In an attempt to deter youth from vaping following growing health concerns, the Ontario government has decided to enforce a ban on the promotion of vapor products in convenience stores and gas stations.

The announcement was made Friday that the ban will officially take effect on January 1, 2020 and that ads for vape products will only be allowed in specialty shops where patrons must be at least 19 to enter.

“Restricting the promotion of vapour products will help prevent youth from being exposed and influenced by promotion in retail settings,” Health Minister Christine Elliott said in a news release.

The announcement comes after multiple consultations following research that states an increasing number of youth are using vape products.

Even with cannabis 2.0 easing into the rear view mirror, it’s worth paying attention to several new and noteworthy cannabis products.

Among the more innovative products to gain traction recently are the zero-waste carbon filters from the Toronto-based startup Blade Filters. Carbon filters are often used in grow rooms to eliminate odours and harmful organic compounds.

The three founders—Giancarlo Sessa, Aedan Fida and Joseph Fida—all recent graduates, have developed replaceable carbon cartridges for grow rooms as opposed to the current solution of replacing the entire filter.

CannTrust Holdings Inc. has submitted a remediation plan to Health Canada as part of its efforts to regain the regulator’s trust and return to compliance.

The embattled cannabis producer says it’s aiming to complete all of the activities detailed within the plan by the end of the first quarter of next year, according to a release late Thursday.

Health Canada suspended the company’s sales and production licences in September after a number of regulatory missteps came to light, starting in July.

The plan includes “an expanded internal training program, a strengthened governance and operations framework, infrastructure enhancements, and prescribed accountabilities and timelines for a variety of specified tasks,” the company said.

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.

The province will ban ads promoting vaping products in Ontario convenience stores and gas stations beginning in January.

In a release from the Ministry of Health on Friday morning, the province says the new rules will mean that vapes and vape accessories can only be promoted inside specialty vape stores and cannabis retail stores — both of which are only open to people who are 19 and older.

"Restricting the promotion of vapour products will help prevent youth from being exposed and influenced by promotion in retail settings," Health Minister Christine Elliott said in the release.

Though they aren’t on the shelves yet – seeing as Health Canada has established a mandatory 60-day processing period after legalization day on Oct. 17 – companies are busy becoming licensed and getting their products approved in the hopes of introducing their edibles early next year. 

Olli Brands is one such company with an eye to enter the space with a “high-end” roster of products developed out of their 11,200-square-foot facility in Etobicoke, Ontario.

Resumes in hand, hundreds of people turned up Tuesday to a job fair hosted by the Kitchener-based cannabis company James E. Wagner Cultivation (JWC). 

The company is hiring between 40 and 50 people at its facility on Manitou Drive. Some of the jobs up for grabs include positions in cannabis growing, trimming and equipment manufacturing. 

"I don't think we were ready for the amount of people that came actually," said human resources manager Barb Partridge. 

Job-seeker Paula Sharpe was among those who attended the fair. Sharpe has worked at a wide variety of jobs in her career and said she's ready to try her hand at something new.

The cannabis industry may soon undergo a seismic shift that will lie in the hands of growers.

Researchers from the University of Ottawa are working on a hand-held tool that measures the ratio of THC to CBD in cannabis crops.

Adam Shuhendler, an assistant professor in the school’s chemistry department, told CBC the test is quick, easy and cheap.

“Our goal is accessibility,” he said.

“Push a button and out on the screen comes the ratio of CBD and THC.”

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.