Legal and illegal cannabis: What’s the difference?

gb123

Well-Known Member
a good laugh



After legalization’s rickety lift-off, it’s no surprise that business is still booming for some local dispensaries.

The rotating postal strike, short supply and online-only status via the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) presented many consumers in the province with little alternative to a sluggish delivery process and frustratingly barren shelves. Quebec, for its part, responded to too little product or delays by reducing retail hours and New Brunswick had to temporarily shut down some stores.





If that were not enough, add the recent report of mould found in product from a licensed producer (LP) in Ontario. The recall, which involved RedeCan B.E.C’s lot 4B2L and began Nov. 30, revolved approximately 13,344 units of recalled product that were sold between Oct. 17 and Nov. 21, 2018.

The alert noted the affected product, dried cannabis sold online through the OCS and the B.C. Cannabis Stores, “may contain mould. In certain individuals, exposure to mould can result in allergic symptoms, such as sneezing, coughing, wheezing, runny nose or nasal congestion and watery or itchy eyes.”

Whatever the location presumably, it is likely some cannabis consumers have been left to return to their proven dispensary of choice, taking their chances with illicit—yet timely and abundant—cannabis.

As the rallying cry of many LPs and legislators has centred on the lack of quality control surrounding illegal growers and sellers, it seems a potentially risky move for those who continue to choose to use the illegal market. So how is illicit cannabis different from its legally produced counterpart?



Testing for safety and consistency

A core selling point for LP cannabis has been cultivator obligations towards safely produced, packaged and sold products. “There are so many requirements regarding their production practices for all cannabis,” explains Sherry Boodram, CEO of cannabis research and regulatory consultant for CannDelta, a regulatory and scientific cannabis consulting company based in Toronto.

“It’s very similar to the pharmaceutical industry… cultivators need to comply with constant sanitation and monitoring of equipment, and of personnel,” Boodram points out.

Once an inspector for Health Canada’s Controlled Substances Program herself, she says the key difference between
licensed and unlicensed producers—and the cannabis they cultivate—is third-party testing. “Testers make sure a sample of each batch produced is sent to analytical testing facilities, who send the results to LPs to verify they’re within specifications,” Boodram reports.

“The production of cannabis is subject to some of the most stringent requirements in the world to protect the health and safety of Canadians,” notes information provided by Health Canada. “Licensed producers are required to utilize good production practices in their facilities, such as having a defined sanitary program and having a dedicated quality assurance person. They are required to test every product lot for mould, bacteria and other potential contaminants, as well as potency levels, before products can be released for sale to the public,” the department adds.

The number of inspections a facility receives can vary by the LP’s history of compliance, Boodram says, adding that if they’ve consistently demonstrated compliance, the frequency of inspections decreases to bi-monthly, quarterly or semi-annually as deemed appropriate by Health Canada.

“Inspections occur more frequently for newer licensed producers, or for licensed producers that have demonstrated significant non-compliance,” she notes. Boodram adds that for those less-vetted LPs, inspections tend to happen once a month and are most often unannounced.

Testers look for chemical contamination, the percentage of THC, THCA, CBD and CBDA (“raw” CBD”), the presence of residual solvents, total bacteria count, yeast and moulds, E. coli and chemical contaminants such as pesticides, toxic fungus and heavy metals. The limits for cannabis, Boodram says, are based on outlines by international publications referenced in Canada’s Food and Drugs Act.

Solvents, for example, are each limited to 5,000 parts per million (a unit used to describe highly diluted concentrations of substances) with the exception of water, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. “If cannabis oil was produced via an ethanol extraction method, then residual ethanol may be present in the cannabis product, but it cannot exceed that limit,” she explains. “The LP can’t release it to the public.”

As another example, Health Canada notes licensed holders are required to “test cannabis to ensure it is within generally accepted tolerance limits for herbal medicines for human consumption, as established in any publication referred to in Schedule B of the Food and Drugs Act.”

Testers also verify the plant’s terpene content—playing a role in the entourage effect, terpenes can work in tandem with cannabinoids like THC and CBD to affect how one’s body receives the effects of the plant—is in line with producers’ claims, as well as extraneous matter, moisture content and the dissolution and disintegration of tablets and capsules.

To keep cultivators honest, Boodram says the federal government has inspectors conduct periodic evaluations of both their cultivation facilities and their cannabis for the aforementioned attributes.

Facility and cannabis inspectors use a variety of measurements and testing apparatuses to evaluate “compliance”, each one dependent on the equipment used and the strain in production.
Boodram says their reports are classified according to the scope and degree of severity of the deviation, and that “severity” is based upon the potential for risks to public health.

“For example, an observation would be ‘high severity’, if it were determined that all batches of cannabis were treated with a pest control product that hasn’t been registered under the Pest Control Act,” she illustrates. Conversely, Boodram says, “a much less severe observation would be if maintenance records indicated that an air filter was changed on Nov. 7 instead of Oct. 29 as scheduled.” If an LP is deemed non-compliant, she says it could face shutdown.



Legal providers under legal obligations


Illegal cannabis providers under zero obligation to test Dr_Microbe / iStock / Getty Images Plus
 

gb123

Well-Known Member
Public safety, Dan Sutton acknowledges, is the longstanding divide between the legal and black market. “The black market can claim some degree of quality assurance, but it’s important to know they’re under zero obligation to test anything,” cautions Sutton, CEO of Vancouver-based cultivator Tantalus Labs. “We have to look for mould, mildew, insect traces or droppings, and keep everything pesticide-free,” he says.

Sutton says that even illicit growers who make a point to test their flower don’t necessarily have the resources to ensure consistency, goodwill aside. He estimates that inside illicit dispensaries, around 80 percent of the flower sold wouldn’t hold up to the same kind of scrutiny.

Though it’s worth noting that no research has shown verifiable harm in consuming illicit can
nabis products, Boodram theorizes those who use dispensaries and other non-legal sources are far less likely to either recognize or report problems with their cannabis.

“When people purchase these substances illegally, they’re not always in a place to report issues like those,” she says, drawing stark contrast to Health Canada’s effort to address customer concerns directly. “That’s the implication when you’re outside of the legal market,” Boodram contends.

Why are consumers still using the illicit market?
Still, many dispensaries are holding the door open for customers who’ve been disappointed with LPs’ short supply, Canada Post’s unreliable service times and other barriers to a smooth transition to legalizing recreational cannabis. Then, of course, there are consumers who simply prefer face-to-face interactions with budtenders who can advise them on specific strains and products.

A third-party public relations, social media handler for Toronto’s popular CAFE, or Cannabis and Fine Edibles, who opted not to provide his full name, suggests that customer trust in the “craft” of the pre-legalization market is something that keeps them coming back.


Although not speaking on behalf of CAFE, his view is that “40 years of disciplined craft growing is the main differentiator,” he maintains, adding that “20 years ago, our cannabis flower used to look like what the LPs cultivate now.”

Sutton disagrees, though he acknowledges not all legal producers have nailed their formula at this stage. “There are LPs who lack cannabis knowledge, but there are also those that worked with the best growers to take their craft to the next level,” he explains.

“The grey market doesn’t have a monopoly on consumer preference. If your best defence of quality is ‘LPs can’t grow good weed,’ you are about to be painfully disappointed,” Sutton says.

Reached via a Facebook query, John, a 26-year-old medicinal and recreational consumer from Caledon, Ont., says slow delivery times were, at first, a reason to be wary of the legal market. “The slow delivery times were definitely a factor,” he says, adding his local cannabis dealer has started making direct d
eliveries for a nominal fee.

“He’s started trying to adapt to the market, doing things he didn’t before legalization. The effort toward convenience still has me buying from him from time to time,” he says.

These deliveries to his home—which he describes as being “in the sticks”—in just a few hours present a better option than enduring the unknown of current waiting periods, though the government seems to be finding its footing as time goes on. “It was a week and a half the first time, and four business days the second time,” he says of how long he waited to receive his online order for legal cannabis in Ontario.

Despite rollout problems, John says he can see himself embracing the legal market fully once delivery times improve and physical locations open in Ontario this coming April. Once store open their doors, “it’ll be ‘grab food, snacks and weed on the way to chill’.”



 

gb123

Well-Known Member
Closing the gap

To the chagrin of illicit producers and distributors, neither Sutton nor Boodram foresee peaceful co-existence between legal and black market producers—they’ll have to play by the rules if they want in. “They shouldn’t be operating, period,” says Boodram. “And if they want to get into the legal market, keeping their doors open right now forfeits that chance.”




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WHATFG

Well-Known Member
As another example, Health Canada notes licensed holders are required to “test cannabis to ensure it is within generally accepted tolerance limits for herbal medicines for human consumption, as established in any publication referred to in Schedule B of the Food and Drugs Act.”
Gonna call bullshit on this...HC is quite clear that cannabis is not medicine.
Testers also verify the plant’s terpene content—playing a role in the entourage effect, terpenes can work in tandem with cannabinoids like THC and CBD to affect how one’s body receives the effects of the plant—is in line with producers’ claims, as well as extraneous matter, moisture content and the dissolution and disintegration of tablets and capsules.
....huh....??...tablets and capsules...wtf...
If an LP is deemed non-compliant, she says it could face shutdown.
We already know that's not true.
 

CalyxCrusher

Well-Known Member
If your best defence of quality is ‘LPs can’t grow good weed,’ you are about to be painfully disappointed,” Sutton says.
Been going on 5 years and I have yet to be let down that LPs still produce sub par cannabis at best. I have no doubt the micros will provide the better product. But we aren't there yet. Add to that the restrictions and monopolization of obtaining starting materials and it will be some time before the naysayers will be proven wrong. Sprinkle on some irradiation and all hopes are gone. Irradiated cannabis will never be top shelf. Period. Not in this universe anyway.

The article was correct in that the LPs are decades behind the already established growers who didn't need the multi millions to run their operations.
 

gb123

Well-Known Member
I like thew part where he mentions testing for pesticides. I'm sure there is some sort of rule that LP weed has to contain a certain amount of poison.
new regs regarding said poisons have been changed..
Ya can be selling poison shwags around the world either..special to the USA


They are gonna make them all pay for it regardless if they stop now lol

which they cant
we all know this too :blsmoke::hump::idea::lol::weed:
 

CalyxCrusher

Well-Known Member
Jeez that is very large thinking. I am only aware of one universe but I am personally hoping this would apply in ANY universe, just to be on the safe side. o_O
Lots of interesting reading material about it by some really smart people.bongsmilie
 
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