The Cannabis Council of Canada (C3) has launched an advocacy campaign to represent the interests of Canadian licensed producers ahead of the federal election on Sept. 20.

The campaign, titled #FutureofCanadianCannabis, will focus on advocating for criminal expungements, removing medical cannabis taxation and other priority issues concerning the cannabis industry.

“Our goal is to leverage the election period to encourage more license holders to develop lasting relationships with their local Member of Parliament and to help elected officials understand the benefits of legal cannabis for their communities and their constituents,” said C3 president and CEO, George Smitherman.

It feels as 2019 was a long while ago however some things can’t be forgotten. Back in July of 2019 a staff director for Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee was placed behind other members on the dais. This staff director Brendan was paying attention to all-too-rare bipartisan harmony. Both sides formed a collective understanding: it is time for the federal marijuana prohibition to end.

We continue to see several conflations and misconceptions voiced in the discussion about microbial safety standards for cannabis products. The foundation for these misconceptions is the idea that cannabis testing regulations should mimic the food industry. We reject this idea because cannabis flower has two major departures from food: it contains high concentrations of antibiotics and it is dried and inhaled.

Cannabis Flower Contains High Concentrations of Antibiotics

As much as 20% of cannabis flower weight/volume is made up of cannabinoids, which are potent antibiotics. We have not seen any food on the market that is 20% (weight/volume) antibiotic.

Photo by Braden Collum on Unsplash

Canada is opening their border to vaccinated U.S. travelers on August 9, but while cannabis is now legal in New York state and Canada, it’s still illegal to take it between the two locations.

Since Canada legalized cannabis in 2018, Mike Niezgoda with U.S. Customs and Border Protection said there have been a number of smuggling cases.

“We had an incursion that came via helicopter that landed in Grand Island, just north of Buffalo,” he said. That was in 2019 when Border Patrol agents recovered four duffel bags carrying a total of more than 100 pounds of weed with an estimated street value of more than $100,000.

Proposed changes to how Selwyn Township regulates the production and cultivation of cannabis will be discussed at a public meeting on Aug. 10.

Township council is considering a number of amendments to a zoning bylaw that currently regulates how and under what circumstances marijuana can be grown, cultivated and processed within Selwyn.

The township was forced to rethink its existing regulations earlier this year after a proposed grow-up in Ennismore, located near a residential area, sparked concern from community members.

WINNIPEG -- A Manitoba First Nation is speaking out against the province for taking legal action against them over the operation of a cannabis store on their own land.

The Manitoba government wants the store Indigenous Bloom to close for operating without a Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority licence, Long Plain First Nation is part owner of the store, which is located in Portage la Prairie, Man.

Chief Dennis Meeches of Long Plain First Nation said he’s not surprised by the province’s actions, adding that the store is fully compliant under Health Canada’s regulations.

Apps on phones and other devices play a huge role in most of our daily lives. Some apps are purely for entertainment, such as mind numbing video games.

Other apps play a much more important role, such as apps that are dedicated to tracking exercise activity or other health-related matters.

In the cannabis world apps come in many forms, however, access to those apps can often be tricky. 

Historically, major app providers like Google and Apple have been unkind to cannabis apps, often preventing them from being listed or taking them down shortly after initial listing.

Kahnawà:ke, Health Canada agreement on cannabis rules could spark further First Nations investment

An agreement between one Quebec-based First Nations territory and Health Canada looks to establish new cannabis regulations that could usher in fresh investment and opportunity for Canada's Indigenous communities. 

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke announced on Monday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with Health Canada that will create a licensing regime alongside the territory's cannabis laws which will allow businesses to pursue cannabis cultivation and processing licences. 

The USA Track & Field (USATF) confirmed on Tuesday that the Olympic hopeful Sha’Carri Richardson will not compete in Tokyo after testing positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Since the 30-day suspension of the Breakout Sprinter was announced on Friday, celebrities and lawmakers, including US Congressman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, have come to her defense to give the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) a stance of designating marijuana. Calling for reassessment as a banned substance, and for USATF to compete with Richardson.

WADA, which sets anti-doping guidelines for sports organizations around the world, bans substances that can improve performance, pose risks to athletes, or “violate the spirit of sports.”