As Canada announces the legalization of marijuana for recreational use, Steve Hawkins, president and co-CEO of Horizons ETF Management Canada Inc. − which launched the world’s first cannabis exchange-traded fund last year − answers 10 questions posed at the Inside ETFs conference on Thursday in Montreal by Inside ETFs CEO John Swolfs.

What makes your firm differ from all other ETF providers?

We don’t want to sit still, and we like to lead the way when it comes to new products. Everyone is talking about the changes in commodity pools, and we launched hedge fund ETFs six years ago in 2012. We launched the first global marijuana ETF and just filed for a leveraged marijuana ETF. Pushing the boundaries in this market is very important.

The pace of cannabis research continues to escalate as we’ve hit midway through 2018.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, cannabidiol (CBD) continues to be a hot topic in medicine. Here are five medical research studies from the last quarter that made particularly important strides.

Studies at a Glance:

UBC is introducing Canada’s first ever professorship of cannabis science to investigate the potential role that pot-based research could play in the mitigation of the opioid crisis and other addictive disorders.

The two-year position is being created in partnership with the BC Centre on Substance Use, BC’s Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions and Ontario-based medical cannabis company Canopy Growth Corp.

The professorship will investigate potential applications of cannabinoids as an immediate treatment for opioid addiction and potential substitutes to opioids in treating acute and chronic pain.

Beer brewed with marijuana, baking mixes concocted to bring out the unique flavours of cannabis oil and good, old-fashioned pot cookies: Canadian companies are creating them all, but it’s unclear when stores will legally be able to stock the edibles for recreational users. Instead, business owners have been getting creative to manufacture, refine and sell their products.

Ottawa has pledged that recreational marijuana will become legal sometime this year and the Senate recently approved the pot legalization bill. But the federal government has said the sale of edible cannabis products will not be legal immediately. That hasn’t stopped Canadian companies for entering the market.

Beer brewed with marijuana, baking mixes concocted to bring out the unique flavours of cannabis oil and good, old-fashioned pot cookies: Canadian companies are creating them all, but it's unclear when stores will legally be able to stock the edibles for recreational users.

Instead, business owners have been getting creative to manufacture, refine and sell their products.

Ottawa has pledged that recreational marijuana will become legal sometime this year and the Senate recently approved the pot legalization bill. But the federal government has said the sale of edible cannabis products will not be legal immediately.

That hasn't stopped Canadian companies for entering the market.

Aurora Cannabis (TSX:ACB) may be making waves these days with its high profile acquisitions, but can the company pull it all together come rec legalization? The jury is still out, but there’s a lot to worry about, says Frank Mersch, chief strategist with Jamekk Capital Management, whose company is shorting ACB.

Earlier this week, licensed producer Aurora Cannabis announced an agreement to purchase cannabis research and product testing company Anandia Laboratories in an all-stock deal valued at $115 million. The news comes on the heels of other major purchases by Edmonton-based Aurora, including cannabis companies MedReleaf and CanniMed as well as stakes in retail liquor stores, organic waste technology and softgel capsule production.

In two years, Aurora Cannabis has gone from penny-stock company to a $5-billion darling on the TSX, thanks to a dizzying string of deals. But does CEO Terry Booth just talk a good game?

Cannabis entrepreneur Terry Booth wants to be the king of pot. Today, he is more like a Trumpian master of superlatives.

Ask him about the quality of marijuana his company produces and he’ll assure you it’s “the best bud without a doubt.” His cultivators? “The best growers in the world.” His executive team? “Better than anyone else’s.” Everything is the best or the biggest.

CHATHAM, ONTARIO - June 15, 2018 – AgMedica Bioscience Inc. ("AGMEDICA" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Health Canada issued an amended licence to AGMEDICA to permit sales of dried medicinal cannabis products from its Riverview Cultivation Facility in Chatham Ontario.

This is another critical milestone in the growth of AGMEDICA. The expedited nature of the sales amendment comes 12 months after construction started and just 6 months after being granted their cultivation licence at the Riverview Facility. These significant achievements accelerate the timeline to revenue generation and are a direct result of the dedication and efforts of the entire team.

Recent developments toward international business for The Green Organic Dutchman (TSX:TGOD) (OTCQX:TGODF), which became the world’s largest cannabis initial public offering (IPO) in recent weeks. In addition to its funded 130,000 kilograms of capacity and 1,095,000 sq. ft. of cultivation facilities under construction, the company has developed a leading brand in the cannabis industry with an eye for international markets.

springbig, an innovator in loyalty marketing technology, announced today that it has exceeded the 1,000,000 consumer milestone, establishing the company as one of the fastest growing CannaTech companies in the cannabis industry. Offering loyalty, analytics/customer behavior insights and digital communications to encourage repeat business for cannabis retailers, springbig has quickly risen since its June 2017 launch as the most effective, precise, and efficient technology available in the market.