Global leaders in the marijuana industry are gathering in New Brunswick today to discuss how to market cannabis
in a competitive legal marketplace.

The World Cannabis Congress is hosting 450 industry titans in Saint John to talk about that and other issues raised by the dawn of government-run weed.

Topping the agenda is the branding challenge since Health Canada is requiring marijuana packages to be a single, uniform colour without images or graphics other than the logo and a health warning.

Ray Gracewood of Organigram says the legal market needs to be able to target responsible adults and combat the illicit market where brands and flashy packaging do exist.

A move to tell the Province of Ontario that Sault Ste. Marie doesn't want a cannabis store failed miserably.

In fact, only the mover of the resolution, Ward 2 Coun. Susan Myers, voted in favor of the resolution to go on record opposing the opening of a retail cannabis outline in Sault Ste. Marie.

Myers wanted council to go on record opposing the opening of a retail cannabis outlet in Sault Ste. Marie because of all the harmful effects drugs have on the community at large, and particularly youth.

New Brunswick has been a leader among provinces in developing expertise in cannabis field.

NB Liquor, tasked with operating New Brunswick's stand-alone cannabis stores, says it's ready to go. 

"If we had to open today, we could open 11 stores," CEO and president Brian Harriman said at the World Cannabis Congress in Saint John on Monday.

However, some 100 workers have yet to be hired or trained by Cannabis NB, he said. 

To manage costs, hiring has been put off until it's clear when the law will be in effect, he said. 

The three-day cannabis conference is a gathering of stakeholders sponsored by Civilized, a digital media company founded by communications strategist and Saint John native Derek Riedle.

Communities without liquor store have more time to decide.

It will likely be months before cannabis becomes legally available across Canada and in the Northwest Territories, but one significant deadline looms for six communities in the N.W.T.

Municipalities with liquor stores have until July 16 to notify the government if a cannabis plebiscite to ban or restrict local sales is needed. Communities in the N.W.T. with liquor stores are Yellowknife, Hay River, Inuvik, Fort Smith, Norman Wells and Fort Simpson.

According to a government press release, once cannabis is available through a retail outlet, local governments will no longer be able to hold a plebiscite.

Planetary Pride and SWW Farms CEO Rob Waddell released a statement to SaultOnline in response to the upcoming resolution (to be discussed at council on June 11th) put forth by Councillors Myers and Hollingsworth which seeks to ban retail cannabis stores in the Sault.

The statement reads as follows,

“The upcoming legalization of cannabis Bill C-45 for recreational usage is a step forward in policy for Canada, and the fear mongering motion put forth by Councillor Myers and supported by Councillor Hollingsworth is five steps backwards.

Ads on Facebook and Google are prohibited and dispensaries can't be listed on a Google map.

The rules around how recreational marijuana can be marketed was one of the issues discussed at the Canadian Cannabis Summit in Calgary.

Some in the industry fear the rules will present a challenge for cannabis companies, given that ads on Facebook and Google are prohibited, and dispensaries can't be listed on a Google map.

But Crystal DeCnodder, the summit's co-founder, doesn't think starting off with tighter rules is necessarily a bad thing.

'We feel very confident that we had a very good piece of legislation,' Ginette Petitpas Taylor says.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's bill legalizing recreational pot may have passed third reading in the Senate — but that doesn't mean its legislative journey will be a smooth or easy one from now on.

Senators made dozens of amendments to the government bill they sent back to the Commons Thursday night. Some of those amendments are likely to end up in the final bill. Others may not.

"We will have to go through the amendments. The minister will really provide information as to what amendments we are able to support, what amendments we're not able to support," said Liberal House Leader Bardish Chagger.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau believes Canadians should be allowed to grow their own cannabis, but he must now decide whether he wants to enter into a fight with the Senate to make it happen across the country.

Bill C-45, which was adopted by the Senate with 46 amendments on Thursday, allows adult Canadians to grow up to four plants of cannabis in their homes to meet their personal needs.

However, Manitoba and Quebec have decided to prohibit home cultivation as part of their respective plans to legislate the use of cannabis on their territories. With that in mind, the Senate has adopted an amendment that clearly lays out the right of provinces to prohibit home cultivation.

Will Doug Ford change the way recreational cannabis is going to be sold in Ontario?

That’s the question on the minds of Canadian marijuana executives after the Progressive Conservatives swept to power in Thursday’s election.

The rules governing marijuana retailing will vary by province, and Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals chose to place both online and in-store sales in the hands of the government, tasking the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) with the job.

But there is a sense in the cannabis industry that Mr. Ford, the PC Leader who has made no secret of his disdain for monopolies, could be open to pursuing other retailing models that involve the private sector.

Even after the Senate passed the historic bill to legalize recreational marijuana use Thursday, the question remains: how soon can Canadians start lawfully smoking up?

That time could still be months away, despite the Liberals’ initial promise the law would change by July 1. Thursday’s vote was the final major hurdle in the marijuana legalization process, but there are still a number of steps to go before ending the 95-year prohibition.

The bill now goes back to the House of Commons, where members of Parliament will accept, modify or reject the senators’ more than 40 amendments.

If accepted, the final step—royal assent—could still take days or weeks.