When the pandemic began last Spring, 

While Ontario’s longest patio season is serving its last calls under well-used heat lamps, industry groups representing the hard-hit restaurant, tourism, and live events sectors are calling on the province to advance talks on selling and consuming cannabis inside public venues. Beth Potter, president and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO), wants new pot regulations for lounges, cafes, festivals and concerts established by the spring.

If you’ve been following the political coverage in the Maritimes recently, you’d have seen considerable coverage of the challenges faced by the tourism industry both within the region and, more specifically, here on Prince Edward Island.

Problems in the tourism industry aren’t unique to P.E.I. nor the Maritimes. Having said that, the outsized impact of this tourism turbulence on the local economy differentiates the sector’s importance to our province’s bottom line compared to the experience of other jurisdictions.

Last week, we saw the Government of Nova Scotia announce commercial property tax forgiveness for tourism operators, and the Official Opposition leader in P.E.I. press the government for its own immediate plans to support the sector in these trying times.

Amsterdam is known the world over for their famous coffeeshops, easy access to weed, and safe consumption spaces. But what is the history behind Amsterdam's storied cannabis establishments and its seemingly permissive and lenient laws, especially given that, even in Amsterdam, cannabis remains illegal? Let's take a look behind the scenes. 

First things first: As mentioned earlier, despite all evidence that suggests otherwise, cannabis is not legal in Amsterdam locally, nor the Netherlands in general. What the Netherlands does have is progressive drug policy that distinguishes hard drugs from soft drugs. 

(image credit: Shutterstock, Steven Bostock)

Our wrap-up of the best cannabis products on the market in Canada this month includes an Indigenous strain from Nova Scotia

Whole buds of sativa, indica or hybrid cannabis flower by Pure Sunfarms

These single-strain offerings of high-quality weed from BC-based grower Pure Sunfarms (pictured above) come in one-ounce quantities and are among the best sellers in the Canadian market. They’re also great for baking. It’s the classic gift for the pot aficionado on your holiday list. The company recently announced its debut on the international market with Pure Sunfarms-branded CBD gummies to be sold in luxury department stores in Hong Kong.

From care-filled cooking to sweet relaxation, consider a ‘green’ gift to spruce up the snowy holiday season.

(image: Consider taking gift-giving to a new place this year by injecting some lively green into this usually white and snowy season. / PHOTO BY SASHA_SUZI / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS)

The anticipated lockdown on many in-person get-togethers this holiday season because of the COVID-19 curveball has put a damper on regular festivities. But there’s no better way to brighten grey days than with thoughtful gift-giving that reflects better times and offers a connection to loved ones.

The common wisdom about cannabis enthusiasts is that they don’t have any common wisdom. The stereotype of the drooling guy “on” cannabis sitting in his parent’s basement playing video games for hours or Instagrammig nonstop is what many of the “straights” still imagine to be true.

Hardly.

In fact, smoking or vaping or eating cannabis—especially certain sativa strains—has quickly become the best way to energize getting chores done. Every busy chore hustler knows that choosing the right CBD/THC sativa combination, with the right terpene profile, can do the trick.

According to the results of a new research study, the deliberate use of medical cannabis to reduce alcohol consumption was associated with a greater likelihood of reducing and ceasing alcohol use. The results of the study were recently published in the International Journal of Drug Policy.