While a recent court ruling has given some relief to plan sponsors concerned about having an obligation cover medical marijuana under their benefits plans, they still face a number of questions with legalization of the recreational version of the drug coming fast.

That was a key message from Loretta Bouwmeester, a partner at Mathews Dinsdale & Clark LLP, during a session at Benefits Canada‘s Calgary Benefits Summit last week.

“Do you have to cover it? The answer is no. It’s a benefit that you can add on,” Bouwmeester told participants at the event at Calgary’s Fairmont Palliser hotel last Tuesday.

Recreational cannabis use to be prohibited in Churchill Square, Fort Edmonton Park, Edmonton Valley Zoo.

City councillors are grappling with where, when and how people use recreational cannabis in public spaces in Edmonton.

"It's a real challenge, balancing the rights and interests of people," says Coun. Scott McKeen. "We have to get our regulations at an appropriate level." 

Provincial regulations already restrict smoking or vaping cannabis in the same way as tobacco, though they further limit use around children and youth. 

The long list of no-toke zones under consideration include:

The company is putting a pharmaceutical spin on the growing cannabis market.

The cannabis market is full of potential and creativity, with companies introducing new and innovative products every day. Dispensaries have gone way beyond smokable marijuana, offering customers everything from cannabis-infused edibles like beer and chocolate to personal care products like lotion and eye creams.

But the cannabis market isn’t all fun and games. Canntab Therapeutics Ltd. (CSE:PILL) is looking to fill a need in the pharmaceutical space.

Smoking pot is not the gasp-inducing, hardcore past time it was once considered to be. Weed for medicinal use has been legalized in Canada since 2001, and they are on their way to legalizing recreational use. In the US, 29 states permit medicinal marijuana, and nine say it’s okay to light up without a prescription. A Gallup poll from last year revealed that 64 percent of Americans support legalization, and the numbers are only going up. Everyone from the republican grandmother next door to the most popular college professor has dabbled in the stuff, and celebrities are no different. Here are 11 celebrities who have proclaimed their support of the hemp plant, some might surprise you:

Ontario-based licensed cannabis producer INDIVA Ltd. has been busy preparing for recreational cannabis legalization in Canada later this year.  INDIVA Ltd. is a small to mid-cap licensed cannabis producer with production and processing facilities in London, Ontario. The company is publicly traded on the TSXv under the symbol NDVA.

Even cannabis-toking neighbours can be a concern for potential buyers, Montreal broker Eleni Akrivos says.

If you’re one of the one in 10 Quebecers who has enjoyed a toke on a joint or a bite of a “special” brownie lately, you’re probably looking forward to the day when you can do it legally. You might even be hoping to grow a plant or two. But if you are also selling your home, or planning to, you might want to think carefully about when, where and how you enjoy your weed.

A 3-month consultation will be required before private or government stores and lounges can be opened.

Nunavummiut will not be able to grow cannabis in their homes, if the territory's Cannabis Act passes into law as it is currently proposed.

Bill 7 was introduced to the Legislative Assembly for a first reading on May 24. Next week, it is expected to receive a second reading — at which point it is likely the Minister of Finance, David Akeeagok, will speak to the bill.

The bill will likely then pass to a standing committee for further review.

The Cannabis Act was drafted based on what the territorial government heard during community consultations, according to Dan Carlson, assistant deputy minister for the Department of Finance.

As Canada’s Cannabis Act nears its final reading in the Senate, the last-minute fussing over its contents is heating up. This week, the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology recommended amendments to the Cannabis Act that would empower provinces to ban home cultivation and establish mandatory THC limits on all cannabis products sold in the country.

The Standing Committee also rejected a number of amendments, some by a small margin, including a proposed nationwide ban on home cultivation.

The proposed amendments will be considered by the full Senate, which will vote in favour of or against the bill on June 7.

The Newfoundland and Labrador legislature has now passed provincial cannabis legislation, including allowing adult residents 21 and over up to four cannabis plants at home, with a maximum of four plants per home.

It will come into effect only after the federal government passes its legislation, and with public notice.

But the exact details around growing at home, including if you can grow outdoors and under what conditions, will largely be determined in provincial regulations still to come.

The additional regulations are being crafted by civil servants, to be presented to the Liberal cabinet for consideration and final decisions.

Right now, a lot of questions remain.

People who have post-traumatic stress disorder but do not medicate with cannabis are far more likely to suffer from severe depression and have suicidal thoughts than those who use marijuana, new national research says.