After Canada legalized cannabis for adult recreational use on October 17, 2018, Health Canada expanded its Licensed Producer system to ensure public safety and to reduce the black market. As part of its restructuring, Health Canada created a new class system of licences:
Cultivation (growing cannabis)
Processing (making cannabis products)
Selling cannabis for medical purposes
Testing cannabis
Research using cannabis
Cultivation and Processing also have sub-classes of licences, most notably the "micro" licences. This is to encourage smaller operations to grow and process cannabis, essentially ensuring a "craft cannabis growers" industry.
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