June 26, 2025 | David Brown – Posted in Stratcann
Following changes to the regulations earlier this year, new cannabis packaging and products are continuing to hit shelves across Canada.
In March, the federal cannabis regulator finalized a range of rule changes for cannabis producers, including several that will be noticeable to consumers, such as larger cannabis pre-rolls, streamlined labelling requirements for THC and CBD, multi-coloured packaging, QR codes, and see-through windows for cannabis flower.
By April, a handful of packaging for dried flower was appearing on shelves in some provinces with clear packaging, and many other examples have been launched since then as well.
Valhalla Flwr, a BC-based cannabis producer, recently launched their cannabis in packaging with a clear window to allow consumers to see the cannabis, something Sarah Tulloch, Operations Manager at Valhalla, says is already selling out quickly.
“At Valhalla Flwr, we’re proud to be among the first to launch this new windowed packaging format in BC. The feedback from retailers has been overwhelmingly positive. Budtenders appreciate being able to show consumers exactly what’s inside the bag, which helps build trust in the quality of the product, something that’s always been core to who we are as a craft, family-run business. It’s also getting some pretty big hype, which has been exciting to see.
“Logistically, there were definitely a few extra hoops to jump through in terms of approvals and compliance, but it was important to us to find a solution that showcases the flower while staying within regulatory guidelines.”
Another BC producer has recently launched a new product category made possible by Health Canada’s recent rule changes. Woody Nelson has launched a co-pack of cannabis edibles with 10×10 mg THC edibles per package.
Prior to the recent rule changes, cannabis producers could only sell edibles with no more than 10 mg THC per package. The new regulations allow up to ten of these 10 mg THC packages within one larger co-pack. Each package is still required to be individually wrapped in child-proof packaging with all of Health Canada’s labelling requirements.
While he’s excited to be one of the first producers to launch such a product into the Canadian market, Walker Patton, Chief Commercial Officer at Woody Nelson, says he’s still disappointed he has to include so much extra packaging just to allow consumers to buy multiple edibles in one external package.
“I think it’s an important step in the right direction for regulated edibles, but it’s hard to ignore the waste created by all this extra packaging,” says Patton. “Even so, it’s a great product and one we had a lot of fun making. If our goal is to compete with the illicit market in an environmentally friendly way, there’s still room to improve.”
Patton says Woody Nelson also has plans to release a cannabis pre-roll with more than one gram of cannabis. Although cannabis producers have been able to sell infused pre-rolls with more than one gram, this will be among the first of such products in the non-infused category.
Woody Nelson isn’t the only company launching these types of edibles. Organigram also recently announced its Shred-brand edibles in such co-packaging, in what it calls a “Party Pack.”
Atlantic Cultivation Ltd., a cannabis producer in Newfoundland, was one of the first companies to release such packaging earlier this year. The latest launch was for its new Headspace cultivar in June. Rather than just a clear window, though, as some companies have done, Atlantic opted for fully transparent packaging.
“So far, the reception of our 3rd Coast Genetics brand in clear bags has been great,” says Chris Crosby, the company’s founder and chief operator. “What I enjoy about these new clear bags for the Headspace brand that we are just launching this month is the approach we took with our marketing team at Foxtail Creative to blend the transparency into the color and not have isolated transparent sections of the bag or a dedicated window, which seems to be the approach of the majority of the new packaging I’ve seen.”
Avant Brands, another BC-based producer, also recently released its own clear packaging, a clear plastic jar for the Tenzo brand.
Adil Hirji, Vice President of Brand and Product at Avant Brands, says the company has been considering this type of packaging for several years.
“We started conceptualizing clear packaging ideas prior to the Cannabis Act in 2018 (and even prior to our Brand Portfolio development) as we weren’t aware there would be strict, opaque requirements. Being able to see what you’re buying has always been a key part of the cannabis purchasing experience. When Health Canada published the Notice of Proposed Amendments in June 2024, we saw there was potential for this to finally become a reality and started to plan a road to actualization, in hopes to be one of the first to offer this to retailers and consumers.”
Hirji says Avant has plans for several other options, as well.
“We’re currently in development and trialing several options across our BLKMKT & Tenzo brands, but our initial feedback from the first iteration has been extremely positive from both retailers and consumers alike. Concerns regarding light degradation or consumers wanting to see individual jars were expected (and planned for) prior to launch, and we’re glad that we haven’t experienced any issues on either, thus far.
“I believe we’ll see more quality producers (those with confidence in their products) adopt fully or partially transparent packaging. Beyond the marketing and merchandising value, transparency is what consumers want, and that’s what matters most.”
Ryan Roch, who owns and operates two cannabis stores in Alberta, Lake City Cannabis, says he hasn’t seen too many of the co-packs for edibles, but says for flower and pre-rolls, it’s been enticing to customers.
“The clear packaging on flower and pre-rolls has been a real hit,” explains Roch. Flower more so than the pre-rolls, but the pre-rolls, it’s, it’s a real nice thing to have, a lot of people just enjoy that level of it.
“For the flower side of things, it’s a real differentiator if you’re showing one versus the other, if one’s got a clear window, it’s just more likely to sell overall. And in one case, not sell because they didn’t like the way it looked. So it can be a little bit of a gift and a curse, but overall, super positive customer feedback, really positive, on that.
The second two high-selling provinces, Alberta and BC combined, sold less than Ontario ($150.5 million).
A recent report, compiled from data from cannabis retail digital platform Hifyre and Statistics Canada, says the Canadian cannabis industry is continuing to show signs of slowing growth and market consolidation.
Figures from Hifyre show total cannabis sales (non-medical) grew 4% in the first quarter of 2025, compared to just over 6% growth for all of 2024, and down from mid-teens growth in 2022 and 2023.
“The pre-rolls, it’s a little less impactful there, but it’s still early days,” he adds. “We haven’t seen too much of the multi edible packaging just yet, but it’s gonna be a hit. It’s gonna be a big, big impact for a lot of customers. That one is gonna hit the ground running really fast, and people are gonna, people are gonna love that one. So it’s just a matter of time before that takes off and is huge in itself, just the options are pretty limited thus far.”
View other cannabis industry news – Click Here