Buy legal

• Rigorous testing is in place, to keep you from getting sick from ingesting any pesticides or other harmful substances.
• Regulations are in place that triggers a product recall if there are any quality or safe issues. Any edible form of cannabis follows strict food safety regulations.
• Verified potency. Labels have accurate information, so you know how much THC and/or CBD are in your products. Legal cannabis limits are max 10mg and 1000mg for concentrates and topicals, which help safeguard against unintentional consumption.

With illegal cannabis you never really know what you are ingesting— myclobutanil, bifenazate, boscalid and fludioxonil are just some of the 23 unique pesticide ingredients a 2023 Health Canada report found in illegal cannabis. Plus, you think you’ve got cannabis with 2.5mg of THC, but it’s actually 10x that amount. Not knowing how much THC and CBD is in your products could result in unintentional poisonings, visits to the emergency department and hospitalizations. 

• Industry-wide standards and rules for the growing process are set by Health Canada. licensed producers (LPs) must have safe and clean growing conditions.  
• No pesticides are allowed, and products must be tested for other contaminants like mould, bacteria and chemicals. When LPs don’t follow the rules, Health Canada can recall and destroy their product, fine them up to $1 million and remove their licence.

With illegal cannabis, products could be laced with other substance, or even illegal drugs. They may contain dangerous chemicals that are flammable (e.g., butane in dabs) or toxic when heated and inhaled (e.g., vitamin E acetate in vapes). Plus, edible products may not be produced following food safety regulations, and could lead to ingesting chemicals, glass, pest droppings or other allergens (nuts, soy, gluten, eggs, etc.)

• There are multiple strains of dried cannabis, with detailed information about them. 
• Properly labelled THC, CBD and terpene amounts.

Consumers may not know precisely what they are getting with illegal cannabis, as there is no guarantee that strains are correctly labelled.

• Legal cannabis packaging is very plain, so it doesn’t appeal to children or teens. While illegal products are often packaged in bright, colourful packing that looks like candy, making it very attractive to youth and pets. 
• Child resistant packaging is mandatory, so it is very difficult for any child to get into. 
• Maximum THC limits on legal edible cannabis—which decreases the risks of childhood poisonings.

Cannabis-related visits to the ER have gone up in Alberta since legalization, so it is best to buy legal and safely store your cannabis products - locked up tight and out of sight.

• Educated staff. Alberta cannabis retail store staff are certified as Qualified Cannabis Workers (QCWs) and must complete AGLC's SellSafe course specific to legal cannabis sales.
• QCWs help guide you on what cannabis products are available, what the potency levels are and to help you make an informed decision.

• Your personal and credit card information is at risk. Your personal or credit card could fall into the hands of identity thieves as many illegal sites appear legitimate.
• You could get ripped off, without legal recourse as the product you purchased was illegal. This means you would be out of luck to get your money back, and in the case of identity theft, the consequences could be long-lasting for both buyers and sellers.

• There is a higher risk of a bad reaction or unintentional poisoning with illegal products. you can’t always be sure of what you’re getting or how much – so there can be a higher risk of a bad reaction or unintentional poisoning.
• Plus, the risks of not knowing what is actually in the product you’re buying—that goes for pesticides or potency levels.

• Illegal cannabis packaging is more likely to appeal to children.