Interest from seniors about cannabis promoted the executive director of the Prince Albert Senior Advocacy Centre to host a workshop on the topic.

“We are getting question from the seniors we see, particularly regarding medical use of marijuana. We thought there was a lot, so let’s have a workshop,” John Fryters said.

“They want to know how it can help them with various ailments that they have. And they seem to be all pain related, anxiety related.”

About 25 people participated in the workshop. Most said they were there to learn if cannabis products could help with chronic health conditions that affect aging adults such as arthritis. Some said they had pain in their joints or legs and are interested in trying topical creams.

With the rise of legal weed, you might have noticed a slight change of terminology since the illicit days of the drug — most notably, many are calling it “cannabis” rather than “marijuana.”

Some have argued that the term “cannabis” should be used instead of “marijuana” to help build a new image for the drug, away from the latter’s history and stigma.

The name “marijuana” was largely adopted in the 20th century by prohibitionists as a way to scare white people from using it because it sounded foreign.

“Cannabis,” on the other hand, is the scientific name for weed and presents a fresh start to build a friendly image of the drug.

The Workers Compensation Board of P.E.I. has finished the first review of its medical cannabis policy, one year after implementing it.

Under the policy, clients can be approved for use of cannabis to treat nausea with chemotherapy, end-of-life care, spasms caused by a spinal injury, or chronic shooting or burning pain.

The current policy covers reasonable costs for a vaporizer, and the board is looking to drop that benefit in light of a recent Health Canada warning.

"We wanted to ensure that our policy didn't inadvertently promote vaping as a route for cannabis treatment and so we proposed an interim step that we wouldn't cover the cost of a vaporizer," said Kate Marshall, director of workplace services.

Cannabis retailers will soon be able to sell products online or over the phone for in-store pick-up as the Ontario government adopts a “click-and-connect” sales model to expand access to legal marijuana.

Finance Minister Rod Phillips announced the proposed changes in the government's fall economic statement Wednesday, saying they will decrease waits for cannabis and help combat the black market.

The shift comes as the Progressive Conservative government pledges to lift a cap it imposed on the number of cannabis stores in Ontario.

“All of the provincial jurisdictions are learning and trying to make sure that we take the best approach,” Phillips said. “Our priorities are getting rid of black market cannabis and safety in our communities.”

If the legalization of cannabis was supposed to hurt the black market, the new head of Cannabis New Brunswick says it hasn't happened.

In fact, he believes more illegal dispensaries have opened up in the province, and that's curtailing the province's profits from cannabis.

Patrick Parent has been on the job for just over two months, but says the province won't be making money off cannabis this year. 

Justice officials has pledged to crack down on the spike in Liquormart thefts the province has seen over the last several months, said the province’s Justice Minister.

“In my perspective as Minister of Justice, we’re going to continue to work with Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries as we go forward,” said Cliff Cullen. “We in Justice want to make sure we are working with police as well in terms of apprehension of these individuals and getting those people off the street. We’re working closely with Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries as well in terms of processes to get these individuals apprehended.”

Regulators have spent the past 70 years trying to figure out how to regulate tobacco. Now a fast-changing recreational drug use landscape in Canada that includes three legal products — tobacco, vaping and cannabis — means regulators will have to figure out the interplay of the three, says an expert in public health policy.

Between 35,000 and 45,000 deaths in year in Canada are attributed to smoking, about 30 per cent of all cancer deaths. However, cannabis and vaping are challenging the traditional categories of “good” and “bad” drugs, said David Hammond, who was in Ottawa on Monday to speak at the biennial Canadian Cancer Research Conference.

In the modern age, most of our purchases are tracked by apps, smart home devices like Alexa, and social media, to name a few.

Prior to the Canada’s relatively recent cannabis legalization, consumers only had to worry about government surveillance. Now, however, the cannabis industry joins the rest of the world in having their purchasing habits monitored.

The Saskatchewan government is planning to treat e-cigarettes and vaporizers much like tobacco, limiting where they’re sold and how they’re advertised while setting the age limit at 18.

Health Minister Jim Reiter introduced amendments to the Tobacco Control Act on Tuesday. If passed, the new rules will come into effect in the spring, but Reiter said they’re only a first step.

Notably, the bill won’t explicitly ban flavoured vaping products. It would allow the government to restrict them through regulation. Reiter said that will come after a consultation period.

Canadian cannabis producers and extractors are sitting on a massive stash of unfinished inventory that is growing so quickly that some analysts are concerned it could precipitate a price crash in the burgeoning industry.

Since January of 2019, the amount of unfinished inventory of dried cannabis has nearly tripled, reaching a staggering 328,000 kilograms at the end of August. That compares to roughly 118,000 kilograms eight months earlier, according to Health Canada data.