Cannabis edibles see 'strong uptake' among Islanders while vaping products on hold

While the director of operations for the P.E.I. Cannabis Management Corporation says sales are meeting projections following the recent rollout of edible cannabis products, the release of cannabis vaping products has been delayed. 

Edibles were officially made available to Islanders on Dec. 18, said Zach Currie. 

"We have a range of products," Currie said. "Right now, we have a fairly strong blend of different chocolate products, of different soft chew products and we also have some mints we've been selling as well." 

Currie said Cannabis P.E.I. has seen a "strong uptake" with its newest products, and he believes edibles could be reaching some new customers.

"We had a lot of uptake I think again, given the curiosity around this and the fact that it's a little bit of a landmark regulatory change in edibles becoming legal I think," he said.

"You know, when we rolled out, we had a range of sales volumes we thought we may do, and we certainly fell within that range."

While sales have been positive and certain products have sold out and been reordered, Currie said, he doesn't anticipate a very large percentage increase in overall sales as a result of the availability of edibles. 

"These products from a sales, dollar perspective are fairly minimal in contrast to some of the other products that we carry," he said.

"It's tough to say what the most popular product is. Nothing's really standing out."

He said the goal is not to upsell, but meet customers' needs. Currie said packages are limited to a maximum of 10 milligrams of THC per retail pack.

He noted so far, he isn't aware of any medical emergencies related to the rollout of cannabis edibles in the province. 

Vaping products delayed

In an interview with CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin, Currie said originally the plan was to roll out cannabis edibles and vaping products at the same time.

But now, that plan has been put on hold. 

Currie said he isn't sure how long the delay on cannabis vaping products will be.

"I think everyone wants to take their time with it, ensure it's done right and ensure it's done in as safe a fashion possible," Currie said.

He said when it comes to introducing cannabis vaping products on the market, there are a lot of factors being considered by the retailer and policy makers. 

"There's a lot of important considerations that are being mulled over and a lot of observations are being made in terms of what's going on with our regional counterparts. 

"Everyone's paying close attention to the kind of narrative that's, you know, in the public, some of the unfortunate incidents like pulmonary disorders caused by illicit vaping products in the States. Everyone wants to take their time with it and make sure it's done right and ensure it's done in the safest fashion possible," he said. 

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