TORONTO - Mettrum Health Corp. ("Mettrum" or the "Company") (TSXV:MT), a vertically integrated licensed producer (LP) of cannabis products, this week launched the Mettrum Registry Research Program (MRRP) to systematically gather data on up to six thousand Canadian patients who have been prescribed medical cannabis.

The goal of this observational study is to provide information to prescribing physicians and the wider medical community to help determine if and how cannabis should be prescribed – focusing on which strains best suit a particular patient's needs. It also considers the impact of intercurrent illness or potential interactions with other medications. The study will run for one year, with results anticipated to be published by March 2017.  

Canada’s licensed pot producers are pushing Ottawa to exempt patients from paying any sales tax on their products, which would give medical marijuana the same tax status as prescription drugs.

The Canadian Medical Cannabis Council, a trade group representing three commercial producers, argues the tax change would allow them to compete with illegal dispensaries, which have exploded in number across the country.

Philippe Lucas, executive director of the council, said he met with a policy adviser to Finance Minister Bill Morneau during prebudget consultations last week.

His group represents Tilray, Peace Naturals and Delta 9 Bio-Tech, which are among about two dozen commercial producers licensed to ship medical marijuana to patients through the mail.

Now that fentanyl is the leading cause of opioid overdose in Ontario, it’s clear that the dangerous narcotic is a cross-Canada problem.

As many users are unaware they’re even taking the drug, the crisis is likely to continue to expand, Dr. Matthew Young of the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) tells Yahoo Canada News.

“One of the things that I think has been a little bit misunderstood about the whole issue of fentanyl is that most of those who end up either fatally or non-fatally overdosing on fentanyl were not seeking that drug,” says Young, a senior researcher with the CCSA.

Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse aims to bring 'clarity' to national dialogue about pot use among youth

The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse took its cross-Canada marijuana myth-busting tour to Ottawa Monday, aiming to clear up misinformation on the drug's safety for young people.

The five-stop tour follows a 2015 report that looked into the health risks of marijuana for young people. The report uncovered wide-spread confusion among youth, and a general lack of information about the effects of the drug.

The burning debate over legalizing marijuana was on full display last week. HBO’s Real Time host Bill Maher sparked up a joint on TV, blowing smoke in the face of lawmakers and challenging them to come to their senses.

Here in Canada, Bill Blair, Toronto’s former top cop, has been put in charge of the pot portfolio. Blair has repeated, in multiple interviews, that while he supports legalization, the emphasis will be on “control” and “strict regulation” — something the current marijuana industry knows all too well.

I decided to strap on a lab coat and hairnet to obtain an inside look at one of Canada’s fastest-growing industries: The bud business.

Wellington County OPP say three men and one youth were arrested during a break-in in progress at a medicinal marijuana grow operation in Erin, Ont., northwest of Brampton, on Thursday.

Police were called to the Health Canada-authorized grow operation on Side Road 17 in Erin at 12:08 p.m. on Thursday, for a report of a break-in in progress.

Charges laid indicate the suspects were carrying firearms and wearing some sort of disguise.

Three men ranging in age from 19 to 26 as well as a 16-year-old boy from Brampton were arrested, police said.

They each face seven charges including break and enter, disguise with intent, conspiracy, and firearms offences.

All four suspects appeared in a Guelph bail court on Friday.

When a Markham father and son’s lease for the medical marijuana site they were maintaining expired, they were forced to get creative and move the operation to the town of Stayner, where the family owned a farm.

Despite having a valid licence from Health Canada to grow 1,025 plants — a limit to which they were adhering — and a lawyer’s letter in hand explaining their actions, their farm was busted by cops and the men were arrested in September 2015.

Zhangjian and Zheng Min Fan now face three years in prison.

Ontario plans to allow up to 300 grocery stores to sell wine across the province, starting with 70 locations slated to begin this fall, Premier Kathleen Wynne has announced. 

"Imported and domestic wines will be sold at up to 150 grocery stores," the province said in a statement.

"As well, up to 150 existing winery retail stores that are currently just outside a grocery store checkout will be permitted to operate their store inside that grocery store, with a shared checkout, and broaden their assortment to sell the wines of any Ontario producer."

At a news conference Thursday in Toronto, Wynne said "people in Ontario will now be able to buy wine with their cheese."