Manitoba's cannabis regulator says stores in the province are following the rules of legalized recreational marijuana.

The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba says no retailers have been fined and only two cautions have been issued since sales were legalized in October.

One caution was for a broken lock on a storage unit, which was fixed.

The other caution was given to a store that took delivery of cannabis before the shop's retail licence was issued.

Liz Stephenson, the authority's chief administrative officer, says there has been excellent co-operation from retailers.

She also says inspectors are visiting each store on a regular basis to ensure compliance with rules governing storage, signage and more.

On Dec. 9 Vancouver will host the largest cannabis conference in Canada since the federal government, on Oct. 17, legalized recreational marijuana use.

Dozens of industry experts will speak on the O’Cannabiz Conference and Expo’s many panels at the Parq Vancouver, during the event’s Dec. 9 through 11 run.

A medical cannabis company is expanding its sales and production capabilities in southwestern Ontario.

AgMedica Biosience Inc. has acquired two new indoor processing facilities — one in Chatham and one in London. 

CEO Trevor Henry said the company is well-positioned if Health Canada approves the sale of cannabis-infused beverages or edibles.

"We're actually building a plane as we're flying it," he said. "But you know what, when you have confidence in your team, and you're moving through the regulatory hurdles very quickly, we think we're very well-positioned."

London's 10,000 square-foot location will be used for processing, packaging and bottling. The new 300,000 square-foot Chatham facility will be used for future cannabis-plant cultivation.

Marijuana producer 48North has applied for an outdoor cultivation licence — the only cannabis company to do since the government approved outdoor growing in the summer — to plant marijuana on its 40-hectare property outside of Brantford in one of the nation’s richest farm belts.

Company co-chief executive Jeannette VanderMarel, who hails from a family of apple producers, says she’s drawing on her agricultural background for the endeavour.

“Basically, I’m planning this like an orchard,” she said, adding work on the operation is well underway while the company awaits approval from Health Canada.

“I know that I need to work the ground this fall in order to have it ready for spring planting.”

Eighty years ago, the police chief on the Caughnawaga reserve across the St. Lawrence river from Montreal spent weeks supervising the picking, carting, and burning of 3,500 pounds of pot under order of the Department of Indian Affairs. “The leaves and seeds of the marijuana plant contain a drug police fear more than any other narcotic,” ominously warned the Montreal Gazette on September 29, 1938, adding cops considered it a “greater menace” than opium and cocaine because it “often brings on insanity.”

In October, Toronto's iconic cannabis culture shop announced a $10 million expansion plan that will allow them to become one of Ontario's premier marijuana retailers over the next several years.

While the shop is reportedly aiming to open 100 stores across Canada eventually, their more immediate plans are to open 50 in the next two years. Starting with the Greater Toronto Area and southern Ontario cities.

Come January, residents in Barrie will have a new way to access medical marijuana.

Avail Cannabis Clinics in partnership with Express Aid Pharmacy will open two family style-walk-in clinics, and they'll be the only clinics to offer medical marijuana prescriptions in the city.

Justin Whitehall, the director of Avail Cannabis Clinics, explained how the clinics will work to Wei Chen, host of CBC's Ontario Morning on Wednesday. "These clinics are the first chain of family-style walk-in clinics to provide medical cannabis authorizations in addition to conventional medications and assessments. The whole family would be welcome to seek access to our medical services," he said.

Each clinic will be able to serve up to 100 people per day.

With the legalization of recreational cannabis on Oct. 17, 2018, employers have been preparing to answer questions about whether their current benefits plans should provide reimbursement for cannabis products for medical purposes.

Wellington County OPP have already laid a number of cannabis-related charges at their holiday RIDE check-stops, including charges related to storage, purchase and possession.

The first weekend of the program netted a charge against a Stoney Creek teen for "unlawfully purchased cannabis," one for "driving with cannabis readily available" against a Tiverton male and a "possession of cannabis resin" charge against a 26-year-old Guelph man.

That's in addition to marijuana-related impaired driving charges laid in November.

For owners of cannabis shares, late 2018 has not been the best of times. Although this summer witnessed some strong gains for stocks like Canopy Growth Corp  (TSX:WEED)(NYSE:CGC), they were followed swiftly by an equally sharp pullback. A few weeks ago Canopy was close to erasing its gains for the year, but has since recovered. Still, it and most other cannabis stocks are way down from their 12-month highs.

Enter CBD oil.

CBD oil is a fast-growing product category that may just be cannabis growers’ “ace in the hole.”