Some time this summer, marijuana will be legal in Canada.

It's already legal in Washington state and has been for four years.

But Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth warned this week that there's a significant problem looming at the border crossing, because it's still going to be illegal there.

It makes no sense whatsoever, but the U.S. federal government controls the border crossing, and marijuana is still nominally illegal in the U.S. federally.

"People (meaning, cannabis users) are going to naturally assume, on either side of the border, that they cross back and forth because it's legal in each jurisdiction," he told the house. "But the reality is it will not be legal at that federal border crossing."

Shopify wants to dominate online cannabis sales in Canada.

The e-commerce giant recently inked a deal with the government of Ontario to handle online cannabis sales for the provincially-backed Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation.

Loren Padelford, a VP and GM at Shopify who's charged with heading up the company's cannabis push, discussed the company's strategy in an interview with Business Insider.

CBD oil is a controlled substance — and the 'jury is still out' on its health benefits.

Cannabidiol oil, or CBD, is generating a lot of buzz in the world of alternative medicine and many Canadians are buying in.

The oil, which is extracted from marijuana plants, doesn't have the same mind-altering effects as smoking pot. People rub it on their achy joints or put it under their tongue to help them sleep. Some purveyors say it's completely legal in Canada and can be used for a long list of ailments, including epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.

But federal authorities say CBD oil, which is widely available at head shops and online, is indeed illegal without a medical marijuana prescription. And its purported health benefits are also still in question.

A local clinic is embracing a more personal, science-based approach when it comes to prescribing medical cannabis for qualified patients.

After its initial launch in January, the Clinic Network of Canada (CNC) hosted the official grand opening of a new medical cannabis resource centre and pain management clinic at Pure Clinics in Sherwood Park on April 12.

Mike Lukacs, a cannabis educator and client services representative with CNC, said the clinic’s approach represents a necessary shift from traditional models in existence today.

“If people look at cannabis from a medical standpoint, and they have a treatable condition, they don’t just want a prescription and then to be left to figure it out themselves,” he noted.

Corporate giants, like Anheuser-Busch, may enter cannabis trade if they decide a profit can be made, prof says.

The name change of Liquor Stores N.A., which owns the Liquor Depot chain, to Alcanna this week represents the company's intent to expand into the Canadian cannabis market alongside Aurora Cannabis, the second-largest cannabis grower in Canada.

"They're our business partner," James Burns, vice-chair and CEO of Alcanna, told CBC News. "It gives us one of the top, most incredible-leading, fastest-growing cannabis producers in the world."

Alcanna — a portmanteau of alcohol and cannabis — reflects the company's vision of having two separate divisions of alcohol and cannabis, since legislation will likely bar the sale of the two in the same building.

Senators on the legal affairs committee noted with alarm that it could easily be late fall, or longer, before police forces can order the devices once ones are approved.

Despite the legalization of marijuana looming this summer, officials with the justice and public safety departments say it’s still unknown when roadside screening devices to test for drug impairment will be approved for use.

Speaking at the Senate legal affairs committee, the officials said they couldn’t even confirm if the testing of devices has started, as it’s being conducted independently by the National Research Council and then evaluated by an expert committee of the Canadian Society of Forensic Science.

Two pot companies are officially eyeing up Fort Saskatchewan once marijuana becomes legal in Canada, according to the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission website.

Namaste is looking to establish themselves in the downtown core along 99th Avenue and Canna Cabana is listed along Town Crest Road in Town Crest Centre. Having the official application in front of the AGLC means these two companies are serious since it requires more than $4,000 for the licence fee, application fee and background check deposit.

These two recreational pot companies could be just the tip of an iceberg for local interest.

Baby boomers expected to drive sales as they switch to cannabis from other medications.

Cannabis-sector CEOs are bullish about the prospect for sales once Canada legalizes marijuana and say that the market will soar far above many estimates.

At the Arcview Group’s cannabis investment conference on May 2, the CEOs of three Canadian cannabis companies were united in predicting the legal cannabis market in Canada will fast outpace expectations.

A recent New Frontier Data report pinned the domestic cannabis market in Canada at $9.2 billion by 2025, sustained by higher average medical consumption. More conservative estimates pin federal sales at $4.5 billion by 2027.

Grocery store chain Loblaw Cos. Ltd. says it plans to sell recreational marijuana to shoppers in certain locations across Canada once the recreational drug becomes legal later this year.

Headquartered in Brampton, Ontario and with more than 2,000 grocery stores nationwide, Loblaws has significant inroads into Canadian communities. And it says it now plans to sell recreational marijuana in the tobacco shops at its stores in Newfoundland and Labrador later this year, and is considering doing the same in other parts of Canada as well.

We're not encouraging marijuana tourism here, but....

As Canadians, we constantly pay higher prices than Americans for almost everything from apparel to alcohol to air travel.

But at least it turns out we get a break on one item: marijuana.