An unexpected drama played out at a conference centre in Toronto recently, beginning with a presentation about the future of medical marijuana and ending in insults, jeers and a minor Twitter storm. At the heart of the dispute was a question that producers and users of medical cannabis feel strongly about: Once recreational pot is legal, should there still be a separate medical marijuana system?

CannTrust Holdings Inc. (TSX:TRST) is a licensed producer and distributor of medical cannabis in Canada under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR). The Company started production of medicinal cannabis at its hydroponic facility situated in Vaughan, Ontario and received its cannabis sales license from Health Canada on February 9, 2015.

CannTrust Holdings has a market capitalization of $642 million on the TSX. TRST trades at 3.0x EV/Sales for 2019 and 8.0x EV/EBITD for 2019 compared to Canadian-based peers, which trade at a median of 2.7x and 10.1x, respectively. The average analyst price target is $14.43.

Aphria Inc. says it is taking steps to improve its corporate governance by adopting a formal policy for how company insiders can invest in other cannabis companies and sit on their boards.

The grower of medical marijuana, which is based in Leamington, Ont., announced the new policy for its directors, officers and other key employees on Wednesday in a press release, adding that non-compliance would result in sanctions. However, Aphria didn’t disclose specifics and didn’t reply to a request for comment.

But the effects of the new measures are already being seen.

Online courses covering a range of topics in the cannabis industry will be offered through College Boreal in anticipation of the upcoming legalization of its sale and use in Canada.

“These courses will focus on the production, sale of and marketing of cannabis and the financing of a cannabis business,” the college said in a release. “Each course is given over an eight-week period.”

The cannabis plant has been used in medicine for thousands of years, the college noted, but it is also used recreationally.

“The purpose of these training courses is to allow people to be informed and to gain perspective while preparing for jobs in this emerging industry.”

Hundreds of activists and weed users gathered at Nathan Phillips Square for the 420 rally. We asked a few of them what they thought about marijuana legalization.

Last Friday marked the final 420 rally before cannabis legalization in Canada, and Toronto stoners made sure things went out with a bang. Pot enthusiasts of all ages filled Nathan Phillips Square with their energy and with smoke — a bold choice considering event organizers were unable to obtain a permit this year. Security guards and bicycle-mounted police officers dotted the square as well.

A doctor conducting a medical marijuana therapy program with area seniors says the stigma surrounding its use is loosening up.

Dr. Blake Pearson is working with residents at Trillium Villa to see if improvements can be made to their quality of life.

He told members of Sarnia’s Seaway Kiwanis club Tuesday that physicians are really starting to see the benefits with patients.

“It’s not the answer to everything, but there have been a few cases where there have been really good results in lowering their opioid doses and anti-psychotics with cannabis oils,” says Pearson.

However, Dr. Pearson is cautiously optimistic about recreational use.

Businesses don’t yet realize the impact of marijuana in the workplace, once it has been legalized. That’s according to the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce. “This is one of the most significant changes in the workplace in recent years, states Executive Manager, Lezlie Strasser. “The Chamber is concerned about how businesses will be able to adjust and it’s important we help them to address the issue.”

Sandoz Canada, Tilray partnership underscores market legitimacy of medical marijuana.

Walls between the previously separate worlds of biotechnology and medical cannabis appear to be coming down.

Sandoz Canada Inc. recently established a partnership with B.C. medical cannabis company Tilray to produce and distribute medical marijuana products. Sandoz Canada is a division of Switzerland’s Novartis (VTX:NOVN), one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies.

Toronto’s Tilray has its processing plant and facilities in Nanaimo, B.C., and in Enniskillen and London, Ontario. The company employs more than 240 people in four Canadian provinces and seven countries and serves patients all over the world.

The Ontario Provincial Police are preparing for this summer's anticipated legalization of marijuana by the federal Liberal government.

Recreational marijuana use was scheduled to be legalized across Canada by July 1. The way was clearned in March with the Senate voting for approval in principle of the federal government’s enabling legislation. However, the final Senate vote is currently scheduled for June 7. The provincial and territorial governments in charge of distribution will likely require an additional eight to 12 weeks to complete preparations to sell the drug. Provincially, Queen's Park passed a bill in December creating a provincial agency that will distribute and retail pot through storefronts and online.

Hamilton councillors want the city and the province to get tougher with landlords who rent space to owners of pot dispensaries.

Since early this year Hamilton police have been cracking down on illegal storefront pot shops across the city. As of January, there were about 46 illegal marijuana dispensaries in Hamilton. As of last October, police had raided, seized product and laid charges against 10 outlets, with most of them reopening soon after.

Those raids included two in Stoney Creek. But one pot dispensary at the corner of Highway 8 and DeWitt Road continues to operate, even though it is down the street from Orchard Park High School and across the street from the Oxford Learning Centre.