For months, cannabis regulation in Canada has focused on the inhalable form of the substance, oils and cosmetics, and not much more. The cannabis market keeps maturing in the country, but the rules that will accompany the legalisation of edibles, due to come into force in less than a year, are still unknown.
Health Canada, the government department responsible for public health, is working out the best way for federal lawmakers to bring cannabis edibles into the regulatory framework. The deadline for creating a legal framework for cannabis edibles is October 2019.
At present any Canadian can consume cannabis at home, which means consumers can cook and prepare cannabis dishes at home as they wish. Surveys show that consumers are interested in the edibles market.
According to a survey by Dalhousie University, 93% of consumers who support the legalisation of non-medical cannabis would also be willing to try an edible product.
Last week oils and gels sold out in most Canadian provinces, a clear sign of the demand for edibles. Many Canadians seem to be eagerly awaiting the day they can legally eat a muffin or pour cannabis sauce over their spaghetti. Although edibles regulation still needs more time, Canadians have had access to edibles for years. Even while most food products containing cannabis remain illegal in Canada, anyone can buy them online from the United States. This market is not regulated or supervised by the Canadian government. Most users know very little about cannabis, so easy access to these products is a concern.
Including edibles in the national cannabis legalisation bill was necessary to better protect consumers. Health Canada will now have to consider factors such as labelling and packaging, which must be carefully designed, and the doses of THC or CBD the products contain. 
No one can really predict the true potential of the edibles market. It is safe to say it will probably be worth billions of dollars a year once cannabis is no longer as stigmatised as it is now, perhaps in around ten years. Cannabis as an ingredient could be a game changer, especially for the drinks industry. The beer industry has already shown huge interest in cannabis-infused beer and other beverages, and the owners of brands such as Corona have already announced their plans. In the US, since cannabis was legalised, the beer industry has lost significant market share, up to 20% in some cases. Coca-Cola has also made some announcements about cannabis-infused products. In the soft drinks sector, however, companies have stayed quiet, mainly because nobody really knows what will happen with the regulations. With a clearer idea of the rules and restrictions, the industry will be better able to assess how to approach this potential opportunity. Edibles for medical purposes are nothing new in Canada. In fact, Health Canada has always encouraged therapeutic users to ingest their medical cannabis, as it considers this the safest way to consume it. But now that recreational cannabis is legal, things are going to get more complicated. Edibles are inherently discreet. Unlike smokable cannabis, cannabis-infused food generally cannot be detected, smelled or seen, so regulation must be especially careful. Update: Canada legalised the sale of cannabis edibles, extracts and topicals on 17 October 2019, with a limit of 10 mg of THC per package of edibles.
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