Cannabis-infused chocolates first product as London producer gets approval

Cannabis

The London-based licensed marijuana producer received approval from Health Canada, the federal pot regulator, to begin selling edibles extracts and topicals, the company announced.

The company has started shipping its cannabis-infused chocolate bars to Ontario, Nova Scotia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and British Columbia, chief executive Niel Marotta said.

“It’s been a long time getting to this stage,” Marotta said of the nearly two-year process.

After signing a partnership two years ago with Bhang, a U.S. manufacturer of cannabis chocolates, Indiva has been stockpiling its pot-infused chocolates since October, when Canada legalized edibles, concentrates, and topics.

Those new products — known as Cannabis 2.0 — weren’t approved for sale until January, when they quickly sold out at cannabis retail shops and the government-run Ontario Cannabis Store website.

Indiva’s chocolate bars each contain 10 milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the maximum amount of the psychoactive component in cannabis allowed by federal regulators. Bars containing cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive component in cannabis touted for its therapeutic benefits, will be available later this year, the company said.

Licensed producer High Park started shipping its Chowie Wowie cannabis-infused chocolates, made at its London plant, in to Ontario and six other provinces in December.

The Canadian market for cannabis edibles and other 2.0 products is expected to be worth more than $2.5 billion, according to a 2019 report by Deloitte, a global professional services firm.

Indiva is eyeing new products ranging from other edibles to topicals and even pet food, said Marotta, whose company previously struck a licensing deal with Rudy Edibles, the maker of cannabis-infused sugar and salt.

Source: The London Free Press