Recreational Marijuana News

Synonyms: 
lifestyle
recreational
Fri
15
Jun

Keep calm, and legislate on: Bill Blair is arguably the reason Canada is on the cusp of cannabis legalization

Former cop turned Liberal MP has the life experience to run the delicate file.

The idea that Bill Blair was ever an undercover cop in the Toronto Police Services drug unit does not speak well to the intelligence of the city’s felons.

He stands erect as a grenadier at six foot four and might as well have: “Keep Calm, I’m a Police Officer” etched on his forehead.

He maintains it mattered more what you said than what you looked like, and that not all undercover officers are short guys with beards.

Fri
15
Jun

Impaired driving laws get overhaul for cannabis legalization, but workplace testing rules remain untouched

Industry groups have long complained that Canada lacks regulations for testing workers for drug impairment.

When the Liberal government introduced its cannabis legalization bill in the spring of 2017, it made sure to simultaneously introduce another bill with harsh new penalties and enhanced police powers to crack down on stoned drivers. But there is nothing in either piece of legislation that addresses another big issue around cannabis: testing for it in the workplace.

Industry groups have long complained that Canada lacks regulations for testing workers for drug impairment. This is particularly true for employers who want to institute random testing for safety-sensitive positions, such as pilots, crane operators and long-haul truck drivers.

Fri
15
Jun

Baloney Meter: Would home cultivation of pot displace black market?

“The government has been clear that provinces and territories are able to make additional restrictions on personal cultivation but that it is critically important to permit personal cultivation in order to support the government’s objective of displacing the illegal market.” — Government motion in response to Senate amendments to Bill C-45, the cannabis legalization bill.

That is the Liberal government’s rationale for rejecting a Senate amendment that would have recognized the authority of provincial governments to prohibit home-grown pot if they choose.

Thu
14
Jun

Cannabis does not increase suicidal behavior in psychiatric patients

McMaster University researchers have found there is no significant association between cannabis use and suicidal behavior in people with psychiatric disorders.

The study findings contrast with pre-existing data that shows the drug is linked to an increased chance of suicidal behavior in the general population.

However, based on a small subset of participants, researchers did note the heaviness of cannabis use increased risk of suicidal behavior in men, suggesting a closer follow-up by medical professionals of those patients.

The study was published online this week in the journal Biology of Sex Differences.

Thu
14
Jun

Cannabis testing: The space between producer and consumer

Long gone are the days of lighting up whatever bud you scored from a friend.

As Canada sloughs off its prohibition skin, cannabis consumers are adopting higher standards for products they’re ingesting. Things like mould and pesticides, which compromise product quality and health, are no longer going to be tolerated in a fully legal landscape, and testing demands for these contaminants is skyrocketing.

Prelegalization medical users and licensed producers (LPs) are already acclimated to Health Canada’s testing standards, but a large portion of the recreational community is only just starting to understand the process that pot undergoes before deemed fit for consumption.

Thu
14
Jun

Manitoba government won't budge on homegrown bud ban after feds reject Senate recommendation

Senate recommended allowing provinces to decide whether to allow cannabis growing at home.

The Manitoba government is holding firm on its refusal to allow people to grow their own marijuana when it becomes legal, despite the federal government saying homegrowing should be allowed.

The province maintains that regulations for growing cannabis at home fall within its jurisdiction.

Thu
14
Jun

Medical cannabis producer INDIVA is growing like, well, a weed

The London-based medical grade cannabis producer is looking to expand production.

London's only medical grade cannabis producer, INDIVA has announced plans to expand, adding 30,000 square feet of space and dozens of jobs to its current 10,000 square foot growing and production facility. 

The announcement was made at an open house Wednesday at the company's high security facility in London's south-end. 

"We're in for a lot of growth, no puns intended," INDIVA co-founder, president and CEO Neil Marrotta said Wednesday. "We're up to 25 employees now, I think we'll get close to 50 by the end of the year." 

Marrotta said that INDIVA would also increase its production.

Thu
14
Jun

Western gets $99K to develop pot teaching tools

Western’s education faculty is getting nearly $100,000 from Ottawa to develop tools for schooling teens on pot.

The Public Health Agency of Canada on Wednesday announced $223,000 for three organizations to develop public education tools and resources for public health professionals, educators and other stakeholders.

Western will get $99,000 to work on school-based interventions aimed at promoting positive youth development and preventing cannabis use and substance abuse by young people.

“This investment allows us to use evidence-based research to ensure critical key messages are reaching those adults who interact with youth daily,” Claire Crooks, the education professor who heads Western’s Centre for School Mental Health, said in a release.

Thu
14
Jun

Why Quebec doesn't want its residents getting high on their own supply

Trudeau government takes on provinces over right to ban home cultivation of marijuana.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is disrespecting "the spirit of federalism" by refusing to affirm the provinces' right to ban people from growing their own pot, says Quebec's Canada relations minister. 

The federal government on Wednesday rejected several Senate changes to its cannabis legalization bill, setting the stage for a possible showdown between the Senate and the House of Commons.

Quebec, Manitoba and Nunavut all want to forbid residents from growing recreational marijuana at home once cannabis is legalized federally.

Thu
14
Jun

Aphria CEO 'handcuffed' by proposed cannabis advertising laws, supports some Senate suggestions

Vic Neufeld says advertising is the biggest barrier for his company going forward.

As the bill that will introduce the legalization of cannabis in Canada gets noodled around in Ottawa, one marijuana mogul said there's only one major barrier he's watching.

"One very simple one, and that's advertising."

Vic Neufeld is the CEO of Aphria — one of Canada's largest cannabis producers with facilities located in Leamington, Ont. His company has been expanding its medicinal and recreational cannabis production abilities, so he's been watching closely as Bill C-45 makes its way through the Senate and back to the House. 

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