Last week, senators voted to pass the federal government's bill legalizing recreational marijuana.

And on Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced marijuana will be legal in Canada on Oct. 17.

But even before those announcements, Sudbury’s Jason LaFauci and his After Dark Cafe and Edibles became the Nickel City’s first edibles cafe, receiving the city's stamp of approval last Monday.

Edibles are food products infused with marijuana.

So once pot possession, home growing and sales for adults is legal, LaFauci and staff, who currently run catering for a regular food menu at the old Mine Mill Hall, will open up their edibles menu to recreational users.

“We’re doing the same thing as California when it comes to dispensing edibles, keeping them at a low dose,” said LaFauci, a certified cannabis educator.

The recreational use of marijuana became legal in the state of California on Jan. 1.

“It’s like serving alcohol,” LaFauci said. “When you go to a bar you limit yourself to a couple shots, a couple beers, and it’s the same thing with edibles. The law has to apply in the same manner.”

LaFauci believes microdosing is the best way to infuse the food and drink products. Microdosing is a technique used for studying the behaviour of drugs in humans through the administration of doses so low they are unlikely to produce whole-body effects.

“We don’t just dose the public with high amounts of THC in edibles as it is a public safety concern,” LaFauci said.

Microdosing is the technique cafes in California must legally use to create their marijuana-infused products.

LaFauci said After Dark Cafe and Edibles will have a cannabidol menu, and eventually a tetrahydrocannabinol menu.

Tetrahydrocannabinol, more commonly known as THC, is one of at least 113 cannabinoids identified in cannabis. It is the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis.

The serving of THC edibles are being put on hold until more clarification becomes available from Health Canada, LaFauci said.

The use of cannabidol, also known as CBD, has been shown to have medical benefits, but does not make one feel “stoned”.

“The THC menu is going to be small-dosed THC,” LaFauci said. “They’re not going to be blitzed out of their tree.”

Some food items that will be on the menu include salads, with infused dressings, chicken supreme, with the olive oil infused, infused teas and other infused drinks.

There will also be a non-infused menu, and alcohol will not be served.

Public safety will be a top priority, LaFauci said.

“If someone leaves here under the influence we’re going to call them a cab,” LaFauci said. “I won’t let anyone drive.

“It’s a controlled dispensing. We run the same principles as alcohol. With alcohol you can only serve so many drinks. If I see someone coming up to the limit ... no one will ever get more than they’re supposed to at my restaurant. I will cut them off.”

The limit will be based on California principles.

In California, businesses will set a limit of 500 mgs of THC for a frequent user, and 100 mgs for a new user.

At After Dark and Edibles, a small food item will have roughly 25 mgs of THC, and a prepared meal would have anywhere between 50 to 150 mgs, depending on the meal and depending on how much the customer has consumed edibles in the past.

A CBD-infused meal will vary, having between 100 mgs to 200 mgs, and sometimes more.

“Each plate will have a set amount of THC, so they’d be able to come in, have a salad that’s infused, have a meal that’s infused, and have a dessert that’s infused, and that’s their intake for that period, and they’re fine,” Lafauci said. “They can leave.”

LaFauci said dialogue with city hall members and local law enforcement has been ongoing for some time.

“They’re pretty receptive to it,” LaFauci said. “To them, it’s more about how it’s being done, rather than people defying the law. We’re trying to stay away from defying the law, work with everyone, work with the community, and try to engage a bit better.”

On Aug. 11, LaFauci will be hosting an information seminar at The Asylum Sudbury, on 19 Regent St., at 7 p.m.