When Canadians walk into a cannabis retail store, the person greeting them at the counter — the budtender — is often their first guide into the world of regulated cannabis.
Customers frequently arrive with questions about pain, anxiety, sleep, or other health concerns, hoping for answers. However, under Canadian law, budtenders must walk a fine line: they can explain the differences between strains and formats, but they cannot make medical or therapeutic claims.
The result is a daily balancing act for frontline staff, one that experts say carries both compliance risks and important consequences for consumer safety.
Matt Maurer, Chair of the Cannabis Law Group at Torkin Manes, says the rules are clear in principle: budtenders are not permitted to make health claims.
“I always start from the premise that you’re not allowed to advertise unless it’s permitted,” Maurer explains. “Obviously, budtenders are within a 19+ environment, so they are allowed to say things and be a bit more liberal. The biggest [issues]I usually see are the health claims. You’re not allowed to make representations about what the product can do.”
This distinction may sound straightforward, but in practice, it isn’t always.
Read the full article at StratCann
