If the legalization of cannabis was supposed to hurt the black market, the new head of Cannabis New Brunswick says it hasn't happened.

In fact, he believes more illegal dispensaries have opened up in the province, and that's curtailing the province's profits from cannabis.

Patrick Parent has been on the job for just over two months, but says the province won't be making money off cannabis this year. 

In news that will be a surprise to few, Cannabis NB has continued to bleed money – even with a bump in its second quarter sales.

Unlike that high school buddy who sold dime bags at lunch and always had cash on hand for the dopest sneakers, Cannabis NB has been steadily losing money since it started selling weed.

Be careful what you wish for, especially when placing an order for weed online. Returning it can be a challenge, with policies varying from province to province.

Here’s what the shipping and return policies look like across the country.

British Columbia 

Bought a product that’s defective, shipped in error or recalled? The BC Cannabis Stores will take them back, but returns must be initiated within 15 days of the purchase.

A restaurant in Saint John, New Brunswick, is stirring up a buzz by cooking chicken in a creative, albeit questionably legal, manner.

The east and west coasts are reaping some of the largest gains in Canadian retail cannabis sales according to the latest figures from Statistics Canada.

B.C. sales nearly doubled from July 2019 to August 2019, leaping from $5.9 million in sales to $11.9 million.

On the other side of Canada, New Brunswick recorded a near 60 per cent gain in the same time period, earning $5.3 million in August 2019 compared to $3.3 million the month before. Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia also saw double-digit growth.

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.

When Bob Osborne set up a workshop on homegrown cannabis for Saturday, he knew there would be some interest, but he underestimated how much. 

"I've never seen anything like it," said Osborne. "We've obviously touched a nerve."

Osborne, owner of Corn Hill Nursery near Petitcodiac, asked cannabis expert Randy Flemming to lead the workshop about growing the plant.

When the event quickly sold out, Osborne found a bigger venue. When that sold out, he scheduled another session for Oct. 5, which is already three-quarters full. 

Interested in a career in the cannabis industry, but don’t know where to start? Canadian colleges and universities have introduced cannabis-specific programs for careers in the budding industry. Here are some to consider for the fall semester.

Food and lifestyles guru Martha Stewart says the recipe for success she has followed throughout her career also applies to cannabis companies -- offer quality products at fair prices.

"My approach has always been make the best product at the best price and distribute it as widely as possible. That's why when I started my business ... I started at Kmart, that old, wonderful store," Stewart told about 650 cannabis industry leaders Tuesday at the World Cannabis Congress in Saint John, N.B.

"I think it's always about the best for the fairest price. There is a fair price for everything."

In February, Stewart joined Ontario-based Canopy Growth Corp. in an advisory role to help develop a new line of products.