This week at StratCann, the biggest news was probably Organigram acquiring Motif Labs, followed by the release of Health Canada’s 2024 Canadian Cannabis Survey.
We also spoke with the OCS’ Dr. Jenna Valleriana about mindful cannabis use over the holidays and looked into a recent amendment to PEI’s vaping legislation.
On December 1 we dropped our monthly cannabis jobs report, and we spoke with a group seeking to enrol 1,000 Canadian medical cannabis patients for an observational study.
In financial news, Nova Scotia sold $32.6 million worth of cannabis in Q2 2024, High Tide is expanding its Cabana Club to an international market, and a judge rejected Final Bell’s equity claims against BZAM monitor, extending the stay of proceedings once again.
In other cannabis news
Niagara College is studying electrical conductivity and its importance in producing healthy, happy cannabis plants.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba (CPSM) is asking its members to review the recent updates from Health Canada regarding authorized cannabis for medical use. The memo notes that Health Canada may contact CPSM registrants directly to request evidence supporting the amount of cannabis authorized for a particular patient.
Almost five months into its court-appointed receivership, Delta 9 Cannabis Inc. creditors will have a chance to vote on the Manitoba company’s plan of arrangement later this month, reports the Winnipeg Free Press. SNDL Inc., which holds about $40 million in secured debt, will be paid in full. Co-founder John Arbuthnot said a deal should be closed on Delta 9’s 100,000-square-foot cultivation hub (with its 297 production pods) by mid-January. In November, Delta 9 selected a bidder for 17 of those grow pods.
Pure Sunfarms announced a new infused 2.1 gram Canna Czar twax blunt from Soar.
Avicanna Inc. announced the initial delivery of its topical products into Europe as a part of a previously announced exclusive supply agreement with a multinational pharmaceutical company. The company plans to launch products in six European countries during 2025 with expectations of further expansion throughout the European region shortly after. The products use CBD and CBG from Avicanna’s majority-owned subsidiary, Santa Marta Golden Hemp S.A.S., in Santa Marta, Colombia.
Canopy Growth Corporation will complete its acquisition of Acreage Holdings on or around December 9, 2024, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain closing conditions.
Canopy also announced the launch of two holiday-inspired cannabis products from Tweed, including a sugar-free Cranberry Ginger Ale and Tweed Snowtorious 91K flower.
Several media outlets ran a story on new products available at the OCS for the holidays.
The New Brunswick Telegraph Journal ran a piece on the testing results of cannabis vape pens (covered by StratCann in October) by RPC in New Brunswick. The article also includes new comments regarding ongoing questions in the province around jurisdictional authority for the province’s retail regulations, with comments from former NB public safety minister Kris Austin, RCMP Cpl. Hans Ouellette, and Health Canada.
Rubicon Organics Inc. announced that it has entered into credit agreements where it has borrowed an aggregate of $10 million from Community Savings Credit Union and another lender.
Decibel Cannabis Company Inc. received final acceptance from the TSX Venture Exchange for its previously announced acquisition of AgMedica Bioscience Inc.
A causality analysis of legal recreational cannabis sales and opioid-related mortality in the five years following cannabis legalization in Canada found no support for that hypothesis while looking at British Columbia, Ontario, or at the national level.
Halifax CBSA officers seized a suitcase containing 20 kilograms of cannabis on a flight to the UK on Monday, December 2, and arrested an Ontario man, Alessandro Pinchera, 21, of Richmond Hill.
International cannabis news
Many people again gathered in Las Vegas during the annual MJBizCon.
The USDEA’s hearings on cannabis rescheduling will begin on January 21, 2025, continuing through March 6, meeting twice a week save for a one-week break in February. Presenters will include Village Farms International, the parent company of Pure Sunfarms in Delta, BC.
Queensland doctors and pharmacists want medicinal cannabis removed from the special access scheme, saying the pathway is being used to bypass TGA assessment. The letter was co-signed by AMA Queensland, the state branches of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, and RANZCP, reports AusDoc.com.
Uruguay’s Cannabis Regulation and Control Institute (IRCCA) is recruiting a junior lawyer for its legal team.
Politico spoke with Brian Hanna, executive director of Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency, on the successes and challenges of the state’s legalization efforts, five years in. And finally, Texas Governor Dan Patrick announced he’s launched a legislative initiative to ban all THC being sold in Texas.
