Months after marijuana sales became legal, public approval has reached a new high.

Close to 70 per cent of Lethbridge residents in the 18-to-29-year category now agree with the policy change, along with 57.2 per cent of all the men and women surveyed.

And a new study shows more than 90 per cent supported the drug’s use for medical purposes.

Public support for recreational use has increased from 43.9 per cent just four years ago, observes political scientist Faron Ellis. Under his supervision, students at Lethbridge College conducted a comprehensive “public policy” study in February.

It also found public support rising on several other issues in Lethbridge, including doctor-assisted death, same-sex marriage and a woman’s right to seek an abortion.

It’s the first tangible fruit produced from a nationwide search by Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) to enlist more federally sanctioned suppliers in a bid to ease a cannabis supply shortage that’s led to a moratorium on issuing new retail licences in the province.

While it brings the number of AGLC suppliers to 19, it’s not expected to be enough to lift the moratorium — which was put in place in November — any time soon, said commission spokeswoman Chara Goodings.

When Sacha Hockenhull organized his first cannabis exposition in Calgary four years ago, his friends said he would get arrested and his family threatened to disown him.

On Saturday, he watched hundreds of people file through HempFest at the Edmonton Convention Centre, the first major event of its kind in the city since recreational marijuana legalization.

"Now the conversation is totally different," said Hockenhull. "When I say I run a cannabis show, people say, 'Tell me everything you know.'"

Alberta is leading the country in cannabis retail sales, according to Statistics Canada. The province's retailers sold nearly $33 million worth of cannabis between the Oct. 17 and Dec. 31.

Increases in resource revenue and personal income tax have put Alberta on track to finish the fiscal year with a $6.9-billion deficit, $1.9 billion lower than forecast.

The NDP government's third-quarter fiscal update, released Wednesday, contains a strong indication that Albertans will not see a budget prior to the spring election.

It includes an update on the government's "path to balance" by 2023-24, a feature never before included in a quarterly update.

Finance Minister Joe Ceci deflected reporters' questions about the timing of the 2019-20 budget.

"I am preparing a budget. It's the premier's decision when the writ is dropped," he said. "But there will be a Budget 2019."

In the first months following Canada’s legalization of cannabis, the industry has recorded more than $150 million in retail sales with Alberta leading the way according to Statistics Canada.

As of the end of February, there are 75 retail cannabis stores operating in Alberta, 24 of which are in Calgary. The province’s stores have combined to sell $33 million worth of legal marijuana since October 17, 2018.

Alberta’s place at the top of marijuana sales comes as little surprise to industry experts as the province’s store numbers dwarfs all other provinces. Newfoundland has the second-most cannabis stores in Canada with 25 retail outlets currently operating while other provinces have yet to open a single cannabis store.

A city bylaw governing cannabis use in public may not be needed, according to the head of a city council committee who said before last fall’s legalization that local rules should be developed.

Now, considering an absence of complaints from the public, Coun. Julie Friesen tells the News that the city was adequately prepared and provincial guidelines that became the default in Medicine Hat are working.

“We’re not experiencing any of the things we maybe were expecting,” Friesen said Monday. “I think it’s fair to say that we may not need to bring in a bylaw.”

Pot became legal to buy and posses about four months ago, and local authorities have reported little trouble related to the recreational use of the once banned substance.

Aurora Cannabis Inc. (NYSE: ACB) (TSX: ACB) (Frankfurt: 21P; WKN: A1C4WM) and ICC Labs Inc. (ICC) (TSX-V: ICC) are pleased to announce that Aurora has received, from its consortium of lenders led by Bank of Montreal (collectively, the Lenders), consent and approval as required under its credit agreement with the Lenders to the previously announced plan of arrangement (the Arrangement) between ICC and Aurora. Subject to the terms and conditions of the arrangement agreement dated September 8, 2018 (the Arrangement Agreement), Aurora will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares (ICC Shares) of ICC.

If your province or territory nabbing the best deal?!

It's officially day two of cannabis officially being legal in Canada. While we are all probably coming off the high of such a big milestone for the country (pun absolutely intended), Canadians are shocked to see how different the legal purchasing experience is from province to province. 

Not only do some provinces get to buy in store rather than online, but areas of the country are also seeing some extreme price differences for legal cannabis. Meaning you might want to consider a road trip to snag the best bang for your buck. Here are the current prices per gram of legal marijuana in every part of Canada, so you can see how your province stacks up. All prices listed are in CAD.

Popular marijuana stocks fell across the board Wednesday, paring extreme gains so far this year, as investors cashed in a bit of their bet as Canada became the largest country to legalize the recreational use of cannabis.

After months of political haggling and legal debate, Canada joined the U.S. states of California, Massachusetts, Maine, Alaska, Colorado, Washington, Nevada, Vermont and Oregon as the first Group of Seven country to OK adult use of pot. The major cannabis stocks ran up in anticipation of this day and offered investors on Wednesday a reminder of just how volatile some of the young pot companies have become amid a flurry of news and speculation.

Ian Power and Nikki Rose among first Canadians to buy legal recreational cannabis. The first legal recreational cannabis has officially been sold in Canada.

In Newfoundland and parts of Labrador, midnight comes earlier than anywhere else in the country, and people were ready and waiting for marijuana to be sold to them over the counter.

At the Tweed retail location on Water Street in downtown St. John's, the first sales went to Ian Power and Nikki Rose, who lined up outside hours before. 

The lineup at the Tweed store started at around 8 p.m. NT, and steadily grew as the time ticked down to 12 a.m. Ian Power said he came early so he could "make history."