Crowded stores, no parking space and busy streets — the holiday shopping rush can make finding the perfect cannabis gift a hassle. Online shopping can offer a reprieve from the hectic rush, but it’s crucial to understand the laws and regulations before sending a bit of bud to a loved one.

Can I buy weed for someone in another province?

“Ontario residents are not allowed to order recreational cannabis online from another province or territory.”

Something good is cooking in B.C. and the rest of the world wants a look at the menu.

Vancouver has quietly transformed itself into a hotbed of cannabis culinary delights since Canada legalized the drug over a year ago. The second wave of legalization, which will soon bring extracts and edibles to store shelves, will only expand the offerings of local chefs, such as marijuana maestro Travis Peterson.

“I see, two years from now, other countries will start to follow Canada’s lead,” Peterson told CBC. “They’ll look at Canadians as the experts in this.”

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. 

Canada’s top per-capita cannabis seller won’t be getting a head start on selling cannabis edibles, extracts and topicals.

Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) reports that Alberta will have to wait until the new year before selling Cannabis 2.0 products.

But, the delay wasn’t a surprise.

“It’s the quickest timeline for AGLC to order and receive product from LPs (licensed producers) after the earliest day provinces can legally order from LPs (Dec. 16), to list in inventory for retailers to order and then ship out to stores across the province,” AGLC spokesperson Heather Holmen told The GrowthOp.

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.

Cannabis 2.0 likely won’t come in time for Christmas after all.

Reps in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec all say they expect the first sales of edibles, extracts and topicals to come no sooner than January 2020.

And if anything does come before then it will be a “very limited supply.”

Dec. 16, 2019, is the earliest date that notified products in the new classes could be made available for sale to authorized distributors and sellers in provinces and territories.

People adore coffee, and most of us are pretty dependant on it.

Coffee is one of the world’s most traded commodities, the most widely used legal psychoactive substance, and its impact on the modern way of life is simply undeniable.

A fresh cup of Joe is a source of flavor and enjoyment, but the core reason why people indulge in coffee is because of the invigorating effects it produces.

The main active ingredient in coffee (found also in the majority of teas and soft drinks) is caffeine, a powerful compound responsible for the energizing sensations we experience.

While caffeine is a strictly stimulating substance, cannabis is considered as both a stimulant and a depressant.

And the battle begins in earnest.

With the introduction of edible, beverage, vape and other new products over the coming months, the country’s legal pot industry will finally bring both passive fists to the fight with its shadowy, illicit counterpart, experts say.

And the range of confections, booze alternatives and vaping products that will increasingly pack the shelves of pot stores — with the first wave expected to hit in January — is likely to attract vast numbers of new users to the pleasures and pitfalls of cannabis.

While marijuana is no longer bound by total prohibition, police are still finding ways to drag people to jail for using this stuff. And sometimes, these legal troubles are brought on by a person’s own admission.

Now that marijuana is legal in more spots across the United States, people seem to have this idea that it’s okay to be all willy-nilly about their pot use. Some believe that legalization means there are no longer any rules associated with this plant, so they throw caution to the wind when it comes to leaving their homes with weed. And that can spell disaster in some cases, especially with any situation involving a pot consumer and the police.

One of the broad appeals of cannabis edibles is that they won’t have the same strong smell of smoked cannabis, but how will they taste and feel?

If you choose to put on your cannabis chef hat, this will depend on what you make and how you make them.

Decarboxylation

Before adding the good stuff into your batch, you’ve got to decarboxylate it.

That happens when cannabis heats up and releases THC.

A rookie mistake is to add raw cannabis to the mix, which will not only ruin the taste, but likely lead to no high.

To avoid that tragedy, heat up the cannabis first and then add it into the recipe.