OTTAWA – Canadians will have to wait until Oct. 17 – one month longer than expected – before they'll be able to legally purchase and consume recreational marijuana.

OTTAWA – A federal bill to legalize recreational cannabis was bounced back to the Senate on Monday, where the government's representative argued it's time to get on with lifting Canada's almost century-old prohibition on marijuana.

OTTAWA – The federal Liberal government is rejecting more than a dozen Senate amendments to its landmark law to legalize cannabis, including the upper chamber's efforts to further limit – or ban outright – the ability to cultivate marijuana at home.

SAINT JOHN, N.B. – The former chair of the federal cannabis taskforce is warning the industry to play by the rules when recreational marijuana is legalized.

OTTAWA – The Senate has approved the Trudeau government's landmark legislation to lift Canada's 95-year-old prohibition on recreational cannabis – but with nearly four dozen amendments that the government may not entirely accept.

Organigram Holdings Inc., a licensed producer of medical marijuana based in Moncton, N.B., has received an expanded cultivation license from Health Canada related to its previously announced Phase 3 expansion.

SMITHS FALLS, Ont. – Canopy Growth Corporation has been selected to apply for five cannabis retail permits by the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA). This makes Saskatchewan the third province in Canada, after Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador, where cannabis consumers will be able to receive a Tweed-branded user experience in a brick and mortar environment.

WeedMD will be the first Licensed Producer under Health Canada's Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations to use BLOCKStrain's proprietary platform, making it an early adopter of blockchain technology in the cannabis industry.

BLOCKStrain said it's platform will allow WeedMD's library of cannabis genetics to expand.

OTTAWA – A Senate committee has voted to amend the federal government's cannabis legalization bill to allow provinces and territories to ban home-grown marijuana. But it has refused to accept an amendment that would have prohibited home cultivation outright.

Professional football player Mike James will participate in the “Surprise Speaker Series” at the 5^th Annual Cannabis World Congress & Business Exposition in New York, May 30 – June 2, at the Javits Center.

Following a season-ending injury at the height of his football career as a running back with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, James began to research natural forms of effective relief for his chronic pain when traditional rehabilitation and training had failed.

Aphria Inc. says it has reached a deal that will see Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits become its exclusive distributor of recreational cannabis products in Canada.

The Leamington, Ont.-based cannabis producer says Southern Glazer's new Canadian subsidiary Great North Distributors, which will focus specifically on cannabis products, will represent the company when recreational use is legalized.

Aphria says the deal with Southern Glazer's, one of North America's largest wine and spirits distributors, will give it coverage of all cannabis retailers across Canada on the first day of legal adult-use sales.

The deal comes as cannabis producers have been looking to strike agreements with distributors and firm up space with retailers as legalization in Canada approaches.

Edmonton-based Aurora Cannabis Inc. announced in February it would buy a 20 per cent stake in retailer Liquor Stores N.A. Ltd., which changed its name last week to Alcanna Inc. to reflect it now has alcohol and canabis divisions.

Canopy Growth Corp. reached a deal last fall with Constellation Brands that saw the alcohol supplier invest $245 million for a 10 per cent stake in Canopy, and the two partner on marketing and product development.

MARKHAM – MedReleaf announced that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Niagara College to foster the development of cannabis production expertise in Canada through its Graduate Certificate program in Commercial Cannabis Production – Canada's first postsecondary credential in this emerging field.