The irony of pleading his case on April 20 — 420 — was not lost on Canadian Rockies Agriculture’s chief executive when he appeared in front of Strathcona County’s Subdivision and Development Appeal Board.

But Aaron Barr wouldn’t dare crack a joke at this point in what’s been a contentious debate in Josephburg.

As it stands, May 14 is the next date circled on Barr’s calendar, as his lawyers will continue to face off with Josephburg residents opposing the development of the approved medical marijuana production facility in rural Strathcona County.

The event will mark the final appeals hearing before the board, in a lengthy battle for Barr’s 74-acre facility.

A lot of fuss has been made about the forthcoming legalization of recreational cannabis by the government of Canada. The way Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government pursued the substance’s legalization allows all three levels of government to make some decisions about legalization processes in their jurisdictions — and that’s to say nothing about institutions like the University of Calgary, which is working to implement its own regulations regarding on-campus cannabis use.

Fire & Flower, a corporate retail cannabis store, announces that Tim Reid has been appointed as the Chair of the Saskatchewan Advisory Board.

In this role, Mr. Reid will assist Fire & Flower's board and executive management in launching recreational cannabis retail locations in the Saskatchewan market, once permitted.

Mr. Reid currently serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Regina Exhibition Association. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Reid was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Northlands and the Chief Executive Officer of the Regional Recreation Corporation of Wood Buffalo in Fort McMurray. In 2013, Alberta Venture magazine named Mr. Reid one of the province's 50 most influential people.

The Ontario government has contributed $300,000 to help a Toronto company work with Loyalist College in Belleville to develop what it says will be the world’s first beer brewed from cannabis.

The joint project will create a beer that is “highly intoxicating” but safer and healthier than alcohol, says Province Brands of Canada. The company chipped in $300,000 in cash and in-kind services.

Province Brands joins cannabis industry giant Canopy Growth Corp. in Smiths Falls in betting that drinks will become a dominant way that Canadians consume their marijuana when it’s legal. 

ho*ser

n.

Canadian slang

A clumsy, boorish person, especially an uncouth, beer-drinking man.

— The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

Bob and Doug McKenzie might consider this downright un-Canadian, but marijuana producers are poised to give the alcohol industry even more of a run for its money.

As this chart from AltaCorp Capital shows, tokers are already spending more than hosers on a per-capita basis.

On today’s TSX Breakouts report, there are 23 stocks on the positive breakouts list (stocks with positive price momentum), and 15 securities are on the negative breakouts list (stocks with negative price momentum).

Discussed today is a company that appears on the positive breakouts list. Of all the stocks on the positive breakouts list, this one has the highest expected one-year price return – that stock is a cannabis producer. The average target price suggests that the share price may rise 72 per cent over the next year. The company is covered by six analysts, of which all six analysts have buy recommendations. The security highlighted today is Hydropothecary Corp. (THCX-X).

How do I work with a cannabis company to develop or reformulate my products?

The event was part of an effort by the chamber of commerce to educate members about impacts of legal marijuana.

Employers from the Charlottetown business community came together Wednesday to talk about pot — and what it could mean for businesses once it's legal.

A panel of experts told business owners they had to educate themselves about cannabis laws now,  before legal marijuana makes it's way into the workplace. That includes consulting with legal professionals and physicians to establish policies that protect employees and employers and follow the law.

"You can't deal with a problem if you don't understand it so you need education about it," said Karen Campbell, a partner at Cox & Palmer who sat on the panel.

Mind-numbing, mind-blowing or mind-bending, take your pick, but news that 450 different cannabis products will be available when it’s legal elicits or promises all three responses, maybe more.

And that’s only for starters. So-called edibles and drinkables won’t even be on the market at first but once they are, in about a year, the mind boggles with the ingestion potential.

Cannabis is bigger business than many would have guessed, and when recreational use becomes legal sometime this year, provincial governments take over the lion’s share.

Resolution passed at Special Chiefs Assembly calls for a cut of tax revenue from cannabis sales.

First Nations chiefs on Wednesday called on the federal government to amend its marijuana legalization legislation to prevent provincial regulations from applying on reserves.

Chiefs passed a resolution at a Special Chiefs Assembly in Gatineau, Que., directing the Assembly of First Nations to lobby the federal government to make the amendment to Bill C-45, which is currently before the Senate.

The resolution also called for First Nations to be included in the excise tax revenue sharing framework, which is currently split 75 per cent to 25 per cent between the provinces/territories and Ottawa.