The Ontario Cannabis Store has removed certain CannTrust Holdings Inc. products from its online store and from distribution to physical outlets until Health Canada completes its investigation involving pot cultivation in unlicensed rooms, while other provinces continue to stock and sell the company's goods.

"Due to the Health Canada temporary hold on certain CannTrust cannabis products, Ontario Cannabis Store has voluntarily removed all affected products from distribution through OCS.ca and to the authorized retail stores pending the outcome of the investigation," said spokesman Daffyd Roderick in an emailed statement on Wednesday.

An additional 50 cannabis retail stores in Ontario won’t be enough to bring down the price of pot products for consumers, says one industry watcher.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, the province’s marijuana retail regulator, is holding a second lottery in August to award 42 retail licences to open stores beginning in October. Another eight licences will go to First Nations communities.

Sudbury has two pot stores already in operation — Highlife at 1299 Marcus Dr., and Canna Cabana Sudbury, 2019 Long Lake Rd.

Like dried flower products, cannabis drinks will face strict regulations once they become available for sale later this year in Canada.

Following the confirmation of guidelines from Health Canada, the industry is gearing up to deliver on the promise of these drinks.

With the legalization of cannabis edible items projected to attract 1.5 million new consumers in Canada and infused drinks expected to secure revenues of C$529 million per year, marijuana companies have set a target to deliver novel beverages to the market.

British Columbia has been famous for its bud since long before legalization, but another province is beating it in terms of cannabis sales and retailers.

Since October 17—the day pot was made legal nation-wide—cannabis sales have been higher in Alberta than in any other Canadian province.

What Makes Alberta Different?

One notable difference between Alberta and its western neighbor is the age at which people can begin buying weed. Like most provinces, BC made 19 the legal age for purchasing and consuming cannabis, the same as the age for alcohol. Alberta’s legal drinking age, however, is lower by one year, so Albertans can experiment with both alcohol and cannabis starting at 18—just in time to get into Pink Floyd.

Some of the cannabis grown by CannTrust Holdings Inc. in unlicensed rooms at its Niagara facility has already been shipped to provinces across the country, the company’s chief executive officer, Peter Aceto, confirmed on Monday.

The acknowledgment in an interview with the Financial Post came after CannTrust revealed Monday that Health Canada had put a freeze on more than 5,000 kg of marijuana at its Pelham, Ont., plant after finding it had been grown in five unlicensed rooms. The company’s stock closed down more than 20 per cent in Toronto following the announcement.

It is unclear when the unlicensed product was packaged and shipped to the provinces, or whether the product in question had been sold to Canadian consumers.

Ontario has blamed a shortage of legal cannabis from the federal government for its slow rollout of retail outlets, a claim dismissed by the federal government and regulatory bodies from other provinces, raising prospects the black market for weed may thrive longer in Canada’s most populous province.

Canada became the first G7 country to legalize recreational marijuana in October 2018 but sales have been dampened by supply constraints and prices that are higher than those on the black market.

While the provinces can set their own cannabis guidelines, a provincially run distributor purchases the cannabis from federally licensed producers, and then allocates it to retail locations approved by the province.

Tucked in amongst the swanky shops on South Granville, a new kid on the block hopes to bring new meaning to the term high-end retail.

"Being in the neighbourhood, the community has been super welcoming,” said Muse Canada president Geoff Dear as he stood in the middle of his company’s first recreational cannabis store.

Dear said the company had to clear a lot of red tape to get to this point and he’s happy to be finally serving customers.

Still, he said now that the store is open, some of the rules around recreational pot sales make it difficult to draw people in to the business.

Entrepreneur Conrad Floyd wants visitors to Niagara Falls to take their vacation to a higher level.

The Hamilton resident is in the process of converting a former derelict hotel on Lundy's Lane into the city's first cannabis-friendly inn.

"I feel Niagara is on a come back. For me, it's the promised land for investing, and cannabis tourism is a whole new industry."

When it opens later this year, the Pink Elephant Inn will feature 37 rooms, a four-season pool and a pizzeria.

Guests, who must be 19 or over, will also receive marijuana as part of the room rental.

"It's going to be all-inclusive," Floyd said.

And the hotel won't be limited to bud and breakfast. There will also be a growing operation on site.

Nova Scotians aren’t feeling too healthy compared to other Canadian provinces.

A 2018 survey of the province from Statistics Canada showed that 20,300 fewer Nova Scotians described their health as “very good” or “excellent” when compared to the previous year — the number fell from 494,300 to 474,000 respondents.

An increase of 12,000 Nova Scotians described their general health as “fair” or “poor” – up to 128,000 from 116,000 in 2017.

The 2019 World Drug Report recently-released by the United Nations Office On Drug and Crime reaches a conclusion that may or may not come as a surprise to residents of British Columbia.

The study found that between 2013 and 2017, 23% of B.C. residents used cannabis, a percentage that surpasses the national average of 15% and is the highest in Canada.

Cannabis was legalized on October 17th, 2018 as part of the federal Cannabis Act.

Other trends identified in the report included a 40% increase in use across Canada since 2013, and a 62% increase since 2011. A significant factor in that spike is an increase in use among young adults around and below the age of 19.