Ever since the CBD and cannabis industries have skyrocketed in attention, popularity, and revenue, large beverage companies are enticed to get involved. 

Not only is the cannabidiol (CBD) industry projected to reach at least $22 billion by 2022, at least according to some analysts, but the CBD market is also one of the fastest growing market segments within the cannabis industry as a whole.

Celebration over the legalization of cannabis in five more U.S. states was hardly over when attention turned to what this all means for industry heavyweights north of the border.

Several of the largest Canadian companies reported quarterly results last week, putting them under the microscope as Wall Street tries to figure out how they’ll grow while largely shut out of the rapidly expanding U.S. market. Some are finding ways in, while others are searching beyond.

As consumers increasingly shift to online ordering, click-and-collect, curbside pickup, and delivery, dispensaries must begin leveraging digital advertising options to drive online orders, keep their brands top-of-mind, and increase total sales revenue.

Canada’s medical cannabis system effectively prioritizes safety and transparency. But from the patient perspective, the experience is not ideal.

A batch of cannabis oil sold in B.C. has been recalled by Health Canada after the package's instructions on how to use the product were incorrect.

Health Canada says the recall involves nine lots from Voyage Cannabis Corp.'s PureFarma and PuraVida oils. They were sold through provincially authorized retailers in B.C., the health agency says. 

The problem with the instructions is on the outer packaging, Health Canada explains, which says "intended use: inhalation." Instead, it should say "intended use: ingestion," which is what the product's immediate container explains. 

Health Canada says it hasn't received any complaints about the packaging, but the company has received three. 

Earlier this month, cannabis enthusiasts celebrated a green sweep in the United States. Five states placed marijuana legalization initiatives or amendments on their ballots, and every single recreational weed and medical cannabis measure passed. By the end of election night, the number of medical marijuana-legal states had increased to 36, with 15 of these states also allowing for the consumption and/or retail sale of adult-use cannabis.

But more than two years before the United States celebrated its green sweep, Canada was rolling out the green carpet for adult-use cannabis sales. On Oct. 17, 2018, the Cannabis Act officially became law in our neighbor to the north.

First State Compassion, Delaware’s medical marijuana pioneer, paved the way for a robust and sustainable Delaware industry that set the bar as a model for the country.

It is doing it again by building a more inclusive workforce. “When we opened Delaware’s first medical marijuana dispensary in Wilmington in 2015, it was revolutionary,” said CEO Mark Lally. “Today, we are focused on widening that pioneering path even more. I am especially proud of our diverse leadership team and the significant role women play in our organization.”

Nearly 37 percent of senior-level jobs at cannabis companies are held by women, according to a Marijuana Business Daily survey. That compares with the national average of 21 percent female business executives.

On Election Day, majorities of voters in New Jersey, Arizona, South Dakota, and Montana cast their ballots to legalize recreational marijuana. That brings the number of states in which adult-use cannabis is legal to 15 states plus Washington, D.C. Another 20 states have legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Next year, Florida, New York, and Ohio are likely to pass their own legalization proposals, at which point close to one in two American adults would live in a state where they'd have legal access to cannabis.