Experts say Vermont and other states bordering Canada are seeing increasing rates of black market cannabis seizures at federal crossings.

“Seizures have increased over the past year significantly,” said Michael McCarthy, public information officer for Customs and Border Protection (CBP). “There’s a difference between a personal use amount versus a smuggling attempt in a larger quantity for distribution.”

In December, CBP officers at Highgate Springs Port of Entry seized a shipment of over 1,400 pounds of cannabis inside a shipment of kitchen cabinets from Quebec. CBP officials say the shipment was destined for Massachusetts.

Dozens of cannabis stores are sprouting up in Manitoba, after the province opened the retail market last June to anyone who is interested.

Manitoba's cannabis regulator has approved 23 stores under its new open market licensing system, with 33 more retailers waiting for approval.

That's a big spike from the 33 stores licensed between the legalization of recreational cannabis in October 2018 and May 2020. 

During that period, the province capped the number of licences it awarded for cannabis retail. As of June, it opened the market up.

If you’ve never visited a state where cannabis is legal (and you’ve never been to Canada), you might imagine the fully-legal corners of the world as hash heaven – people picnicking with joints in hand, basking in Bob Ross-like golden rays of sunshine and the sweet freedom that comes from being able to light up whenever you please.

We hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but that’s not the reality – like, at all.

The year 2020 was a dud in many, many ways due to the pandemic. However, it was a record year for the emerging cannabis industry. Cannabis entrepreneurs around the globe sold a record amount of cannabis and cannabis-infused products.

Unfortunately, no countries legalized cannabis for adult use in 2020, but a number of countries either allowed medical cannabis industries to launch or expand. Many cannabis industry projections from years ago focused on the year 2020 and virtually every one of those projections proved to be too conservative.

So what does 2021 have in store for the emerging cannabis industry? Ultimately, only time will tell. Below are some things to consider.

NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE
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In the last two years, members of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Provincial Joint Forces Cannabis Enforcement Team (PJFCET) have tackled illegal cannabis production, sale and distribution enterprises across Ontario.

The PJFCET is responsible for enforcing the cannabis laws and investigating criminal enterprises that exploit or abuse the legal cannabis market and consists of members from: OPP, Kingston Police Service, Hamilton Police Service, Barrie Police Service, Waterloo Regional Police Service, Sarnia Police Service, Windsor Police Service, London Police Service, and Niagara Regional Police Service.

Ontario’s provincial cannabis retailer will soon stop carrying products that don’t meet certain sales targets and introduce a "craft designation" to boost smaller licensed producers.

The strategy, which was outlined in a webinar Friday for Canadian cannabis producers, will see products sold through the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) be required to meet weekly sales targets consistently or face delisting from store shelves. 

It may be hard to pinpoint the exact time when cannabis will be legalized worldwide, but it’s a safe bet that eventually, most, if not all of the planet, will end cannabis prohibition.

In theory, there could always be a limited amount of countries that stay on the wrong side of history for a very long time. However, most countries will presumably legalize at some point.

Cannabis prohibition is a failed public policy wherever it exists, and that, combined with the economic benefits of a vibrant cannabis industry, is going to influence lawmakers around the globe to step up and end prohibition in their jurisdictions.

Investors digested the somewhat unexpected win of two Georgia Senate seats by the Democrats on Wednesday, completing an apparent so-called blue wave that could have major consequences on the stock market.

Democrat Raphael Warnock beat incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler in one of Georgia's two Senate run-offs, and Democrat Jon Ossoff was leading incumbent David Perdue in the other.

Health Canada wants to know how the public feels about how cannabis is sold, labelled, and researched. Industry experts expect the feedback to prompt a mild relaxation of rules for packaging and possession of infused drinks, leaving more controversial topics like advertising to a broader review of the Cannabis Act in 2021.