Article by James McClure, Civilized The Ontario government fired the first shot in a province-wide war on illegal medical marijuana dispensaries last week. “If you operate one of these dispensaries, consider yourself on notice,” Attorney General Yasir Naqvi said while pledging to close every dispensary in the province over the next 12 months. The news was depressingly predictable for people who have fought to make the “gray market” ...

Article by Jenna Valleriani and Rebecca Haines-Saah, Globe And Mail On May 29, the Canadian Medical Association Journal released an editorial criticizing the government’s approach to the protection of youth in the proposed Cannabis Act. The legislation, which was introduced in April, will create a legal regulated market for adult access to non-medical cannabis in Canada. The editorial took issue ...

Article by Sue Bailey, CTV News Canada’s public safety minister says the federal government is anxious to legalize marijuana by next summer despite police services saying there’s zero chance they’ll be ready. Ralph Goodale said Wednesday the Liberals just announced $274 million over the next five years to help with police training and fight the involvement of organized crime. On ...

Article by Brennan MacDonald, CBC News A B.C. pot activist and dispensary owner told MPs studying the government’s cannabis legalization bill Friday that excluding edible cannabis products from next year’s planned rollout will mean the black market will continue to supply them. “If the government is not going to allow edibles and extracts, we’re going to continue to sell them ...

Article by Jorge Barrera, APTN News The federal Liberal government’s point-man on legalizing marijuana said more talks between Ottawa, the provinces and First Nations are needed to sort out how the looming pot law will apply on reserves. Liberal MP Bill Blair, who is also parliamentary secretary for justice, said while provinces and territories will be responsible for developing regulations ...

Article by James McClure, Civilized The government of New Brunswick, Canada just made a landmark marijuana deal. Tomorrow, the provincial government will announce a partnership with Organigram, a federally licensed medical marijuana producer, to supply the province’s cannabis retailers when Canada legalizes recreational use in 2018. Under the new agreement, Organigram — which is based in Moncton, New Brunswick — will allocate approximately ...

Article by Harrison Jordan, Lift News A new poll finds that a large percentage of Canadians say that they will smoke marijuana once the drug is legalized recreationally throughout the country. A whopping 4 out of 10, or 39% of individuals, say they will be cannabis consumers if the Prime Minister’s plan comes to pass (which it almost certainly will). The poll ...

Article by David Brown, Lift News Lift had a chance to interview NDP critic for Health and Health Committee vice-chair Don Davies Thursday to discuss the motion he presented before the committee to ask for two more days of discussion and witness testimony. Davies has said he wants to hear from licensed producers, dispensaries, people from the edibles market, young people and ...

Article by Geordon Omand, Waterloo Region Record Canada’s justice ministers are asking for clarity and support as they scramble to organize and police an entirely new marijuana industry in fewer than 10 months. British Columbia Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said he hopes this week’s meeting between federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould and her provincial and territorial counterparts will provide more ...

Article by Richard Hutton, Niagara This Week More than 90 cannabis experts from around the world will be in Niagara Falls next month for a conference concerning the state of the industry in Canada. The Scotiabank Convention Centre will host the Grow Up Cannabis Conference & Expo on Oct. 6 and 7. The summit comes on the heels of the Ontario ...