The province has sold 2,084 kilograms of cannabis in the first six months of legalization, so just who is buying legal pot online in B.C.?

People in Chemainus, Gold River and Smithers — but Vancouver, not so much.

The government has sold more than $18 million worth of cannabis since legal sales began in B.C. last October. But Lower Mainland sales were slow compared to smaller towns, according to provincial data.

When it comes to legal pot sales, receipts show that transaction levels, per capita, are lowest in bigger cities close to Vancouver.

Micron Waste Technologies Inc. has received a Health Canada cannabis research licence to develop its aerobic waste digester technology for the treatment of cannabis waste.

The five-year licence will be used to further develop a system that alters and denatures cannabis waste while recovering reusable water.

A biochemist at the University of New Brunswick says the legalization of recreational cannabis has opened the door for scientists to find new medical uses for the plant.

Yang Qu says cannabis is rapidly being transformed from an underground species into an industrial crop that awaits medical and agricultural development.

"In the past the major driving force of the breeding was to get a higher THC content, because THC is the major psychoactive component in cannabis," Qu said Monday. "Recreational use of cannabis is mainly because of the component THC.

Statistics Canada recently released the conclusions of a yearlong study examining levels of various illicit drugs, and cannabis, in the wastewater of Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax.

The pilot test study drew samples of the water in the period between March 2018 and February 2019. The research, one StatsCan claims is “the largest ever conducted in North America in terms of population covered,” was carried out in collaboration with Yargeau Laboratory of McGill University’s Department of Chemical Engineering.

The BC Liquor Distribution Branch wants to hear from licensed marijuana producers able to make and supply new pot-based creations as the province prepares for the soon-to-be legalized edible cannabis market.

The branch has issued a product call, asking would-be suppliers to identify their interest and ability to provide the branch with edibles, beverages, topicals and extracts.

A statement from the liquor distribution branch says successful applicants will see their products marketed throughout the province in both licensed private retailers and government-run BC Cannabis Stores.

The product call opens Thursday and closes on Sept. 11.

Anyone who thinks they are growing blue ribbon buds in the Cowichan Valley, now is your chance to vie for community bragging rights.

The 151st Cowichan Exhibition Fair on Vancouver Island, which this year runs Sept. 6-8, will be judging homegrown cannabis plants for the first time. The event is a chance for local agriculture producers to showcase their livestock and produce.

And now green thumb weed growers can enter the competition too. 

 Choom™ (CSE: CHOO; OTCQB: CHOOF), an emerging adult use cannabis company that has secured one of the largest national retail networks in Canada, is pleased to announce that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire The Green Room, a popular cannabis retail store chain which has operated since 2016. 

The B.C. SPCA is reminding dog owners who have cannabis in the house not to hesitate to get help if their furry friend accidentally ingests some of their supply.

Last week, an 11-week-old husky puppy named Bear was brought into the SPCA's Vancouver branch with some alarming symptoms of a THC overdose.

Branch manager Jodi Dunlop said it wasn't known how the dog ingested cannabis, but a toxicity test found high levels of THC in its little body.

"He seemed to be a bit tired for a puppy," said Dunlop, who noticed right away something was wrong, after the former owners surrendered the puppy last Monday.

Soon, the husky collapsed, and Dunlop contacted an emergency veterinarian.

Campbell River is the first community on Vancouver Island where residents will be able to purchase weed directly from the province. 

A government-operated B.C. Cannabis Store will open July 31 at the Discovery Harbour Shopping Centre, located in the 1400 block of the Island Highway.

A government store will also open in Cranbrook on the same day.

They'll be the third and fourth provincially run stores to open in B.C. since the federal government legalized recreational cannabis in October 2018.

Recreational weed sales in Canada enjoyed a significant boost in May — up 14 per cent — according to data from Statistics Canada.

“Sales improved to $85 million in May, up from $74 million in April and $60 million in March,” Marijuana Business Daily reports. British Columbia recorded the biggest sales growth in May with a 37 per cent increase thanks to improved access via the opening of a number of new dispensaries.