Province wants online sales kept inside Sask. borders.

Andrew MacCorquodale says Canopy Growth Corporation is going to sell recreational marijuana online when it becomes legal, but how much of the company's business will come through the internet is a wild card.

Canopy emerged as one of the big winners in the lottery to see which applicants get to sell pot legally in Saskatchewan. The company won five of the 51 permits — the largest single allotment in the province.

Canopy already supplies medical marijuana to patients with legal prescriptions. MacCorquodale said it will draw on that model when setting up the recreational side.

MacCorquodale said it's going to be interesting to see how the online side of the business evolves.

Somewhat overlooked in the spate of media coverage and conversations about Canada’s nascent cannabis industry is the role and responsibility of corporate Canada.

As the country moves closer to legalizing the recreational use of cannabis products later this year, acquisitions, mergers and consolidations leading to massive valuations are an almost daily occurrence.

“It’s an exciting time, but it’s a nerve wracking time,” said Mitchell Osak, managing director of Grant Thornton’s strategic advisory services practice.

“All the rules have yet to be written. We don’t really know what’s going to happen.”

Now that 51 operators for Saskatchewan’s cannabis retail stores are selected, the real work begins according to the president of one of the two successful applicants for the permits in North Battleford.

James Davey of Curativa Cannabis, a division of Envirosafe Chemicals Canada said his company was honoured to be part of the historical marijuana movement in Canada, especially with the amount of competition there was for the permits.

“When you think that there was a four per cent chance of being selected for one of the retail permits, it really is quite remarkable,” Davey told battlefordsNOW. “We are certainly proud to bring the cannabis retail business and opportunity to North Battleford.”

Look for June to be groundbreaking on the cannabis front, says analyst Neil Maruoka of Cannacord Genuity, who argues that investors are now flocking to the cannabis sector in expectation that, finally, rec legalization in Canada will become a reality.

Lawyer Blair Pritchett leading marijuana in the workplace seminar in St. John's.

In anticipation of marijuana becoming legal across Newfoundland and Labrador, and in the rest of Canada, employers still have many unanswered questions.

Some of them have been turning to lawyer Blair Pritchett, a partner at McInnes Cooper in St. John's.

He led a half day seminar on Tuesday at Memorial University to brief them about what they'll have to look out for when pot is legalized. 

"I think the biggest issue is going to be …  the issue of residual intoxication," said Pritchett in an interview with CBC Radio's On the Go.

The Kootenays has been growing pot for decades; now locals are worried about losing their grey market.

Patrick Bonin thinks of growing cannabis as a "moral obligation."

He developed a strain that is high in CBD, or cannabidiol, a major component of the plant that has mellowing and pain relieving effects, but low in THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the ingredient that gets you high.

He considers his "melatonic" strain a form of medicine, and has used it to treat his own chronic pain from work in the construction industry.

Bonin has a licence to grow — but not sell — marijuana. But that hasn't stopped him from offering up his unique strain as a tincture to local dispensaries — and the stores can't keep it on the shelves.

Just weeks before Canada is expected to legalize cannabis use across the country, the second annual MNP O’Cannabiz Conference and Expo is ready to take place June 7-9 at the International Centre in Toronto.

Recently voted the number one cannabis conference in Canada by High! Canada Magazine, O’Cannabiz will feature over 100 industry speakers from across North America, as well as a variety of workshops and seminars. Over 200 vendors will showcase their services and merchandise on the exhibition floor.

A new report on Cannabis consumption for Canadians by Deloitte Consultants, suggests Canadians will be looking for the good stuff and expert advice in a retailer.

The world is watching as Canada steps into the spotlight as the first G7 country to legalize recreational cannabis nationwide.

Questions that Canadians are mulling over include – What will the legal cannabis market look like?  – How fast will it grow?  – How will public officials balance health, safety, and revenue priorities?  – And who’s going to be buying?

CEO says company interested in rivals with provincial supply contracts and companies with technology to create new pot products — even if they hail from other industries.

Expect more deals in Canada’s burgeoning marijuana sector.

Quebec’s largest producer Hydropothecary Corp. is exploring acquisitions to broaden its offerings or distribution footprint, according to Chief Executive Officer Sebastien St. Louis. It’s interested in rivals with provincial supply contracts as well as companies with technology to create new pot products — even if they hail from other industries, he said.

Despite ongoing uncertainty over when cannabis will officially become legal, Premier Rachel Notley says the Alberta government will be ready to roll when it comes to regulating and selling legal weed.

Bolstering the premier’s claim, the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission says its online site for cannabis sales has staff and suppliers, and could be operational by the end of the month, while more than 600 applications for private pot shops have come in to the province.