A former soldier organizing hundreds of fellow PTSD-suffering veterans in Atlantic Canada to take advantage of federally funded marijuana prescriptions says he sees no problem with producers paying groups representing patients in an industry with scant regulation on sales.

Afghanistan veteran Fabian Henry has spoken on behalf of his group, Marijuana for Trauma, to a number of licensed producers about sharing a cut of sales or receiving patient referral fees, which he says will help build a holistic centre for his group’s roughly 500 members.

Canadian police have smashed a mafia drug trafficking ring with the arrest of 19 alleged high-ranking members of the Calabrian ’Ndrangheta criminal organization, officials said on Wednesday.

The operation in Toronto on Tuesday involving 260 officers was the culmination of a two-year investigation targeting “the highest levels” of the ’Ndrangheta, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.

Taking out key players in the group has put a significant dent in its global criminal operations, the RCMP special forces enforcement unit added.

A majority of doctors would approve the use of medical marijuana, according to a new survey.

"We were surprised by the outcome of polling and comments, with 76 percent of all votes in favor of the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes -- even though marijuana use is illegal in most countries," the survey's authors wrote.

The results appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine on May 30. It included responses from 1,446 doctors from 72 different countries and 56 different states and provinces in North America. In addition, 118 doctors posted comments about their decision on the survey.

In an effort to advance the highest standards within Canada’s medical cannabis industry, Tilray has founded a new association, the Canadian Medical Cannabis Council (CMCC), to represent licensed producers and other industry stakeholders who are committed to building long-term trust with patients.

Following several unsuccessful attempts to persuade the Canadian Medical Cannabis Industry Association (CMCIA) to adopt a Code of Ethics that mandates a commitment to safety, transparency and avoidance of conflicts of interest, Tilray has terminated its membership with the CMCIA. While we are disappointed to end this relationship, we feel that the CMCIA and its members have failed to serve the best interests of Canadian patients.

Disruptive businesses make the headlines, but they also face real risks. Why you need to tread carefully around the law

Years ago, I worked as a waitress at a popular independent brew pub with an origin story that was the stuff of local legend. The proprietor had bought a heritage building, outfitted it with expensive brewing equipment and hired a full-time brewmaster to develop premium ales and lagers. He had just one problem: It wasn’t yet legal for an establishment in Ontario to produce and sell its own beer on-site. He started the business anyway, shilling sandwiches and sodas until the law changed and allowed the pub to sell the suds that have made it a prosperous business for nearly 30 years.

In a ruling described as “historic” by one lawyer, a Quebec judge has ordered three major cigarette companies to pay $15 billion to smokers in what is believed to be the biggest class-action lawsuit ever seen in Canada.

“These three companies lied to their customers for 50 years and hurt their right to life,” Andre Lesperance, one of the lawyers involved in the case, said Monday.

“It’s a great victory for victims as well as for society in general.”

For Lise Blais, the judgment was bittersweet.

One of the two lawsuits that eventually merged into one was filed by her husband, Jean-Yves Blais, shortly before he died of lung cancer in September 2012 at the age of 68.

One of Canada’s largest licensed medical marijuana producers says it has repeatedly been hit up by specialized clinics asking for money in exchange for referring patients to them – a practice that underscores the lack of clear rules governing the relationship between consumers, their doctors and growers in the nascent industry.

OTTAWA - Health Canada is asking a Vancouver radio station to stop promoting a medical marijuana dispensary.

In a letter to CKNW, the department reminds them that advertising marijuana is illegal and also that fines could be applied.

The letter says a host on the station promoted a Vancouver marijuana dispensary during a segment last month.

Health Canada says the dispensary itself is illegal and advertising marijuana for any purposes runs contrary to the Food and Drugs Act and Narcotics Control regulations.

It says that by advertising the dispensary, CKNW is encouraging listeners to engage in illegal conduct.

No one at the station could immediately be reached for comment.

It's going to be a very merry Christmas this year.

The state of Alaska voted in favor of legalizing marijuana in November, making the possession of cannabis legal for any adult 21-years of age and older in February of 2015. However, individuals towns could still block the sale of marijuana, and on Monday, the town of North Pole took a vote to decide if pot shops would be allowed within its limits.

In response to rapidly changing cultural and legal contexts, researchers from the University of Montreal and the Sainte-Justine University Hospital have discovered a way to prevent, reduce or delay the use of cannabis among young people at risk.

Cannabis users are exposed to neurocognitive deficits, lower educational and professional success, to road accidents, psychiatric symptoms and exacerbated the outbreak of psychosis. Teenagers are especially at risk because their brains are developing.