Medicinal Cannabis Supply in Canada

A Licensed Producer (LP) is authorised by Health Canada to cultivate, harvest, process and, in most cases, sell cannabis under the Cannabis Regulations. LPs can sell to other licenced entities or directly to registered patients depending on the specific authorisations attached to their licence. A Licensed Seller is an entity authorised to sell cannabis to registered clients — typically patients with a valid medical document — without necessarily being involved in production. Some entities hold both LP and licenced seller authorisations within a single licence. For international supply, the relevant entry point is typically an LP or licenced importer who holds an import permit for the specific product and quantity involved. GLG facilitates supply into this licensed network by connecting GMP-certified overseas producers with appropriately licenced Canadian partners.

Each shipment entering Canada requires a product-specific import permit issued by Health Canada under the Cannabis Regulations and, where applicable, the Narcotic Control Regulations. Beyond the permit itself, every shipment must be accompanied by a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) from a laboratory accredited to an appropriate standard — confirming that the product meets Canadian testing thresholds for cannabinoid content, microbial contamination, heavy metals, pesticide residues and residual solvents. A phytosanitary certificate is required for plant material. Customs entry documentation must reference the import permit number. Chain of custody records from the overseas production facility through to the Canadian licenced facility must be maintained and available for inspection. The overseas producer must also be able to demonstrate GMP compliance if audited by Health Canada. Any discrepancy between the permit specification and the accompanying documentation — batch numbers, cannabinoid profiles, product descriptions — will trigger regulatory scrutiny at the border.

Health Canada does not prescribe a single named GMP standard for overseas producers but expects that international suppliers demonstrate compliance with a recognised pharmaceutical or comparable GMP framework. In practice, overseas producers certified to EU GMP, WHO GMP or equivalent national pharmaceutical manufacturing standards are well-positioned to satisfy Health Canada's assessment requirements. Producers holding GMP certification from a recognised regulatory authority — including those that have been audited by TGA (Australia), EMA (EU) or equivalent — can typically provide the certification documentation and audit history that supports Health Canada's import permit assessment process. GLG works exclusively with producers whose GMP status has been independently verified, and we maintain the certification documentation necessary to support permit applications and Health Canada inquiries.

GLG operates as a supply intermediary — connecting GMP-certified international producers with licenced entities in Canada who hold the appropriate import permits and distribution authorisations. We do not hold a Canadian cannabis licence ourselves. Our role is to maintain the international producer relationships, manage export documentation from the producing jurisdiction, and ensure that the product and documentation package presented to Canadian licenced importers meets the standard Health Canada requires. This includes coordinating CoA formats, export permits from the country of origin, phytosanitary documentation and chain of custody records. For Canadian licenced entities seeking new supply sources, GLG provides a structured pathway to verified international producers without the burden of establishing and managing those relationships directly.

Yes. Health Canada's import framework is format-specific, and the Cannabis Regulations distinguish between different product classes — dried cannabis, cannabis oil, capsules, topicals, edibles and extracts. Import permits are issued for specific product types and formulations. Not all product classes are equally straightforward to import: dried flower and cannabis oil remain the most commonly imported formats, while edibles and certain extracts face additional scrutiny related to formulation and labelling compliance. Products must also comply with Canadian concentration limits and serving size requirements where applicable. Any product imported in bulk that will be processed, reformulated or repackaged within Canada must be handled in a licenced processing facility under GPP conditions. We assess format eligibility and Health Canada requirements for any specific product prior to establishing supply arrangements.

Health Canada requires that testing for cannabis products be conducted by laboratories that meet specified quality standards. For overseas testing, laboratories should hold accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 or an equivalent national standard recognised by Health Canada. The testing scope — cannabinoid potency, terpene profile, moisture content, microbial contamination, heavy metals, pesticide residues and residual solvents — must be covered by the laboratory's accreditation, not simply offered as an unaccredited service. CoAs must be structured to clearly identify the batch, testing laboratory, accreditation number, test dates and results against applicable limits. Certificates that lack accreditation details or that report results from outside the laboratory's accredited scope will not be accepted. GLG's producer network is assessed against these laboratory requirements, and we review CoA formats before they accompany Canadian import shipments.

No. GLG's Canadian market activity is focused exclusively on the medicinal and B2B healthcare supply pathway. The recreational cannabis market in Canada operates through a separate provincial and territorial retail licensing framework, involving government-controlled wholesale channels in most provinces. That market is structured around domestic LP supply into provincial distribution boards and does not align with GLG's B2B supply model. Our expertise and our producer network are built around the documentation, quality and compliance requirements of healthcare-facing supply — GMP certification, pharmaceutical-grade CoAs, import documentation and licenced seller relationships. All enquiries from Canadian partners are assessed against medicinal and authorised healthcare channel requirements only.