As universities across Canada prepare for the legalization of cannabis this fall, one psychology professor says her research shows some students already have ideas to mitigate the potential risks of marijuana use.

Kara Thompson is a psychology professor at St. Francis Xavier University who has studied cannabis.

She said she conducted focus groups last spring with students who use cannabis, and found they had strategies in place to reduce the potential risks.

Sylvan Lake is getting ready for cannabis shops.

With recreational marijuana set to be legalized in October, municipalities have been busy updating their bylaws and business licence regulations in preparation.

Sylvan Lake, like many communities, has decided that distinct licensing requirements be put in place for cannabis retailers.

nce recreational cannabis becomes legal in Canada, the central question is whether the provincial retail markets will succeed in competing with the black market. Provinces with more emphasis on private retail models will likely succeed better than provincial governments insisting on uniquely running their own stores. This is because private retailers have an incentive to be profitable and efficient. However, different versions of private sector involvement will lead to different outcomes.

While Ontario’s Conservative government has made massive changes to their Liberal predecessors’ stern cannabis retail laws, the province is still taking a hard line on public consumption.

The penalties are stiff if Ontarians violate the rules and spark up a public j– up to $1000 for the first offence and $5000 for each subsequent offence. The tough regulations seem to be one of the few things upon which PC premier Doug Ford and former Liberal premier Kathleen Wynne have agreed.

What’s off limits

Everywhere that isn’t a private residence or balcony, including workplaces and motor vehicles. There are some exceptions for medical users with a valid prescription for cannabis.

The pending legalization of recreational cannabis and the extraction of cannabinoids from hemp in Canada is only one in a series of changes bringing expectations of new growth to these industries.

Tilray (NASDAQ:TLRY), a marijuana grower based out of British Columbia, reported its second-quarter earnings after the bell yesterday. Though the company generated a meager $17.6 million in revenue during the first half of 2018, its market cap has soared to a towering $4.8 billion in only a matter of weeks.

“But everybody knows that smokin' ain't allowed in school.” – Brownsville Station

Going to college, for most budding young minds, is all about finding your place in the world and getting the education necessary to become a viable part of civil society, one that vastly surpasses the scholastic ranks of your idiot predecessors.

Accomplishing this goal, however, takes conviction, a tremendous amount of focus and, depending on the student’s extracurricular interests and disposition towards inebriating substances, enough mind-ripping marijuana to choke an inbred Russian racehorse with a vicious case of mange.

With recreational marijuana set to become legal on Oct. 17, the Canadian government has approved the first roadside test aimed at stopping drivers who are under the influence of cannabis.

But some experts are questioning whether the Drager DrugTest 5000 will actually be effective in detecting drivers who are impaired by THC — the main psychoactive agent in cannabis. Harrison Jordan, who specializes in cannabis law, is raising several red flags over the test.

Buying pot online in Alberta is going to be a little more complicated than clicking a few buttons on Amazon.

The provincial government updated its retail website this week with information on how online cannabis shopping will work. The website will be the only legal online destination for cannabis shopping in the province once it launches on Oct. 17.

Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) spokesperson Heather Holmen said consultations with Albertans showed their biggest concern about cannabis legalization was ensuring it stays out of the hands of minors. So, the website will include a process to verify buyers are over 18.

Alberta was the first province to begin its policy development for cannabis legalization. In June 2016, the government began by commissioning a massive evidence synthesis — the Cannabis Evidence Series — covering five key topics: health effects and harms, medical cannabis, advertisement and communication regulations, experience with legalization in other jurisdictions, and the current Canadian context. It was published in December 2016. This fed directly into the Alberta cannabis framework, which is the beginnings of the proposed legislation that will eventually regulate cannabis production, sales and use.