The BC Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) is inviting licensed cannabis producers to participate in a call for new products that are due to be legalized later this year, including edibles, extracts and topicals.
“The product call is an opportunity for licensed producers to identify their interest and ability to supply the LDB with edibles, beverages, topicals and extracts, and other products included within the soon-to-be legalized non-medical cannabis product categories,” the government states in a release, adding that “products selected will be available to wholesale customers throughout the province in both licensed private retailers and government-run BC Cannabis Stores.”
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Blain Lawson, general manager and CEO of LDB, said the call “marks an exciting time for the LDB as we work toward introducing new product categories into B.C.’s legal cannabis market.”
“We are currently working with over 30 licensed producers and look forward to engaging with new suppliers to expand our wholesale product assortment.”
The product call opens at 9 a.m. PST on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, and will close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11. Submission documents are available to licensed producers at: bccannabiswholesale.com/pages/our-licensed-producers.
While new federal regulations come into force on Oct. 17, 2019, licensed processors must provide Health Canada with notice at least 60 days before making a new cannabis product available for sale.
Consequently, edibles, topicals and extracts will not be available for retail sale until late December.
“It will take time before a full suite of products in the three new classes will be available. Consumers should expect that, initially, there will be a limited selection, with further new products appearing gradually in legal stores,” the government notes.
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