Crossing the border may become much more difficult for a certain group of Canadians come October 17, 2018.

While marijuana users have been gearing up for potential issues at the border for some time, it now appears that people working in the cannabis industry may also be affected—regardless of whether they use the drug or not. 

Under U.S. law, anyone associated with the cannabis industry could be banned from entering the country for life, even after it is legalized in Canada nationwide. If it seems harsh, that’s because it is…but it’s all in the context of the war on drugs. 

KAMLOOPS (NEWS 1130) – B.C.’s first government-licensed pot store will be in Kamloops and it’s expected to employ at least 20 people.

Viviana Zanocco with the Liquor Distribution Branch says the shop at the Columbia Place Shopping Centre is slated to open in October when the federal legalization of recreational marijuana takes effect.

“Kamloops City Council has been very proactive in terms of setting out areas where they would like to see cannabis retail and so that’s a huge advantage for us,” she says, hinting that Burnaby might be using a similar tactic and could be have the first Lower Mainland store.

The countdown is on until cannabis becomes legal in Canada on Oct. 17.

The new law comes with mixed feelings and perspectives for members of the business community.

“It’s happening to us, it’s happening whether you like it or not. It’s happening in the models that have been chosen and we didn’t lobby for it for instance in our world but we really want to do it well and do it responsibly,” said Tim Pellerin, NSLC’s senior vice-president and CEO.

Pellerin was one of the people selected to discuss the potential impacts cannabis legalization will have on businesses throughout Nova Scotia at a luncheon in Halifax Wednesday.

VANCOUVER, July 11, 2018 /CNW/ - THC BioMed Intl Ltd. ("THC" or the "Company") (CSE:THC) announces that it has been selected by the province to supply British Columbians with adult-use cannabis. THC has entered into an agreement through its wholly-owned subsidiary, THC BioMed Ltd. to supply non-medical cannabis to the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch following legalization.   

THC is very proud to be given this opportunity to have its products available for sale in British Columbia, beginning October 17, 2018.

Holding stocks with strong operations in the United States is one way to hedge your portfolio against potential trouble in Canada. Let’s take a look at three Canadian stocks that offer solid U.S. exposure. Bank of Montreal (TSX:BMO)(NYSE:BMO) Bank of Montreal’s major foray into the U.S. market began in 1984 when it purchased Harris Bank. A number of additional transactions have since occurred, and BMO Harris Bank, based in Chicago, now has over 600 branches serving retail and commercial customers, primarily in the U.S. Midwest. Bank of Montreal reported adjusted fiscal Q2 2018 net income of $1.46…

Many injured workers in Ontario are being given an ultimatum: take potentially addictive cocktails of opioids and other pharmaceuticals, or pay for your own help, a CBC Toronto investigation has revealed.

Insurers like Ontario's Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) are frequently refusing to help injured workers who want to turn to seemingly less harmful drugs like medical marijuana.

"We have an opioid epidemic here in Canada," said Maurice Sagle, 60, a former carpenter. 

"I'm thinking [the WSIB] better get out of the past."

For it's part, the WSIB says it's reducing the number of drug claims for opioids and deals with requests for medical pot "on a case-by-case basis." 

The federal government’s move to greenlight the growing of commercial cannabis outdoors will allow Canadian producers to compete globally, but it also carries risks, those in the industry say.

At least one medical marijuana grower in Southwestern Ontario – one of the country’s richest farm belts, where seven indoor pot producers now operate – says his company is cautiously exploring the new outdoor option, while another was quick to rule it out.

The mixed reaction comes as the federal Liberals prepare to lift the outdoor cultivation ban on medicinal and recreational cannabis – the drug could previously only be grown in greenhouses or indoors – in a bid to create a competitive industry and battle the black market ahead of legalization on Oct. 17.

The Quebec government wants Canada’s agriculture ministers to talk about pot when they meet for their annual federal-provincial-territorial meeting in Vancouver next week.

In an email, Christine Harvey, press secretary for Quebec’s Agriculture Minister Laurent Lessard said Quebec officials have requested cannabis be added to the meeting’s agenda.

The Quebec government also wants to talk about the management of health emergencies when ministers meet, Harvey said.

Canada’s agriculture ministers are set to meet in British Columbia July 18-20, three months before Canadians will legally be allowed to consume marijuana. Lessard is expected to attend the annual meeting.

Canntab Therapeutics Ltd (CSE:PILL) is lining up its ducks ahead of the legalization of cannabis in Canada on October 17 this year - as it announced a profit sharing collaboration with medical pot producer FSD Pharma Inc.

Under the letter of intent (LOI) FSD Pharma will help Canntab to obtain a license to process and sell cannabis products under the new legislation.

It will also provide up to 10,000 sq ft of space at its 620,000  sq ft facility, which lies one hour east of Toronto in Cobourg, Ontario.

Toronto's top doctor has come out in favour of decriminalizing the personal possession of drugs, including hard drugs like cocaine and heroin.

She joins top health officials in Vancouver and B.C. who, for several years now, have recommended the Canadian government remove criminal penalties for people caught with small amounts of illicit narcotics.