At a recent investment conference in Toronto, the next phase of growth for the nascent cannabis industry — and the key players within it — was the talk of the event.

During a discussion at the MoneyShow conference in Toronto, equity research analyst at CIBC Capital Markets John Zamparo and Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) CEO Steve Hawkins discussed projected markers of growth for US and Canadian cannabis equities.

The expert duo also talked about the challenges for the US and Canadian markets, as the players in these sectors continue their maturation process.

When it comes down to the two countries, Zamparo said that, internationally, the US will leverage its branding know-how, while Canadian companies will ship out proficiency at the operational level.

Thanks to improved technology, more cannabis grower are choosing LED grow lights over traditional lighting to enjoy lower costs and higher efficiency.

For instance, NextLight LED replaces any traditional 1000w DE HPS, one to one with their flagship 650w NextLight Mega. Less energy consumed without sacrificing yield or quality. This is a 35% energy savings on lighting alone, NOT including HVAC savings (due to lack of radiant heat emitted by NextLight fixtures) or savings on never changing bulbs and reflectors.

Purdue Pharma, the company that made billions selling the prescription painkiller OxyContin, filed for bankruptcy in White Plains, New York, days after reaching a tentative settlement with many of the state and local governments suing it over the toll of opioids.

The filing was anticipated before and after the tentative deal, which could be worth up to $12 billion over time, was struck.

A potential ban on flavoured e-cigarettes in the U.S. is a welcome step towards greater regulation of vaping products, says the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.

“It’s encouraging to see federal governments start to have those types of conversations,” said Eric Nadalin, a manager in the WECHU’s health promotion department.

“Certainly, the concern with flavoured e-cigarettes is their attractiveness to youths. It’s something that we do want to acknowledge and develop protections against.”

On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a proposal for new enforcement policies by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that would effectively remove flavoured e-cigarettes from the U.S. vaping market.

When Canopy Growth Corp. announced a plan to acquire cannabis researcher Ebbu Inc. for US$330 million last October, it touted the company’s intellectual property as the primary reason for the deal, mentioning it five times in the short press release.

A year later, Canopy is struggling to turn that intellectual property into patents. One of Ebbu’s first applications was rejected twice by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. When it was then narrowed significantly in a renewed attempt at approval, it was rejected a third time.

Marijuana is one of the fastest growing industries on the planet.

Health Canada says people who vape should get medical attention right away if they’re worried their electronic cigarettes are harming them.

The federal department says there is no sign in Canada of an affliction reported in as many as 25 American states that seems to be linked to vaping, but it is monitoring the situation.

Most of those who have fallen ill have been teens or adults in their 20s or 30s, hospitalized with severe shortness of breath, vomiting, fever and fatigue. Other symptoms include coughing, chest pain and diarrhea, and signs of infection, such as fevers, that appear without any apparent source.

Late last month, a Canadian woman faced a lifetime ban for attempting to cross the U.S. border with cannabidiol (CBD) oil in her possession — the decision was eventually overturned.

North America’s legal cannabis industry could be worth more than $47.3 (€43.23~) billion annually by 2024.

The North American Cannabis Report finds that despite Canada becoming the first G7 country to legalise adult-use cannabis, US cannabis market growth will greatly exceed its North American neighbour. Currently the most profitable industry in the world, the US, is expected to enjoy triple-digit growth by 2024, despite not having legalised cannabis on a federal scale.

Less than two weeks after a Canadian woman was barred from entering the United States after she was found with cannabidiol (CBD) oil at the border, her lawyer says her lifetime ban from entering the states has been reversed in what he is calling a "best-case scenario."

The 21-year-old, who has asked not to be identified by CBC News, was crossing the border between B.C. and Washington state last month when CBD oil was found in her backpack.

CBD is a non-psychoactive product of the cannabis plant, and is used by the woman to treat the painful side-effects of scoliosis.