Proposed Approach to the Regulation of Cannabis – Closed consultation 

From Health Canada

Current status: Closed

This consultation ran from November 21, 2017 to January 20, 2018

See the Proposed Approach to the Regulation of Cannabis: Summary of Comments Received During the Public Consultation for summaries of the discussions that took place.

We have committed to legalizing, strictly regulating and restricting access to cannabis. In April 2017, we introduced Bill C-45, the proposed Cannabis Act.  Should the proposed Cannabis Act be approved by Parliament, regulations will be needed to support its implementation.

In November 2017, Health Canada published a consultation paper entitled Proposed Approach to the Regulation of Cannabis.

Who was the focus of this consultation

We engaged with:

• Canadians
• Provincial, territorial governments
• Indigenous governments and representative organizations
• Municipalities
• Patients
• Public health community
• Law enforcement
• Cannabis industry, present and future
• Hemp industry

Key questions for discussion

The consultation paper set out a series of regulatory proposals on:

• Licences, permits, and authorizations
• Security clearances
• Cannabis tracking system
• Product standards
• Packaging and labelling
• Cannabis for medical purposes
• Health products and cosmetics containing cannabis

This Summary of Comments Received During the Public Consultation summarizes the feedback received from thousands of Canadians, as well as:

• Indigenous organizations
• provincial and territorial governments
• other stakeholders, including public health experts
• current and prospective cannabis licensed producers

Should the proposed Cannabis Act be approved by Parliament, we intend to publish final regulations as soon as possible following Royal Assent of the Act.

To help licensed producers, provinces and territories, and others prepare for the coming into force of the proposed Cannabis Act, the Summary of Comments Received During the Public Consultation provides details on 2 key elements of the proposed regulations:

• the definitions of micro-scale licences
• the requirements for plain packaging and labelling of cannabis products

What we are hearing

• Summary of Comments Received During the Public Consultation

Related information

• Proposed Approach to the Regulation of Cannabis
• Supply Chain for the Commercial Production and Sale of Cannabis - Proposed Federal Licences
• Proposed Requirements for Cultivation, Processing, and Federal Sale Licences

Contact us

Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Secretariat
Address locator 0602E
Health Canada
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9
Email: cannabis@canada.ca