CBD’s takeover and introduction into the mainstream has been unprecedented, making many well-known business eager to get involved.

CBD has been called the “next gold rush” so many times that the phrase is starting to lose its impact. Still, the numbers don’t lie, and everything suggests that CBD wellness products are here to stay.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has fired back at the cannabis industry after some leading executives complained that the lack of legal pot stores in the country’s most populous province resulted in weaker-than-expected sales within the first year of legalization.

In an interview on BNN Bloomberg Thursday, Ford said that pot producers didn’t have enough supply for Canadian retailers when recreational cannabis was legalized in Oct. 2018, which resulted in the province taking a more cautious approach to licensing marijuana stores.

“Maybe I’ll shoot back a little bit. They didn’t have the supply ready,” Ford said. “We’re doing it responsibly. We’re going to roll out the market and keep in mind it’s only been a little over a year and a bit and we’re opening up to the market.”

Purplefarm Genetics is going green.The company is working with WTTEC Systems Inc. to adopt new waste disposal technologies at its Canadian facility.

“We are truly excited about partnering with WTTEC, a company with the ability to reinvent the way the cannabis industry approaches its environmental impact,” said Jonah Clifford, director at Purplefarm Genetics. “As the cannabis market in Canada matures, we can clearly see the need for innovative solutions to environmental problems within cannabis operations,” Clifford said.

Things certainly did not go as expected for cannabis stock investors in 2019. Following a first quarter that yielded incredible returns, pot stocks spent the remaining nine months of the year retracing their steps. A combination of high tax rates on weed in the U.S., supply issues in Canada, and a persistent black market pushed most cannabis stocks into steep losses last year.

Ontario’s plan to allow cannabis producers to sell their products on site is already experiencing growing pains.

The Cannabis Act currently states that Ontario growers can only sell their products to the provincial wholesaler, the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS), and that retailers are only allowed to stock their shelves through purchases from the same place.

Now that the government is allowing growers to open farm-gate stores to sell their wares on-site, it was thought the OCS’s role in the supply chain might change. So far, that has not been the case.

There are lessons to be learned north of the border when it comes to marijuana. Unfortunately, for Canadians, many have to do with what you should not do. 

Since Canada legalized adult use marijuana in October 2018, that nation has experienced a host of problems that offer insight for both entrepreneurs and government officials. Forewarned is forearmed, and the United States has plenty to learn with national legalization in Canada.

Cannabis in beauty products? Sounds like a good idea, considering our increasing awareness of the plant’s wellness potential.

The beauty industry is one of the fastest-growing industries. Snake venom, snail mucus, and many other unusual ingredients became part of our everyday skincare routine in no time. The same goes for cannabis.

In order to get the maximum effect from their products, many companies started adding cannabis into them, allowing users to feel the full cosmetic potential of the plant.

As the popularity of cannabis grows, it’s become normal to go to the most popular shops and find a body lotion with CBD oil among beauty products.

Expectations for Canada’s so-called “Cannabis 2.0” market have been further tempered as one analyst pegs first-year sales of those products at a fraction of previously-released forecasts.

RBC Capital Markets cannabis analyst Douglas Miehm said in a report to clients Tuesday he expects sales of vapes and edibles in Canada to reach about $250 million this year amid a lag in new cannabis retail openings across the country. In his forecast, Miehm pointed specifically to Ontario where 180 outlets are set to open by the end of the year, and an apprehension toward vape devices following a health scare from those products last year.

“It is becoming increasingly clear that the category could face an uphill battle in the first year of 2.0 product launches,” Miehm said.

It's pretty incredible what a difference a year can make.

At this time last year, cannabis stocks were flying high, and the expectation had been that most brand-name companies would push toward recurring profitability by the end of the year. Of course, hindsight being what it is, we know this didn't happen. High tax rates in select U.S. states, persistent supply issues in Canada, and a resilient black market weighed heavily on the cannabis industry in 2019 and pushed a number of popular pot stocks to two-year lows.

However, there may be light at the end of the tunnel.

As the end of January, approaches we are seeing that marijuana stocks are showing a bit more promise. With the new year underway, it seems as though there is a lot to look forward to. With 2019 ending on a slightly higher note than the rest of the year, many are waiting for pot stocks to begin a climb toward the future. 2019 was quite a tough year for marijuana stocks with many companies in the cannabis industry shooting down by substantial amounts in terms of value and market cap.