Jayna Pooley says it took her two and a half years to regain the strength to walk after moving from pharmaceuticals to cannabis. Photo by Kelsie Kilawna, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Sitting in a little cafe in Syilx territory in downtown Vernon, Jayna Pooley clinks her spoon against her cup as she gingerly stirs her coffee. The sun is out and she’s preparing for a meeting later that day to talk about cannabis with the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs. 

Pooley has been sharing her story, one of personal perseverance, as a way to inspire others to explore the healing properties of cannabis, a medicine she credits for helping her walk again. 

A West Shore mother is making waves on the internet after sharing a social media posting asking why cannabis use is met with considerable stigma, while other substances – like alcohol – are seen in a different light.

Jannine MacKinnon, who runs the popular "eeasymomroutines" Instagram page, expressed her views on responsible cannabis use to her more than 21,000 followers in February.

The post quickly became one of her most popular, resonating with almost 400,000 people.

"I actually sat on it for about a month before posting it," she said. "I was very nervous with how it was going to come across. I hadn't talked about cannabis at all on my account."

Canadians spent more than twice as much cash in legal cannabis stores last year, as licensed retailers across the country rolled up $2.6 billion.

In British Columbia, the figure is even higher. Numbers recently released by Statistics Canada show consumers were flocking to legal weed stores spending $370 million last year compared to $117 million the year before – more than a 217 per cent increase.

The dollar amount shows that after a ropey start at the beginning of legalization, more consumers are turning their backs on the black market and are heading into legal pot shops.

Members of Vancouver City Council have asked municipal staff to come up with ways to cut the fees being paid by cannabis retailers in the city.

The annual fees charged to weed retailers dwarf those of other businesses, such as liquor establishments. While the annual renewal tab for a cannabis retailer is a hefty $1,500, the annual fee for a liquor store is $429.00, notes the council motion.

The Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club (VCBC), a 25-year-old nonprofit society that serves more than 8,000 medical cannabis patients, is facing a new threat.

The club has been the subject of multiple raids in recent years, but B.C. authorities are now targeting the building’s landlord in an attempt to permanently close the doors of the institution.

Despite support from the mayor and local city council to allow the society to continue to operate, an exemption can only be granted by the B.C. cabinet.

A city councillor is hopeful this is the last year cannabis retailers in Vancouver will pay the highest licensing fees in the country.

A motion passed Thursday is the first step in slashing the $34,000 annual fee — which is nearly ten times what liquor stores pay.

Coun. Rebecca Bligh says the move is meant to help licensed retailers thrive.

“It was quite clear that there’s a growing concern that Vancouver’s market is actually growing, but in the illegal market,” Bligh says.

Dr. Jane Pegg couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the pot edibles that had poisoned a two-year-old who had been rushed to the emergency room in October.

"It so shocked and appalled me … the package looked almost identical to gummies that are sold as candies in the store," the Nanaimo, B.C., pediatrician said.

The boy wasn't moving and was having trouble breathing.

His distraught mother had accidentally given him marijuana-laced gummies that contained a massive dose of THC — a psychoactive compound in cannabis — thinking it was candy.

The edibles belonged to the child's grandfather, who has arthritis, and are sold under the names "Stoney Patch" and "Stoner Patch."

According to cannabis business leaders, the lack of retail cannabis outlets in many Lower Mainland cities, including Pitt Meadows, is allowing the black market to thrive.

Pitt Meadows is among many cities in the Lower Mainland that have yet to allow cannabis to be sold in a retail store. Surrey, Burnaby and Richmond are others which haven’t allowed these stores within their municipalities. Others, including Abbotsford and Langley Township, are just processing business applications from potential vendors.

It’s a problem, says Muse Cannabis CFO Mike McKee, who is in the process of opening a store in Maple Ridge. It’s one of more than 320 now open in B.C.

Ongoing opioid overdose crisis is driven largely by exposure to illicitly manufactured fentanyl.

FILE PHOTO: Vancouver police and doctors raise awareness about fentanyl during a press conference at VPD headquarters in Vancouver, B.C., Mar. 2, 2015. / PHOTO BY ARLEN REDEKOP /PNG

A study out of B.C. involving people undergoing opioid agonist therapy (OAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) found that cannabis use was associated with lower exposures to potentially deadly fentanyl.