Anyone who thinks they are growing blue ribbon buds in the Cowichan Valley, now is your chance to vie for community bragging rights.

The 151st Cowichan Exhibition Fair on Vancouver Island, which this year runs Sept. 6-8, will be judging homegrown cannabis plants for the first time. The event is a chance for local agriculture producers to showcase their livestock and produce.

And now green thumb weed growers can enter the competition too. 

Sharp moves by several pot stocks in the final minutes of trading last week may be the result of trades by the largest cannabis exchange-traded fund.

The US$1 billion ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF recently added about 5.5 million shares of CannTrust Holdings Inc., according to holdings data compiled by Bloomberg. The medical cannabis producer jumped about 40 per cent in the last hour of trading on Friday after spending most of the day in the red. Conversely, the fund, known as MJ, has significantly reduced its positions in Auxly Cannabis Group Inc., Vivo Cannabis Inc., Supreme Cannabis Co. and Canopy Rivers Inc., which all fell by at least 13 per cent.

Tricia Vanderslice, chief marketing officer for MJ issuer ETF Managers Group, declined to comment.

Tilray’s stock fell after the Canadian cannabis company reported a wider-than-expected loss for the second quarter after the markets closed Tuesday.

Here’s what the company reported compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by Refinitiv:

• Adjusted earnings per share: A loss of 32 cents vs. a loss of 25 cents expected
• Revenue: $45.9 million vs. $41.1 million expected

Shares of the Canadian pot company slid by more than 7% in after-hours trading.

Since the widespread legalization of cannabis, 2019 has been a promising year for the budding weed industry. Dubbed as “Cannabusinesses,” some producers of legal marijuana have performed surprisingly well. But you must understand that there are some bad apples in the bunch. For every Canopy Growth, there are several more companies that could lose you a lot of money.

Amid the recent downtrend in the market, a number of cannabis stocks are potentially selling at a discount. In light of the current situation, it has become clear that the weed industry is gearing up for the next wave of volatility. This is likely to affect both the major and minor players of the industry.

This fall, Coast Mountain College will expand its curriculum to include cannabis classes for its students, with the new Cannabis Cultivation Series.

The series will be made up of five courses covering cannabis regulation, processing for the home grower, harvesting and curing, indoor growing and outdoor growing.

Private cannabis stores tend to be closer to primary and secondary schools than government-run stores are, according to a new study that compares legally operating recreational cannabis outlets across Canada.

There are also 49 per cent more private stores per capita in jurisdictions where they can operate, and they're open an average of 9.2 more hours each week than government-run outlets.

But all cannabis stores — private and government-run — are about twice as likely to be found in lower-income neighbourhoods than high-income neighbourhoods, the study found.

On Saturday, two new cannabis retail locations opened up shop in the ‘Gas City’ including Choom Cannabis on 3rd Street Southeast and Spiritleaf on Trans-Canada Way.

That’s brought Medicine Hat’s marketplace to double-digits, with 11 locations approved to sell recreational cannabis in the city.

Mayor Ted Clugston said he’s heard from a handful of these owners who say the market is becoming over saturated.

“I’ve had some business owners come to me that actually own retail outlets say, ‘I think there’s too many,’” said Clugston. “We took the approach here at City Hall that it will sort itself out.”

Among Alberta’s nine largest cities, Medicine Hat has the most cannabis stores per capita with one retailer for every 5,750 residents.

As Canopy Growth (NYSE: CGC ) prepares to announce its fiscal first-quarter earnings Aug. 14, analysts are getting nervous. Founder Bruce Linton was told to leave after the last quarter's disappointment. Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ ), which bought 38% of the company last year, has lost patience with CGC stock's losses.

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Canadian cannabis producer Aphria (TSX:APHA)(NYSE:APHA) is back in the limelight. But this time, there is no negative publicity. Investors are elated to receive good news from the cannabis sector for a change.