Across Canada, colleges and universities are partnering with cannabis companies to develop marijuana-related curricula in anticipation of legalization.

With a promise to train students to become “leaders in the burgeoning cannabis industries,” Ontario’s Niagara College will soon roll out a one-year post-graduate commercial cannabis production program. The school developed the program’s curriculum in consultation with more than a dozen licensed producers. However, one of the companies that advised the school on its curriculum recently made headlines when two board members resigned amid a review by securities regulators into their trading activities.

BigMike goes up against the ropes with big business.

BigMike’s personality is almost as large as his physical stature. The CEO of Advanced Nutrients, whose real name is Michael Straumietis, is a powerhouse of the cannabis industry and, while he remains one of the largest players in the game, has also become a voice of warning against the arrival of even larger corporate players who are just now becoming comfortable taking cash from marijuana-associated products. The fight is on — particularly when one pits Advanced Nutrients, a company that has always stated its products were for cannabis, up against its new primary competition: Scotts Miracle-Gro.

The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (the “Company” or “TGOD”) (TSX:TGOD) (US:TGODF) is pleased to announce that, effective June 8th, its wholly-owned subsidiary, Medican Organic Inc. has received its Cultivation License from Health Canada for the Company’s breeding facility in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec (“Valleyfield”). The commissioning of this facility will allow the Company to create proprietary, organically grown strains of cannabis and cannabis seeds. 

Ontario licensed producer INIDIVA Ltd. is one of the most innovative small to mid-cap companies currently awaiting recreational cannabis legalization in the second half of 2018.  INDIVA Ltd. is traded on the TSXv under the symbol NDVA, and has been expanding its scope of operations as it prepares to open for business.

Cannabis startups require sophisticated strategies in an intensive marketplace.

A new reality

The markets have soared with early investors being handsomely rewarded for taking the leap into cannabis. However, the landscape is changing and so too must cannabis companies. With full legalization of the adult-use cannabis industry nearly here, licensed producers (LPs) will need sophisticated strategies to meet emerging consumer demands, ongoing investor expectations and successfully compete against the black market - in short, real strategy is required to survive.

Edmonton experts divided, but one legal grower says illegal weed is here to stay.

The locations of Edmonton's proposed legal pot shops could make or break the black market for cannabis, a University of Alberta researcher says.

Most of the proposed legal cannabis stores are situated in central parts of the city like downtown and Whyte Avenue. Grad student Thomas Lippiatt says this means cannabis consumers in the suburbs and outskirts of Edmonton might instead rely on the convenience of the black market.

"Accessibility is likely to be a problem with the legal market, which, a reasonable person can assume, will create challenges for its ability to displace that black market," said Lippiatt, who is studying urban planning. 

The Senate’s June 7 vote to pass the federal Cannabis Act puts the bill on track to become the law of the land by September, in what could be a major boost for Canadian business.

After 95 years of prohibition, entrepreneurs will be able to legally operate throughout the supply chain, from production to retail sale to recreational users.

The wide range of professions set to see a surge of new work includes lawyers, scientists in testing facilities, academic researchers, consultants who help entrepreneurs with licensing, electricians and regulators.

As Ottawa prepares to take its final steps toward legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, the head of a task force that made recommendations to the federal government for the bill issued a warning to industry members not to “play fast and loose” with the new rules.

Speaking to industry members gathered at the first World Cannabis Congress in Saint John, former Liberal cabinet minister Anne McLellan said Canadians are becoming increasingly sensitive about the legalization of cannabis as its advent draws nearer. She urged companies that are licensed to produce cannabis – many of which have bristled at the strict limitations the government is pursuing on branding and packaging their products, for example – to respect legislators’ cautious approach and boundaries.

Global leaders in the marijuana industry are gathering in New Brunswick today to discuss how to market cannabis
in a competitive legal marketplace.

The World Cannabis Congress is hosting 450 industry titans in Saint John to talk about that and other issues raised by the dawn of government-run weed.

Topping the agenda is the branding challenge since Health Canada is requiring marijuana packages to be a single, uniform colour without images or graphics other than the logo and a health warning.

Ray Gracewood of Organigram says the legal market needs to be able to target responsible adults and combat the illicit market where brands and flashy packaging do exist.

Burnaby businesses have to be careful not to let the stigma of marijuana use affect how they treat employees once it’s legalized, according to Ashley Mitchell, a labour and employment lawyer with Miller Thomson.

Mitchell was speaking at the Burnaby Board of Trade annual general meeting Monday on the subject of cannabis legalization, alongside Anne Dobson-Mack of WorkSafe B.C.

“We do recommend that everyone treat it like you treat alcohol,” Mitchell told the crowd.

The three areas of concern are employees using marijuana recreationally, medical marijuana use, and employees who claim to have developed an addiction, according to Mitchell.

Businesses should develop clear impairment policies for the workplace that include marijuana. She said.