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Craft cannabis gets talked about like it’s an official category. It isn’t. In Canada, the law doesn’t label a product “craft” or “commercial.” It regulates the work behind the label. Who can grow. Who can process. How products are tested, packaged, tracked, and promoted.
Then the community decides what “craft” means in practice.
This guide breaks the legal side down in plain language. It covers what the Cannabis Act controls, what it doesn’t define, and how small-batch producers fit into the same system as large-scale operators.
Canada’s Cannabis Act is the federal foundation. It sets the rules for cannabis production, distribution, sale, import, export, and promotion. It also sets out what is prohibited, including promotion that is false or misleading, or that could be appealing to young persons.
What that means for consumers is simple.
The Cannabis Act does not exist to define taste, culture, or community standards. It exists to regulate legal production and sale.
No. “Craft cannabis” is not a legal category in the Cannabis Act.
There is no federal checkbox that turns a product into craft. No official “craft” stamp. No regulated definition that says, “If you hang dry and hand trim, you qualify.”
Instead, craft is a community term.
It usually points to things like small-batch handling, hang drying, long curing, and careful trimming. Those methods can happen inside the legal market. They can also be claimed on labels without being enforced by law, because the law is regulating safety and rules of operation, not craft identity.
So the clean way to think about it is this:
If you’re trying to understand “small-batch” through a legal lens, the most relevant framework is licensing.
Health Canada issues cannabis licences. Two common licence types that often come up in craft conversations are micro-cultivation and micro-processing.
Micro-processing is about processing activities at a smaller scale. Think drying, trimming, packaging, and other post-harvest steps, depending on what activities the licence covers.
A micro-processing licence can matter for craft because many craft-signaling methods happen after harvest. Drying pace. Curing time. Handling. Trimming approach. Storage discipline.
Important point: a micro licence doesn’t automatically mean “craft.” It only means the business operates within micro limits.
Craft is still about methods and choices.
Here’s the most important clarity point in the whole article. The law regulates cannabis production. It does not enforce craft culture. So these “craft signals” are real. They matter. But they are not legal categories.
Hang drying is a traditional method where plants or branches are hung in a controlled environment to dry slowly. People associate it with careful handling and aroma retention. Nothing in the Cannabis Act says “hang dry or you’re not craft.”
Hand trimming is slower. It’s also more manual. Some producers use glove trimming or gentle approaches that still keep handling deliberate. Again, this is not a legal definition. It’s a method choice.
Long curing is one of the biggest separators between “fast” production and “patient” production. It’s also one of the hardest things to justify in high-volume throughput models, because it ties up time and space.
Curing time is not mandated as “craft.” But curing discipline is one of the ways craft producers try to protect cultivar identity.
Packaging and storage can be done as a high-speed line or as a slower, small-run process. Both can be compliant. One is more compatible with hands-on handling.
British Columbia has a deep small-batch cannabis culture. That’s not a legal point. It’s a cultural point. In BC, especially on Vancouver Island, a lot of cannabis knowledge developed in tight communities, long before legalization.
That history shaped what people mean when they say “craft.” Legalization did not invent that culture. It built a regulated lane where parts of it could operate openly. So when you hear “traditional BC craft,” you’re hearing a regional story layered over a federal system.
Because “craft” isn’t legally defined, you need a simple consumer framework.
Use a decision checklist. Look for specific signals, not vague language.
None of this guarantees anything on its own. But when several of these show up together, you’re usually closer to real craft process.
Victoria Cannabis Company operates inside the legal system and respects what the system requires. At the same time, VCC is part of a wider craft ecosystem in Canada.
The point is not to pretend craft begins and ends with one company. It doesn’t.
The point is to keep traditional craft methods alive inside a regulated market. That means staying disciplined on process, staying honest about what the law does and doesn’t define, and using education to help consumers understand the category.
Curious about the other articles in Craft Cannabis: The Complete Guide? Click here!
No. The Cannabis Act does not define “craft cannabis” as a legal category. It regulates licences, compliance, packaging, and promotion rules.
There is no “craft” licence. Craft producers can hold different licence types. Many small-batch growers operate under micro-cultivation, but “micro” and “craft” are not the same thing.
They follow the same federal framework. The difference is scale. Smaller operations may find it easier to keep batches distinct and handle flower more carefully, but the legal requirements still apply across the board.
Micro-cultivation is defined by regulated limits, including canopy size. The details are set out by Health Canada in its licensing guidance.
No. The law focuses on regulated production and compliance. Methods like hang drying, hand trimming, and long curing are community craft practices, not legal categories.
Provinces manage wholesale distribution through provincial systems. For example, Ontario and British Columbia have provincial distributors that handle wholesale supply into retail. This is why the legal market can feel different from province to province, even under one federal Act.
Reviewed by: Kyp Rowe, VP Brand, Victoria Cannabis Company.
This page will be updated when licensing rules change, Cannabis Act updates occur, or provincial distribution practices shift.
