The time is almost here. Marijuana will be legal in Canada on October 17, and most of us are pretty excited about the new perks that'll come along with it.

Although not every province will have actual stores supplying cannabis right away, there will still be ways online to place a legal order.

Canada's overall plan seems to be well thought out... or so we thought. Although licensed producers may be stocked up on marijuana ready to hit stores in 13 days, economists have already predicted that the legal supply won't meet the demand during the first year of legalization.

Apparently there aren't enough producers ahead of legalization to be able to sufficiently deliver to the cannabis market.

Don’t expect Intact Financial Corp., Canada’s largest property and casualty insurer, to insure the recreational-cannabis industry anytime soon.

“It’s not seen as the pot of gold that we should chase after,” Chief Financial Officer Louis Marcotte said Tuesday at the Bloomberg Canadian Fixed Income Conference in New York. “We’re cautious on every front with this legalization at this point in time.”

Recreational pot is set for legalization in Canada on Oct. 17. Medical marijuana seems to present less of a problem. Manulife Financial Corp. said in July it would launch the nation’s first such program with Loblaw Cos.’ Shoppers Drug Mart, allowing the drugstore chain’s pharmacists to support Manulife customers approved for medical-pot coverage.

Consolidation has been the name of the game in 2018 for Canadian cannabis stocks.

Lets take a look at HEXO (TSX:HEXO) and Cronos Group(TSX:CRON)(NASDAQ:CRON) to see if one might be an attractive buy for the larger players in the marijuana stocksector.

Scientific evidence backing the medicinal properties of cannabis is not very strong for humans, and it’s even weaker for animals. But that has not held back the market in cannabis products for pets. Yes, pets.

Products containing cannabidiol (CBD), the non-psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, are being manufactured for cats, dogs and even horses to treat ailments such as anxiety, arthritis and dry itchy skin.

There are CBD-laced treats, tinctures and capsules to help with pain control and anxiety relief. And there are topical creams and shampoos containing CBD used for pets with allergies.

In two weeks, cannabis will become legal across Canada.

Cue crunch time for provinces and territories scrambling to make sense of crazy quilt of retail models — from Ontario's decision to scrap a government monopoly on cannabis stores to the strict government-store-only policy in Quebec, and the hybrid public/private model in Manitoba.

Victory Square Technologies Inc. recently announced that its newly established cannabis accelerator Grow Tech Labs is joining with Launch Academy to develop cannabis innovation, entrepreneurship, and investment.

Canada is in a good position to corner the marijuana market as the industry up north continues to develop in the wake of recreational legalization. And that makes US businesses worried.

"The concern for some of the players is the market will be dominated by Canadian companies, shareholders and banks if we allow too much time to pass," cannabis exec Derek Peterson told Huffington Post. "If we don't see something happen in 2019, almost all of us will be takeout targets for Canadian players."

Legal marijuana is about to become a reality in Canada.

The move could prove to be a sea change for local economies, policing efforts, governments, schools, workplaces — you name it.

But what about the U.S. border? What should Canadians know if they're crossing over after marijuana is legalized?

To answer this question, HuffPost Canada reached out to Len Saunders, an attorney based in Blaine, Wash. who regularly works with clients barred or denied from entering the U.S. over marijuana-related issues.

Here are some of his tips for travellers crossing the border after weed becomes legal:

The feds wanted to allow provinces to regulate pot sales, just as they do alcohol, says John Conroy, a B.C. lawyer who has led the way in medicinal marijuana law. He says the feds believed the provinces were best-positioned to distribute recreational marijuana by piggybacking on the existing liquor distribution system.

About that liquor distribution system: Canada’s booze laws are all over the map. Quebecers have been allowed to buy beer and wine in corner stores for ages, but it’s only been legal in B.C. for a few years and in Ontario since Aug. 1.

As many of you know, the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) has officially been elected. If you've been following along, you know that this party has definitely made some interesting promises during their campaign.

Some of these promises were reasonable, like extending the blue line of the metro, while others were just downright crazy, like kicking people out who don't speak French! 

Unfortunately, that's not the end of the crazy promises and laws they would like to implement in Quebec. With the date of the legalization of marijuana fast approaching, the CAQ wants to put in effect some strict laws regarding the popular drug.