Nearly $1-billion worth of legal cannabis was sold in Canada during the first year of legalization, short of analysts’ initial projections, according to a study published Wednesday by Statistics Canada.

StatsCan said that $907.8 million of legal cannabis was sold between the last two weeks of October 2018 and September 2019 through both brick-and-mortar and online stores, with Ontario leading the country with $216.8 million in total sales. Alberta, which holds the highest number of physical cannabis retail outlets in any province, recorded $195.7 million in sales in the first year, StatsCan said.

The sales figures are well below some of the forecasts that analysts put out ahead of the launch of legalization in Oct. 2018.

Ontario is thinking about changing the lottery system being used to award cannabis retail licenses after the first year of legalization saw only 24 outlets open, with critics panning the lack of access for consumers

New rules come into effect Jan. 1 in Manitoba that will allow officers to ticket people caught with illicit cannabis, rather than charging them and sending them to provincial court. 

The changes to the province's Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Act will also make it illegal to possess cannabis that is not packaged, stamped and labelled in accordance with federal legislation, or to possess more than 30 grams of non-medical cannabis at a time in a public place, in Manitoba. 

Anyone caught could be fined up to $672. 

However, cannabis users will be allowed to remove legally-purchased pot from its original packaging for storage, says a press release from the provincial government. 

The provincial government unveiled new provincial legislation aimed at taking another bite out of the black market for cannabis.

Justice Minister Cliff Cullen proclaimed the cannabis possession rules on Monday, which will give provincial inspectors the ability to issue tickets and make seizures related to cannabis. These are the first provincial officials to be given this enforcement capabilities.

The amendment will make it an offence to possess 30 grams of non-medical cannabis in a public place, regardless of how legal the weed is. It will also be an offence to possess cannabis that is not packaged, stamped and labelled in accordance with federal legislation. The fine for all of this will be $672.

As reported by BNN Bloomberg on December 6, OCS (Ontario Cannabis Store) interim CEO Cal Bricker is confident in Ontario’s readiness for the Cannabis 2.0 launch. Although Cannabis 2.0 came into effect on October 17, Cannabis 2.0 edibles, beverages, and vape products will not enter Canada’s commercial arena until mid-December. Bricker expects the products to become available in Ontario starting on January 6, 2020. He claims that the three-week gap in the launch of products in Ontario will help licensed producers better match demand. He doesn’t anticipate any supply-side issues with the Cannabis 2.0 launch in the province.

But some black-market retailers are not intimidated by the government’s aggressive actions.

Marijuana may be legal across Canada now, but B.C.’s newly formed pot police are still busy raiding illegal cannabis stores.

Officially known as the Community Safety Unit, the provincial pot squad is responsible for shutting down unlicensed marijuana merchants.

The year-old special police force is now ramping up its enforcement activities, swooping down on unlicensed cannabis stores and seizing pot, cash, computer records and even weapons.

“The goal is to shut down illegal stores,” said Solicitor-General Mike Farnworth, who revealed the unit has already staged 21 raids of unlicensed retailers.

The province is suing to have a $1.83-million Langley property forfeited, alleging it has been used to produce drugs and launder money.

In a B.C. Civil Forfeiture Office suit filed in B.C. Supreme Court on Oct. 29, named are a numbered company that owns the property, 0671262 B.C. Ltd., and Milan Pocuca, the company’s sole director and “controlling mind.”

Also named are A.D. Logging Ltd., Donna Lynn Ayres and Greyfriars Mortgage (2012) Ltd., all of whom hold mortgages on the property.

The defendants are also accused of possessing drugs for the purpose of trafficking and failure to declare taxable income.

The allegations have not been proven in court and no response has been filed by 0671262 B.C. Ltd., Pocuca or Greyfriars.

The criminalization of cannabis is now a thing of the past in Canada, but the legacy of legalization is far from clear. Legalization represents a major social and political shift, after years of work by activists successfully showed that criminalization was harmful and ineffective. Policy-makers and business people, keenly aware of the changing legal and cultural landscape, have seized the opportunity to turn a multi-billion-dollar black market into a regulated, taxable industry.

The Manitoba legislature started its winter break talking about public cannabis consumption.

The bill, which seeks to expand the province’s ban on public consumption of recreational cannabis, is in limbo until next year.

The province bans smoking and vaping marijuana in public, but the bill, introduced in November, proposes the restriction be extended to include edible products, oils, gels and all other formats.

“To prohibit consumption in public, I think, prevents that concept of having cannabis being a normal, run-of-the-mill, everyday product,” Justice Minister Cliff Cullen told The Canadian Press.

“It’s just not a very good message to send to our youth.”

Christmas is right around the corner and what better way to kick back in the cold than by smoking up like a chimney? It seems like the perfect gift for the holidays (or should I say, holi-daze).

But what happens when you want to send some green goodness to a friend in a different city or family in a different province? Is it legal to mail cannabis?

The answer might not be the one you expect.

It turns out, it is completely legal to become the sativa Santa this Christmas — provided you follow a few rules to avoid ending up on the naughty list.

The Canada Post website says you can share “a maximum of 30 grams of dried, recreational cannabis with other adults (age varies by province).”