One year after recreational cannabis was legalized in Canada, Manitoba RCMP have started to see more Criminal Code investigations related to driving while high — but it's still too early to tell what's behind the increase, said RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Paul Manaigre.

Overall, from when cannabis was legalized on Oct. 17, 2018, to Wednesday, there have been 329 pot-related charges laid by Mounties in Manitoba. Of these, 224 were for unlawful transportation of cannabis in a vehicle, while 19 were for consuming it in a vehicle. 

Another 56 were handed out for cannabis-related offences under the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Act, and 30 were cannabis-related Criminal Code investigations for impaired driving — with several more still pending toxicology results.

October 17, 2019, marks the first anniversary of the legalization of cannabis federally in Canada, and the date when the second phase of products — edibles, extracts, topicals and some other alternative cannabis products also become legal. 

Each province and territory were handed the reins for rolling out legalization, and the results in terms of access to legal marijuana are very different for Canadians depending on where they live. This has also had an impact on consumption patterns.

Public health concerns over vaping have cast a haze over expansion excitement in the cannabis market.

The production and sale of cannabis derivatives — edibles, extracts, topicals and vape products — become legal Thursday on the one-year anniversary of the legalization of recreational cannabis.

Licence holders need to give 60 days notice to Health Canada that they intend to sell the products, so they won’t land on store shelves until mid-December.

Some cannabis companies in Canada are anticipating a substantial increase in sales, but Christopher Carlsten said he would have liked to see legalization of cannabis vaping products postponed, or at the very least have significantly more public education about it.

As the one-year anniversary of the legalization of recreational cannabis approaches, an industry expert says the Prairie provinces are outpacing larger players Ontario and Quebec in the Canadian market with a smoother rollout and stronger sales.

"Manitoba and Saskatchewan are making Ontario and Quebec look very bad," said Chris Damas, editor of BCMI Cannabis Report, a newsletter for cannabis investors in Canada and the U.S.

In the two largest provinces, Damas said poor regulatory frameworks and slow-to-open stores meant the industry underperformed in its first year. He praised the framework in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan for allowing private retailers to sell product and opening the door to e-commerce.

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister is hoping for more details on the federal government’s plan to ensure edible cannabis products will not be produced or packaged in a way that would entice children and teens.

Health Canada released regulations in July that said edibles must not be “reasonably considered to be appealing to a young person,” but did not specify which colours, flavours or forms will be permitted.

Sales of edible cannabis products are to start in December, and Pallister says he would like specifics.

“The first concern we have is protection of our people. And protection … of our children is uppermost in all of our minds,” he said Friday.

“The question of whether the federal government has got that covered or not is a matter of debate.”

Those who hoped to eat pot cookies at outdoor concerts and other public gatherings appear to be out of luck.

Premier Brian Pallister said Friday that his government will make it illegal to consume marijuana edibles in most public spaces. Pallister said he believes current legislation will block that use but, if it doesn’t, his government will amend the law to fix that.

“We will have to look at, probably, the wording through an amendment, if necessary. The intention of the law is very clear that we are making illegal the public consumption (of cannabis),” said Pallister.

The federal government is set to legalize the sale of marijuana edibles in mid-December. The sale of non-medicinal cannabis dried flowers and oils became legal in October 2018.

At midnight on Oct. 17, 2018—the second it became legal to sell cannabis—Christopher Duffitt was ready. His store, Puff Puff Pass Head Shop, opened its doors to a lineup of customers in Clarenville, Nfld., a town of 6,300 people northwest of St. John’s. But it quickly became clear that the business wouldn’t be open for long.

As health professionals try to understand how vaping products might trigger severe lung injuries, there are new calls for a ban on thousands of candy and dessert-like e-cigarette flavours that attract young people.

It's something Josh Halpern understands. He started vaping several years ago and his favourite flavour is lime.

"They just taste good, they don't taste like a cigarette, you know?" the 33-year-old Winnipegger said.

"If there was no flavours or nothing that tasted good, I'm sure kids wouldn't want to do it in the first place."

A 2015 study found more than 80 per cent of underage teens who use e-cigarettes started with flavoured vape juice.