Starting a week today, people in Ontario will be able to legally buy marijuana at a government-run online store, with the product delivered to customers for a $5 delivery fee using Canada Post. 

Officials with the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) held a technical briefing with reporters today, less than a week before recreational cannabis use becomes legal in Canada on Wednesday. 

Visitors to the site must first enter their birth date to confirm they're older than 19. The age is then verified using identification upon delivery.

Southwestern Ontario is now a trailblazer in pot-growing.

London-area marijuana producer WeedMD is believed to be the first company in Canada to sell cannabis seeds abroad, a deal that puts the region at the forefront of an emerging international market, says the head of a marijuana trade association.

WeedMD, an Aylmer-based grower with a greenhouse operation in Strathroy, said Thursday it has exported seeds to Australia’s Medifarm, the country’s first-ever licensed medical marijuana producer.

Allan Rewak of the Cannabis Council of Canada, an industry group representing WeedMD and some of the country’s largest marijuana producers, called the Australia deal a “smart play.”

Deron Caplan’s brain has been hooked on pot for years.

And for the casual, infrequent marijuana user, it’s paid off in Canada’s first PhD in cannabis production.

The operators of illegal pot stores may be in for a rude awakening if they hope to transition into legitimate businesses after cannabis is legalized.

Ontario Finance Minister Vic Fedeli has warned the province won't "want to do business with people running an illegal business" when marijuana becomes legal on Oct. 17.

And even former storefront vendors who bailed out of the unlawful trade could be blacklisted.

Ontario is still conducting public and community consultation regarding the framework for its private retail stores.

With just a little over a month before cannabis becomes legal across Canada, the industry is in need of skilled and educated employees able to take on the roles in such quick-paced, evolving industry. This is why the excitement was so high when Niagara College officially launched their Commercial Cannabis Production Graduate Certificate Program earlier this week.

Niagara College’s Commercial Cannabis Production (CCP) program is the first postsecondary credential of its kind in Canada and has been designed closely with industry leading experts, ensuring that students in the program can secure meaningful careers in the country’s next big job market.

TORONTO -- Ontario has signed supply agreements with six more licensed cannabis producers, bringing the total to 32, along with 10 accessories suppliers.

The deals were announced Wednesday by the Ontario Cannabis Store, which will be selling pot online starting on Oct. 17 when recreational marijuana use is legalized.

It is also establishing a wholesale distribution network to supply cannabis to legal private stores once legislative requirements are put in place.

Get ready for a new hot button municipal election issue.

It turns out one of the first decisions the new Hamilton council elected in October will need to make is whether or not to opt out of the Ontario government’s plan to sell marijuana through local stores.

While Ontario’s Conservative government has made massive changes to their Liberal predecessors’ stern cannabis retail laws, the province is still taking a hard line on public consumption.

The penalties are stiff if Ontarians violate the rules and spark up a public j– up to $1000 for the first offence and $5000 for each subsequent offence. The tough regulations seem to be one of the few things upon which PC premier Doug Ford and former Liberal premier Kathleen Wynne have agreed.

What’s off limits

Everywhere that isn’t a private residence or balcony, including workplaces and motor vehicles. There are some exceptions for medical users with a valid prescription for cannabis.

An overlooked aspect of recreational cannabis legalization in Canada is the privacy implications of the distribution systems, especially in the online environment.

The privacy and security risks are substantial, and protecting the online rights of consumers needs more attention. Highly sensitive personal information will be exposed to the risks of redistribution and data breaches, and these risks are magnified if the data is stored or processed in the United States.

In the province of Ontario, the framework put in place by the former Liberal government has been dramatically changed by the new Doug Ford government. While the Liberal’s plan had its flaws, the problems will be exacerbated by the premier’s move to privatize retail sales.