According to the recent release of statistics data by the national statistics agency, the highest sales numbers of cannabis are made by Atlantic Canadians. In their study, Statistics Canada agency analyzed legal cannabis purchase rates for each Canadian province for the first quarter year of pot legalization up to the end of the year 2018.

They found that the residents of Prince Edward Island spend the most on legal cannabis (average of $21.95 per capita) after then come in second the residents of Nova Scotia, who spend on average $17.87 on pot. These data coincide with the study of purchase rates for the first six weeks of legalization, where the results showed the same two provinces with the highest rates of pot sales per capita.

People's Alliance Leader Kris Austin says the province should abandon the government-owned system of selling liquor and cannabis for one that gets privately owned stores to do the selling.

Austin's comments on Information Morning Frederictoncome after the CEO of NB Liquor and Cannabis NB Brian Harriman announced last week that he was stepping down.

Austin said the change at the top of the Crown corporation should bring a change in philosophy that would recognize full privatization as being in the province's best interest.

"If you look at other jurisdictions across North America, it's done exceptionally well, including even in our own country in Alberta," said Austin

The owner of a proposed aquaponics farm in St. Stephen is hoping to start growing medical cannabis this year.

The business was announced in 2016, but at the time, Tanner Stewart had planned to grow "leafy green produce," along with farming fish.

As the demand for medical cannabis increased, so did Stewart's vision for his business.

He said he saw a need for organically grown, sustainable cannabis.

"So I pivoted into a cannabis crop," Stewart said.

How the farm works

Stewart's aquaponics farm has a system that sees fish tanks and plants being farmed in the same facility.

Stewart will be farming tilapia but use the water from the tanks to water the cannabis.

The president of Crosby's Molasses has confirmed he's launching a separate company to get into the cannabis edibles business.

James Crosby says the company, EYG Consumables, has applied for a licence with Health Canada and purchased a property in the McAllister Industrial Park in Saint John.

"We are looking to take our extensive food manufacturing experience into the cannabis-infused food space," Crosby said Wednesday in a statement to CBC. "This will be a separate facility at a separate location."

Crosby is the son of Jim Crosby, the owner and chair of Crosby's Molasses.

The new company is not part of Crosby's Molasses.

More than half of New Brunswick’s legal cannabis stores are expected to stay closed Wednesday due to a pot shortage.

Disappointed customers approached one of the stores in Saint John Tuesday to be greeted by a ‘closed’ sign.

Some disgruntled customers saw the closures as growing pains, while others blamed poor planning.

“They don’t realize how many people have been buying under the table when it was illegal,” Keith Short told CTV Atlantic. “So if the government, if they keep the place stocked, they will make millions.” “I’m a little surprised that they didn’t think this far ahead,” Justin Maclean added.

“You’d think as a government corporation they would have put a little more thought into the opening month.”

The first shopper at Cannabis NB's Main Street location in Moncton left without a purchase.

Cannabis sales were brisk around New Brunswick on the first day of legalized retailing, despite prices on many products that appeared to be the highest in Canada.

Dameon Pettis was one of the first shoppers let into the Cannabis NB store on Moncton's Main Street but left without making a purchase.

"The prices are just not in our price range, honestly," said Pettis. "I feel they should be lowered, but I guess in time.  Nothing happens overnight."

Some of the provinces don’t have nearly enough planned cannabis retail locations, especially the provinces in Atlantic Canada.

Canada’s medical marijuana system has been set up a long time ago when keeping medical cannabis out of the hands of recreational users, or even worse kids was the priority for the governments.

Some nearly 20 years later, we are at the forefront of Canada’s cannabis industry, with the recreational market about to open in just 5 weeks.

While some of the provinces further West were more open towards the idea of legalizing recreational cannabis, Atlantic provinces were mostly reserved in regards to that idea.

Escondido, California, Aug 30, 2018 (Newsfile Corp via COMTEX) -- MARIJUANA COMPANY OF AMERICA INC. (otc pink:MCOA) ("MCOA" or the "Company"), an innovative hemp and cannabis corporation, and its joint venture partner Global Hemp Group Inc. (cse:GHG) (otc pink:GBHPF) (GHG) (the "Partners") are pleased to provide an update on their CBD hemp farming joint venture in New Brunswick, Canada (the "Project").

Dryer InstallationDrying of the biomass is an important first step in the extraction of the cannabinoids from the hemp plant. The partners are pleased to announce that the Project's industrial scale dryer from Cann Systems was delivered last week and has now been installed.

People won't be smoking legalized cannabis for another four months - but the New Brunswick government says millions in revenue from cannabis sales has already gone up in smoke. 

The original plan was for sales to start July 1, but the delay will cost the provincial government and it’s affecting jobs in the cannabis stores.

Now that we know Oct. 17 will be day for legal weed, other things are becoming clearer, too.

“Although it has never been the main focus, the delay in implementation will impact our revenue projections,” said New Brunswick Finance Minister Cathy Rogers.

The provincial budget in January indicated an expectation of $7.2 million in revenue between Canada Day and the end of fiscal year.

Landlords will be able to restrict smoking and cultivation of legalized cannabis in their residential properties, according to the New Brunswick government.

Tenancy issues were among several topics provincial officials addressed in Fredericton on Thursday, a week and a half after the senate passed the federal government's bill legalizing recreational marijuana.

Pot will become legal to consume and grow in private dwellings on Oct. 17.

Kim Snow, the province's chief residential tenancies officer, said she has been speaking with concerned landlords who wish to prohibit cultivation and smoking.

They will get their wish, she said. Landlords can include those terms in new leases.