Legalizing recreational marijuana could ignite a $22.6 billion industry in Canada, Deloitte says.

It's Sunday afternoon and Toronto's Centre for Social Innovation is packed full of marijuana enthusiasts perusing tables of goods.

Everything from marijuana-infused barbecue sauce to medicated body rubs is available at Green Market, where artisans peddle their various craft cannabis products.

Such events, which sell to patients and casual users alike, operate within a foggy regulatory environment. Selling marijuana is illegal unless you are a large-scale producer licensed under Health Canada's medical marijuana regime.

The Trudeau government has pledged to legalize marijuana in the spring, but anyone who’s been convicted of a pot-related crime won’t be off the hook right away.

A federal task force on legalization recommended this week to allow storefront and mail-order sales of marijuana to people 18 years old and up, and to not sell it alongside cigarettes or alcohol.

But just like the federal Liberals, it said little about how the government should go about pardoning those who’ve been convicted of possession, trafficking, or production or marijuana, and more, once marijuana is made legal.

Legalization activists received an early Christmas present last weekend: recreational marijuana legalization in the Pine Tree State is finally on track after a lengthy battle over election results. 

And Why They’re B.S.

Though one in eight U.S. adults say they smoke marijuana and the support for legal marijuana is up to 60 percent, there are still popular myths that paint marijuana as the big bad wolf. If you're one of the countless people who's managed to live a well-rounded, fulfilling life and still smoke weed, here are the four most common arguments against making your hobby legal, and why they're total BS:

The door to legalized marijuana in California cracked ajar in 1996, when voters approved the Compassionate Use Act, which allowed doctors to recommend cannabis to their patients.

In November, the door flew open as voters approved Proposition 64 by a wide margin, a measure that legalizes marijuana for adult recreational use and could herald the beginning of the end of the federal government’s misbegotten war on weed.

Years before U.S. arrest, cannabis stores, Marc Emery was a bookshop owner on a mission.

Marc Emery and his stores, Cannabis Culture, came out of nowhere last week with the announcement that they were breaking federal marijuana laws at eight secret locations in the city. 

A few days later, the stores were raided, closed and Emery was thrown in jail. He was charged with drug trafficking, possession for the purpose of trafficking and conspiracy. 

He has been released on bail and is due back in court Feb. 15.    

Here's a look at Emery's background and what he might hope to accomplish in Montreal.

The Question 1 recount is over. And Wednesday, the Maine secretary of state certified the election results.

Question 1, which legalizes the possession, cultivation and sale of recreational marijuana, will soon become law.

Soon, but not yet.

Gov. Paul LePage will have 10 days to issue a proclamation after he receives the certified election results. The legislation becomes law 30 days after the governor signs the proclamation.

States with medical-marijuana laws have fewer traffic fatalities than those without, especially among younger drivers, a new study has found.

You would think crash rates might be higher, supposing that more drivers are, too — especially around midnight, when a run to a 7-Eleven becomes necessary.

But, no. Researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health found an 11 percent reduction in traffic fatalities on average when examining places that have enacted medical-marijuana laws — 23 states and the District of Columbia. The presence of medical-marijuana dispensaries also correlated with fewer traffic fatalities, the study found.

Kentucky could become one of the next states to legalize the leaf for recreational purposes.

Democratic Senator Perry Clark recently showed up in Frankfort to pre-file a piece of legislation aimed at creating a taxed and regulated cannabis market throughout the Commonwealth.

The proposal, submitted under BR408, would create something similar to other recreational pot markets, pushing for adults 21 and over to have the freedom to carry up to one ounce of marijuana and cultivate up to five plants at home for personal use.

The Cannabis industry soared in 2016 in the US and Canada. Here's an outlook for what's in store for the market in 2017.

It goes without saying that the cannabis industry reached a new high point in 2016. The US voting in favor of legalization (in four states) on November 8, and the Canadian government releasing its task force  for recreational use of marijuana on December 13 were certainly two of the year’s biggest moments.