The Flowr Group (Okanagan) Inc., a cultivator of premium cannabis in Canada, announced today that it has received its sales license from Health Canada.  The license enables Flowr to sell to the Canadian medical and adult-use recreational markets.

Flowr will begin selling to the medical market in the coming weeks and the recreational market when it opens in October.  Flowr recently was selected by the British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch to supply premium cannabis to province-owned dispensaries and the company is in discussions with other provinces where it believes it can obtain prices commensurate with the quality of the Flowr products.  The company has agreements in place with several major medical cannabis distributors as well.

While the industry is abuzz with the legalization of cannabis set for October 17, much attention is being paid to what government retail outlets will look like, and the products they will sell, along with the differences in legislation between provinces. However, what has been lost in the excitement is the value of Canada’s already existing medical framework, which has already provided support to close to 300,000 patients.

By the time she decided to try cannabis pills, Joanne Fiorito was in dire straits.

Fiorito could barely lift her feet when she walked and sometimes used an electric wheelchair to get around. Occasionally she’d wake up in the middle of the night, riddled with pain from her tensing muscles.

The 61 year old has lived with multiple sclerosis for most of her life and, despite her use of heavy doses of painkillers and muscle relaxants, the symptoms were only getting worse.

Last winter her neurologist suggested she take a chance and participate in a clinical trial on medical cannabis.

“I had nothing to lose,” Fiorito said. “(The cannabis) was like a miracle. Within three days my legs were less stiff, they didn’t feel as heavy.

Canadian pets are a few steps closer to getting their paws on pot-based medical treatments in Canada as more cannabis companies research marijuana's efficacy for companion animals.

Canopy Growth Corp. is the latest medical marijuana company to enter the potentially lucrative pet market with its announcement this week that it will embark on a Health Canada-approved clinical trial to research the use of cannabis-based products to treat animal anxiety.

The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association's Dr. Shane Renwick says there's been a flurry of cannabis-related pet health research as Canada's laws on recreational cannabis crystallize ahead of legalization on Oct. 17.

A company in Canada has been given the green light to trial cannabis in pet food to help calm anxious animals.

Health Canada’s Veterinary Drug Directorate has given approval to Canopy Animal Health to carry out clinical trials of the cannabis-derived compound cannabidiol (CBD) as a treatment for pet ailments.

CBD is the main ingredient in hemp oils and is associated with pain relief, as opposed to THC, the ingredient in marijuana can produce a high.

Just as digital transformation has disrupted legacy business models, cannabis legalization will fundamentally challenge workplace policies.

On Oct. 17, recreational marijuana will officially become legal in Canada. According to a recent study conducted by Deloitte, 22 per cent of the Canadian adult population consumes recreational cannabis at least occasionally, and a further 17 per cent show some willingness to try it.

The North American Marijuana Index saw it’s third straight day of gains on Thursday, despite fluctuation in the global markets, which may be an indication of a turning tide for pot stocks as opening day for recreational cannabis sales in Canada nears. In fact, most Canadian cannabis companies and marijuana stocks have spent the summer putting together deals to prepare for the moment, both locally and internationally. The Index rose 3.53 points or 1.55 percent to close out the day at 231.63.

The United States Marijuana Index rose 1.70 points, or 1.86 percent, while the Canadian Marijuana Index jumped an impressive 7.23 points for an increase of 1.38 percent.

One of Canada’s largest cannabis companies announced Wednesday it has received Health Canada approval for clinical trials of the effectiveness of cannabis-derived compound cannabidiol as a treatment for anxiety in animals.

Dana M. Vaughn, executive vice-president and chief scientific officer for Canopy Animal Health, said while CBD is becoming an increasingly common folk remedy for pets’ ailments, Canopy’s clinical trials represent the first time a company has sought federal regulatory approval for the practice of adding the substance to pet food.

At the Village Bloomery cannabis dispensary in Vancouver, Andrea Dobbs sometimes meets clients in search of a heavy dose of THC to ease the strain of cancer treatments or the pain of endometriosis.

If the client is new to cannabis, or physically frail, Dobbs might suggest cannabis suppositories, inserted directly into the rectum or vagina.

Village Bloomery co-founders Jeremy Jacob and Andrea Dobbs at their Vancouver cannabis dispensary.

Spruce Grove, Alta., resident Darryl Kolewaski, who takes medical marijuana for arthritis, said his THC levels are consistently more than 10 times higher than that threshold.

“When I wake up in the morning, after not medicating since the night before I went to bed, I wake up with 25 nanograms in my blood. So that’s a huge concern to me if they’re swabbing you,” Kolewaski said.

“Later in the day, I’ve gone as high as 70 or 80 nanograms — none of that, however, being (impairing) to me. I’m not unable to operate or function. I can function completely normally.”