Closed consultation: Potential amendments to the Industrial Hemp Regulations

Current status: Closed

This consultation ran from May 16, 2026, to June 30, 2026

We invited you to comment on potential amendments to the Industrial Hemp Regulations. They aim to reduce regulatory requirements and administrative burden, while continuing to meet our public health and public safety objectives. These changes would support our commitment to reducing regulatory red tape, while maintaining key control measures for industrial hemp.

Who was the focus of this consultation

We were seeking comments from various groups, including:

• current and potential industrial hemp licence holders
• industrial hemp industry associations
• cannabis licence holders
• cannabis industry associations
• Indigenous groups
• professional associations
• federal partners (departments and agencies)
• provinces and territories

Key issues for consultation

The Notice of Intent targeted the following areas for feedback with respect to the industrial hemp framework:

• defining industrial hemp
• licensing
• cultivating
• importing and exporting
• testing for THC concentration
• selling flowering heads, leaves, and branches
• record keeping and reporting
• distinguishing industrial hemp from cannabis
• streamlining the framework, including the management of the List of Approved Cultivars
• impacts to public health or public safety from reducing regulatory burden

We will use the comments received to inform any future regulatory amendments. Any future regulatory proposals based on the comments received from this Notice of Intent would be pre-published in the Canada Gazette, Part I for further consultation before any regulatory amendments are made final.

Related information

• Cannabis Act
• Cannabis Regulations
• Industrial Hemp Regulations
• Industrial hemp licensing application guide

Contact us

Regulatory Affairs
Strategic Policy, Cannabis
Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch
Health Canada
Email: cannabis.consultation@hc-sc.gc.ca