Over a year after the legalization of recreational cannabis, edible products will start hitting local shelves. (File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Glenn Hicks

weed varieties

Cannabis edibles set to arrive on P.A. store shelves

Dec 16, 2019 | 5:00 PM

The festive season is when we’re likely to consume more chocolate, candy and drinks than we normally do. And there just might be a few cannabis equivalents of these goodies in Christmas stockings next week.

New federal laws mean recreational edible cannabis products are now hitting Canadian shelves. As the two stores in Prince Albert await delivery of supplies this week, the province is trying to ensure the public is informed about the new legal retail reality.

Variety of non-smoking products

“We’ll have chewable gummies, chocolates, some beverages and cannabis concentrates,” Jim Southam, the owner of Prairie Cannabis told paNOW, noting how the way in which cannabis is consumed is varied. “You can ingest it, use it as a topical, vaporize it. A lot of people just don’t like the smoking aspect of it.”

With the province issuing guidance to the public on the use of edibles – it may take hours longer to take effect than smoking and those effects are generally more intense than inhaling – Southam said his staff were trained to help the public as they become more acquainted with the products.

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The owner of Prairie Cannabis said a lot of people don’t like the smoking aspect of cannabis consumption. (Glenn Hicks/paNOW Staff)

“My employees are well-educated on the effects, dosage and length of time… so there’s a lot of education that needs to happen,” he said.

And what about the pricing? Southam said like any item requiring a degree of production as opposed to the raw product, the edibles would be more expensive. He explained 1 gram of cannabis flower would retail for the equivalent price as 10 milligrams of chocolate.

Shaun Dunphy is the co-owner of Canaba Cannabis, the city’s second retail store. He said the vape and vape concentrates are a popular request from his clients.

“The concentrated flower comes in different forms: there’s a raw version and a cartridge version you can use with a vape pen,” he said.

Who wants what?

He added while some customers may prefer to ingest rather than inhale, it was hard to predict at this stage how popular the range of edibles, extracts and topicals would become.

The owner of Canaba Cannabis said it was too early to predict what edible products would become the most popular. (Glenn Hicks/paNOW Staff)

“It’s similar maybe to the liquor industry, you may prefer beer but will still drink wine once in a while,” Dunphy said. “[But] until we get solid evidence, it’s wide open. We made predictions with flower, but people from 19 years old to 85 come in the store and they all buy pre-rolls and flower.”

Be informed

The provincial government issued advice to the public Monday and stressed the minimum age to buy and consume all forms of cannabis was 19. Also, as edibles may look like candy or baked goods, the items should be stored out of reach of children and pets.

Possession or consumption in a vehicle can result in a $300 fine and drug-impairment carries penalties including immediate licence suspension and vehicle seizure up to 60 days.

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glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow