Dr. Danial Schecter, who's opening a Cannabinoid Medical Clinic in Edmonton to prescribe medical marijuana. Supplied

An eastern Canadian chain of medical marijuana clinics plans to tap into a growing Alberta market later this month by opening its first Edmonton location.

Dr. Danial Schecter, who started Toronto’s Cannabinoid Medical Clinic in 2014 and now has five similar facilities, says doctors in the new office will offer examinations, evaluations, cannabis prescriptions and product advice.

Patients must be referred by their doctors, who might not feel they have enough expertise to handle this area themselves, Schecter said.

After Joe Ceci told a roomful of rural politicians that Alberta's liquor stores could sell pot if was ever legalized by the federal government, the provincial finance minister quickly had to clarify that his comment was a joke.

But as it turns out, Ceci wasn't that far off the mark.

Members of the Alberta Liquor Store Association are currently doing a survey on the idea of selling marijuana in stores.

"We're going to our membership to see first of all, is this a good fit for our stores?" said association president Ivonne Martinez. 

By Alison McMahon

My mom was recently diagnosed with cancer for a second time and I happily helped her get a prescription for medical cannabis. Going through this with her made me realize there are a number of barriers to access. She found the process overwhelming and complicated. I believe she wouldn't have actually got a prescription if I hadn't been there to help her. So what exactly are the barriers?

1. Lack of information about how to get a prescription

When my mom found out she had cancer, she told her family doctor that she "wasn't doing this again without medical marijuana." The physician maintained a straight face and said nothing. Not particularly helpful.

This is the great indoors, the place where you can stand at the end of a long metal table, stare straight ahead to its opposite end some 75 metres away and you will be lost in a mighty greenness.

You will see thousands of familiar jagged-edged leaves reaching up to the lights inside Alberta’s largest grow-op. Seconds later, your mind taps into a stash of marijuana gag lines, from this facility being a “joint venture” to “your staff room must be well-stocked with Doritos.”

Canadian researchers have recently published a study that shows the potential cannabis has for preventing and treating obesity. Mice fed a high-fat diet with daily THC administration gained significantly less weight than those without THC. Cannabis may have some protective effect against high levels of intestinal microbes associated with obesity.

"Weed is way more than just weed," says Tristan Williams, the subject of a new short doc on the 'undeniable benefits' of medicinal marijuana by Abandoned Spirt House Films, founded in Halifax a few years ago by King's College grads Roland Eksteins and Nicolas Bergeron. 

Both Eksteins and Bergeron are currently videographers in residence at The Banff Centre in Alberta, but often collaborate on independent work, including A Different Light. 

Two Calgarians face charges following Thursday morning’s RCMP search of a rural property in Rocky View County that resulted in the seizure of hundreds of marijuana plants.

At approximately 9:30 a.m., members of the Airdrie RCMP including the crime reduction unit, K-9, and the ‘Green Team South’ executed a search warrant at a home at an undisclosed location near Balzac.

As a result of the search, officers discovered a marijuana grow-operation in the attached garage of the home. The street value of the 536 seized plants is estimated at $670,000.

Two people were located inside the home and arrested. A 58-year-old man and a 46-year-old woman, both from Calgary, face charges of production of marijuana and possession of property obtained by crime.

 RCMP have uncovered a large marijuana grow operation in Rocky View County, southern Alberta, Tuesday afternoon. Strathmore RCMP executed a search warrant at a rural property north of Langdon, where they found 1,140 marijuana plants with an estimated value of $1.4 million.RCMP said the grow op was located inside multiple rooms in a residence, as well as a large outbuilding on the property.Thong Vihn Nguyen, 63, and Phan Thi Dang, 62, were arrested and face multiple charges, including production and possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.Strathmore RCMP received assistance from the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit “Green Team,” the RCMP Police Dog Service and the Strathmore RCMP Crime Reduction Unit.

The growth of marijuana dependency is a troubling issue for Calgary’s youth, according to a director at a local clinic. 

“It’s alarming to the point that we’re treating more marijuana dependent youth across North America than any other illicit drug combined,” said Dr. Jackie Smith at the Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre, adding the majority of her clients are addicted to and dependent on pot.

Smith’s comments come on the heels of Canada’s changing political stance on weed, where Vancouver is selling it through dispensaries and the Liberals promise to legalize it, if elected. 

“It’s just condoned and way more accessible now,” she said, adding kids who wake-and-bake miss classes and end up highly anxious when they don’t do the drug.