Why does the legal cannabis market have such a bad reputation when it comes to quality? Rumours and claims of horribly dry weed laden with chemicals are what are often circulated in the ‘traditional’ circles of cannabis growers and users. And admittedly in the very beginnings of the legal retail system selection was scarce, and lead times to market much longer than in the black market.
However the one myth we can dispell easily – chemicals in legal weed – it’s not a thing – there is a rigorous testing requirement by Health Canada with very specific standards that must be met in order to pass. Something that the black market does not have to contend with. As a matter of fact most black market growers will use chemicals off label – meaning not for their intended registered use. And although we are fairly certain that off label use doesn’t necessarily constitute a danger to the consumer – the oversight of Health Canada is not present in the black market. Want to check it out for yourself? Take a look at the lengthy list of pesticide active ingredients and their respective limits allowed by Health Canada here.
Non compliance means that your crop may wind up in the destruction pile. So you can bet your bottom dollar that a registered Cultivator with Health Canada follows very rigorous standards.
Now to the topic of bad quality – in the beginning there were only a handful of large corporate players – and a new system that had very fe outlets for recreational product sales. Fast forward to now. Where there are hundreds upon hundreds of retail outlets across all provinces. And new cultivator and processors are being added to the Legal Market weekly. This means you finally have some of your traditional back year growers joining the legal game and offering the same great products they once offered in the black market to the legal system. They still grow in small batches not airplane hangers – and often it is just the same one or two people that tended the crop when they were deep entrenched in the black market now growing above board and offering their fantastic quality to your everyday connoisseur on a retail shelf.
If you were turned off by your initial experience I would encourage you to visit your local store and find something that is produced by an artisan grower with experience in this fine craft industry – and let us know what you think in the comments below.
