Edibles will finally be available at Maple Ridge’s only licensed retail cannabis store after first being legalized in October.
“Health Canada put a 60-day wait period for them to evaluate all the products and make sure they were safe for consumption, so that’s what we’ve been waiting for,” said Jeff Sweetnam, owner of Spiritleaf in Maple Ridge.
“As for Dec. 18, the 60 day wait was up and producers were able to start shipping them to the provinces, so it’s just taken that long for the product to start arriving in B.C.,” he added.
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The local cannabis shop has been getting inquiries about edibles since they were legalized, Sweetnam said.
“Most of the products will be coming out through the course of January,” he explained. “We’re getting a limited selection of chocolates, mints, cookies and some cartridges to start, but the bulk of it is going to be coming through January and even into February.”
There is a maximum quantity of product a retailer can request from the Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) each week, so Sweetnam said he has been placing orders weekly.
“To start, there will be shortages, but I think that those shortages will be alleviated much quicker than the cannabis shortages were,” he said. “I would guess by the end of January we will be fully stocked and not have those issues.”
The store is expected to be busy over the holidays as edibles begin to hit the shelves.
“I think the market for them is really big. A lot of people don’t want to smoke, but they still want to consume cannabis or there’s CBD,” Sweetnam said.
CDB (Cannabidiol) is another cannabinoid, which unlike THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), does not produce a high or intoxication, according to the Health Canada website. Whereas, THC is responsible for the way our brain and body respond to cannabis, including the high and intoxication.
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There are a variety of products that will be made available, like tea, Sweetnam explained.
“It’s nothing that’s going to make you high, but a lot of people use these for health and wellness,” he said.
The retailer will eventually stock cannabis-infused beverages by mid-January. Sweetnam said he hasn’t been able to place an order for them yet.
“Those will be both THC and CBD versions of drinks,” he said.
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