Health Canada is readying itself to start testing the effects of inhaling substances emitted from cannabis vape products that recently hit legal retail shelves in Canada.

The federal regulator told CBC News that while it already has “research underway” on the effects of nicotine vapes, it plans to expand its “laboratory capability” to include the testing of cannabis vaporizers and related products.

The provincial government says people should be prepared as marijuana edibles, extracts and topicals become available for purchase this week.

While these products have been approved by Health Canada, experts said edibles work differently in people's bodies than smoked marijuana.

"Consumers should be starting low and going slow," said Geoff Conn, owner of Saskatoon's The Pot Shack. "Your body's got to get used to it."

Conn said edibles often have a longer onset period between eating the pot and feeling its effects. As a result, people need to be careful not to ingest too much if they think the edible isn't working.

The Canadian government may have legalized cannabis, but its efforts to destigmatize the drug could use some work.

A statement from federal Minister of Health Patty Hajdu Thursday regarding the impending arrival of edibles is raising eyebrows for the language being used to describe cannabis compared to alcohol.

“The best way for Canadians to protect their health is not to consume cannabis, and adults who choose to use cannabis should avoid products from illegal or unknown sources,” Hajdu said.

Vape influencers, take note in the new year. On Wednesday it was announced that Facebook and Instagram will start removing posts that promote vaping, tobacco, or weapons “in the coming weeks,” according to an IG spokesperson. 

The platforms a history of banning such content. Facebook has long held the policy that advertisements for vaping, tobacco, and weapons were unacceptable on the platform. There was a workaround, however; individual users (users without business pages) could hype such products, and businesses could promote the posts, vastly expanding their audience. 

Health Canada has issued a recall for more than 700 bottles of mislabelled cannabis oil gel capsules in New Brunswick.

“Namaste CBD Light gelcaps” from LP Zenabis actually contained THC (aka tetrahydrocannabinol) instead of CBD (cannabidiol). While both THC and CBD are psychoactive, only THC is intoxicating.

“These units contain the incorrect cannabis product,” notes the recall notice. “The label indicates that the product is ‘CBD Light gelcaps’. However, the units contain THC gelcaps.”

The recall was issued December 17.

Cannabis use among Canadian university students is on the rise, but St. Francis Xavier and Bishop have retained their crowns as the two highest standouts in 2019, notes the most recent annual survey from Maclean’s.

The more than 18,000 students who participated in the survey reported higher rates of cannabis use in 2019 than the students who took part the prior year.

The top pot-smoking schools for the second year in a row — aka, your best bet for a higher education — are St. Francis Xavier in Nova Scotia and Bishop’s in Quebec, with 65.5 percent and 61.8 percent, respectively, reporting that they consume cannabis at least once a year.

Medical and wellness dominate reasons for surveyed Canadians who consume cannabis, say findings of a newly released study representing 1,000 Canadians.

Nine out of 10 respondents cited “medical and/or wellness” as a driving component or their sole reason for cannabis consumption, although a significant number shied away from intoxicating products, notes a statement from Canadian PR and public affairs firm Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K).

The survey sample was provided by Leger Opinion (LEO) online panel, although H+K fielded the survey on their feedback platform. It offers new perspectives into the habits, behaviours and attitudes of individuals towards cannabis in the country.

Canadians bought nearly 100 tonnes of legal recreational cannabis in its first year of availability, while inventory levels continued to rise, new figures from Health Canada show.

Health Canada said 88,676 kilograms of dried flower cannabis was sold in Canada in the first year of legalization, according to its monthly Cannabis Tracking System. Overall sales of legal dried cannabis by weight have nearly tripled since October of 2018.

Although edibles, vape pens and cannabis-infused beverages are now legal, and some of the biggest licensed producers have announced their Health Canada-approved product lines, cannabis retailers across the country say they are not expecting to have any 2.0 products in stores until late January at the earliest. 

“Trucks have to roll across the country, inventory has to be stocked at provincial warehouses, and order forms need to go in before new products can come to our stores. That’s not going to happen until sometime in late January,” said Nick Kuzyk, chief strategy officer at High Tide Inc., which owns 30 cannabis retail stores across the country. 

Second-wave cannabis products like topicals, extracts and edibles are finally expected to hit the shelves at stores in a number of Prairie and Atlantic Canada provinces this week.

Offering in provinces such as  Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Manitoba and P.E.I are getting the jump on a number of large markets, but there is some caution to go along with the excitement. Those in the know are encouraging cannabis connoisseurs and new users alike to “start low and go slow” with many of the products, especially if they’re unfamiliar.