MLAs completed whirlwind tour of 17 communities in 11 days Thursday.

Northwest Territories MLAs have made it a priority to speak with students on their whirlwind cannabis consultation tour around the territory, though only a couple of students took them up on the offer during their stop in Inuvik.

Just two students from East Three Secondary School took the chance to discuss cannabis legalization with leaders Thursday morning. The legislative committee, consisting of a group of regular MLAs, are visiting 17 communities in 11 days as they take stock of the territory's ideas and attitudes toward impending cannabis legalization.

Nuhami Gabeyehu, 15, was one of the students.

As the death knell tolls for prohibition, the rapid proliferation of data supporting the therapeutic benefits of cannabis draws an increasing number of Canadians toward the plant to alleviate common ailments such as insomnia, anxiety, and pain. Inconsistencies in standardized dosing guidelines, however, leave most to fend for themselves as they navigate the murky waters of self-medication.

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.

A senate committee is recommending that federal law should specify that the provinces have the power to decide whether or not they want to authorize the cultivation of cannabis at home.

Quebec and several other provinces have said they do not want people to grow marijuana at home, and have been lobbying for the legislation to be very clear on that point.

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Jean-Marc Fournier presented his arguments to the committee several days ago and convinced the senators of the Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs.

Fournier argued that the provinces had full constitutional jurisdiction to prohibit home-grown marijuana farming, but that clarification was needed to dispel any doubt.

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.

Jasper councillors had many and varied questions for CAO Mark Fercho and the rest of the town’s Cannabis Working Group after seeing a draft survey for the public on May 1.

The working group is comprised of members of the town’s administration, the RCMP and Parks Canada. There are no members representing the public or the business community. Fercho said there is intent to expand the group in the future to include for example a rep from the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce.

They’re expected to attend a committee of the whole meeting on May 8. Mayor Richard Ireland and other members of council are ready to quiz them on the draft survey, which was included in the May 1 council agenda and is available on the town’s website.

A community conversation 'Cannabis – Let's Talk Alberta' hosted by the Town of Vermilion, Community Support Services (FCSS) and Alberta Health Services Provincial Addiction Prevention Team, University of Victoria's Canadian Institute of Substance Use Research and Health Canada took place at the Vermilion Regional Center on April 24.

A large crowd turned out for the two sessions held and participants exchanged their ideas and shared perspectives on the legalization of cannabis and its use in the community.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that recreational cannabis use will be legal by summer as promised in his campaign, despite the fact that a number of senators are urging the Liberal government to delay legalization for up to a year for further consultation with Indigenous communities.

“We have been working with our partners across the country to make this happen and we are going to be moving forward with summer on the legalization of cannabis,” he said.

"Obviously, as I've said many times, this is not an event, this is a process, and we will continue to work with our partners in the municipalities, in provinces and Indigenous leadership in communities to make sure we're doing this right and moving forward in a responsible way."

With the impending legalization of marijuana, Renfrew County councillors continue to have questions about enforcement at least as it pertains to public consumption of pot.

With the Trudeau government pushing legalization through the Senate to the committee stage, it's anticipated recreational marijuana will be lawfully permitted across Canada by late summer. While local law enforcement are training officers to investigate roadside impairment by marijuana, municipal councils may have to implement their own bylaws to control where cannabis can be consumed.