The B.C. Craft Farmers Co-op has submitted its proposal for a government-assisted pilot project to get small-scale growers into the legal cannabis market that has been dominated by large producers.

The co-op, a project started by former Surrey councillor Barinder Rasode, has been proposed to the federal and B.C. governments as a two-year economic development and job creation project to make the licensing of small cannabis producers more accessible.

A Vancouver cannabis dispensary is going to need a new name and logo after losing a legal battle with retailer Toys "R" Us (Canada) Ltd.

A federal judge ruled Herbs "R" Us Wellness Society has used Toys R Us's registered trademark in a way that damages the goodwill attached to it.

Toys "R" Us argued that Herbs "R" Us's green logo with a cannabis leaf in the middle of the 'r' uses a similar font and arrangement of letters as the toy store.

Judge Nicholas McHaffie ruled Herbs "R" Us must destroy any goods, packages, labels and advertising material in its possession that bear the similar logo.

He ordered the dispensary to pay to Toys "R" Us $15,000 damages and $15,000 for the costs of its court application.

Cannabis sales in B.C. are soaring thanks in part to the COVID-19 pandemic.

They surged in March to a record monthly total of more than $23.5 million, according to Statistics Canada. That’s more than eight times the $2.84 million that British Columbians spent on legal weed in the same month a year ago.

The same trend held true countrywide. Canadians spent nearly $181.1 million on legal cannabis in March, or nearly triple the $60.9 million that they spent in March 2019, according to the federal statistics agency.

Some factors at play, particularly in B.C., include:

•more legal stores;

•fewer black-market stores;

•newly legal product categories, such as edibles;

•improved product quality; and

What happened: B.C. may change its Cannabis Control and Licensing Act  to allow legal private cannabis retailers to conduct e-commerce sales, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth told Business in Vancouver in an exclusive interview.

Why this matters: The change would put legal cannabis retailers on a level playing field with the provincial government’s BC Cannabis Stores website as well as black-market operators that illegally sell cannabis online.

B.C. Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth told BIV that he is open to allowing all licensed cannabis retailers to sell online.

VANCOUVER, May 25, 2020 /CNW/ - Village Farms International, Inc.

A Vancouver-based CBD producer said it’s bringing the first legal weed product into Brazil’s new medical market.

Brains Bioceutical Corp. said Friday it struck a deal with Brazil’s health authority, Anvisa, to supply a Brazilian partner with EU-GMP certified medical cannabis extract.

When the province declared a state of emergency to support the COVID-19 response in mid-March, BC Liquor Stores (BCLS) saw an ‘uncharacteristic’ increase in customer volume.

“The trend was similar to the increased activity experienced by grocery stores,” a Ministry of Attorney General spokesperson told the Tribune.

Sales figures for BC Liquor Stores (BCLS) or BC Cannabis Stores (BBCS) are not released as those statistics are considered confidential business information, however the ministry provided an outline of sales across the province.

When cannabis became legal in Canada for recreational use in July 2018, the path to legal weed seemed simple. When the Government of Canada appointed ex Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair to head up the legalization process is when the train came off the rails. 

Numerous delays along the legalization process started raising red flags in the budding cannabis industry. Later it became clear that the Canadian Government was not going to release its grip on the fledgling cannabis industry. The inexperienced parliamentarian’s designed complicated laws and regulations which they believed were going to allow for a smooth transition to legalized cannabis.  

Complicated Licensing and Regulations Force Boutique Growers Out

Cannabis is medicine. That claim is backed up by an ever-increasing number of studies and the personal experiences of countless patients.

When patients go to appointments to see doctors, they expect to learn more about effective medicines and treatment strategies, including potential treatments involving cannabis.