It’s no secret that the rollout of cannabis legalization has underperformed in countries like Canada. Since legalization in October of 2018, industry experts have warned that the projections of the big cannabis firms and venture capitalists far exceeded the expected demand from the legal market.

In a well-timed tweet, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has announced that the province’s 420th cannabis retail store has been authorized to open.

The AGCO, which regulates cannabis retail in Ontario, sent the tweet at 4:20 p.m. on Tuesday.

After an incomprehensibly slow retail rollout, the province has picked up the pace in recent months. In December, the AGCO reported that it would, once again, double the pace of its cannabis Retail Store Authorizations (RSAs) and issue up to 80 each month.

In September of last year, the agency took steps to double its monthly RSAs from 20 to 40 a month.

Canopy Growth Corp. reported Tuesday its third-quarter revenue rose 23 per cent to $152.5 million, beating expectations, yet the company sees its elusive goal of becoming profitable still a year away. 

The pot producer said it lost $829.3 million in the three months ending Dec. 31, roughly half of which was due to impairment charges related to the closure of several production facilities last year. A year earlier, Canopy posted a net loss of $109 million.

Marijuana’s slow but steady movement towards federal legalization has been heavily documented, gaining support across the nation and with more and more medical and recreational programs gaining approval. But there remains a lot of mystery in the purchase process, with many turning to black market marijuana because it seems simpler and less intimidating than legal weed.

Legal marijuana still has some growing pains, but it has slowly become a simple and more intuitive process. Now, depending on the state where you live, you’re able to purchase marijuana online, at times having it delivered or scheduled for pick-up. Here’s how to buy weed on the web.

While cannabis strains are typically praised for the strength and effects of their cannabinoids, a growing number of connoisseurs and industry pros alike are recognizing that a strain’s terpene profile can be of equal import.

Floridians said they believe hemp businesses will boom this year and are hopeful about it.

“It’s just everything we worked on for two years is now in front of you. It’s very exciting,” said Holly Bell, the Director of Cannabis for the Florida Department of Agriculture.

Bell said she could barely contain her excitement looking at all the harvested plants in the middle of a greenhouse in Central Florida. 

Bell said she knows that 2021 is the year for hemp to take over.

“What we’re seeing in our preliminary numbers from our economists in our groups is tax revenues in the first full 12 months around $17 million,” Bell said.

She said that hemp is already bringing in lots of money, but also thousands of jobs. 

Thirty years from now, hemp advocates envision the versatile crop will play a prominent role in the U.S. economy, used regularly in the production of everyday products including food, fiber, fuel, pharmaceuticals and building materials.

But getting to that point is not so simple. 

Lawmakers must adopt policies to ease the regulatory burden on farmers and processors. Scientists must conduct the research and development needed to pioneer new technologies. Breeders must continue studying hemp genetics that best serve such wide-ranging markets.

That was the underlying theme of the first National Hemp Symposium — looking ahead to 2050, and finding the roadmap for a thriving industry.

The global pandemic has slowed down many aspects of daily life around the globe, and in some cases, shut them down entirely. Fortunately, the cannabis movement has pushed on despite the ongoing pandemic.

This is not to say that things are full steam ahead because there have certainly been setbacks and additional hurdles caused by the battle against coronavirus, especially in the United States.

Several cannabis legalization campaigns that were aiming to make the 2020 ballot were forced to postpone efforts because effective signature gathering for initiatives proved to be nearly impossible.

Cannabis is not the only industry that can act as a microcosm of the world but it may be the most prominent. Cannabis is still federally illegal so there are many areas in which people can be turned away from participating due to previous arrests for cannabis.

During the Fall Emerge 2020 Virtual Cannabis Conference & Expo, Minorities for Medical Marijuana (M4MM) Founder and CEO Roz McCarthy led a panel discussion with industry-leading advocacy organizations. Together, they addressed the myriad concerns surrounding social equity within the cannabis industry.  

The last few years have been a wild ride for the United States’ hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) industry. Ever since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took the position that CBD is unlawful in many consumer products, the industry has faced many questions about what it can and cannot do. To add fuel to this fire, many states have adopted laws and regulations that are different from, more complicated than, and/or inconsistent with the FDA’s position. To say the least, things are complex.