This week, StratCann covered OCS’ announcement that it will be allowing farmgate stores to sell exclusive products and again asked where all the provincial cannabis tax revenue is going.
We also looked at a new lawsuit against the SQDC and a second round of raids at First Nations-owned cannabis stores in one BC community.
In financial cannabis news, SNDL, Village Farms, and Cronos released their Q1 2024 reports, and we shared our monthly cannabis jobs snapshot.
In other cannabis news…
One of the bigger stories this week was a rise in enforcement actions against cannabis consumers on the road in Saskatchewan.
CBC ran an in-depth piece, noting that the number of Saskatchewan drivers caught behind the wheel with THC in their system was 20 times higher last year than in 2019, according to Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI).
Global News looked into the difficulty in accurately distinguishing between detection of cannabinoids and actual impairment, and the questionable accuracy of equipment like Draeger’s DrugTest 5000.
In related news, a PEI man found by police behind the wheel of a parked running vehicle and listening to the radio while more than four times over the legal cannabis limit has received a jail sentence.
CBC also looked at a recycling program for cannabis packaging in Ontario started by the owner of the cannabis store Green Light District in Windsor. The article also speaks with an employee at another cannabis shop who launched a petition calling on the OCS and AGCO to adopt a sustainable packaging and container return program.
Aurora Cannabis announced its first shipment of three cultivars into New Zealand’s medical cannabis market.
Toronto’s Institute for Work & Health is hosting a webinar on May 14 on cannabis use and perceptions among Canadian workers after legalization, presenting data from 2018 to 2021.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) reminded people that they cannot order cannabis products from outside of Canada.
The BC Bud Corporation announced the appointment of Sean Flynn as its new Chief Commercial Officer, effective May 7th, 2024.
Carmel Cannabis received high marks from the Hamilton Spectator following a recent job fair.
Law 360 spoke with Kirk Tousaw and Russell Bennett about Manitoba’s new legislation to allow cannabis growing at home (subscription needed).
International cannabis
In the US, the AP reports that New York’s legal cannabis market has been hampered by inexperienced leaders who treated the state licensing agency like a “mission-driven” startup rather than a government office, according to an internal review released Friday.
New York’s Cannabis Director has been asked to step down as the Governor orders an overhaul of the state’s cannabis program.
A woman who arrived at Dublin airport from Canada with more than 12.5 kilos of cannabis in her suitcase has been jailed for four years. The 26-year-old was homeless in Toronto at the time of the offence in September and agreed to fly to Ireland with the cannabis in exchange for a payment of €3,000 (about $4,400 Canadian), a Dublin court heard.
