If Yellowknife's Jason Harker is successful in his quest to get a licence to produce cannabis, he'll become one of the first people to enter the industry in the Northwest Territories, if not the entire North. CBC News looked into what exactly a person needs to do in order to receive approval to run a grow-op in Canada.

What do I need to do to get licensed?

Shirley Toms, a regulatory consultant who works for Cannabis Compliance Inc., compares the process to a "4D matrix." Here's what's in that matrix:

Canadian sales of legal dried cannabis in January declined from the prior month, the first such decrease since recreational use of marijuana was legalized last year, while inventory levels continued to rise, according to the country’s pot regulator.

Health Canada said 7,115 kilograms of dried flower cannabis was sold in Canada in January, down 3.7 per cent from December, according to the government agency’s monthly Cannabis Tracking System, which was updated late Wednesday. Overall sales of legal dried cannabis were up 10.9 per cent since recreational pot was made legal in October.

Cannabis legalization is making things more complex for auto insurers and increasing risk for some commercial property clients, A.M. Best Company Inc. suggests in a recent report.

About 25 insurers, most of whom are non-admitted, provide coverage for cannabis risks in Canada and the United States, A.M. Best reported in Cannabis: New Opportunities for Insurers, But with Burgeoning Risks, released March 12.

In 2018, the Criminal Code of Canada was changed to allow possession of marijuana for recreational use. At the same time, Bill C-46 created new criminal offences for driving while impaired by tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana.

A man who helped develop Canada’s cannabis policies 20 years ago is coming to the Kootenays next week to talk about how to save small pot producers from extinction.

David Hurford is visiting Nakusp and Nelson to talk about setting up a co-op that could help make more small cannabis operations legal.

“I don’t think we can understate the crisis a lot of people are going through,” says Hurford. “There are people in dire straights out there. People being forced to make very difficult choices, and the government has not created a pathway for them to become legal.”

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This month the federal government sent the first cannabis excise tax payments to the provinces. But almost none of the amounts was disclosed. That’s likely because the cheques were smaller than officials had expected. But perhaps it’s also because medical cannabis clients think the taxes are unfair.

British Columbia is the only province so far to disclose its excise tax revenues: $1.3 million for October to December 2018. It had expected $50 million total this fiscal year, but now will be lucky to get $3 million. Other provinces haven’t disclosed their receipts. Manitoba didn’t even mention cannabis revenues in last week’s budget.

We can, however, estimate pot tax revenues using other data. First consider the federal government’s share.

Since Canada legalized recreational-use cannabis on October 17, several provinces have complained of supply shortages and have taken mitigatory measures. Ontario, for example, recently blamed “severe supply shortages” for its curtailing of cannabis retail expansion, and Alberta decided in November to temporarily suspend accepting new applications for retailers, citing a “national shortage.”

The claims made by the provinces have been hotly contested by Canada’s federal government. Bill Blair, Canada’s minister in charge of marijuana, posted on Twitter: “The data is clear: There remains sufficient supply to meet and exceed existing demand,” adding that the provinces still have work to do ironing out their wholesale and retail systems.

A proposed cannabis grow-op in Yellowknife got a warm reception from city councillors on Monday.

"You have somebody who wants to actually produce something that will be sold in the territory, that's a rarity up here. This should be applauded," Coun. Niels Konge said.

The warehouse facility would be located in the Engle Business District at 92 Falcon Road, west of the Yellowknife Airport.

Jordan Harker, the man behind the pitch, said the business is not affiliated with growers in southern Canada.

"We're looking at about 10 to 12 full-time jobs with probably 15 to 25 part-time jobs," he told city council during a committee meeting on Monday.

"It's our goal to be competitive with pricing."

It’s the first tangible fruit produced from a nationwide search by Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) to enlist more federally sanctioned suppliers in a bid to ease a cannabis supply shortage that’s led to a moratorium on issuing new retail licences in the province.

While it brings the number of AGLC suppliers to 19, it’s not expected to be enough to lift the moratorium — which was put in place in November — any time soon, said commission spokeswoman Chara Goodings.

To celebrate the first summer since marijuana legalization, Toronto is getting its very own, completely legal, cannabis patio.

In collaboration with Kensington Market’s HotBox Cafe, The Toronto Craft Beer Festival will feature a patio where visitors can enjoy a beer and some bud.