Calyx Wellness Centre’s Roger B. measures out some RockStar Indica marijauna on Wednesday. Exploring the “grey area” of medical marijuana dispensaries A Toronto mother of three has opened up a medical marijuana shop on Parkdale’s main strip on Queen Street West and a passer-by wouldn’t even know it. Nestled between a...

While some have questioned the legality of municipalities like Vancouver and Victoria regulating illegal marijuana dispensaries, there is already a precedent in place for the issuing of business licenses and ‘regulation’ or at least allowance of illegal practices in various Canadian cities. When it comes to...

Alberta liquor stores contemplating pot sales Even before Alberta Finance Minister Joe Ceci jokingly suggested retail pot sales go to liquor stores last week — which he quickly retracted — the Alberta Liquor Store Association says it was asking its members about the idea. “We started the conversation back...

A cannabis plant is shown in southwest Quebec on Oct. 8, 2013. (Justin Tang / The Canadian Press) TORONTO – You won’t find brightly coloured bongs or bubble gum-flavoured rolling papers displayed against the backdrop of exposed brick and modern, industrial-style furnishings at Tokyo Smoke. Instead, the shop –...

Canada’s “gray market” dispensaries – storefronts that illegally sell medical marijuana – have been in the news a lot over the last year, from stories of RCMP crackdowns to cities like Vancouver licensing local operations in defiance of federal laws. But few stories offer an overview of the nuts and bolts of the...

Are Toronto and Vancouver in the midst of a pot-shop bubble? (The Globe and Mail) More of Vancouver’s illegal cannabis dispensaries are expanding their operations to Toronto, eyeing a larger market with zero regulations, especially with new bylaws on the West Coast threatening to disrupt their...

The last time the Liberals proposed decriminalizing marijuana, we faced the real prospect of being penalized by our neighbours to the south. Now it seems as though our American friends have a burgeoning legal marijuana market of their own. Recent figures show that cannabis sales in Colorado alone (which legalized the...

The historic decision in the Allard case was a huge win for Canadian medical marijuana patients. And it may set the stage for the next big fight and hopefully another win for patients – the legalization and regulation of storefront dispensaries that are popular (and controversial) across the country. And they seem to...

Canada’s medical marijuana growers say a jump in the number of illegal marijuana dispensaries as the federal government decides how to regulate the drug is costing them customers. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised during last year’s election campaign that his Liberals would legalize recreational marijuana,...

Legal pot startups brought in more than $200 million from investors last year, more than twice what they had in 2014. Legal marijuana is one of the fastest-growing industries in the United States, and last year a record number of startups made deals with venture capitalists eager to get in on the ground floor. VCs...