City of Windsor council has voted 8-3 to allow private marijuana retail stores in the city.

The meeting saw many delegates opposed to cannabis store, some citing effects on mental health and influences on children as reasons.

"Many people influenced by others," said Jordan Qu, resident of Ward 7. "So I'm sure if Windsor have a store to sell the marijuana easily, then more young people will use the marijuana."

On the other hand, cannabis advocate Leo Lucier said having such stores would be a "cash cow" for the city.

He also compared people's attitudes toward cannabis versus alcohol and tobacco, saying "nobody's ever died from cannabis use" but there are "millions of deaths worldwide" that are tobacco-related.

The provincial government is pretty clear on its website: Cannabis NB is "the only legal retailer of cannabis."

But you wouldn't know that from the steady stream of consumers filtering in and out of King Canna, a Saint John medical dispensary on a lunch hour in January — three months after New Brunswick launched its government monopoly on cannabis sales.

Raided by police twice in 2017 — and quickly reopened — in 2019, it's busier on a weekday afternoon than some Cannabis NB locations.

Squeezing out the black market is the "main goal" of the provincial cannabis authority, then-premier Brian Gallant said in  October, a sentiment echoed by Cannabis NB president Brian Harriman.

The marijuana industry blossomed before our eyes in 2018, with the cannabis movement taking steps toward legitimacy like never before.

Marijuana or cannabis used to be an illegal drug substance, and it still is federally in the United States of America and most countries in the world. The Trudeau Liberal government made it legal so now it becomes a business in Canada.

Although it is legal, that doesn’t make it safe for most Canadians, especially our children, in terms of health, safety and their future.

I urge our city councillors — especially parents, guardians and grandparents — to vote to opt out of retail marijuana stores in our city, for a clean and safe environment.

Why talk about making money by selling marijuana to the public, when most countries in the world don’t? Why does Canada? We should protect minors and vulnerable adults.

It’s gimmicky to be sure. Yet, it’s also brilliant. On Wednesday, New Age Beverages (NASDAQ:NBEV) unveiled a new line of cannabis-infused drinks that will utilize the name and fame of late reggae star Bob Marley to launch Marley+CBD. The agreement pairs a niche maker of teas and flavored waters with a well-known entertainer who is widely remembered as a fan of marijuana.

Canadians spent $1.6 billion on legal weed in 2018, more than double the amount that was spent on solely medical cannabis in 2017, according to a new report.

The State of Legal Marijuana Market, released Tuesday by Arcview Market Research and BDS Analytics, found that despite pushing legalization back from the summer until October, Canada still managed to increase its spending on legal weed from $755 million to $1.6 billion, making it the number three legal weed market in the world. According to Statistics Canada, Canadians spent $5.7 billion on weed in 2017, the vast majority of which came from black market.

Businesses and investors are rushing to partner with the 25 winners of the Ontario cannabis retail licence lottery, with offers apparently worth millions of dollars, to be involved in the province's first recreational weed stores set to open this spring.

Olivia Brown, the founder of Hamilton, Ont.-based Professional Cannabis Consulting, says one of her clients was among the 25 entities selected by the province via lottery, and has fielded three "big offers" on Monday alone.

"There's a couple of large investors, one from the United States, one of them from Amsterdam... a very established Hamilton family looking to invest," said Brown, who said her client did not want to be named.

The overwhelming success of individuals who won a chance at opening one of Ontario’s first cannabis dispensaries could mean that few of these aspiring retailers will be able to open by the April deadline, say marijuana industry insiders.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), the province’s pot regulator, on Friday provided a breakdown of the individuals and companies who applied to a lottery for a chance to get a cannabis retail licence.

Nearly two-thirds of the applicants were sole proprietorships – essentially individual entrepreneurs – while the remaining submissions came from corporations and partnerships.

2018 was an exciting time after the whirlwind of events that happened surrounding cannabis spurred the growth of the flourishing sector that people know today. For a quick summary, take a look at some of the most notable accomplishments, breakthroughs, and controversies of the recent year.

It was a successful time for the cannabis sector in spite of a rough start with the Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ attempt to put a halt on the legalization plan in the United States. During that time, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged at his campaign to legalize recreational use of cannabis in Canada.

After that, Thailand and the United Kingdom has followed suit and legalized medical marijuana, much to the world’s surprise.

David Ireland is frustrated by the “skunk smell” of pot that wafts down from two cannabis cultivation facilities roughly five kilometres away and lingers outside his home, even in the winter.

“On hot humid days, it’s worse because they have to vent more often … You wouldn’t be able to open your windows,” he said.

The town of Pelham, Ont., where Ireland lives — an hour away from Toronto, near Niagara Region wine country — has become a hotbed for legal commercial pot growers who have snapped up greenhouses and converted them from flowers and vegetables to the more lucrative crop.