OTTAWA – Uruguay‘s envoy to Ottawa says his small South American country has opened up some breathing room for marijuana legalization within international treaties that have outlawed recreational pot for decades. Ambassador Martin Vidal credits his country, the first to legalize recreational cannabis at a national level, as something of a trailblazer for countries like […]
Canada
Big Canadian Employers Consider Medical Marijuana Coverage For Employees
The winds of change are blowing through employee benefit plans across Canada, and they smell like weed. Benefits industry insider Mike Sullivan caught a whiff at a recent meeting with some of his clients, who represent private companies with benefit plans that cover about three million Canadian workers across a range of industries. “This group that was in attendance, the No. […]
Canadian Marijuana Task Force Chair Wants to Include Black Market Growers in Legal Market
Black market marijuana growers should be included in the legal market as they can provide valuable expertise as it evolves, Anne McLellan, chair of the federal government’s task force on legalization, said Monday. McLellan said the Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation, whose recommendations were broadly adopted in the government’s proposed Cannabis Act, concluded […]
Trudeau Introduces Recreational Marijuana Bill In Canada
OTTAWA — Fulfilling a campaign pledge, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced legislation on Thursday to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in Canada. Many nations have either decriminalized marijuana, allowed it to be prescribed medically or effectively stopped enforcing laws against it. But when Mr. Trudeau’s bill passes as expected, Canada will become only the […]
Canadian Food Giant Becomes First Large Company to Provide Medical Marijuana for Employees
At first glance, the news was “actually pretty stunning.” Joan Weir, director of health and disability policy with the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association, was surprised to see that Canadian retail giant Loblaw Companies had started covering medical marijuana for employees through their health benefit plans back on March 28. After taking a closer look at the […]
Canada’s Marijuana Industry Is Feeling Confident After Legalization Report
Canadian marijuana businesses got a confidence boost from a CBC News report that the government plans to legalize recreational marijuana by July 2018, although big questions remain about how the legal market will work in different provinces. The newly revealed date for the debut of legal cannabis is “exactly along the lines of what we expected,” said Neil Maruoka, […]
Canada’s Liberals Plan to Legalize Marijuana by July 2018
The Liberal government will announce legislation next month that will legalize marijuana in Canada by July 1, 2018. CBC News has learned that the legislation will be announced during the week of April 10 and will broadly follow the recommendation of a federally appointed task force that was chaired by former liberal Justice Minister Anne McLellan. […]
Legalized Recreational Marijuana Won’t Be Hitting Canada Just Yet
As investors flock to Canada’s burgeoning marijuana sector, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is signaling recreational pot sales aren’t imminent. Lawmaker Bill Blair — the former Toronto police chief leading Trudeau’s legalization effort — confirmed a bill is due in parliament this spring, but it won’t be the last hurdle as ample regulatory work remains. […]
A Look into Canada’s Green Rush
SMITHS FALLS, Ont. — The journey to the centre of Canada’s marijuana economy begins on a stretch of country road in eastern Ontario. It weaves through a patchwork of cornfields and hamlets before settling in Smiths Falls — a town that boasts a stone mill, a Lion’s Club that meets every second Thursday and a […]
Trudeau’s Honeymoon Is Over
It was just over a year ago that the young Millennial-favourite politician, Justin Trudeau, became Canada’s 23rd Prime Minister with a campaign full of big promises and ambition to take Canada in a radically different direct than its previous tenure under Stephen Harper. One of the largest, and quite popular, promises was the complete legalization of marijuana. […]
