It's a clear sign Hamilton is losing its battle against illegal marijuana dispensaries. Every time police or the city try to shut one down, new numbers show, they just open back up again.

Lloyd Ferguson, Ancaster councillor and chair of the police services board, says police have shut down 42 dispensaries, and all but two reopened again.

City efforts aren't much better. Bylaw staff have identified 80 dispensaries in total, and 47 are operating now, said Ken Leendertse, director of licensing.

But of the 33 authorities have managed to close, he said, most of them just moved to a different location and reopened again.

A former grad student in Thunder Bay, Ont., is hoping to restart the local chapter of Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy (CSSDP).

Canada is at a critical time for drug policy with the arrival of legalized marijuana, John Reesor told CBC, and youth need to have a voice in those discussions.

One possible area of concern, he said, is the fact that the newly passed federal law legalizing pot allows possession of very small amounts of the drug - up to five grams - by individuals aged 12 to 18. However, it is a criminal offence for adults who provide the drug to people of that same age group.

As new drug-impaired driving rules take effect in Ontario July 1st, CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO) is reminding motorists of the dangers, fines and penalties of drug-impaired driving.

As of July 1, 2018, under Ontario's Highway Traffic Act, tougher penalties will take effect for young and novice drivers who have alcohol in their system and will add matching penalties for drugs. There are also new penalties for commercial vehicle drivers who have the presence of alcohol or drugs in their system.

Ontario’s cannabis retailing arm is putting pressure on some growers to reduce prices as the province strives to ensure marijuana on its shelves will be cheap enough to compete with the illicit market.

In talks with producers to determine which companies will supply the recreational market, officials for the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) are pushing for some strains of flower to be available to consumers at a retail price of about $7.50 a gram, including taxes, according to sources familiar with the matter.

When you ask Aphria CEO Vic Neufeld if he would hire people who have illegally worked with cannabis in the past, he'll give you a blunt answer.

"So, it helps."

Earlier this month, Neufeld announced the cannabis producer was raising $225 million for expansions, with $55 million set aside for "cannabis extraction."

And with legalization of recreational marijuana consumption fast approaching, Aphria will be hiring more workers with product knowledge — regardless of how that knowledge is acquired.

Employing the most qualified workers

Last week, senators voted to pass the federal government's bill legalizing recreational marijuana.

And on Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced marijuana will be legal in Canada on Oct. 17.

But even before those announcements, Sudbury’s Jason LaFauci and his After Dark Cafe and Edibles became the Nickel City’s first edibles cafe, receiving the city's stamp of approval last Monday.

Edibles are food products infused with marijuana.

So once pot possession, home growing and sales for adults is legal, LaFauci and staff, who currently run catering for a regular food menu at the old Mine Mill Hall, will open up their edibles menu to recreational users.

Six months into the explosive rise of Canada’s nascent marijuana industry, Aurora Cannabis Inc. has established itself as a deal-maker. Underlying this growth is a takeover strategy that’s pretty unconventional.

Aurora is the only Canadian marijuana company to launch two billion-dollar takeovers. To secure both, it has relied on the same playbook: Privately negotiating with its targets’ largest shareholders, rather than wooing management or directors.

Ontario premier-designate Doug Ford says he sees a role for government-run stores in the sale of cannabis but will consult with his caucus and municipalities as he considers opening the market up to more private-sector involvement.

The province’s outgoing Liberal government had planned to give the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) a monopoly on the sale of recreational cannabis, with 40 stand-alone stores and online sales set to open this year under a subsidiary of the LCBO called the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS). Mr. Ford, who will be sworn in on June 29, said on Thursday he is open to changing his predecessor’s plans.

Aurora Cannabis Inc. is planning to spin off its Australis Capital subsidiary as a separate entity that would focus primarily on investing in the U.S. cannabis and real estate sectors.

The spin-off will be achieved by distributing shares and warrants of the new company -- to be listed on the Canadian Security Exchange.

"The fragmented U.S. cannabis market has many innovative and successful operators that struggle to access growth capital," said Aurora CEO Terry Booth in a statement. "This creates exciting and attractively priced opportunities for the well-connected and knowledgeable team at Australis to capitalize on... While regulatory requirements vary greatly from state to state, Australis are well prepared to navigate this landscape."