Senior operating staff working at CannTrust Holdings Inc.’s Pelham, Ont. facility late last year brought cannabis seeds from the black market into production rooms, leading to some illicitly-grown pot flowing into the legal market, according to internal company documents obtained by BNN Bloomberg and four sources directly familiar with the matter.

The documents suggest that, in an apparent effort to conceal the black market cannabis seeds from regulatory inspections and other staff members, some CannTrust employees changed the names of as many as 20 strains to those which the company was licensed to sell in the legal medical and recreational markets.

Health authorities in Canada are closely monitoring increasing reports in the United States of respiratory illnesses in hundreds of people, mostly teenagers, potentially linked to vaping.

There have been at least 450 possible cases, including five deaths, identified in the U.S. this year and many said they had been vaping THC, the chemical that gives marijuana its high.

There have been no reports of the same sickness in Canada, but Health Canada issued a warning recently, urging people who vape to watch for symptoms such as a cough, shortness of breath and chest pain. It also said that health-care professionals should ask patients about their use of e-cigarette products if they have respiratory symptoms.

What kind of reputation do cannabis companies have with Canadians?  When Quebec market research and analytics company Leger conducted a nationwide online survey in January of this year, Aurora Cannabis Inc. took the lead with a reputation score of 18; followed by Canopy Growth Corp. (14). CannTrust Holding Inc. came in third (6).

The study, titled Leger’s Corporate Reputation Study, evaluated data from more than 2,000 people — both cannabis and non-cannabis users.

Analysts are calling it "Cannabis 2.0." The term references the next wave of the Canadian adult-use recreational marijuana market. On Oct. 17, 2019, the country's legalization of cannabis derivatives, including beverages, edibles, and vapes, will go into effect. Canada's current "Cannabis 1.0" recreational market legalized only cannabis flower, oils, plants, and seeds.

Don't expect the Cannabis 2.0 market to take off immediately, though. Companies must file a notice with Health Canada 60 days in advance before beginning to market new cannabis products. This means that the first cannabis derivatives products will be available for sale in mid-December.

The month of September has gotten off to a positive start for the pot stock market.

The marijuana stock market has grown substantially in the past few years. In the past few months, however, we have seen some instability overall. This volatility is something that some investors look for as it gives two potential benefits. For one, it offers a chance to potentially buy a company at bare bottom prices. The other opportunity comes as it allows for greater potential gains.

The second wave of cannabis legalization in Canada will allow the sale of edibles, beverages, extracts, and topicals effective October 17. The new products should hit the stores in mid-December, as federal license holders must give a 60-day notice to Health Canada regarding their plans to sell new products.

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.

Portugal’s California-like weather has seen a third Canadian company look to establish a cannabis cultivation footprint in the country.

First it was Tilray, then it was Aurora and now The Flowr Corporation is set to grow cannabis in the country. Flowr has announced plans to acquire the remaining 80% stake in Portuguese firm Holigen which has established a huge cannabis operation in Aljustrel, about 100 miles south east of the capital Lisbon.

Since the legalisation of cannabis for medical use in America and a number of other countries, more and more people are turning to cannabis to treat symptoms of PTSD.

A new UCL study, however, reports that more research is needed to determine whether it should be routine clinical practise to prescribe it as a treatment for PTSD.

The systematic review, published in the Journal of Dual Diagnosis, found that the active components of cannabis, called cannabinoids, may hold promise as a treatment for PTSD, particularly for reducing nightmares and helping people sleep.