Health Canada’s most recent statistics indicate that Canadians bought close to 100 tonnes of legal, adult-use cannabis in the first year of legalization, BayStreet.ca Media Corp reports.

While sales amounted to approximately $1.27 billion, the lion’s share of that cash went into the pockets of the illicit market — legal sales estimated at about $417 million and unlicensed sales estimated at a whopping $860 million.

Diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are on the rise. In 2016, 6 million American children, or nearly 10% of all kids, were diagnosed, up from 6.1% in the late 1990s.

If you are a Canadian cannabis user, you may have noticed rather plain packaging and not much public advertising for the newly legal drug.

This is no mistake, but intentionally done by the Canadian government in order to prevent cannabis from appealing to those younger than the legal age.

Canada’s cannabis marketing laws are fairly strict — they don’t allow any public portrayal of cannabis related to a lifestyle that can be considered exciting or glamourous, any use of mascots or a public figure, or for companies to use more than one brand element.

The penalty for breaking cannabis advertising laws could be a fine of up to $1 million, depending on the severity of the violation.

The new year is off to a rocky start for Aphria Inc.

The Ontario-based medical marijuana and cannabis oil company has issued a voluntary recall of its new line of vape pens because some of its cartridges have a leaking issue.

“Out of an abundance of caution we asked provincial customers to return certain initially shipped ‘510 cartridges’ that did not meet our intended consumer experience,” said Tamara Macgregor, chief corporate affairs officer for Aphria, told The GrowthOp. “We expect to resume shipment of these products shortly.”

Aurora Cannabis Inc. has put one of its largest greenhouses — located in Exeter, Ont. — up for sale for $17 million, as the company takes steps to reduce its expenses and boost its cash balance after a series of weak quarters that have sparked jitters amongst investors.

“We have concluded that this non-operational greenhouse would require retrofit and significant capital investment in order to meet Aurora’s production standards,” read a Monday afternoon statement from Aurora’s vice-president of communications, Michelle Lefler.

“Aurora has taken decisive steps to rationalize capital expenditures and align our cultivation footprint to current demand, including selling the Exeter facility,” the statement read.

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Although the legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada represented an unprecedented growth opportunity, the industry has faced significant headwinds following a less-than-smooth rollout.

From the number of legal dispensaries to the types of products that can be sold to consumers, a number of factors have contributed to the slow rollout of Canada’s recreational cannabis market and this has put pressure on companies that are levered to this burgeoning opportunity.

People who have never smoked marijuana could be most at risk of overdosing on cannabis-infused edibles that will soon be on store shelves across the country, warns a public health physician who says first-time users may keep noshing away while expecting a high, only to experience a racing heart, anxiety and panic attacks.

Dr. Lawrence Loh, adjunct professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, said overdose from overconsumption often means a trip to the emergency room for those who are unaware that feeling the mellow effects of pot from edibles can take several hours because of the time needed to digest and absorb food into the small intestine versus quickly inhaling the drug through the lungs.

Edible and ingestible cannabis products became legal in Canada as of Oct. 17, 2019, and they hit the shelves of pot shops in December. Often referred to as "cannabis 2.0" products, they're a new segment of the industry that should provide Canadian cannabis companies with a big boost in sales as consumers gain access to a variety of new products.

However, investors expecting to see pot stocks soar might have to be a bit more patient, because it could be a while before companies get an uptick from the new product sales.

The arrival of legal cannabis edibles, vapes and other products in Ontario won't necessarily meet the government's stated goal of cutting into the black market, according to industry observers.

The Ontario Cannabis Store, the province's pot distributor, has announced that a raft of new products is slated to start appearing in brick-and-mortar retailers on Monday and be available for online purchase 10 days later.

But those keeping an eye on Canada's burgeoning cannabis industry said a combination of federal health regulations and Ontario's own track record around product prices may fail to make the legal wares as enticing as alternatives still readily available through illicit channels.

Ontario's cannabis distributor says dozens of new marijuana products will be available in retail shops starting Monday but supplies will be limited.

The Ontario Cannabis Store unveiled 59 new items Friday including a variety of vapes, edibles and a tea.

The products will be available in the province's legal cannabis retail stores starting next week and on the OCS website on Jan. 16.

The distributor estimates that products will be in short supply until March as manufacturers ramp up production to meet demand.

The number of products will grow to 100 in the coming months as they receive regulatory approval.

The OCS says the new selection will help it combat black market sales across the province.