Data released by Statistics Canada provides new information about the amount of cannabis Canadians consumed in 2017.

The so-called cannabis provincial and territorial economic accounts are based on estimates detailing the production, consumption, and distribution of cannabis in Canada's different economies.

According to the accounts, approximately 4.9 million Canadians aged 15 to 64 spent a combined total of roughly $5.6 million on cannabis for both medical and recreational purposes, with consumption varying greatly from one region to the next.

Nurse, doctor worry use of the soon-to-be-legal drug will exacerbate existing problems.

Alberta medical professionals are warning that the upcoming legalization of cannabis may exacerbate the province's problem of premature and low-weight infants.

Alberta has the highest rate of premature infants, as well as low-weight births, in the country, according to new data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

The stubborn statistic has barely budged, despite medical professionals trying to improve infant and maternal health, said Dr. Duncan McCubbin, an obstetrician based in Medicine Hat, Alta.

WSPS conference demonstrates many ways to get there.

For companies seeking safety excellence, simply trying to do better at the basics is not enough. This message was the core of a keynote presentation by Jeremy Shorthouse, manager, environmental health and safety for Molson Coors, at the February 21 Workplace Safety and Prevention Services’ (WSPS) warehouse safety conference in Mississauga, Ontario.

Close to 150 participants with warehouse safety responsibilities gathered to hear Shorthouse and a host of other speakers talk about both big-picture and detailed safety issues.

Legalized recreational marijuana might be on the ballot in Michigan this fall.

Ontario's premier said the province is working on an 'educational process' for border cities as the federal government is expected to legalize recreational marijuana this year. 

Premier Kathleen Wynne met with Michigan Governor Rick Snyder last week to sign a memorandum of understanding related to jobs, tourism and shared resources. 

One of the items that came up — but was not part of the document — was how the two governments are handling potential problems surrounding legal marijuana. 

"Our officials are working together with border states to make sure that the rules are clear," said Wynne, after signing the memorandum in Detroit. 

Recreational cannabis could well be legalized in Canada by July 2018. And whilst Ontario passed legislation that will regulate the lawful use, how much do we really know about the potential impact this will have on workplaces?

We spoke to Peter Straszynski, Torkin Manes LLP – presenter of HRD Canada’s upcoming webinar Cannabis in the workplace - a guide for HR professionals – who gave us his take on the impending issue.

“Employers in industries which deal with safety sensitive work, for example construction where employees are working with machinery, are concerned over the legalization and what that means in terms of tolerance,” explained Straszynski.

For all the talk about the incoming legalization of recreational cannabis, the topic of medical cannabis seems to have been lost in the haze, says one Victoria businessman.

While recreational users will be able to walk into a retail store and buy pot as easily as a bottle of beer, James Whitehead said the Health Canada mail-order system to obtain medical marijuana can be bureaucratic and confusing.

As a result, many who use cannabis for pain relief, arthritis or insomnia end up buying it from one of Victoria’s three dozen dispensaries.

The problem with that, Whitehead said, is that not all dispensary staff are qualified to give medical advice.

Canadians consumed more than 20 grams of marijuana per person last year, spending C$5.6 billion on the product, according to 

With legal pot looming, officials are working on training tools for Canada's cops.

Pop quiz: what does 30 grams of marijuana look like?

It's not an abstract question. Under the federal government's proposed cannabis legalization plan, 30 grams of dried marijuana is the maximum a person can legally possess in a public place. Carry any more and you could be subject to fines, jail time, or both.

Policing quantities is a big shift for police officers, who are used to viewing any amount of pot as a potential red flag, said Sandy Sweet of the Canadian Police Knowledge Network, an agency that provides online training courses for police officers.

Dustin and Corey Koffler, brothers and co-founders of Green Tank Technologies Corp., have been growing their business at breakneck speed over the past year – and the pace is unlikely to slow down as cannabis legalization approaches.

One year ago, Green Tank, a Toronto-based startup that designs vaporizers for cannabis-oil producers, had its first product ready, but no employees and no sales. Today, the company serves 60 clients in four countries and has hired 16 employees, most of whom work out of a converted industrial space in the city’s west end.

Changes to federal laws governing recreational cannabis use this summer has employers seeking to clear the haze on some burning questions when it comes to worker safety and company liability at the job site.

Questions of note include: As with alcohol consumption, can the same workplace restrictions apply to cannabis use? And how do employers handle workers who are heavy users of cannabis and may have a residual level of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the principal psychoactive ingredient of cannabis, in their bloodstream for days or a week after smoking a joint?