Cannabis Edibles: A Guide to Product Equivalencies and Purchase Limits in Canada

Following the recent launch of “Cannabis 2.0,” Canadian marijuana retailers are preparing to add edibles, extracts and topicals to their dispensary shelves — that is, once the 60-day review period imposed by Health Canada ends in mid-December.

These highly anticipated offerings, particularly edibles, are expected to be big hits with consumers across the country. But along with potentially boosting the bottom line for dispensary owners, these products will add a new layer of complexity to the checkout process due to equivalency and purchase limit regulations.

Cannabis Equivalencies and Purchase Limits in Canada

Since the start of legal sales in 2018, Canadian consumers have been able to purchase up to 30 grams of dried cannabis flower at one time. That won’t change. However, in order to regulate sales of multiple types of cannabis products, the government also established cannabis product equivalencies.

According to the equivalency guidelines, one gram of dried cannabis flower is equal to:

• 15 grams of edible product
• 0.25 grams of concentrates
• 70 grams of liquid product
• 1 seed

This means that retailers and their staff members need to be able to convert product equivalencies at the register for those who are purchasing more than one form of cannabis. For instance, a customer who wants to buy an edible candy bar, a gram of wax and some flower can still only purchase the equivalent of 30 grams of dried flower or less in one transaction.

Conversion Accuracy Is Critical

It’s imperative that your employees correctly calculate these cannabis equivalencies for customers purchasing multiple product types. A simple mistake at the register could spell trouble for you and your business if you’re found out of compliance with Canada’s legal purchase limits.

Without some kind of automation or software solution in place, tallying up and correctly converting cannabis equivalencies can quickly become a nightmare for budtenders. Let’s face it — fumbling through a conversion chart to make manual calculations while your customers wait at checkout is not the most efficient solution, and it significantly increases your risk of exceeding a transaction limit.

Automated Conversion at Your Point-of-Sale

The simplest solution for ensuring conversion accuracy and compliant transactions is to implement point-of-sale (POS) software that is specially designed for cannabis retail. A cannabis-specific POS system can automatically calculate product equivalencies and alert your budtenders if a transaction limit has been met or exceeded.

Simplifying the checkout process can also enhance your dispensary customers’ experience. When your budtenders aren’t distracted by calculating equivalencies during complex sales involving multiple forms of cannabis, they are able to focus more on engaging your clients and helping them find exactly what they need.

Watch Cova Calculate Cannabis Equivalencies With Ease

Ready to see exactly how a cannabis dispensary POS can enhance your operation while keeping you compliant with Canada’s equivalency and purchase limit laws? Tap the button below to book a demo or chat with us today!