Pot plants aren't the only thing thriving under Bruce Linton's watchful gaze.

The CEO of Canopy Growth Corp. -- the Smiths Falls-based enterprise formerly known as Tweed, North America's first federally approved and publicly listed medical marijuana facility -- is watching his company's stock skyrocket.

That the markets reacted so dramatically on the morning after Canadians elected a Liberal majority government, with leader Justin Trudeau campaigning on a promise to reform the country's pot laws, is no coincidence.

Now that the Liberals are in power, Canadians want to know if prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau will keep his word and legalize marijuana or if his promise will simply go up in smoke.

According to the party’s campaign platform, Canada’s prohibition approach doesn’t work.

“It does not prevent young people from using marijuana and too many Canadians end up with criminal records for possessing small amounts of the drug,” the Liberals say.

“To ensure that we keep marijuana out of the hands of children, and the profits out of the hands of criminals, we will legalize, regulate, and restrict access to marijuana.”

But even the soon-to-be sworn-in prime minister doesn’t know when that might happen.

Any way you look at it, dagga is medicine. Even if you smoke it just to get “high”, the South African weed won’t just alter your consciousness.

It has a host of other powerful pharmacologic effects on body and mind, which make it medicine by definition.

Depending on which side of the legalisation or criminalisation fence you sit on, you’ll see those effects in a good or bad light.

“The dagga couple”, as the media have dubbed activists Julian Stobbs and Myrtle Clark, sit on the side of the fence bathed in the glow of a good light. They are part of an influential legalisation campaign in South Africa that has spread faster than the weed grows, and now includes medical doctors, psychologists, lawyers, and other interested parties.

David was 17 years old when he entered the United States on a student visa. In 2000, he was convicted of a misdemeanor—marijuana possession for having 5 grams of marijuana within the vicinity of his school.

After his conviction, and completion of his sentence, David’s parents compelled David to return to the Philippines instead of facing removal proceedings before an immigration judge.

David’s father filed an immigrant petition on his behalf, and in October his priority date became current. He is now ready to apply for his immigrant visa “green card” application with the US Embassy in Manila.

Despite the fact that David’s conviction occurred 15 years ago, David will need to disclose the conviction in his immigrant visa application.

If prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau intends to make good on his promise to legalize marijuana in Canada, he might want to start by looking to Washington State, where recreational marijuana stores have been operating for over a year.

King County sheriff John Urquhart says the biggest lesson learned in Washington State is that once pot becomes legal, cities should not have the power to use zoning bylaws to completely ban weed shops. 

"There are several cities in the state and in King County that have outlawed marijuana stores, and that's a big problem as far as I'm concerned," Urquhart told CBC.

"One of the premises of legalized marijuana is to get the grey market and criminals out of it," he continued. 

What will marijuana legalization look like under the Liberal government? Marijuana advocates are hinting into how the legalization process will play out in Canada when Justin Trudeau is sworn in as Prime Minister on November 4th.

From The Georgia Straight:

With marijuana legalization one big step closer to becoming a reality in Canada, a Vancouver company says it has developed a prototype device for catching drug-impaired drivers.

Canada's next prime minister Justin Trudeau has promised to legalize and regulate marijuana for recreational use, and that's raised concerns about a possible increase in the number of impaired drivers on the road.

B.C. Senator Larry Campbell says prime minister-delegate Justin Trudeau should give it a year to 18 months before legalizing marijuana — to make sure it is done right.  

Trudeau promised to legalize marijuana across Canada 'right away', but hasn't committed to a timeline for legalization. 

Campbell — the former mayor of Vancouver — said there needs to be communication across all three levels of government for the proper roll-out of pot legalization. 

TAMPA, Fla., Oct 22, 2015 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- In a historic week for the North American cannabis industry, Canada elected Justin Trudeau as prime minister after his repeated campaign promises to legalize adult-use cannabis in the country—good news for 

Health Canada, which oversees Canada’s medical marijuana program, released quarterly data on 10/21 for the quarter ending 6/30.  The timing was quite odd, coming just a day after the national elections that led to a change in control of the Parliament.  Last quarter, the government agency released data about 50 days after the end of the quarter rather than 113.  In any event, this long-awaited data is finally here!