In one day last week, two notable political balloons were floated in Canadian politics: In Toronto, Doug Ford’s new Tory government in Ontario is planning to let cannabis be sold at private stores and, in Ottawa, Justin Trudeau is considering banning handguns.

A year of culture wars is coming to Canadian politics.

Mr. Ford has come to power itching to set out markers that symbolize his kind of populist conservatism, and Mr. Trudeau, gearing up his bid for re-election next year, is looking to sharpen his identity as a progressive leader.

The two govern the two largest jurisdictions in this country, making each, effectively, the leading government figure in their respective parties. And each is set on signaling their own brand of virtue.

When legal recreational pot goes on sale across Canada this fall, the most angry, disappointed people should be the criminals.

That's because from the time he first promised to end 95 years of cannabis prohibition during the 2015 election, Justin Trudeau has argued one of the main benefits of this change would be the damage it would inflict on the black market.

Gone would be the vast, underworld network supplying unregulated, possibly unsafe, cannabis to Canadians, including Canadian children. Gone would be outlaw dealers, some armed, some willing to commit violence to protect their turf.

A medical marijuana company led by Phil Fontaine, a former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, has hired a well-connected lobby firm to convince the federal government that cannabis should be included in the Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) program run by the Indigenous Services department.

The decision by Indigenous Roots to enlist the services of the Bluesky Strategy Group comes after many First Nations have jumped into the medical marijuana industry and as others contemplate the move.

This week, the Resort Municipality of Whistler announced a new bylaw allowing its residents to grow cannabis at home once legalization takes effect on October 17. But home cultivation is still a contentious issue  — especially for landlords and stratas. Current federal legislation for growing at home allows up to four plants per household, and technically, cities do not need to make any new legislation to allow it.

But provinces and municipalities do have the power to restrict how recreational marijuana is grown and sold in their area.

While we know the exact date marijuana will become legal in Canada — Oct. 17 — the American timeline remains hazy.

It's possible to imagine a Democrat-controlled Congress and White House in the not-too-distant-future repealing pot's prohibition under the Controlled Substances Act and officially delegating the matter to the states. It's equally conceivable, however, to imagine a prolonged era of Republican rule preserving the status quo. Perhaps, as evidence of marijuana's harm accumulates, a bipartisan consensus will emerge to double down on outlawing the drug in some new and creative way.

Rosy Mondin is the CEO at the British Columbia-based Quadron Cannatech Corporation, which develops and provides a range of cannabis extraction and processing solutions. She is also highly active in a number of cannabis industry associations and advocacy groups, writes Nick Hilden.

"Too many Canadian have been punished by way of criminal charges or been thrown in jail for possessing, consuming, gifting, or selling cannabis (even in small amounts)," Mondin told Civilized. She says the continued over policing of the cannabis space is one of her biggest frustrations with the industry.

British Columbia craft cannabis growers fear that federal and municipal regulations will damage the sector, reduce choice and kill a significant economic opportunity.

The well-established but unregulated sector faces new challenges as marijuana is legalized.

Craft growers aren’t even allowed to apply for the right to sell pot to legal outlets until mid-October, while large commercial producers have already signed supply contracts.

The growers are also dealing with new restrictions on agricultural land use and underdeveloped — or hostile — municipal zoning regulations.

Shares of a number of cannabis plays have been suffering over the past few weeks, with Aurora Cannabis Inc (OTCMKTS:ACBFF) perhaps chief among them. Given the growth rate on display here, and the company’s powerful strides to consolidate market share and diversify revenue streams through strategic action over the past 5 months, this pullback may end up representing a valuable opportunity by the time we head into the fall and Canadian recreational legalization.

Testing and research laboratories across Canada are preparing for the October 17th legalization of cannabis, expecting a boom in business once recreational cannabis is finally made legal.

The cannabis industry in Canada is bound to open up a whole new market once recreational cannabis becomes legal, and a new industry means new job openings.

The Canadian cannabis industry has already employed hundreds and thousands of people since medical cannabis became legal.

This year, the federal government legalized recreational cannabis for personal use, and backed up the industry behind it.

The market for recreational cannabis is supposed to be several times larger than the medical, but only once it catches wind and people get used to it.