Ontario Cannabis Store responds to Health Canada’s legislative review of the Cannabis Act and Cannabis Regulations

November 23, 2022 (TORONTO) – Today the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) published Opportunities to Improve the Canadian Federal Cannabis Framework: Perspectives from the Ontario Cannabis Store, a discussion paper that outlines key recommendations to evolve the legal cannabis framework in Canada.

This discussion paper is a response to Health Canada’s legislative review of the Cannabis Act and Cannabis Regulations.

"As the largest cannabis distributor in Canada, with almost 1,600 retail stores open in Ontario, OCS is offering our unique perspective as part of the legislative review of the Cannabis Act and Cannabis Regulations,” said David Lobo, President and CEO, OCS. “The OCS is committed to working with Health Canada and other government partners to protect public health and safety by combatting the illegal market, while supporting the growth of the recreational cannabis industry.”

The OCS shares Health Canada’s goals to protect public health, keep cannabis out of the hands of youth and promote responsible consumption. To that end, OCS asks Health Canada to consider the following recommendations:

1. Amend THC limits that may be creating disincentives to purchase through legal sources.
2. Adjust restrictions on promotions and product labelling to support consumer literacy to distinguish between legal and illegal products and support informed and responsible purchasing decisions.
3. Introduce stronger quality controls to ensure ongoing consumer confidence in legal cannabis products.
4. Reconsider product packaging rules to create a more sustainable environmental footprint for the legal cannabis industry.

Over the last four years, OCS enabled province-wide access to safer, quality tested, legal cannabis via OCS.ca, it supported the growth of a retail network that is about 1,600 stores today, and built a robust catalogue of products with 2,700 unique cannabis SKUs from licensed producer partners.

The full paper is available here: Opportunities to Improve the Canadian Federal Cannabis Framework: Perspectives from the Ontario Cannabis Store.

Get the facts about cannabis consumption, health effects and harm reduction: Cannabis Made Clear.