Cannabis lollipops and gummy bears should not be legalized, says Ottawa's Medical Officer of Health

Ottawacitizen.con
Feb. 22, 2019
Jacquie Miller

The federal government should not allow edible cannabis products that look like gummy bears and lollipops or mimic familiar brands of cookies and chocolate bars, says Ottawa Public Health.

Those restrictions would make cannabis edibles less appealing to young people and help prevent children from accidentally eating them, says an OPH report that was submitted to Health Canada.

Health Canada is consulting the public on regulations that should govern cannabis edibles; extracts such as the liquid used in vape pens; and topical products like creams.

All of those products are now illegal. Health Canada must produce regulations governing them by October 2019. Only dried and fresh cannabis flower, oil, seeds and plants are now allowed for sale.

The report from Ottawa’s Medical Officer of Health Vera Etches is supportive of the draft regulations produced by Health Canada, which include a wide range of rules intended to reduce the appeal of products to young people, protect consumers against food-borne illness, discourage over-consumption and make sure packages are tamper-proof and plainly labelled.

However, the report recommends even tougher rules as part of a “public health approach” aimed at mitigating the negative impacts of legal recreational marijuana.

Canada should learn from the experience of both Colorado and Washington, the first American states to legalize recreational marijuana, said the report. Colorado saw an increase in poisonings related to overconsumption of edible products as well as calls to poison control centres and emergency room visits by kids who accidentally ate products, said the report. After concerns were raised about edibles that resembled popular snacks and candies, Colorado imposed new rules, including prohibiting the word “candy” on packages and banning shapes like animals, humans or fruit that could appeal to kids.

The OPH report also suggests that labels on cannabis edibles in Canada include a warning that effects may be delayed. One of the concerns with edible products is that it can take anywhere from half an hour to two hours or more for the user to feel “high,” increasing the risk they will accidentally eat or drink too much.

Labels should also include a weblink to guidelines on low-risk cannabis use and information on what to do in case of accidental ingestion or overconsumption, said the report.

It also recommends that flavouring agents be prohibited in cannabis extracts such as the liquid used in vape pens, because they might make the products more attractive to young people. The report draws a comparison to the popularity among youth of flavoured e-cigarettes, especially fruity and sweet flavours.

The draft Health Canada regulations already prohibit the use of “sugar, colours or sweeteners” in cannabis extracts that are either inhaled, like the substance in vape pens, or eaten, such as in capsules.

The draft regulations also prohibit cannabis products from being associated with alcohol or alcohol companies because of the health risks associated with using both drugs at once. The regulations should also prohibit associating cannabis with tobacco products or companies, said the OPH report, including a ban on using a tobacco company name or logo on cannabis products.

A report from Toronto’s medical officer of health had similar recommendations about banning cannabis products like lollipops and candy-flavoured vaping liquids. That report also recommended that vape pen cartridges carry a warning about their high content of THC, the chemical component that causes intoxication.