Given the frigid weather and general melancholy of a Saskatchewan winter, many people are preparing to flee for greener pastures this coming long weekend.

The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), the national crown corporation responsible for security and screening at airports, made some changes to their regulations back in October due to the legalization of cannabis.

Here are a few changes to keep in mind if you are flying somewhere for the break.

Bhang Corporation will host two “educational sessions” on Friday (February 15) and Saturday (February 16). to offer consumers a closer look at the Bhang product line and to familiarize themselves with the best approach to edible product consumption.

“We are excited to bring future Canadian consumers the opportunity to learn more about the benefits and safe usage of our edible products,” Scott Van Rixel, CEO of Bhang, said on Wednesday (February 13).

It’s been a little over 3 months since Canada legalized recreational marijuana and the results from the National Cannabis Survey finally came in.

More than half (55%) of Canadians aged 15 and older indicated that they have never used cannabis, while 3 in 10 were former users who reported no longer using it.

Results say that about 4.6 million of Canadians aged 15 and older reportedly used cannabis in the last three months of 2018. This accounts for roughly 15% of the total population.

Medical users are more established

Consumption rates also continued to be higher among males (19%) than females (11%)—consistent with data from previous quarters.

The Quebec government faced strong opposition as public consultations began Tuesday on its bill seeking to increase the legal age of cannabis consumption and ban it from all public areas.

Junior Health Minister Lionel Carmant has said he tabled Bill 2 in order to protect young people and send a message that smoking marijuana is not a trivial matter. The proposed legislation restricts marijuana usage to people aged 21 and over and limits its smoking to private property.

While one can’t necessarily overdose on cannabis, there have been instances where potent edibles have resulted in hospital visits, Gizmodo is reporting. A new study published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology detailed the story one 70-year-old man who used a THC-infused lollipop to get to sleep and ended up having a heart attack. It should be noted that this man did have a pre-existing heart condition — coronary artery disease, a condition where the buildup of plaque in arteries narrows blood flow to the heart. Still, the man hadn’t had a flare-up for the past two years and was regularly taking his medication.

Despite city council’s recent “opt in” vote to permit bricks-and-mortar retail pot operations, it’s unlikely Windsor will see any such business established before 2020 at the earliest.

Meanwhile, a local black market entrepreneurial surge is underway within the municipality.

A rapidly growing number of online retail operations focused on the Windsor market have been sprouting up since the beginning of the year.

Since cannabis was made legal in Canada last October, the new legislation has not led to an increase in the number of people smoking pot.

According to a Stats Canada report, around 4.6 million people over the age of 15 reported using the drug in the last three months, virtually unchanged from the previous three months before it was legalized.

The findings are of little shock to Northern Health Medical Officer Dr. Andrew Gray. “Since cannabis was not that difficult to access here in Canada before it was legalized, here in BC, 50% of the people had tried cannabis at some point in their lives prior to legalization. People that wanted to use cannabis already were and the people that didn’t won’t use it even now that it is legal in Canada.”

With Canada now raking in up to $100 million per year in pot taxes, some of that revenue will soon be heading right back to pot users in the form of cannabis-specific tax receipts.

The only catch? Pot-smokers have to have permission from a physician indicating that they’re toking for medical reasons.

Cannabis is one of the myriad of categories that the Canada Revenue Agency has authorized as a permitted medical expense.

The tax agency, which prefers the somewhat outdated spelling of “medical marihuana,” considers pot as no different than braille printers, glass eyes or oxygen tents.

As Canada's nascent cannabis industry continues to experience growing pains, one expert, George Robinson, who runs the cannabis firm RavenQuest, told CTV News Canada the shortages could last for five years.

Quebec's cannabis shortages have forced retail stores to operate just three days a week, and in New Brunswick, the provincial retailer has laid off 60 employees because of a lack of supply. The problem could get worse when Ontario opens 25 retail stores on April 1.

Cannabidiol, or CBD, has become a household name. On many social media sites, people suggest “but have you tried CBD oil?” on posts pertaining to any health-related issue.

CBD, a minor constituent of marijuana, is widely touted as nature’s miracle by CBD enthusiasts. It does not get people high, unlike marijuana’s main constituent, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). However, given the recent surge in its popularity, you’d think the molecule is magic.