract, 10mg of THC per unit or dispensed amount, 1000mg of THC per package.

For foodies not yet versed in terpenes (the oils in cannabis that are partly responsible for a strain’s distinct flavour and fragrance), decarboxylation, how cannabis works when ingested, and other issues you should know about “cannabistronomy,” you can sign up to get certified at the Cannabis Cooking Company in Toronto. For those simply interested in learning more, they also offer cooking classes with “high standards” including lessons focused on savoury, sweet, vegan, and Japanese fare.

And there’s no shortage of cookbooks either. You’ve got your pick, including Bong Appétit: Mastering the Art of Cooking with Weed [A Cookbook] by the Editors of MUNCHIES (Psst - a second volume is in the works), Edibles: Small Bites for the Modern Cannabis Kitchen by Stephanie Hua with Coreen Carroll, and Robyn Griggs Lawrence - author of bestselling Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook: Feed-Good Food for Home Cooks - just dropped Pots in Pans: A History of Eating Cannabis.

Toronto chefs are getting in on the action, including Adrian Niman, Founder & Executive Chef of The Food Dudes. He’s curating edibles for Olli, a cannabis-infused products company located in Etobicoke. Also on the company’s roster: teas developed by renowned tea sommelier Richard Guzauskas. Once legalized, these products will be sold in provincially licenced retailers across Canada. And Ted Corrado just announced he left his longtime post of Corporate Executive Chef of The Drake Properties to take on the role of Director of Culinary at ByMINISTRY. Coming soon to the “House of High Culture”: The Enlightened Dining Club - a “secret moveable feast for forward-thinkers, where chef Corrado tests ideas from the Lab on a specially selected table of creative minds,” and MatchaBYMINISTRY - a “green tea speakeasy” with “matcha drinks, patisserie and snacks with a range plant infusions and adaptogens, sit alongside design-led accessories and fashion drops,” set to launch this year in downtown Toronto at 298 Markham Street.

Baked goods 

While weed-infused gummies and pot brownies get the bulk of the spotlight, expect edible marijuana products to include a gamut of products, including chocolate, tea, honey, olive oil, dried fruit, THC-infused butter tarts and focaccia. 

Given these delicacies look just like their dope-free counterparts, Aurora Cannabis Inc. recently launched Ready for Edibles, a campaign to address how to safely consume and store edibles before they go on sale next month.

High time

And the beer and beverage game is about to be turned on its head with big time players Molson Coors to include THC- and CBD-infused drinks on the market, and Province Brands of Canada developing “the world’s first beers brewed from the cannabis plant.” Some of these brews will be free of alcohol - with THC and other phytocannabinoids in its place - while others such as Cambridge Bay Imperial Pilsner, a hemp-based beer by Province Brands and distributed by Yukon Brewing, will be infused with booze (7% ABV).

Chronic cocktails and cafes

With North America’s first cannabis restaurant, Lowell Farms: A Cannabis Café, recent debut in West Hollywood, is Toronto far behind?

“Herbed” pancakes and pasta paired with cannabis cocktails curated by “budtenders” may be available in the 6ix sooner than you think.

Stay tuned.