Leida Englar’s earrings match her sweatpants and her lips are painted red. In the 70s, at the height of Reefer Madness, the police were searching Toronto Island for Keith Richards, and her community had her back.

“Leida, Leida, the cops are searching the island. You OK?” recalls Englar, who grew, and still grows, stalks of marijuana high as the head of the Rolling Stones’ guitarist in her backyard. “Police were busting the bands, but people protected us weed smokers — even the Island cops.”

A former Surrey B.C. councillor is heading a new co-op venture to bring people licensed to grow their own medical marijuana into a co-op to supply the legal cannabis market.

Barinder Rasode is CEO of the venture, a partnership with Grow Tech Labs (GTL) and Victory Square Technologies based in Vancouver. With supply shortages across the country since Canada legalized recreational cannabis last fall, the company hopes to step up to the national and international markets.

The B.C. Small Cannabis Producer and Processor Co-op is planning to incorporate under provincial co-operative legislation to “help maintain the province’s historic position as a global cannabis leader,” the company announced Tuesday.

Where’s the weed!?

That’s been a common Canadian refrain lately. Shortages appeared almost immediately after recreational cannabis sales began last October.

Medical cannabis has been legal in Canada for nearly two decades, and yet much needed clinical research has been hampered by regulatory obstacles to plant access. Now that legal recreational marijuana is on the horizon in 2018, there is much hope that those obstacles will fade into the background as a new era in cannabis research emerges.

When cannabis became legal, there was a lot of information for youth and families, but not very much for seniors, says Sharon Livingtsone.

It's why the Cambridge Council on Aging will host an expert panel on how to safely use cannabis if you're an older adult.

Those interested can register for the panel, which aims to look at the risks and benefits of adding medicinal or recreational cannabis to a person's list of medications. There will be time set aside for questions from the audience.

Island health officials are flagging what they say is a concerning trend among teenagers: More and more are inhaling large amounts of weed and tobacco mixed together and smoked using a bong, often referred to as taking hits of "poppers."

Health PEI says its addictions counsellors have started hearing more about poppers, as have staff in some juniors highs and high schools. 

"Two years ago, we probably wouldn't have seen much use of that. But recently, we have seen a significant increase," said Lisa Thibeau, the administrator of Addictions East with Health PEI. 

There is a general consensus that cannabis should be treated like any other medicinal plant. However, it is not quite clear what this means, since this standard may be interpreted differently with serious consequences for patients. Cannabis is not a medicinal plant like any other. This causes a dilemma that poses problems to courts confronted with illegal self-medication and lawmakers, who want to balance possible benefits for patients and protection with potential harms.

Why cannabis medicines are not medications like any other

There are two major reasons why cannabis is not a medicinal drug like any other.

Ontario-based Oriol Rhodes has over 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry, but it’s only recently that she has ventured into an uncharted territory: cannabis. “A year ago, I knew very little; particularly about substance use, and absolutely nothing about harm reduction, and how cannabis fits into this equation,” says Rhodes, a registered nurse.

The Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices’s (BfArM)so-called Cannabis Agency will choose between 79 bidders from growers by the end of June, the agency said on Monday.

In order to assure a local supply, the agency will be giving out grower contracts for 10,400 kilograms (22,928 pounds) of pot over the next four years. The agency declined to name the bidders, according to Reuters.

Statistics Canada has released province-by-province sales numbers for the first six weeks of legalization up to Dec. 1. The numbers reveal dramatic differences between provinces.

Prince Edward Island tops the list, with residents on average spending $13.83 each on legal pot in six weeks.  Nova Scotia came second at $11.34. Newfoundland and Labrador came in third at $8.17, followed by New Brunswick at $6.87.

The national figure was $2.65.

Cannabis industry expert Deepak Anand said all four Atlantic provinces were well-prepared for legalization and are now reaping the benefits.

“A province like New Brunswick came out very early on, and had a very early lead,” said Anand.