Citizens will soon get to have a say on how Vancouver should regulate the storefront sale of medicinal marijuana.

City council ignored a warning from Health Canada and voted to send a proposed legal framework for cannabis-related businesses to a public hearing.

When the new rules are eventually voted into law—an outcome that’s all but certain given councillors from all three civic parties have already spoken in their favour—Vancouver will become the first municipality in Canada to permit and regulate the over-the-counter sale of marijuana.

OTTAWA - The political showdown between the Harper government and Vancouver intensified Tuesday in advance of city council’s consideration of a plan to strictly regulate the fast-growing pot dispensary business.

Two federal ministers sent a stern letter to both council and the Vancouver Police Department saying authorities should crack down rather than regulate and therefore legitimize pot dispensaries.

The letter, signed by Health Minister Rona Ambrose and Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney, warns that the city’s action could lead to the tripling in youth usage of a substance that brings “serious and lasting” negative health effects.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - April 28, 2015) - Aurora Cannabis Inc. (CSE:ACB)(FRANKFURT:21P)(WKN:A1C4WM)(OTC PINK:PSNTF) ("Aurora" or the "Company) is pleased to announce that 2400 clones of 7 different strains have been moved to the flowering stage. Commonly used names for the strains are Purple Kush, Agent Orange, Girl Scout Cookies, LSD, Strawberry Cough, AK47 and Exodus Cheese. Patients can be assured that the variety of strains will address a wide range of needs. More strains will be introduced as production ramps up. Aurora is expecting the first harvest to occur towards the end of June, 2015. Once in full production, the facility will be harvesting approximately 2500 plants every 7 days that will result in up to 100 kg of product per harvest.

Chemists Alexis St-Gelais, Laurie Caron, and Hubert Marceau have a new specialty: the analysis of therapeutic marijuana. It has been a few months since their laboratory in Jonquière, PhytoChemia, got the certifications from Health Canada under the regulations on the therapeutic use of cannabis. PhytoChemia is the only laboratory to perform such analyzes in Quebec.

PhytoChemia, whose premises are located on the St. Francis Boulevard Jonquière, specializes in the standardization and control of the chemical quality of natural medicinal products, cosmetics or food. It was in 2013 that the three chemists applied for a license from Health Canada. It took almost a year for the application to be accepted.

The fuzz showed up at Wayne Robillard’s new joint exactly when he was rolling it out to reporters Monday.

Two polite cops walked into BuzzOn at 29 Montreal Rd. to collect information about the pot smoking “lounge” in Vanier.

Robillard put it all on the table for police and the press: Yes, it’s a place for people to bring their weed and smoke it.

When police left, Robillard inflated a vapour bag stretched tight with pot smoke and sucked it back for photographers.

Robillard, 51, doesn’t fear the law and he doesn’t have a medical marijuana licence. He quietly opened BuzzOn with two business partners on April 20 — 4/20, the equivalent of Super Bowl day for potheads — and plans to ramp up to a full opening this weekend.

CannTrust develops new line of products in an easy, ready to use format at $3.50/gram

On March 20th, 2015 the Supreme Court of Canada heard arguments for and against medical cannabis derivative products becoming legally available to authorized patients.  The courtroom was filled with supporters while many others watched in the overflow rooms and on the CPAC live stream.  The entire proceeding was recorded and is available to view online on the Cannabis Digest Youtube page. Floating on the screen during the webcast was “Her Majesty the Queen vs. Owen Edward Smith”. Despite this sport scoreboard like opposition displayed for the audience at home, Queen Elizabeth II had about as much influence on the unfolding of our case as the Unicorn on the coat of arms above the judges heads.

B.C.'s Chief Medical Officer says marijuana does have some medical benefits, countering claims from federal Health Minister Rona Ambrose that it has no medicinal value.

Last week, Ambrose spoke to On the Coast's Stephen Quinn about the City of Vancouver's plan to regulate marijuana dispensaries. 

A board shows different products for sale at a medical marijuana dispensary in Vancouver, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2015. The free-for-all era of Canada's commercial medical marijuana industry is over as a new crop of growers try to woo scarce investment dollars in an increasingly competitive business, observers say. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward (The Canadian Press)

Some B.C. doctors are concerned that the forthcoming guidelines for prescribing medical marijuana will cut off care to a number of their patients.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. posted medical cannabis professional standards to its website outlining instances in which marijuana is not appropriate, such as prescribing it for patients under the age of 25 or those patients suffering from addiction.

Kelowna physician Kevin Kanerva is worried the new rules will be too restrictive and would exclude many of his patients.

RCMP have seized a significant amount of marijuana after a grow-op bust late last week.

During a routine traffic stop last Thursday, RCMP pulled a vehicle over that reeked of marijuana and had waste from a grow-op inside. Police obtained a warrant and carried out a search of a property connected to the driver in the RM of Reynolds the next day.

RCMP from three separate rural detachments — Lac du Bonnet, Whitemouth and Beausejour — converged on the property and seized roughly 500 marijuana plants and grow-op equipment.

A 56-year-old man is now custody. He has been charged with unlawful production of marijuana and possession with the intent of trafficking.

His court date was set for April 27 in Winnipeg.