This past week at StratCann, we looked into a new cannabis industry association in Australia that is warning the government of the dire state of the industry in the wake of a flood of imports.
The BCLDB released its most recent sales figures for the first three months of 2025, showing a slight year-over-year increase in sales.
We also looked at questions surrounding a recent blitz of enforcement action against cannabis consumers who drive in Winnipeg, and the decision in Nelson, BC, to deny a permit for an outdoor cannabis consumption space.
A cannabis store in Calgary won an appeal related to the distance between the store and a newly constructed private school.
In financial news: MediPharm responded to accusations from Apollo Technology Capital Corporation; an Alberta court ruled that High Park/Tilray are not disallowed from voting on a proposed 420 plan; and Cronos released their Q1 2025 financial results.
In other cannabis news
Two councillors in Victoria, BC, put a motion to the council to look into allowing cannabis stores to operate with just one employee. The motion was defeated. Council’s debate on the issue can be viewed here.
Organigram Global Inc. announced it was named Exporter of the Year by Opportunities New Brunswick as part of the 2025 New Brunswick Export Awards. The company says it has achieved $50 million in international cannabis shipped sales and nearly $885 million in total shipped sales since 2020.
Glen Simard, a Manitoba MLA, toured Organigram’s edibles production facility in Winnipeg.
High Tide CEO Raj Gover posted a selfie with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, writing that “High Tide remains committed to working with all levels of government to combat the illicit cannabis market and support a thriving legal industry.” High Tide’s Omar Khan posted a similar pic with the Diplomat Consulting team, also referencing the Independent Retail Cannabis Collective.
Khan also posted a pic thanking the AGLC and Service Alberta senior leadership for engaging with representatives from across Alberta’s legal cannabis sector.
High Tide Inc. also announced a new Canna Cabana location in Cornwall, Ontario, opening May 12. This opening brings High Tide’s total store count to 197 Canna Cabana-branded locations across Canada, and 81 in the province of Ontario.
Village Farms International, Inc. rescheduled its previously announced conference call to discuss its first quarter 2025 financial results to Tuesday, May 13, 2025.
Greenway Greenhouse Cannabis Corporation applied to Health Canada for new, dedicated propagation space at its Leamington, Ontario facility. The company’s revenue per gram has steadily increased for six straight quarters, from $0.84 to $1.58 per gram.
Amid a wave of opposition to licenses for cannabis stores being issued after years of planning, there are signs the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (Kahnawake) (MCK) may be reconsidering, reports The Spec. The Kahnawà:ke Cannabis Control Board is currently considering applications from community members who want to open cannabis stores on the territory. StratCann first spoke with the lead for the cannabis file for the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) about the community’s approach in 2021.
Dentons highlighted that the US Department of Homeland Security revoked a removal order against the Canadian CEO of a cannabis harvesting equipment company, Eteros Technologies USA Inc., that StratCann reported on earlier this year. The US Department of Homeland Security has now asked a federal judge to dismiss the case, arguing it is moot because the removal order has been vacated and the ban lifted.
GrowerIQ announced its selection to represent Team Canada on the upcoming trade mission to Thailand. Organized by Global Affairs Canada, this high-level delegation showcases innovative Canadian companies poised for international growth. GrowerIQ says it’s the only cannabis-related business selected to participate.
Dr. Iris Gorfinkel spoke with CBC about a recent JAMA study on cannabis use among younger Canadians.
A new report says that cannabis use among young people in Yukon is down since legalization began. Among rural youth, 29% reported cannabis use in the past 30 days in 2022, down from 38% in 2018. For urban youth, the rate decreased from 22% in 2018 to 18% in 2022.
A Calgary judge denied a homeowner’s plea for the court to force his insurance company to cover a liability claim for a house fire he caused by making BHO in his garage.
The Sûreté du Québec’s Contraband Investigation Service conducted a cannabis production operation at production sites with plants being grown and dried, at various stages of their growth. Police seized a hash press, 200g of hash, 50kg of cannabis, production equipment, a handgun, cocaine, and cash.
An Ontario man was arrested while trying to board the ferry to Newfoundland with 200 cannabis resin vape products, eight pounds of cannabis, unstamped tobacco products, and more than $3,500 in cash.
A major anti-drug operation took place in early May in France and Quebec against a Canadian criminal group suspected of having imported three tons of cannabis into Europe. “The quality of the product is quite remarkable for the narcotics world, since the quality of weed in Canada is clearly very, very good,” noted Lieutenant-Colonel Frédéric Colard, second-in-command of the Air Transport Gendarmerie’s research section.
International Cannabis News
New Zealand’s medicinal cannabis sector is warning that “onerous” regulations around production are restricting the local sector, while international players flood the market.
A new report in Israel says the rate of cannabis imports from Canada continues to rise while the number of patients continues to stagnate.
The Pennsylvania House advanced a bill legalizing recreational cannabis. The bill now goes to the state Senate. Democrats have championed the issue, while Republicans have pushed back. Sen. Dan Laughlin of Erie County, a leading Republican on the issue, said on social media after the vote that there is “no path forward in the Senate for a state store model for adult-use cannabis.”
MJBiz reports that Colorado cannabis sales dropped by about $20 million during the first two months of the year, according to data released by the Colorado Department of Revenue. Sales have been decreasing annually since a peak in 2021.
And finally, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office says the state has essentially eradicated hemp-derived THC products from alcohol sellers after it instituted an emergency ban in September.
