Along with planting bulbs and clearing out dying annuals, some Ontario gardeners now have a new fall tradition: harvesting their cannabis plants. 

"Now is the most exciting time of growing at home," said Katy Perry, who owns a hydroponic supply store in Toronto. 

"Your plant is finally ready to be chopped down, dried, cured and consumed." 

Last week, Canada marked one year since legalization, making this the first time that Ontarians have been able to legally cultivate cannabis over the summer growing season. 

The black market for recreational weed in Ontario is not going anywhere soon.

With just two dozen stores scattered throughout the province, along with the government-run and online-only Ontario Cannabis Store, residents seeking a high rely mainly illicit sources of pot a year after the federal government legalized its consumption.

“I would argue that 80% is illicit in Ontario,” said Chris Damas, editor of The BCMI Cannabis Report, a newsletter that focuses on cannabis stocks.

Researchers at the University of Ottawa are developing a hand-held device they hope will revolutionize cannabis production by giving growers the ability to test the ratio of THC to CBD in their plants.

"It's a very quick, easy and low-cost test," Adam Shuhendler, an assistant professor in the school's chemistry department, told the CBC's Ottawa Morning. 

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

Our goal really is accessibility.- Adam Shuhendler, University of Ottawa

Pot consumers will experience different effects depending on the ratio of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to cannabidiol (CBD).

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.

Canada’s booming cannabis industry has led to a spike in housing prices and home shortages in some regions, according to a new report from RE/MAX.

For example, Smiths Falls, Ont. -- home to Canopy Growth, which Bloomberg dubbed the largest cannabis producer in the world -- now employs 1,300 people.

An unintended consequence of that employment growth is a shortage of available homes.

A winner from Ontario’s second pot lottery who was planning to open a cannabis retail store in northwest London has been disqualified.

Robert Chomiak submitted a proposal to open a recreational pot shop in a commercial plaza at 1310 Fanshawe Park Rd. W. in Hyde Park.

There already are three brick-and-mortar marijauana stores operating in London – the only municipality in Southwestern Ontario to land any of the first 25 outlets – and the city was on track to score another two following the second lottery in the summer.

But Chomiak’s application – one of 42 selected from nearly 5,000 expressions of interest – was disqualified last Thursday, says the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), the province’s pot regulator.

Fanshawe College is rolling out a new research-focused program to train workers for Canada’s budding cannabis industry.

The cannabis applied science program, a one-year graduate certificate launching next fall, will teach students to analyze marijuana for quality, safety and stability. Students will also contribute to research and development of new pot products.

Since Canada legalized recreational cannabis one year ago, colleges and universities across the country have introduced courses and programs to train workers for the industry, specializing in everything from marijuana production and research to business and law.

The Town of Amherstburg made another pot-positive move Tuesday evening with the approval of new regulations for future cannabis production facilities.

With no federal guidelines telling municipalities where industry-level marijuana cultivators can and cannot set up shop, the town created its own zoning bylaw amendment for licensed growers looking to move to Amherstburg.

“It’s nice to set ourselves up for another industry,” said Amherstburg Mayor Aldo DiCarlo following the town council meeting. “Diversification, I think, is the answer.”

New regulations for cannabis edibles and topicals come into effect on Oct. 17, with products expected to reach store shelves in December

Here’s what consumers and parents need to know

“Edibles” is the umbrella term for cannabis-infused products, which can include beverages, cotton candy, dissolvable strips, gummy candies or baked goods. And topicals are products which can include lotions, balms, and oils absorbed through the skin for relief of pain or inflammation, according to Leafly.

CannTrust Holdings Inc. is planning to destroy approximately $77 million worth of cannabis as the beleaguered pot producer seeks to restore regulatory compliance.

In a press release issued on Thanksgiving Monday, CannTrust said it will not challenge Health Canada’s Sept. 17 decision to suspend the company’s sales and production licences. Instead, CannTrust said it “remains focused on working collaboratively and transparently with the regulator to address the company’s non-compliance matters.”

Those “non-compliance matters” first came to light in early July when CannTrust disclosed that it had run afoul of Health Canada due to unlicensed production at its Pelham, Ont. facility.