Service Standards for Cultivation, Processing and Sale for Medical Purposes Licence Application Screening under the Cannabis Act and its Regulations

Service description

Health Canada posts service standards and performance information for services with over 100 regulatory authorizations, such as permits or licences, issued each year (high-volume regulatory transactions).

The Cannabis Act and its regulations provide a legal framework for the possession, production, distribution and sale of cannabis in Canada. Under this framework, a person is required to obtain a licence issued by Health Canada in order to conduct various activities with cannabis.

During screening, the application, attached documents and, if required, the submitted site evidence package are assessed for completeness, legibility and ability to be further assessed.

Refer to the following legislation and guidance to support the application process to become a licence holder under the Cannabis Act and its Regulations:

• Cannabis Act
• Cannabis Regulations
• Cannabis Licensing Application Guide

The relevant cost recovery fees associated with licence application screening under the Cannabis Act and its regulations were established by the Cannabis Fees Order. The Cannabis Fees Order Guide provides guidance on the interpretation of the Cannabis Fees Order and fee payment procedures.

Dispute prevention and early resolution are keys to minimizing the impacts of disputes both internally and externally, and to improve relations between programs and their stakeholders. The Licensing and Medical Access Directorate will make every effort to identify, manage, and resolve disputes at the level at which they take place.

For feedback on service, including on service standards, please send correspondence to the departmental contact indicated below.

Service standard

Health Canada commits to a non-binding administrative service standard of 30 business days for the screening of new licence applications for cultivation, processing and sale for medical purposes licences. The 30 business days standard excludes time spent awaiting additional information from applicants.

Performance target

The target for achieving this standard is set at 75%.

Performance result in fiscal year 2019-2020

In 2019-2020, 90% of new licence applications were screened within the 30 business day service standard.

Departmental contact

Please contact the Cannabis Licensing and Medical Access Directorate to make any general inquiries or comments:

Cannabis Licensing and Medical Access Directorate
Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch
Health Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0K9
E-mail: hc.licensing-cannabis-licences.sc@canada.ca