A job posted by Health Canada in early April indicates that the government agency is hiring “Regional Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement” officers across the country to help police the country’s bourgeoning cannabis industry.
The job search, which is looking for candidates from Burnaby, British Columbia to St. John’s, Newfoundland, seeks to establish a pool of candidates to conduct compliance promotion activities “using a full range of mechanisms [and to prepare reports] on compliance violations by regulated parties.”
Health Canada spokesperson Tammy Jarbeau says that the pool of candidates will be used to strengthen the number of cannabis-related inspectors at the agency’s disposal.Join the Leafly Canada CommunityJarbeau told Leafly that Health Canada had 14 inspectors under the former Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations, surging to 64 after the Cannabis Act came into force this past October. With the hiring spree, she said that the agency could look to have an arsenal of as many as 75 inspectors by the end of 2019.
To reach this number, Health Canada may use various mechanisms, including the pool of candidates created as a result of this latest job posting.
“Candidates are applying for an inventory of future vacancies for a number of programs that have inspection functions, and not for a specific job. Following successful preliminary assessment, qualified candidates become part of a pool. As positions become available, Health Canada can further assess qualified candidates in a timely manner to meet operational needs of the different inspection programs in the Department.”
The enforcement officers that Health Canada are looking for will conduct a wide range of activities, including providing scientific, regulatory and technical guidance to stakeholders, Jarbeau says that some of the efforts will also focus on policing promotional activities.
“As part of a broader set of duties, some Compliance and Enforcement Officers in relation to the Cannabis Act and its regulations could be involved in enforcing the promotions prohibitions.”
Last week, industry publication Marijuana Business Daily found that Health Canada received 117 complaints with regards to promotional activities of cannabis since the Cannabis Act came into force in October 2018, and that the agency sent four warning letters as well as three compliance letters in relation to those promotions.
