Biome Grow says its 100 per cent-owned Newfoundland and Labrador-based subsidiary, The Back Home Medical Cannabis Corporation, expects to complete construction of its first in-province cannabis production facility in 2018.

Back Home is a late-stage applicant under Canada’s Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations, according to a prepared release from Biome.

Biome acquired Back Home April 25, however Biome’s construction and design teams have been working on this project since December of 2017.

Biome and Back Home anticipate being in a position to grow cannabis in 2018 from its first production facility located in Barachois Brook, subject to Back Home’s receipt of a cultivation licence from Health Canada.

Burin-based Oceanic Releaf Inc. has agreed to a distribution and retail partnership with Hiku Brands Company Ltd.

Oceanic Releaf is in the late stages of receiving licencing approval from Health Canada under federal Accessing Cannabis for Medical Purposes (ACMPR) guidelines and is converting the old fish plant in Burin into a cultivation facility.

Hiku’s subsidiary, DOJA Cannabis Ltd., is already federally licensed to cultivate and sell cannabis and owns two production facilities in British Columbia.

Tyoko Smoke, another Hiku subsidiary, is aiming to operate a network of cannabis dispensing stores across Canada and currently runs non-cannabis dispensing stores selling coffee, clothing and curated accessories in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.

Dee Dee's Shop owner says profit margins for standalone stores too slim.

One of the 24 retailers approved to sell marijuana has turned down its retail licence, saying N.L.'s rules favour large corporations.

One of 24 Newfoundland and Labrador retailers approved to sell marijuana once it is legal has turned down its retail license, saying the province's rules favour large corporations.

Dee Dee's Shop was approved by Cannabis N.L. to open a marijuana business in the Flatrock area of Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula, but owner Danielle Campbell said it decided to decline the licence after doing some research.

Grocery store chain Loblaw Cos. Ltd. says it plans to sell recreational marijuana to shoppers in certain locations across Canada once the recreational drug becomes legal later this year.

Headquartered in Brampton, Ontario and with more than 2,000 grocery stores nationwide, Loblaws has significant inroads into Canadian communities. And it says it now plans to sell recreational marijuana in the tobacco shops at its stores in Newfoundland and Labrador later this year, and is considering doing the same in other parts of Canada as well.

Tobin's Convenience is the only retailer in Labrador to get a licence to sell marijuana.

So far, there will be only one place to buy legal marijuana in all of Labrador once the federal government passes the required legislation, and that's through Tobin's Convenience, a family-run business in Labrador City. 

"We're excited, we're anxious, we're nervous … we're just overjoyed. There's no words to express how you feel," owner Brenda Tobin told CBC News.

Tobin's is one of 24 retailers around the province selected by Cannabis NL. which is a branch of the provincial liquor corporation, and it's the only one approved so far in Labrador.

Province continues to prepare for July legalization of cannabis.

Municipal leaders had the chance to discuss the legalization of cannabis and how it could impact their communities before closing out the Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador (MNL) Symposium May 5.

Sean Ryan, the Newfoundland Liquor Corperation’s (NLC) vice-president of Regulatory Services and Social Responsibility, spoke at the Gander session to field cannabis questions.

“It’s probably the biggest societal shift I’ll see in my generation,” the retired law enforcement officer said about the July roll-out goal. “A lot of issues need to be met head on before welcoming product into the community.”

Miawpukek First Nation chosen to sell marijuana on its reserve.

It still has to be approved by the community, but the Miawpukek First Nation Reserve in Conne River was one of 24 successful applicants announced Monday to sell marijuana in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Chief Misel Joe says the weed will be tax free for some.

"Like everything else coming to the reserve, it would be tax exempt. Everything that's brought into the community is tax exempt, so that would be no different," Joe told CBC Radio's St. John's Morning Show.

The company chosen to supply legal cannabis to Newfoundland and Labrador has chosen a site for its local production facility, with an announcement planned for today.

An information note for the St. John's city council's planning and development committee shows the site is 390 Eastland Drive in the White Hills area of the city.

A news conference is scheduled at that address for today with representatives of Canopy Growth and Christopher Mitchelmore, minister of Tourism, Culture and Innovation.

According to the city, the property is owned by Baine Johnson Properties and is zoned for light industrial use.

At a meeting in early April, the city agreed to remove open space restrictions at the north end of the property.

Tip-A-Vista Wellness Foundation leads community dialogue with Eastern Health

Looking to talk cannabis?

There is an upcoming dialogue in Bonavista based on the pending legalization of marijuana.

The Tip-A-Vista Wellness Foundation, in partnership with Eastern Health’s Mental Health and Addictions program will be hosting a community dialogue as part of a national “Let’s Talk Cannabis” project.

Occurring in four different provinces, the talk is coordinated by the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) and is funded by Health Canada — Drug Treatment Fund.

Memorial hosts conference focused on emerging industry.

Planned grow-ops. Medical uses of cannabis. Bill-C45 and the regulatory rollout of legal marijuana in Newfoundland and Labrador.

These and other topics were explored by guest speakers at The Year of Legalization: Challenges and Opportunities in the Cannabis Industry, Memorial University’s first forum on the emerging industry on April 24.