420 with CNW — Health Canada Remains Quiet on Timeline for Reviewing Marijuana Law
More than eight months after the Canadian government was supposed to begin a review of Canada’s 2018 adult-use legalization law, authorities have yet to begin the process. Additionally, Health Canada, the department in charge of the country’s national health policy, still hasn’t provided a timeline for reviewing the recreational cannabis law.
This delay has hindered the development of much-needed legislative reforms for the recreational cannabis industry, one industry executive believes. According to Aurora Cannabis senior vice president of global government relations Rick Savone, the legislative review needs to cover a lot before the industry can get the regulations it desperately needs.
However, he says that the government’s inaction means that precious little is getting done from a legislative or regulatory perspective. Savone also acts as the chairman of the Cannabis Council of Canada. The report, which was slated to start by October 2021, should have begun three years after Canada legalized adult-use marijuana.
The Cannabis Act that legalized recreational cannabis in Canada contained a provision requiring a review of the country’s legalization law three years after the law was enacted. When asked if the review had begun earlier this year, Health Canada spokeswoman Tammy Jarbeau declined to offer a specific timeline and stated that preparations for the review were underway.
More than four months later, the department still hasn’t provided a public timeline for the review process, leaving industry players waiting with bated breath. Savone says that most industry players are eagerly waiting to see how the statutory review goes before they can make the moves they need to make. In the meantime, however, he says that their competitors, especially those on the global scale, are steadily gaining market positions.
Stakeholders in Canada’s nascent recreational cannabis industry are anxious to cover issues such as government regulatory fees, potency limits for cannabis-infused edibles, excise taxes, and limitations on advertising and marketing once the review commences. Although the Cannabis Act doesn’t cover all of these issues, stakeholders say those issues still deserve to be addressed.
Fortunately, industry insiders will have a chance to discuss the issues in an upcoming cannabis roundtable that will bring together government officials as well as industry insiders to discuss key issues.
Although Health Canada hasn’t said why it hasn’t started the review, industry sources say there are several reasons behind this delay, including the coronavirus pandemic and the September 2021 snap election followed by the appointment of a new health minister.
The delays in Canada show that it isn’t only American-based companies such as Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX), which are being held back by the lack of progress in bringing national policies in line with the available science and the wishes of the people.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/ACTX
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW420, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer
More than eight months after the Canadian government was supposed to begin a review of Canada’s 2018 adult-use legalization law, authorities have yet to begin the process. Additionally, Health Canada, the department in charge of the country’s national health policy, still hasn’t provided a timeline for reviewing the recreational cannabis law.
This delay has hindered the development of much-needed legislative reforms for the recreational cannabis industry, one industry executive believes. According to Aurora Cannabis senior vice president of global government relations Rick Savone, the legislative review needs to cover a lot before the industry can get the regulations it desperately needs.
However, he says that the government’s inaction means that precious little is getting done from a legislative or regulatory perspective. Savone also acts as the chairman of the Cannabis Council of Canada. The report, which was slated to start by October 2021, should have begun three years after Canada legalized adult-use marijuana.
The Cannabis Act that legalized recreational cannabis in Canada contained a provision requiring a review of the country’s legalization law three years after the law was enacted. When asked if the review had begun earlier this year, Health Canada spokeswoman Tammy Jarbeau declined to offer a specific timeline and stated that preparations for the review were underway.
More than four months later, the department still hasn’t provided a public timeline for the review process, leaving industry players waiting with bated breath. Savone says that most industry players are eagerly waiting to see how the statutory review goes before they can make the moves they need to make. In the meantime, however, he says that their competitors, especially those on the global scale, are steadily gaining market positions.
Stakeholders in Canada’s nascent recreational cannabis industry are anxious to cover issues such as government regulatory fees, potency limits for cannabis-infused edibles, excise taxes, and limitations on advertising and marketing once the review commences. Although the Cannabis Act doesn’t cover all of these issues, stakeholders say those issues still deserve to be addressed.
Fortunately, industry insiders will have a chance to discuss the issues in an upcoming cannabis roundtable that will bring together government officials as well as industry insiders to discuss key issues.
Although Health Canada hasn’t said why it hasn’t started the review, industry sources say there are several reasons behind this delay, including the coronavirus pandemic and the September 2021 snap election followed by the appointment of a new health minister.
The delays in Canada show that it isn’t only American-based companies such as Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX), which are being held back by the lack of progress in bringing national policies in line with the available science and the wishes of the people.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/ACTX
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW420, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer
