A corporate cannabis retailer plans an expansion of 35 stores in BC following federal legislation.

Edmonton-based cannabis retailer Fire and Flower has begun planning a vast expansion into B.C. to follow the federal regulation decision next month.

Fire and Flower plans to set up 35 B.C.-based retailers with one location in Vernon.

Vice President of Government and Stakeholder Relations Nathan Mison visited Vernon today to meet with the municipality. He says the goal is to make sure that the company understand the goals of each individual community.

“I think it’s really important not to push municipalities further than what they want to achieve,” says Mison. “We want to be a good neighbour and a steward of the environment [each retailer] lives in.”

Demand from Canada’s burgeoning cannabis industry is helping fuel an emerging new industry in Africa: the cultivation of marijuana as an official export crop.

Lesotho and Zimbabwe have become the first African countries to legalize the growing of marijuana for medicinal and scientific uses and both are eagerly exploring potential deals with Canadian investors.

In one of the first Canadian cannabis deals with an African country, Ontario-based Supreme Cannabis Co. Inc. has invested $10-million in a Lesotho company, with the aim of exporting high-quality cannabis oils to Canada and other markets.

Last week, a Zimbabwean newspaper reported that Canadian investors are scouting for 10,000 hectares of land for marijuana farming in the Mashonaland region of the country.

Stocks in pot producers have been oscillating of late, first buoyed by the coming legalization of the ubiquitous leaf and then shaken by rumours of postponement. Has marijuana already had its big moment on the TSX or is there time for another hit? In this article, we’re going to take a look at whether the Canadian marijuana boom will actually happen — and what patterns might emerge through the smoke post-legalization. We’ll also look at the best pot stock to consider holding, if any. Has the marijuana boom already been and gone? Where an illegal market already exists for a…

The federal government says cannabis will be legal later this summer. But how legal?

If the federal government's plans come to pass, Yukon will join the rest of Canada later this summer in implementing new marijuana laws.

While many people expect it will then be easier to purchase and use marijuana, it won't exactly be a free-for-all. The cannabis industry will be far more regulated than alcohol, for instance.

Here are some of the knowns and unknowns about Yukon's plans for legal pot. 

How legal is it?

Yukon's Cannabis Control and Regulation Act will allow people to legally use marijuana products in their homes or the homes of others who have consented to the use — but nowhere else.

This fall, Winkler will vote on whether to allow or ban marijuana retail stores in the city.

While the federal government will make the consumption of cannabis legal this July, the public has the option of holding a plebiscite on retail sale within their communities.

However, rather than allowing businesses to open up shop only to be kicked out as a result of a vote a few months later, Winkler Mayor Martin Harder says they'd like to hear the public's opinion first.

"It isn't fair... we don't want someone to come under false pretense and establish a store... and lose your investments. We want to make sure it's clear, the investors will understand what the situation is here."

The vote will take place in conjunction with Election Day on October 24, 2018.

Set up In anticipation of the upcoming legalization of adult-use cannabis in Canada, High Park Farms is the new name for the former Enniskillen Pepper Co. purchased by Tilray last year.

The company hosted public officials at a ribbon cutting last week, showcasing the operation and outlining the various brands it expects to offer through approved sites, once federal legislation permitting its sale is enacted.

One of those attending was Enniskillen Township Mayor Kevin Marriott.

“As Mayor of Enniskillen I want to extend a very warm welcome to High Park Farms as our newest and largest employer in the municipality. We look forward to the contribution they will add to our long history of a diverse agriculture-based economy.”

With the legalization of cannabis expected to happen later this year, a local organization is already planning a conference for next year to help people navigate the new industry.

Sun City Productions is hosting the first ever Cannabis and Hemp Expo May 3rd and 4th, 2019 at the Cypress Centre.

The event will feature exhibitions and workshops about economic opportunities which exist in both the legalized cannabis and hemp industries.

When a new industry emerges, investors who are on the frontier are often the ones reaping the out-sized rewards. Such is the case with many Canadian cannabis investors and innovators - the Canadian cannabis industry has ballooned into gigantic proportions, with the money early investors put into such enterprises ballooning in a corresponding fashion.

When stock prices appreciate in such a manner, and buyouts, mergers, and acquisitions happen on an increasingly more frequent basis, concerns about corporate governance can begin to emerge as investors begin to look deeper into the entangled nature of the growing company they have invested in.

City councillors agree to random selection for deciding who gets a permit to sell cannabis.

Cannabis retailers hoping to set up shop in Edmonton will have to bank on the luck of the draw.

The city's urban planning committee voted in favour of a lottery system Tuesday to choose who will get a development permit to sell pot.

Councillors Michael Walters said the random selection process puts small and big companies on the same playing field.  

"What we're trying to do is create a sense of fairness," Walters said after the decision. "There's a lot of interest in setting up cannabis business in Edmonton, from a variety of proponents from a variety of capacities."

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