Canada has some fine fare when it comes to nugs, but it’s still not a good idea to try and bring pot back over the U.S. border after a trip to our northern neighbors’ legalized haven. Pot seizures are up around 140 percent since Canada legalized, and mailed herb is also getting snagged more often.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and WGRZ News, in October 2017, around two pounds of marijuana was seized, in 40 incidents, across the entire border. In October 2018, the numbers went up: 85 pounds were seized in over 100 occurrences.

With a new year on the horizon comes a tasty new batch of food trends, and here we round up five that we think will be super hot for 2019.

From more plant-based everything to infused H2O – these will be the biggest food trends in Canada in 2019.

Denver is not Ontario, but researchers at Colorado State University found homes located close to legal cannabis dispensaries in that city actually rose in value – just the opposite of what many people might think.

Their research, recently published in the journal Contemporary Economic Policy, examined how home prices in Denver – the U.S. marijuana mecca, where recreational pot has been legal since 2014 – change when a cannabis retailer opens nearby.

While the London-area realtors’ association points out there’s no data to indicate how pot retailing might affect home prices in this region, the American researchers found that homes located within less than half a kilometre from a dispensary rose in value by 7.7 per cent on average.

October 17th, the date when recreational cannabis became legal in Canada, signalled a turning point in policy approaches to the popular drug not only across the country, but around the world.

Canada is only the second country and first major economy to legalize marijuana. The world looks to us for guidance and clarity as drug policies in several other countries are also relaxing.

But without any real precedent, legalization in Canada has been marred with problems. Chief among these issues is a lack of viable product.

The blossoming marijuana market is enticing alcohol heavyweights into the newly legal industry.

The world’s largest brewer, AB InBev, plans to invest $100 million (pdf) with partners in non-alcoholic drinks containing the active ingredients in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). AB InBev will team up with Tilray, the Canadian cannabis company operating in 12 countries and backed by billionaire investor Peter Thiel. The beverage research will be conducted jointly with AB InBev subsidiary Labatt Breweries of Canada. Each firm is committing $50 million.

It took less than a week for the Trump administration to kill the considerable buzz created Jan. 1 when California’s broad marijuana legalization law took effect, creating the largest legal U.S. cannabis marketplace. Then-U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded a policy shielding state-licensed medical marijuana operators from federal drug prosecutions. The move sent a chill through the nascent legal industry. But ultimately it had little impact because federal prosecutors around the country showed little interest in going after legal operators.

Sessions, a staunch marijuana opponent, later lost his job and the cannabis industry thrived in a hugely significant year for the legal pot movement , in the United States and beyond.

Here are some highlights:

Nearly six months after cannabis was legalized Oct. 17 by the federal government, Ontario prepares for the launch of marijuana sales in brick-and-mortar stores April 1.

Calgary-based Spiritleaf is one franchisee that plans on opening 40 locations throughout Ontario. Right now, they have four physical stores operating in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

“We’re trailblazing and this is brand new for Canada and Ontario to have a regulated product in the hands of private entrepreneurs,” said Spiritleaf’s CEO Darren Bondar.

“There’s going to be all kinds of bumps and challenges … but you can’t touch, smell or feel online. Cannabis concierges can provide product knowledge and everything you’d want in a retail experience.”

MJardin Group, Inc. (“MJardin” or the “Company”) (CSE:MJAR), a leader in cannabis management, today announced that its WILL cultivation facility in Brampton, Ontario has received its first license to sell cannabis under the Cannabis Act (Canada), which went into effect on October 17, 2018.

The license allows MJardin to supply and sell finished cannabis products to provincial governments throughout Canada and through Canada’s distribution and retail supply chain. The 32,800 square foot facility has a current production capacity of 3,000 kg per year and MJardin has plans to expand WILL’s existing facility and increase total production capacity to over 5,000 kg per year.

Recently released, the much-anticipated rules on three new classes of cannabis – edibles, concentrates and topicals – impose restrictions on packaging, require strict controls on manufacturing and limit the amount of THC, the psychoactive component in marijuana, allowed in each dose.

A two-month public consultation period is now open before edibles are legalized by October, Health Canada said.

Shirley Toms of Cannabis Compliance Inc., a consulting firm, called the fall timeline doable, noting it’s unlikely to get pushed back as was the legalization of recreational marijuana use, first promised by the federal Liberal by July 1, but delayed until Oct. 17.

The marijuana industry has been one of the most intriguing markets to watch and participate in throughout the year. With so many legislative changes on the way, it seems as though we are only in the beginning stages of massive growth in the market.

This year we saw the first G7 nation legalize marijuana for recreational use which was a major paradigm shift for the industry. Many states in the U.S. also were able to put in new legislation for cannabis laws which has created a new sentiment across the nation. With so much in the works, what are the biggest variables for the next year in cannabis?