What are Dried Cannabis Equivalencies? 

Cannabis has evolved over the last few years beyond its original format of dried cannabis. You can now consume cannabis in many non-dried-flower formats such as oils, sprays, edibles, and more. 

However, your medical cannabis prescription and the Government of Canada’s possession limits all refer to the number of grams in dried cannabis. Therefore, when using another format, we need to find out how many grams that format would be equivalent to if it was dried cannabis. This will help you order your medication and understand how much cannabis you possess when out in public. 

Two Types of Dried Cannabis Equivalencies 

There are two types of equivalency factors: 

1. Government equivalency factors based on product weigh. Used by the government to determine public possession limits*.

2. Licensed producers equivalency factors based on product. Used by licensed producers to determine how many grams are deducted from a patient’s monthly ordering allotment for non-dried-flower cannabis products.  

Since these two equivalency factors differ in how they are calculated, the equivalency number will differ between the product label and the licensed producer’s online shop. Depending on what you want to find out, look at one or the other: the product label will help you determine the amount you possess while the online shop will help you determine how much is being deducted from your monthly ordering allotment. 

1. Government Limits for Medical Cannabis and Equivalency Factors 

At the time of writing, the Government of Canada states medical cannabis patients can possess: 

“The lesser of 150 grams or a 30-day supply of dried cannabis (or the equivalent in cannabis product), in addition to 30 grams allowed for non-medical purposes.” 

The “equivalent” is the gram amount that a non-dried-flower cannabis product would be equivalent to if it was dried cannabis. This is calculated by Health Canada and is based solely on the weight of the cannabis product. 

See table below of the Government’s equivalencies: 

*These equivalency factors appear on every cannabis product label. Make sure you add up the equivalency factors on the labels of all your products before carrying cannabis products publicly, to ensure that you are not going over the legal limit. Individuals with a medical cannabis prescription who are travelling with more than the general 30-gram limit must carry the proper documentation authorizing them to do so. Your Registration Document (which you will receive once you are a registered Aurora® patient) or your order invoice may be used as your documentation. 

 2. Licensed Producers Equivalency Factors 

The current regulations require healthcare practitioners to write cannabis prescriptions in terms of dried cannabis grams/day, but this does not mean that you can only order your medical cannabis in dried cannabis format. Unless otherwise specified by your healthcare practitioner, you can order any of the formats on our website, as long as you are within your 30-day allowance. 

Your "30-day allowance" is calculated by multiplying your prescribed number of grams per day by 30. 

Example for a Medical Cannabis Patient 

Medical document allowance: 2 g per day 

30-day allowance: 2 g per day x 30 days in cycle = 60 g 

Public possession limit: 60 g (+ 30 g allowed for non-medical purposes) 

Licensed producers’ dried cannabis equivalencies are calculated based on the product’s formula (i.e., its cannabinoid content, not the product’s weight). Since each product has its own unique formula, the best way to find out its dried cannabis equivalency is by reading the product description of that particular product on our website. Your allowance will be calculated automatically as you add products to your cart. 

Products from across Aurora’s medical brands (i.e., Aurora, MedReleaf, CanniMed and WMMC) have different formulations. This means 2 products from different brands that appear similar to each other may in fact have different dried cannabis equivalences to each other. e.g., an oil from MedReleaf could have a 10 g dried cannabis equivalency whereas an oil from Aurora could have a 6 g dried cannabis equivalency.  

Sample Order  

Veteran Coverage Program 

If you’re a Veteran, Aurora will pay the cost difference above the maximum VAC reimbursement rate of $8.50 per gram on all medical cannabis products on our website. You don’t need to worry about the price, just focus on ordering within your monthly allowance.

If you have any questions about dried cannabis equivalencies, our Client Care Team is happy to support you. Send us an email at askus@auroramedical.com or phone at 1-877-928-7672.