The arrival of Edibles in Quebec cannabis market : what can be done to minimize the health impact?

Background: The Vigilance Committee of the Cannabis Regulation Act in Quebec started his work in fall of 2018. The setting up of this committee is mandatory by the Cannabis Act in Quebec and its mandate is to advise the Minister on any question relating to cannabis, in particular to give opinions, to evaluate the application of the measures provided for by the Law.

Methods: As part of its deliverables, the Committee has chosen to examine the issue of edible cannabis products in anticipation of their market entry in Quebec. Indeed, edibles have a different risk profile from other cannabis products and allow the industry to offer an attractive image of these products via social media that escape the control and measure in force provided for by the Act.

Results: Following a non-exhaustive analysis of the American experience, calls to the Center antipoison du Québec and the differentiated appeal of this type of product according to age and gender, the Committee issued five recommendations to the Minister and made public these in order to make the various stakeholders aware of this specific issue in order to act upstream of the possible problems associated with them.

Conclusion: Quebec is the only Canadian province to have set up, by law, a vigilance committee. The Committee has the possibility to refer emerging issues to the Minister in order to act upstream of public health issues, which gives it a privileged status. However, in order for its recommendations to be applied, it is important to take into account the political reality of the moment and to maintain good communication channels with the various actors involved.