2018 was an exciting time after the whirlwind of events that happened surrounding cannabis spurred the growth of the flourishing sector that people know today. For a quick summary, take a look at some of the most notable accomplishments, breakthroughs, and controversies of the recent year.

It was a successful time for the cannabis sector in spite of a rough start with the Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ attempt to put a halt on the legalization plan in the United States. During that time, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged at his campaign to legalize recreational use of cannabis in Canada.

After that, Thailand and the United Kingdom has followed suit and legalized medical marijuana, much to the world’s surprise.

David Ireland is frustrated by the “skunk smell” of pot that wafts down from two cannabis cultivation facilities roughly five kilometres away and lingers outside his home, even in the winter.

“On hot humid days, it’s worse because they have to vent more often … You wouldn’t be able to open your windows,” he said.

The town of Pelham, Ont., where Ireland lives — an hour away from Toronto, near Niagara Region wine country — has become a hotbed for legal commercial pot growers who have snapped up greenhouses and converted them from flowers and vegetables to the more lucrative crop.

The price of pot has jumped since recreational use was legalized — and that, along with patchy supply issues, has kept many customers relying on unlicensed suppliers.

A new Statistics Canada study found that the cost of cannabis has risen more than 17 per cent since legalization last October. Since then, only half of the purchases recorded in the study were from legal suppliers — suggesting the other half came from unlicensed dispensaries or dealers.

The two findings are linked, believes Matei Olaru, CEO of the cannabis-focused technology and media company Lift & Co.

Health Canada is ramping up efforts to warn young Canadians about the potential risks associated with vaping, the agency said Thursday.

Spokeswoman Maryse Durette said the government body has launched a multi-phase campaign to tackle what it sees as an increasing problem among youth.

“The vaping market is evolving rapidly, with the regular introduction of new products into Canada,” Durette said in a statement outlining the planned campaign. “We are aware of both anecdotal information and unpublished research showing increases in the rate at which Canadian youth are trying and using vaping products.”

A strain on cash and operations is not a bad thing

CEO Nick Kovacevich has acknowledged that with the sudden growth in sales has added to the company's supply struggles. "While we are confident in the Company's upward trajectory, we acknowledge the impact that our dramatic growth has had on our gross margins, in particular, the utilization of air freight and additional cost incurring quality-control measures at our receiving warehouse to meet demand," he said.

With large markets opening in California and Canada, the company's operations are a bit strained and at the end of November 2018, the company had just $3 million in cash and equivalents on its books, down from the $13.5 million it had in August. But having these kinds of problems isn't necessarily a bad thing.

The price of pot has risen more than 17 per cent since it became legal for recreational use, according to Statistics Canada.

With more folks lighting up, and thorny supply issues in some provinces, the price has jumped to $8.02 per gram from $6.83.

Using an updated version of its crowdsourcing app, Statistics Canada collected price information prior to legalization Oct. 17, and compared it to the average price between that day and the end of 2018.

Of the 385 price quotes it used from that period, half of those purchases were from legal suppliers. 

Legal pot costs more. The average price for dried cannabis from a legal supplier was $9.70 per gram, compared to $6.51 from illegal suppliers.

Shoppers Drug Mart's e-commerce platform for medical cannabis launched Tuesday, a month after Health Canada licenced the company to sell the product online.

Product information is available nationally, but Shoppers Drug Mart can initially only sell medical cannabis to patients in Ontario. Patients will be required to take a medical document similar to a prescription to an Ontario pharmacy to begin the process. Specialized advisers will then contact patients, review their medical history and provide support with online registration and product selection.

Shoppers Drug Mart says it has signed supply agreements with 10 licensed producers of dried cannabis and cannabis oil and will provide products and medical accessories.

While recreational marijuana has been legal in Canada since October 2018, some companies have been left in limbo as they wait for regulations on cannabis edibles, topicals and extracts.

However, that's expected to change later this year.

Once Health Canada finalizes its proposal on regulations, such cannabis products will be permitted for sale under The Cannabis Act no later than October 17, 2019.

Canada’s pot shortage could last as long as three years, according to industry executives who say production estimates are too rosy.

Shortages have plagued the country since recreational marijuana was legalized in October. In response, Quebec’s government-controlled stores have closed three days a week, Alberta has temporarily stopped issuing retail licenses and Ontario has said it will initially open just 25 stores across Canada’s most populous province.

As of mid-December, about 50 per cent of products for sale in five provinces were out of stock, according to Cowen & Co. analyst Vivien Azer.

This situation could continue for as long as three years, said Chuck Rifici, chief executive officer of Toronto-based Auxly Cannabis Group Inc.

The United States should take a look at some of the restrictions it places on marijuana, according to the country’s top doctor.

Speaking last month at a law enforcement conference at Harvard University in Boston, Surgeon General Jerome Adams was asked about his views on the scheduling system which classifies drugs in the U.S.

“We need to look at our health laws, rules and regulations, and that includes the scheduling system. I’ll take it somewhere else – marijuana,” he said.

“We need to look at the way we schedule different medications across the board. One of the concerns I have with marijuana is the difficulty folks have to do research on it because of the scheduling system.”