This week’s big news was, of course, the release of the What We Heard Report on the ongoing legislative review of the Cannabis Act, and StratCann’s David Brown shared his thoughts on how the Cannabis Act review will not save your business.
In Alberta, AGLC announced several rule changes for cannabis producers and retailers, and in BC, a First Nation-owned cannabis retailer recently opened a new “sovereign” edibles store next to their provincially licensed cannabis store and federally licensed production facility. Aly Benson also shared a piece with StratCann asking if Manitoba’s new Indigenous premier could mean changes to the province’s strict cannabis laws, while researchers in Canada and the US shared their work on using smartphones to detect cannabis impairment.
Also, Tether’s Holiday Showcase takes place at Millworks Creative Studios in Dundas, ON, on November 1.
In other cannabis news this past week…
Several major media outlets also covered the What We Heard Report, including the Canadian Press, which ran a story on the five-year anniversary of legalization, with a focus on the winding down of the stock market bubble, with comments from Abi Roach, Vivien Azer, a managing director and senior research analyst at TD Cowen, and Canopy CEO David Klein.
CTV carried a similar story on the persistence of stigma with comments from Kate Grimmell from Greentown Cannabis in Ontario.
The Canadian Medical Association Journal also released a report on the five-year anniversary of cannabis legalization. The key takeaways are that cannabis use and its associated harms have remained steady or slightly increased (but more data is required), and there have been substantial reductions in criminal arrests and charges related to cannabis use.
CBC ran an in-depth piece on this report, featuring interviews with several of the researchers involved.
Researchers from the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières (UQTR) are launching a survey with the goal of “a better portrait of cannabis consumption among parents” of children under 12 years old. This would be one of the first studies of its kind to be carried out in Quebec.
A would-be Whitehorse cannabis shop has again lost its bid to get a retail licence—this time, in front of the courts. Community Cannabis Inc. applied for the licence last year after signing a lease and beginning renovations at a space on Second Avenue in downtown Whitehorse. The board held a public hearing on the application before denying it in February.
Some residents in Drummondville, Quebec, have launched a petition complaining about what they say is the smell of cannabis from nearby indoor and outdoor producer Canna-Culture.
Radio Canada ran a story on Quebec producer Sumo, whose first batch of products will be available in the SQDC in November.
Joi Botanicals and Freedom Cannabis announced that Freedom will be taking on processing and distribution for Joi.
Greenway Greenhouse Cannabis Corporation announced it was engaging cannabis distributor Green Hedge to act as an outside sales force, providing coverage to licensed cannabis retailers and provincial wholesalers across Canada.
Eurofins CDMO Alphora Inc. announced that it had received its Health Canada Cannabis Drug License for its Oakville, Ontario operations in September 2023. This complements the Institutional Research License obtained through Health Canada in June 2021 for its Mississauga development site, and a Standard Processing License obtained for the Oakville manufacturing operation in May 2022.
The Laval Police Department in Quebec carried out three searches and three arrests on October 3 in connection with the production, processing, distribution and sale of cannabis, seizing 1,453 plants as well as dried cannabis.
