Eleven Ontario cannabis retail lottery winners have filed a legal challenge against the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) for disqualifying them from the lottery process, arguing the AGCO’s decision was “fundamentally wrong” and reached by a “procedurally unfair process.”

Seven of those eleven lottery winners — chosen on Aug. 20 — used addresses linked to legal cannabis retailer HighLife Cannabis Co. on their applications.

A Financial Post investigation days after the lottery draw found that over 100 different individuals used 14 HighLife-linked addresses to submit more than 650 applications to the AGCO, emerging with seven out of 42 lottery wins.

Cannabis can’t seem to catch a break online. 

Enthusiasts, brands, influencers, and plenty of others seem to run into myriad headaches when dealing with Facebook and other popular online marketing platforms. Whether marketing their product or just talking about the plant, many have seen their content conflict with some of the most popular platforms of today.   

The stance taken by Facebook and others in the space has often been one of little acceptance. Companies often cite company policy that tends to coincide with federal regulations for such bans. 

CBD is all the rage these days. But despite the high interest just about everywhere, the market is still rather hazy in Canada compared with the United States, for example.

Kay Tamillow, director of research for the Brightfield Group, attempted to lift the fog on the much-ballayhooed cannabinoid during a recent session at the MJBiz International conference in Toronto.

CBD from cannabis is legal in Canada

In Canada, “we have this broad legalization of cannabis, which includes CBD,” Tamillow told attendees of the session, CBD Deep Dive: A World of Regulations and Where to Start.

From a high-end dispensary opening up in Barneys New York to cannabis-infused pastilles and $20 chocolate bars, luxury cannabis has been all the rage this past year. The trend makes sense. Savvy entrepreneurs see a huge yet untapped market of canna-curious customers with lots of disposable income. But what about consumers who want the "premium" experience without the premium price tag?

That's where companies like Quarter Brands come in.

Senior operating staff working at CannTrust Holdings Inc.’s Pelham, Ont. facility late last year brought cannabis seeds from the black market into production rooms, leading to some illicitly-grown pot flowing into the legal market, according to internal company documents obtained by BNN Bloomberg and four sources directly familiar with the matter.

The documents suggest that, in an apparent effort to conceal the black market cannabis seeds from regulatory inspections and other staff members, some CannTrust employees changed the names of as many as 20 strains to those which the company was licensed to sell in the legal medical and recreational markets.

What kind of reputation do cannabis companies have with Canadians?  When Quebec market research and analytics company Leger conducted a nationwide online survey in January of this year, Aurora Cannabis Inc. took the lead with a reputation score of 18; followed by Canopy Growth Corp. (14). CannTrust Holding Inc. came in third (6).

The study, titled Leger’s Corporate Reputation Study, evaluated data from more than 2,000 people — both cannabis and non-cannabis users.

Analysts are calling it "Cannabis 2.0." The term references the next wave of the Canadian adult-use recreational marijuana market. On Oct. 17, 2019, the country's legalization of cannabis derivatives, including beverages, edibles, and vapes, will go into effect. Canada's current "Cannabis 1.0" recreational market legalized only cannabis flower, oils, plants, and seeds.

Don't expect the Cannabis 2.0 market to take off immediately, though. Companies must file a notice with Health Canada 60 days in advance before beginning to market new cannabis products. This means that the first cannabis derivatives products will be available for sale in mid-December.

The month of September has gotten off to a positive start for the pot stock market.

The marijuana stock market has grown substantially in the past few years. In the past few months, however, we have seen some instability overall. This volatility is something that some investors look for as it gives two potential benefits. For one, it offers a chance to potentially buy a company at bare bottom prices. The other opportunity comes as it allows for greater potential gains.

In the wake of Alberta gripping the top pot spot in Canadian cannabis sales, the province is continuing to roll out more legal cannabis stores, having surpassed 250 early last month.