“This sounds like a big number,” Canopy Growth CEO Bruce Linton told shareholders, “but we already know how to spend it and are figuring out priorities.”

Constellation Brands, a U.S. beer, wine and liquor company, will now be able to bump up its ownership stake in Canopy from 8.5 per cent to 38 per cent. It also has the right to increase its equity position to 55 per cent.

It’s a potentially transformative deal both for Canopy and the marijuana products industry it is seeking to dominate — something that was reflected in the stock market bubble that popped up when Constellation Brands announced its investment on Aug. 15.

The legalized cannabis market in Canada could hasten western adoption of plant-based medicines, opening up new frontiers in health care, advocates say.

“I feel that cannabis is the first step toward a lot of our issues in health care and mental health,” said Salimeh Tabrizi, clinical counsellor and organizer and founder of the 2018 Cannabis Hemp Conference and Expo. “With the public perspective changing, there is a lot more room for other plant and fungi medicine coming through.”

Canada’s largest province is set to unveil a new law this week that will shape the future of cannabis legalization in Ontario, sources told MarketWatch on Tuesday, addressing the open question about how the substance will be sold in retail shops in the country’s most populous province.

Ontario has not yet created guidelines for how cannabis will be sold in brick-and-mortar retail shops, unlike the other Canadian provinces. The new law is set to define who can enter the market and where they will be allowed to sell cannabis in the country’s largest city, Toronto, and the rest of the region, according to people in Ontario who are familiar with the cannabis legislation.

Some Canadian police forces are hesitant to use a federally approved roadside marijuana test, raising questions about the Liberal government's decision to give the devices the green light.

Vancouver's police department is among those that won't use the Drager DrugTest 5000 when pot is legalized next month because it says the device doesn't work in sub-zero temperatures, is bulky and takes too long to produce a sample.

"We're just not comfortable moving forward with this machine and we're looking at other options," said Sgt. Jason Robillard.

Police in Delta, B.C., say their officers won't use the device this year but the department hasn't made a decision about 2019, while Edmonton police and B.C.'s provincial RCMP say no decisions have been made yet.

A cannabis company backed by the retail fortune of Ohio’s Schottenstein family has raised about US$65 million as it prepares to be publicly traded in Canada.

Green Growth Brands, which is run by former Victoria’s Secret and American Eagle Outfitters Inc. executive Peter Horvath, has purchased an existing marijuana operation in the Las Vegas area and is looking to get licenses to operate in Massachusetts, Florida and New Jersey. The new funding round included investments from the Schottensteins and Horvath, and precedes a stock listing in Canada in coming weeks through a reverse takeover.

The Ontario government under Premier Doug Ford plans to privatize the retail sales of marijuana once it becomes legal next month, in contrast to the policy of the previous provincial government.

With the legalization date of marijuana in Canadainching closer and closer, talks of exactly how Canadians will be able to get their hands on the newly legalized drug have gotten louder. Especially considering that the province of Ontario recently decided to switch their plan and make the whole distribution of the drug privatized.

That's right, after recent changes by premier Doug Ford, only Ontario Cannabis Store branches explicitly backed by the province will be able to sell the drug over the counter. Meaning plans concerning the LCBO and Shopify have been axed for the time being.

The legalization of recreational marijuana in Canada is only days away!

Ahead of the October 17th deadline, each province has passed its own new legal code covering everything from the distribution to the consumption of the drug.

Because these regulations vary so dramaticallyfrom province to province, Canadians could easily find themselves in trouble if, as they pass from one province to another, they unsuspectingly violate minutely different provincial laws. One issue in particular that has concernedmarijuana users is the legal transporation of the drug from place of purchase or between legal points of consumption.

Indeed, each province has specific guidelines for how to transport cannabis. Infractions come with severe penalties.

Licensed marijuana producer Aurora Cannabis Inc. says it is "unequivocally" ready for the legalization of recreational pot in Canada next month, with enough supply to meet all its commitments to provinces and territories.

Aurora's chief corporate officer Cam Battley adds that the cannabis firm doesn't foresee the need for supply agreements with other licensed producers to bridge inventory gaps.

"We've got all of our product categories ready," he told analysts on a conference call discussing its latest quarterly earnings on Tuesday.

"So, we're more than ready for consumer legalization. And more than that, our ramp-up in production is happening at exactly the right time. We're not going to be dumping old, stockpiled, stale product on the market."

Indiva, a licensed medical marijuana grower, has secured leases for storefronts in London and Ottawa, while negotiations are underway in Toronto, the company said Monday.

“It means we’ll have a direct relationship with the consumers,” chief operating officer Koby Smutylo said of the company’s plan to become a retailer.

Indiva’s dispensaries will carry its products, products from other licensed producers and a range of cannabis accessories.

The London dispensary will open at 875 Wellington Rd., just south of Southdale Road. The 1,700-square-foot space is sandwiched between a Firehouse Subs and a Fedex office.