In order to produce and/or sell cannabis products, you are required to obtain a license under the Cannabis Regulations Act. There are different types of licenses and they vary depending on the activities one wishes to conduct with cannabis. In this article, we will provide a high-level overview of the various types of Cannabis Licenses and the differences between them.

Standard Cultivation License

• A Standard Cultivation License permits you to grow cannabis and produce dried cannabis, fresh cannabis, cannabis plants, and cannabis plant seeds.
• You are permitted to sell cannabis to other licensed producers and to provincial retailers of cannabis.

Micro Cultivation License

• Similar to a Standard Cultivation License, except that this License is intended for growing cannabis on a small scale (less than 200 m2 of growing area) and has some reduced requirements to obtain.

Nursery License

• A Nursery License enables you to grow cannabis specifically for the purpose of producing cannabis starting material only (cannabis plants and cannabis plant seeds) in an area up to 50 m2.
• This licence also allows one to sell cannabis to other licensed producers and to provincial retailers of cannabis.

Standard Processing License

• A Standard Processing License permits you to manufacture cannabis products on a large scale (i.e. produce cannabis products through means other than cultivation).
• This license can allow for the production of various types of cannabis products such as edibles, topicals, and extracts.
• Health Canada approval is needed in order to produce each specific type of cannabis product (i.e. can have a processing license that only allows for the production of extracts).
• With this license, you are permitted to sell cannabis to other licensed producers and to provincial retailers of cannabis.

Micro Processing License

• Similar to a Standard Processing license, except that it is intended for manufacturing cannabis products on a small scale (using less than the equivalent of 600 kg of dried cannabis per year) and has some reduced requirements to obtain.

Sale for Medical Purposes

• This License allows one to sell cannabis directly to registered medical clients who possess a medical document (prescription for cannabis) from a healthcare practitioner (doctors, registered nurses).

Analytical Testing License

• Allows one to do any testing of cannabis.
• For example, it allows one to test cannabis for phytocannabinoid concentration levels (THC/CBD concentrations) or to test cannabis for microbial/chemical contaminants.

Research License

• Permits you to conduct research and development with cannabis.
• This includes administering cannabis to a research subject for the purpose of research and development.

Find Out More

If you are interested in obtaining a cannabis license, NaturalSci Regulatory Consulting can help you to get started. The best place to start is to set up a consultation with one of our specialists. Click the link below to get in touch with us.