The Manitoba government is moving forward on its plan for an open and competitive cannabis retail market, Crown Services Minister Jeff Wharton announced Friday.

“We are pleased to open the market further by allowing more retailers to apply for retail licences,” said Wharton in a press release. “This move will enable local entrepreneurs to create jobs and support Manitoba’s economy, which is a critical step as we work toward rebuilding Manitoba in the wake of COVID-19.”

Town council to debate proposed bylaw at meeting next month

One northern Ontario town is looking for a way to make smelly cannabis plants illegal.

West Nipissing council wants to draft a bylaw to regulate the odour from the four marijuana plants each Ontario resident is legally now allowed to grow.

CALGARY, May 25, 2020 /CNW/ - High Tide Inc. ("High Tide" or the "Company") (CSE:HITI) (OTCQB:HITIF) (FRA:2LY), a retail-focused cannabis corporation enhanced by the manufacturing and distribution of cannabis lifestyle accessories, is pleased to announce that the Canna Cabana retail cannabis store located in Unit #2 at 2400 Guelph Line in Burlington, Ontario (the "Burlington Store") will be opening on Wednesday, May 27, 2020. It marks the sixth branded Canna Cabana location in Ontario and the Company's 35th retail cannabis store across Canada.

Cannabis has powerful anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) properties, and when administered as-needed, can provide relief from several anxiety disorders.

Anxiety, like marijuana, comes with a stigma, but with the increasing impact of anxiety disorders on family life and the economy, it’s no wonder everyone seems to be looking for a salve.

The relationship between cannabis and anxiety disorders exists, but remains wholly misunderstood. Anxiety presents differently in every patient, and there is no definitive cure with conventional drugs, so just imagine something as variant as the cannabis plant.

VANCOUVER, May 25, 2020 /CNW/ - Village Farms International, Inc.

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

Which stock wins in a matchup between the biggest Canadian cannabis producer and one of the biggest U.S. cannabis operators?

Aurora Cannabis’s (TSX:ACB)(NYSE:ACB) management is frantically rushing against time to restructure the Canadian marijuana firm’s business so as to achieve a positive operating earnings target by the third calendar quarter of 2020. The company has so far announced five disposal and acquisition transactions in May. Will the latest strategic moves help management hit near-term profitability targets?

Canadian scientists think they may have found a new way to prevent and slow COVID-19 with cannabis. But it’s not just any cannabis. Researchers at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta believe that they have developed particular strains of the plant that work to keep coronavirus from binding to cells and causing illness.

In a not yet peer-reviewed paper published in Preprints, the authors wrote, “The extracts of our most successful and novel high CBD C. sativa lines, pending further investigation, may become a useful and safe addition to the treatment of COVID-19 as an adjunct therapy.”

Canadian cannabis sales soared in March as consumers stocked up on recreational pot amid supply concerns brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Statistics Canada said Friday Canadians bought $181 million worth of cannabis in March, up 19.2 per cent from the prior month, marking one of the biggest monthly jumps since recreational pot was legalized in October 2018. 

Canadians flocked to licensed cannabis stores across the country in March ahead of planned government-mandated shutdowns aimed at curtailing the spread of COVID-19. However, most pot stores remained open as provinces such as Ontario allowed retailers to offer curbside pickup and home delivery services.

Despite being the first industrialized country to legalize adult-use pot in the modern era, Canada's ambitions of being a marijuana leader have gone up in smoke.

For years, cannabis stocks were virtually unstoppable. Following a more-than-tripling in worldwide sales between 2014 and 2018 to $10.9 billion, Wall Street and investors sent pot stock valuations into the stratosphere.

At the center of this growth trend was Canada. Even though the U.S. offered far more potential in dollar terms, Canada, as the first industrialized country to legalize adult-use sales, appeared ready to lead the global marijuana market into its next chapter.