The CEO of B.C.-based licenced producer Pure Sunfarms is sounding the alarm about potency labelling practices among Canadian cannabis companies.

In a blog posted on LinkedIn, Mandesh Dosanjh says that some producers are taking a ‘static’ approach to labelling products, and the THC and CBD values displayed on the products may not be accurate for each individual batch.

Canada legalized recreational cannabis more than two years ago, but the passage of time has not translated into the anticipated lower use among young people, notes an evaluation of study data involving 100,000-plus youths.

“High prevalence of youth cannabis use in this sample remains a concern,” notes the pre-proof study recently published online in Preventive Medicine Reports, an open access companion journal to Preventive Medicine. “These data suggest that the Cannabis Act has not yet led to the reduction in youth cannabis use envisioned in its public health approach,” write authors from Ontario and Quebec

Health Canada is investigating complaints alleging inaccurately-labelled potency levels for some products sold by licensed pot producers, including industry leader Canopy Growth Corp. 

The Smiths Falls, Ont.-based cannabis producer was called out by a rival in a complaint submitted to Health Canada's Cannabis Compliance Directorate last month. According to a copy of the document obtained by BNN Bloomberg, the complaint centres on sales of Canopy’s TWD brand that displays a flat 20-per-cent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) potency for 18 separate batches of its cannabis products. 

Fewer than 400 people have successfully been pardoned for cannabis possession offences despite a new federal program introduced almost two years ago that was aimed at doing precisely that.

Citing figures from the Parole Board of Canada (PBC), CTV News reports that officials have granted 395 pardons under the program up until Mar. 21, 2021. More people have applied for pardons — 251 more, in fact — but these have been rejected for reasons ranging from ineligibility to incompleteness, according to the PBC.

Back in the days when “skunk” was mainly associated with Pepé Le Pew and hydroponics was a way of improving cucumbers, most of the UK’s cannabis supply was imported from places such as Morocco and Lebanon. This changed in the past two or three decades in the UK and many other countries as organised criminal gangs set up growing operations closer to home.

Fewer than 400 people have successfully been pardoned for cannabis possession offences despite a new federal program introduced almost two years ago that was aimed at doing precisely that.

Citing figures from the Parole Board of Canada (PBC), CTV News reports that officials have granted 395 pardons under the program up until Mar. 21, 2021. More people have applied for pardons — 251 more, in fact — but these have been rejected for reasons ranging from ineligibility to incompleteness, according to the PBC.

No one has ever died from using marijuana. In fact, cannabis has helped countless numbers of people cope with anxiety, depression, epilepsy, and many other conditions and symptoms.

Laced weed, however, is a completely different story.

Canopy Growth Corp. is laying off 75 people in North America, and may cut dozens of additional positions in Denmark, as the Canadian cannabis producer completes a year-long cost-cutting review of its operations, a company spokesperson said. 

The restructuring in Canopy’s home market took immediate effect, with 75 people let go in North America, the spokesperson said. Most of those affected workers were employed at Canopy's headquarters in Smiths Falls, Ont. 

"As part of the final stage of Canopy Growth’s end-to-end global strategic review, staffing adjustments were made within our North American operations team earlier today," the spokesperson told BNN Bloomberg in an emailed statement Tuesday. 

Many of us grew up in a society that prohibited the use of cannabis. When cannabis was legalized in 2018, it was a major shift for most Canadians. How successful have we been in changing the mindset from it being an illegal and stigmatized drug to one that is legal and socially acceptable?

Education about cannabis has been inconsistent across Canada. Evidence to support the best approach for cannabis education and awareness campaigns is lacking and historically focused on risk-based messages to encourage people to “do not use.”

Irish Revenue officials have once again intercepted packages containing cannabis from the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Spain thanks to the Baileys, two drug-detecting dogs whose sole mission is to sniff out contraband.

In all, packages received at both the Dublin and Athlone mail centres contained 141,000 euros (just shy of $213,000) in illicit weed.