How has legal pot changed your life? Has it, at all? As a country, legalization catalyzed some shifts that could end up being the start of trends that shape the industry in days to come.

As Ottawa prepares to legalize edibles and concentrates later this year, Canadians interested in cannabis oils won’t have to line up for long.

A new report by Health Canada shows that—contrary to most cannabis products—the country’s supply of oils appears to be outpacing demand. While dried cannabis sales climbed 4.7 percent in June 2019 compared to the previous month, sales of cannabis oils dropped by 2.1 percent.

If two’s a company and three’s a crowd, what does five make? When it comes to legal cannabis stores in Toronto’s downtown, that can only mean one thing: being spoilt for choice.

From the iPad-wielding budtenders to the mandatory “you shall not pass” ID checks, these five stores are located centrally downtown and within walking distance or accessible by transit.

Disguised as a potential first-time customer, a TGO team member went on a tour and was accompanied by Sandra Castillo, an account executive for Toronto-based PR and marketing company DECK Agency, which has no affiliation with any of the stores.

Canna Cabana

435 B Yonge St.

The perfect dose is no one-trick pony. A combination of technologies, all working together, is what may finally crack the dosing code.

It’s no secret that the “perfect dose” has long been among the most sought-after requests of cannabis connoisseurs and medical advocates. While legalization blooms, dose control becomes an even more important hurdle to overcome as new markets open and new customers cast a curious eye on the plant. But historically, it has been difficult if not impossible to ensure a consistent dosing experience with cannabis. But that may all be changing.

After dozens of people across the Midwest and California were sickened as a result of vaping cannabis or e-cigarettes, consumers, vape makers, and retailers alike have to be aware of how products are made and where they were made.

Vape pens have surged to new heights on the marijuana mountain by offering a portable and discreet way to consume THC or cannabidiol (CBD)-heavy concentrates. 

Canadian tourism bureaus use controlled substances such as alcohol to entice people to attend wine cycling tours or craft brewery events, but when it comes to cannabis tourism the same push is virtually non-existent. 

"I think we need to get on board or people are going to take their interests elsewhere," said Jessilin Deschamps, manager of Windsor River Cruise. "I think we're missing out on a huge market right now because certain people have biases against it."

The wine connoisseur in some ways is not different than the cannabis connoisseur.- Rick Moscone, Canadian Marketing Association's working group on cannabis

CBD is all the rage these days. But despite the high interest just about everywhere, the market is still rather hazy in Canada compared with the United States, for example.

Kay Tamillow, director of research for the Brightfield Group, attempted to lift the fog on the much-ballayhooed cannabinoid during a recent session at the MJBiz International conference in Toronto.

CBD from cannabis is legal in Canada

In Canada, “we have this broad legalization of cannabis, which includes CBD,” Tamillow told attendees of the session, CBD Deep Dive: A World of Regulations and Where to Start.

While it may not be known to many, the truth is that Cannabis, also known as the Marijuana plant, has been cultivated for its medicinal, physical, and psychoactive properties for thousands of years.

Old records say that the first medicinal use of the cannabis plant could date back to 2000 BC when the then emperor of China Shen Neng drank marijuana tea to treat various ailments like poor memory, gout, malaria, etc. 

Health authorities in Canada are closely monitoring increasing reports in the United States of respiratory illnesses in hundreds of people, mostly teenagers, potentially linked to vaping.

There have been at least 450 possible cases, including five deaths, identified in the U.S. this year and many said they had been vaping THC, the chemical that gives marijuana its high.

There have been no reports of the same sickness in Canada, but Health Canada issued a warning recently, urging people who vape to watch for symptoms such as a cough, shortness of breath and chest pain. It also said that health-care professionals should ask patients about their use of e-cigarette products if they have respiratory symptoms.

When Bob Osborne set up a workshop on homegrown cannabis for Saturday, he knew there would be some interest, but he underestimated how much. 

"I've never seen anything like it," said Osborne. "We've obviously touched a nerve."

Osborne, owner of Corn Hill Nursery near Petitcodiac, asked cannabis expert Randy Flemming to lead the workshop about growing the plant.

When the event quickly sold out, Osborne found a bigger venue. When that sold out, he scheduled another session for Oct. 5, which is already three-quarters full.