News

Cannabis laws: Canada changes number of drinks you can buy

Published

2 months ago

December 9, 2022

Harry Miller

OTTAWA –

The federal government has approved a change in how the cannabis content of beverages is calculated, pushing the number of standard-sized, canned pot drinks that can be bought at once from five to 48.

The change announced Friday and effective immediately makes one gram of dried cannabis equivalent to 570 grams of a pot drink, an increase from the 70 grams of a pot drink the government currently equates to one gram of dried cannabis.

One gram of dried cannabis is also now equivalent to 70 grams of non-solids containing cannabis like oils.

The shift in equivalency is important because the Cannabis Act, the federal legislation which paved the way for pot’s legalization, allows Canadians to carry no more than 30 g of dried cannabis or its “equivalent” at one time.

Single cannabis beverages sold in Canada could also not contain more than 10 mg of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), pot’s psychoactive component.

That left Canadians unable to buy more than five 355mL cans of pot drinks with 2 or 2.5 mg of THC in each, but able to purchase nine beverages that come in 222 mL cans with 10 mg of THC at once or even 100 bottles of cannabis oil spray containing 50,000 mg of THC.

The changes have increased the quantity of cannabis drinks adults can possess at one time to 17.1 litres from 2.1 litres.

Members of the industry have long pushed for this change.

They complained consumers were being inconvenienced by the past formula and kept from buying six-packs — a popular format for beer drinkers.

“Canadians can finally purchase a six-pack, 24, or up to 48 of their favourite cannabis beverages to enjoy with family and friends, which represents a win for consumer choice as this innovative category takes a leap forward,” wrote David Klein, chief executive officer of Canopy Growth Corp., a licensed cannabis producer, in a statement.

“As our sector matures, today’s changes mark a critical next step by the federal government and demonstrate the necessary evolution of cannabis regulations to support a responsible and competitive cannabis industry in Canada.”

The change was under consideration since March, when the government published a proposal on the matter in the Canada Gazette. That started a 45-day consultation period, where feedback from stakeholders, public health officials and consumers was collected. It ended April 26.

Cannabis drinks started hitting shelves in most provinces at the start of 2020. They were a hailed as a way to lure cannabis-hesitant consumers into exploring pot usage, but have since generated sluggish sales.

Pot beverages made up two per cent of sales across the Ontario Cannabis Store’s website and the shops it supplies between Jan. 1 and March 31, the most recent quarter it has released data. Oils made up just as small a share of sales recorded by the provincial pot distributor during that period.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2022.

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News

Inflation in Canada: Finance ministers meet

Published

8 hours ago

February 4, 2023

Harry Miller

TORONTO – The two big spending pressures on the federal government right now are health care and the global transition to a clean economy, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said Friday.
After hosting an in-person meeting with the provincial and territorial finance ministers, Freeland said U.S. President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which includes electric-vehicle incentives that favour manufacturers in Canada and Mexico as well as the U.S., has changed the playing field when it comes to the global competition for capital.

“I cannot emphasize too strongly how much I believe that we need to seize the moment and build the clean economy of the 21st century,” Freeland said during a news conference held at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.

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“This is a huge economic opportunity.”

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Canada needs to invest in the transition in order to potentially have an outsized share in the economy of the future, she said, or it risks being left behind.

This year in particular will be an important year for attracting capital to Canada, she said, calling for the provinces and territories to chip in.

“This is a truly historic, once-in-a-generation economic moment and it will take a team Canada effort to seize it.”

At the same time, Freeland spoke of the need for fiscal restraint amid economic uncertainty.

“We know that one of the most important things the federal government can do to help Canadians today is to be mindful of our responsibility not to pour fuel on the fire of inflation,” she said.

Freeland said these two major spending pressures, which were among the topics prioritized at Friday’s meeting, come at a time of a global economic slowdown which poses restraint on government spending.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to meet with the premiers Feb. 7 to discuss a long-awaited deal on health-care spending. The provinces have been asking for increases to the health transfer to the tune of billions of dollars.

Freeland said it’s clear that the federal government needs to invest in health care and reiterated the government’s commitment to doing so but would not say whether she thinks the amount the provinces are asking for in increased health transfers is feasible.

“It’s time to see the numbers,” Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard said Friday afternoon, in anticipation of the Feb. 7 meeting.

The meeting of the finance ministers comes at a tense time for many Canadian consumers, with inflation still running hot and interest rates much higher than they were a year ago.

The ministers also spoke with Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem Friday and discussed the economic outlook for Canada and the world, said Freeland.

“We’re very aware of the uncertainty in the global economy right now,” said Freeland. “Inflation is high and interest rates are high.”

“Things are tough for a lot of Canadians and a lot of Canadian families today and at the federal level, this is a time of real fiscal constraint.”

The Bank of Canada raised its key interest rate again last week, bringing it to 4.5 per cent, but signalled it’s taking a pause to let the impact of its aggressive hiking cycle sink in.

The economy is showing signs of slowing, but inflation was still high at 6.3 per cent in December, with food prices in particular remaining elevated year over year.

Interest rates have put a damper on the housing market, sending prices and sales downward for months on end even as the cost of renting went up in 2022.

Meanwhile, the labour market has remained strong, with the unemployment rate nearing record lows in December at five per cent.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2023.