Colours, shapes, and the words 'candy' or 'candies' are said to be on the chopping block because too kid friendly
Ottawa Public Health is requesting that Health Canada impose new restrictions on cannabis products. "to reduce their appeal with young people, reduce accidental ingestion by children and risks of overconsumption."The staff advises against using the words "candy" or "candies" on the packaging and against using shapes, sprinkles, or colours that may appeal to children.
Richard Dufour, the franchise owner of the Spirit Leaf Crossroads, in Nepean, claims cannabis packaging is already too restrictive and it’d be nearly impossible for young children to open a stash.
"The packages for cannabis, everything is designed so that you can't get in it," says Dufour. “The packaging that's on there, you don't see it until you’ve bought it. You don't actually get that until you've gone and bought this product. I've sold you on it already. I'm handing you a package. The package is nondescript, it's covered with information about what's in it, and in most cases, there's barely enough packaging."
Ottawa Public Health wants cannabis packaging to copycat cigarette packaging.
In a statement sent to CTV News, Ottawa Public Health said, “OPH supports the addition of visual symbols to complement health warning statements such as 'not for kids.' Including images along with text allows the consumer to make a more informed decision."
Picture-based messages have been a fixture on Canadian cigarette packages since 2001, and soon warnings will be directly printed on individual smokes. Rob Cunningham, Senior Policy Analyst at the Canadian Cancer Society, believes that these warnings have made a significant difference.
"A picture says 1,000 words. There is no doubt that including pictures and health warnings has increased its effectiveness at discouraging smoking and increasing awareness of the health effects. It increases visibility, noticeability, and impact."
The Cannabis Act requires the Minister of Health to review cannabis regulations three years after they go into effect.
"Research on cannabis shows that plain packaging and health warnings reduce brand appeal while increasing health knowledge among youth and young adults." claims the health unit. "Plain packaging and health warnings are also effective at lowering smoking rates, decreasing smoking initiation, and increasing attempts to quit."
A report heard during a Board of Health meeting on June 19 outlines the health unit's recommendations to Health Canada as the agency conducts consultations on the cannabis mandate in Canada.
The required list of health warnings on packaging should include "not for kids," warns OPH
"Unintentional cannabis poisoning in Canadian children is on the rise, mostly after the legalization of cannabis edibles," the report says.
The required list of health warnings on packaging should include "not for kids," according to Ottawa Public Health.
Ontario allows the sale of a "wide variety" of edibles, while Quebec prohibits the sale of edibles in their province.
There are currently 118 cannabis retail locations in Ottawa. The submission to Health Canada suggests that the agency investigate "maximum density for locations" of cannabis stores and "explore mechanisms to implement limits."
