Hundreds of people across the country have taken ill over the past weeks with a severe pulmonary affliction apparently linked to the vaping of cannabis products and nicotine-filled e-cigarettes. The victims are now said to number over 450 — and many were otherwise healthy young people, in their teens or early 20s. State and federal health authorities are investigating, and have just issued preliminary findings naming a particular additive found in vape cartridges. While the additive appears most common in illicit market vapes, many states have not banned the substance in their legal products.

Canadian farmers have been growing hemp, an industrial variety of cannabis, for food like seed and fiber for clothing for two decades. But until last October, cannabidiol (CBD) — a cannabinoid compound found in the flowering portion of the plant that has been touted as an anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety agent and other cure-all — couldn’t legally be extracted, processed or sold to consumers.

Canada’s Cannabis Act changed that last year, making it legal for hemp farmers to sell CBD-rich biomass to licensed processors and add to Canada’s inventory of CBD, which was previously supplied solely by medical cannabis cultivators.

Without making an announcement or statement of any kind, online retail giant Amazon has removed a range of products for assembling and packaging THC vape cartridges. Such products, which include everything from branded boxes and labels to warning stickers and compliance tabs, are often used to produce counterfeit vape cartridges for the unlicensed cannabis market. Often, the materials are so exact that it would be impossible for the average buyer to tell the difference between an untested counterfeit and a regulated, tested cartridge. Amazon hasn’t explained the move. But the company’s decision to remove the vape products comes as the U.S.

A potential ban on flavoured e-cigarettes in the U.S. is a welcome step towards greater regulation of vaping products, says the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.

“It’s encouraging to see federal governments start to have those types of conversations,” said Eric Nadalin, a manager in the WECHU’s health promotion department.

“Certainly, the concern with flavoured e-cigarettes is their attractiveness to youths. It’s something that we do want to acknowledge and develop protections against.”

On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a proposal for new enforcement policies by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that would effectively remove flavoured e-cigarettes from the U.S. vaping market.

After dozens of people across the Midwest and California were sickened as a result of vaping cannabis or e-cigarettes, consumers, vape makers, and retailers alike have to be aware of how products are made and where they were made.

Vape pens have surged to new heights on the marijuana mountain by offering a portable and discreet way to consume THC or cannabidiol (CBD)-heavy concentrates. 

While pot maybe legal in Canada, the skunky, funky stink that comes from cannabis is something that still draws complaints from condo dwellers and residents living nearby legal grow operations.

Cannabis can’t seem to catch a break online. 

Enthusiasts, brands, influencers, and plenty of others seem to run into myriad headaches when dealing with Facebook and other popular online marketing platforms. Whether marketing their product or just talking about the plant, many have seen their content conflict with some of the most popular platforms of today.   

The stance taken by Facebook and others in the space has often been one of little acceptance. Companies often cite company policy that tends to coincide with federal regulations for such bans. 

Just about every estimate shows that the cannabis industry will see strong long-term growth. Yet there are some major challenges–and they are more than just about changing existing laws and regulations.

But AI (Artificial Intelligence) is likely to be a big help. True, the industry has not been a big adopter of new technologies. However, this should change soon as investors pour billions of dollars into the space.

The second wave of cannabis legalization in Canada will allow the sale of edibles, beverages, extracts, and topicals effective October 17. The new products should hit the stores in mid-December, as federal license holders must give a 60-day notice to Health Canada regarding their plans to sell new products.

Health Canada says people who vape should get medical attention right away if they’re worried their electronic cigarettes are harming them.

The federal department says there is no sign in Canada of an affliction reported in as many as 25 American states that seems to be linked to vaping, but it is monitoring the situation.

Most of those who have fallen ill have been teens or adults in their 20s or 30s, hospitalized with severe shortness of breath, vomiting, fever and fatigue. Other symptoms include coughing, chest pain and diarrhea, and signs of infection, such as fevers, that appear without any apparent source.