Whether we like it or not, marijuana will be legal in Canada on Oct. 17.

Concerns about youth having easier access to the drug and people driving while high, still linger. Only time will tell how the legalization will impact public safety. For over a year now there has been relatively easy access to medical cannabis through dispensaries in Alderville. Dispensaries such as Medicine Wheel Natural Healing offer people a chance to learn more about how cannabis can help with certain ailments. Alternatives, such as cannabis without the high attached, are offered and popular with seniors. Many people say cannabis offers relief for a host of ailments. Medicine Wheel Natural Healing Rob Stevenson said it helps relieve his anxiety. Others find help with insomnia, MS and pain.

The country will only be the second in the world, behind Uruguay, to allow for both medical and recreational cannabis consumption. However, Canada reigns supreme in the emerging global cannabis market. In this next phase of legal cannabis, Canada’s established licensed producers (LPs) are expected to have a first-mover advantage both at home and abroad.

Starseed Medicinal Inc. has reached an agreement to be the medical cannabis supplier for Shoppers Drug Mart Corp.

The agreement is subject to Health Canada’s approval of Shoppers Drug Mart’s application to be a licensed producer. The products are expected to be sold online due to current regulations restricting the sale of medical marijuana in retail pharmacies.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Canada’s leading pharmacy network,” said Angelo Tsebelis, president of Starseed, in a news release. “Shoppers Drug Mart has taken a leadership role to validate cannabinoid therapy. We are excited to be working together as Starseed continues to expand its reach in the paid benefits space.”

Some researchers, patient advocates and industry professionals say Canada needs to maintain a distinct medicinal cannabis system following legalization of marijuana for recreational use, despite the Canadian Medical Association's position that doctors should no longer be gatekeepers.

"It is simply a reality now that cannabis is part of the medical landscape," said James MacKillop, director of the Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research and the Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Medicinal Cannabis Research at McMaster University in Hamilton.

"I think we need to address that reality head-on as opposed to sort of walking away from the reality at this point."

For decades in Canada, cannabis has been a controlled substance in the eyes of the government and as tough for legitimate scientists to obtain as other illegal drugs.

Scientists and researchers must obtain an exemption from Health Canada’s Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to use cannabis for research purposes that include analytical and genetic testing in controlled environments and administration to animals or humans in a clinical trial.

Members of many First Nations attended a conference in North Battleford Thursday to find out more about the benefits of getting involved in niche markets such as medical marijuana production and how it could create more economic opportunites for Indigenous people

The event, called "The Indigenous Forum Emphasizing Indigenous Control - Food Sovereignty, Hemp & Medical Cannabis," was held at the Tropical Inn Wednesday and Thursday in North Battleford. Guest speakers discussed the benefits for First Nations producing organic food as well as going into the business of hemp production. By pursuing new opportunities for economic development, organizers said Indigenous communities may also become more self-sustaining.  

Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc. is pleased to announce that Health Canada has approved its protocol for a clinical trial investigating its PPP001 drug as an alternative to the opioid fentanyl in the management of breakthrough cancer pain.

Tetra Bio-Pharma is a leader in cannabinoid-based drug discovery and development.

The clinical trial will be conducted by Montreal-based Sante Cannabis, a medical clinic and contract research organization specialized in clinical research for cannabis- based therapies.

Here are some facts about cannabis for medical use, which is generating increasingly widespread health claims, despite what experts call a lack of supportive scientific evidence:

— Medicinal cannabis has been legal in Canada under certain conditions since 2001. By the end of March, almost 297,000 Canadians had registered to purchase medical marijuana from licensed producers, representing a more than 20-fold jump since 2014.

— Health claims are not permitted for any products sold under the Cannabis Act. Health Canada says a licensed producer who wishes to make a health claim in relation to a product must seek approval under the Food and Drugs Act.

Fleurish Cannabis Inc. (“Fleurish”), an exclusively female-focused cannabis health and wellness company, is proud to announce the company is now officially licensed as a producer of cannabis under Health Canada’s Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations.

With this licence, Fleurish will begin the cultivation of cannabis strains focused on meeting women’s specific needs at their state-of-the-art facility in Kemptville, Ontario.

“Today represents a significant milestone for Fleurish,” said Renée Ellison, Founder, Fleurish. “With the receipt of our Production Licence from Health Canada, we can now move forward and prepare to provide a cannabis experience crafted uniquely for women.”

Maricann Group Inc. (CSE:MARI; FWB:75M; OTCQB:MRRCF)is excited to announce the official launch of MariPlant, the Company’s European nutraceutical line of business. MariPlant products will be available for sale in Germany through www.mariplant.de beginning on August 20, 2018, with strategic expansion planned throughout the European Union.