Activities with cannabis samples: Overview

Who is this for

The information on these pages is for cannabis licence holders who will conduct intra-industry distribution of cannabis samples.

This content applies to the following cannabis licences:

micro-cultivation, nursery and standard cultivation
micro-processing and standard processing

This guide explains the requirements under the Cannabis Act (the Act) and the Cannabis Regulations (the Regulations) that apply to cannabis samples. It is meant to help you ensure that your activities with cannabis samples are compliant.

All other types of intra-industry distribution of cannabis are outside the scope of this document (for example, distribution between you and another licence holder).

This guide explains:

who can give cannabis samples to cannabis retailers, and what they can give
what regulatory requirements apply, including:
- storage and distribution requirements
- role of employees and contractors
- record keeping and reporting requirements
how inspectors may assess compliance with these requirements

What is a cannabis product

A cannabis product is defined in the Regulations as cannabis of only 1 cannabis class or a cannabis accessory after it has been packaged and labelled for sale to a consumer at the retail level.

Any cannabis distributed to a retailer, including samples, must meet all the requirements of the Regulations that apply to cannabis products. This includes:

good production practices
cannabis product requirements
packaging and labelling requirements outlined in Parts 5, 6 and 7 of the Regulations

You must provide cannabis samples as sealed, packaged, and labelled products. The label on the package must reflect its contents. You must have an excise stamp on your product before distribution.

Learn more:

What is a cannabis sample

A cannabis sample is a product that you give for free to an authorized cannabis retailer (provincial or territorial) for educational and marketing purposes. It is not intended to be sold to consumers.

Learn more:

For the requirements or inducements, refer to subsections 24(1) and (2) of the Act
Promotion prohibitions under the Cannabis Act

Note about guidance documents in general

Disclaimer

You need to read this page along with the Cannabis Act (the Act) and the Cannabis Regulations (the Regulations). If there are differences between this page and the Act and the Regulations, the legislation is correct.

Contact us

For all questions, refer to Cannabis and industrial hemp contact information for licence holders, applicants and industry to find the appropriate email address.

Page details

2026-02-24

Choose a theme