Ontario and British Columbia, the two main cannabis markets in Canada, have decided to suspend the sale of products containing delta-8 THC.
L’Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS), which manages the cannabis supply for Ontario, invokes “a precautionary principle” regarding the potential health effects of this minor cannabinoid.
Cannabis dried flowers containing “low levels of naturally occurring delta-8 THC” will not be affected, the SCO said in an email sent last week to licensed cannabis producers, according to information from MJBizDaily.
In that email, the OCS said it had “monitored emerging concerns in the United States” regarding delta-8 THC, particularly the public health warnings from the Food and Drug Administration US and state government efforts “to regulate or ban products that contain this cannabinoid.”
The OCS said it has been distributing products containing delta-8 since the start of the year, including vape cartridges, ediblesbeverages, oils and topicals.
“Although we are not aware of any adverse reactions to these products on the legal cannabis market in Canada at this time, products containing delta-8-THC do not meet the definition of THC under federal law. on cannabis,” writes the SCO.
In British Columbia, a spokesperson for the BC Liquor Distribution Branch (BCLDB) also told MJBizDaily that products containing delta-8 THC “(do) not meet the definition of THC under the (federal) cannabis law.”
“Information about delta-8 THC and potential biological effects and health risks to consumers is new and emerging, and the BCLDB is working with its government counterparts to determine appropriate next steps. »
In its email to cannabis growers, the OCS said it had sought “advice and guidance” on delta-8 THC from Health Canada, Canada’s cannabis regulator, asking if the law Federal Cannabis Act needs to be amended “to deal with minor psychoactive cannabinoids and other synthetic derivatives that are not explicitly addressed in the (legislative) framework”.
Existing inventory of delta-8 THC products will continue to be sold but no restocking will be done. Delta-8-THC is banned in France.
