CanadaIndustryPolitics

Quebec sets sights on topicals ban at SQDC stores

Published on August 6, 2019 · Last updated July 28, 2020
topical cream
Moyo Studio/iStock

Buried between the Quebec government’s $300M threat to edibles/beverages and its bizarre opposition to extracts (which will be capped at 30%, effectively banning vape pens and hashish in the province) was an all-out ban on topical cannabis products.

Health Minister Lionel Carmant concluded, “The topical creams are usually a medicinal use, so we don’t think they should be sold at the SQDC.”Join the Leafly Canada CommunityWhile the rest of Carmant’s regressive new rules on cannabis were at least framed as protecting children from accidental consumption, the ban on topicals seems designed to protect Quebeckers from being able to buy potentially helpful medical products in the SQDC.

Noting the topicals ban was out of keeping with the remainder of the CAQ’s mandate to protect children, Santé Cannabis Co-founder Erin Prosk said, “Likely the existence of topical products conflicts with their mandate that cannabis is a harmful drug and people who buy them just want to be high.”

Patients have assailed the ban as well, saying it was made without patient consultation.
The new rules are subject to an ongoing 45-day public consultation period.

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Jesse B. Staniforth
Jesse B. Staniforth
Jesse Staniforth reports on cannabis, food safety, and Indigenous issues. He is the former editor of WeedWeek Canada.
View Jesse B. Staniforth's articles
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