In case you haven't noticed, the North American cannabis industry has been a borderline mess in recent months. To our north, Canada has been contending with regulatory-based supply issues that have created shortages or bottlenecks. Meanwhile, in the U.S., high tax rates, and to a lesser degree supply issues, have stymied legal-channel sales. No matter the problem, it's opened the door for black-market producers to thrive.

Prices of hundreds of cannabis products at Ontario’s provincially owned online retail store have decreased dramatically since legalization, a result of rising cannabis supply and a proliferation of product offerings from producers.

“To date, more than 200 product price decreases have been made on dried cannabis, pre-rolls, oils and capsules as well as accessories,” the Ontario Cannabis Store revealed in a statement this week.

According to the OCS, more than 160 price drops came in the dried flower category and approximately 40 in the extract category, which includes products such as cannabis oils and gel capsules

Cannabis companies have been struggling amid a cash crunch in the sector. The big players are in a tough spot.

The Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (NSLC) is still experiencing a limited supply of cannabis edibles and it could be months before items are regularly found on the shelves.

Stores are carrying chocolates, soft chews and mints, along with vaping products and teas.

NSLC spokesperson Beverley Ware said licensed producers are working hard on getting more products approved and shipped.

"We sell out of the chocolates and the soft chews quite consistently, and that was expected because there's such a limited supply of this product," Ware told NEWS 95.7's The Rick Howe Show. "So we're constantly trying to bring on new licensed producers who will have these products available, so we can then offer them to our customers."

In the U.S., specialty crops tend to remain specialty crops, meaning comparatively small acreage and production, said USDA economists in assessing the prospects for industrial hemp. Challenges including competition for acreage, the threat of imports, and the necessity of building marketing networks “will determine patterns of development in the emerging U.S. hemp industry,” they said in a report on Wednesday.

Canada’s beer business is looking a little flat.

The industry experienced its largest drop in sales in seven years in 2019, with domestic and imported beer purchases falling by 3 percent from the previous year, according to Marijuana Business Daily.

Domestic beer felt the brunt of the decline, with sales dropping in each of the final eight months of the year and in 11 out of 12 months in 2019.

Sales in December stood at 68,000 hectolitres (hL), down 4 percent from the same month in 2018. Marijuana sales, on the other hand, have been moving in the opposite direction.

One of the most exciting verticals that is commonly associated with the cannabis sector is related to the opportunity that is surrounding cannabidiol (CBD) and other high-value cannabinoids. During the last year, we noticed an increase in the number of mainstream retailers carrying CBD products, and this is a trend that our readers need to be aware of.

From shopping centers to gas stations, from vitamin stores to supermarkets, we are impressed with the increase in the types of stores that are selling CBD infused products and are favorable on the distribution that is associated with it. Over the next year, we expect the CBD industry to report continued growth and this is an opportunity that we want to cover in-depth.

This is set to be an exciting year for the Canadian cannabis industry, but there are still several hurdles the fledgling industry must overcome if it is to live up to pre-legalization hype.

According to data from Brightfield Group’s January 2020 Canadian Cannabis report, one-third of Canadian cannabis consumers were unsure which brands they were purchasing and 50% didn’t know what dosage they preferred in 2019.

The survey data illuminates two problems the government, licensed cannabis producers, sellers, and consumers have experienced since legalization.

“Regulations were so extensive that few brands or products were able to gain traction among customers,” the report states.

Budtenders at a British Columbia cannabis retailer are reported to be the first private-sector pot shop employees to unionize in the country.

Staff at two Clarity Cannabis dispensaries in the Greater Victoria area have joined the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Local 1518, the union announced Tuesday in a press release. Clarity Cannabis operates seven stores in B.C. with approximately 40 employees.