The University of Alberta is embracing Canada’s legalization of cannabis.

For many colleges and universities, the idea of cannabis on campus is a nonstarter. Where cannabis laws don’t expressly forbid consumption or possession of marijuana at schools, school administrators have set clear policies prohibiting them.

In the United States, these bans are so strict that they often prevent students with illness from bringing and taking their medicine at school, and have thus prompted legal challenges. In Canada, however, universities are taking a more progressive approach.

Review will be done within 5 years after legalization on Oct. 17.

Health Canada will continue operating the medical marijuana system after recreational use of cannabis is legalized next month, but it will be reviewed within five years. 

The announcement came in response to a call last month from the Canadian Medical Association — which represents doctors in this country — asking that the medical marijuana system be phased out post-legalization.

Despite Health Canada issuing 116 licenses through August, a small handful of growers could combine for more than 1.5 million kilograms of annual production.

CBD is growing in popularity for insomnia, anxiety, and chronic pain. But the cannabinoid has so more potential. Here’s Herb’s guide on the most underrated uses for CBD.

Everyone in the cannabis industry knows these days: the CBD market is booming. According to The Hemp Business Journal, a division of data analytics firm New Frontier Data, the CBD market will grow 700 percent between 2016 and 2022, reaching a total of $2.1 billion in sales. So why’s CBD so popular?

After some sober second thought the City of Calgary has ground out the idea of allowing people to use marijuana in four designated public areas once cannabis becomes legal next month. A proposal called for setting aside four areas in Ward 9 that would be exempt from Calgary's cannabis consumption bylaw.

The bylaw prohibits the consumption of recreational cannabis in any form in public places. But after hearing what it calls significant feedback from the community, the city says the idea of granting exemptions in Ward 9 has been scrapped.

The parent company of marijuana producer Organigram Inc. has closed a $10-million investment deal with Hyasynth Biologicals, boosting its access to biotechnology that can produce cannabis' active chemical ingredients in a lab without needing a costly grow-op.

Organigram says Hyasynth's proprietary technology can produce active ingredients that occur naturally in the cannabis plant, called phytocannabinoids, using genetically engineered strains of yeast in a technique known as biofermentation. The Montreal-based biotech's enzymes and yeast strains have enabled them to produce cannabinoids such as cannabidiol, known as CBD, which can be used for cannabis-based products such as beverages or pharmaceutical products.

Thompson River University has banned marijuana smoking on campus. UVic is expected to set up smoking areas. Universities are developing varying approaches to governing recreational cannabis on campus, from outright bans to designated cannabis smoking areas.

While most administrations are still working on final policies, Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops and Langara College in Vancouver banned cannabis smoking last spring in response to impending legalization. The University of Victoria, however, is expected to create cannabis-friendly smoking areas on campus for adult students and residents that will not be open to minors, said Kane Kilbey, associate vice president of human resources.

Yet another major U.S. alcohol company is getting into the cannabis sector.

Breakthru Beverage, a multi-state wholesaler that was formed via the 2015 merger of Chicago-based Wirtz Beverage Group and New York’s Charmer Sunbelt Group, has agreed to invest $9.2 million in CannTrust, a Canadian marijuana maker.

In a press release, the two companies announced a letter of intent that will make Breakthru the exclusive distributor of CannTrust’s recreational marijuana products throughout Canada.

The Canadian Armed Forces has sought to reassure allies about the pending legalization of marijuana amid questions in other capitals about the potential impact on future military operations.

The outreach follows last week’s release of a new military policy that limits cannabis use to within Canada and imposes various time limits and other restrictions depending on a service member’s current job and responsibilities.

The military’s chief of personnel, Lt.-Gen. Charles Lamarre, said allies in particular watched with extreme curiosity as Canada and the Forces have marched toward legalization on Oct. 17.