The video for “Promises,” a 2015 song from Kid Ink and Fetty Wap, focuses on Kid Ink’s plans for a surprise wedding for his girlfriend. But about two-thirds through, the video grinds to a halt to show two boxes of Kandypens – a vaporizer mostly used to consume marijuana – sitting on a table, well-lit and arranged in a tableau so perfect that it could be at Macy’s (if the department store sold vapes). For the rest of the clip, almost everyone is using a Kandypen.

Continuing to ban pot shops with marijuana legalization on the horizon just helps organized crime, Kelowna city council will hear next week.

A would-be retailer of the drug says Kelowna will “suffer the consequences” if it moves forward with a plan to explicitly prevent the sale of marijuana in local shops.

“To keep cannabis out of the hands of children, and the profits out of the hands of criminals, regulating access to cannabis should be a high priority,” says information given to the city by Mark Conlin, on behalf of a firm called Starbuds.

“The status quo is no longer an option,” the company’s material states. “Choosing to do nothing means your community continues to suffer the consequences.”

WATCH ABOVE: California 'weed nuns,' whose holy Trinity is the cannabis plant, grow and harvest cannabis, and their mission to heal and empower women may be coming to Canada.

Meet the Sisters of the Valley — California’s self-ordained “weed nuns” who are on a mission to heal and empower women through their cannabis products.

Ottawa is planning to set up a cannabis tracking system to collect information about marijuana products from licensed producers, distributors and retailers – just one of a host of proposed changes to be ushered in alongside legalization.

Health Canada says the proposed system, which would not track individual cannabis users, would allow businesses and regulators to trace all products and address recalls.

The tracking would also help to ensure cannabis is not being diverted to illegal markets, the department said, given the government’s stated and oft-repeated goal of limiting organized crime’s footprint in the pot trade.

Taboos over marijuana are going up in smoke, supercharging cannabis expos in Alberta including one taking seed in Calgary next month, say organizers.

Fuelled by a buzz over impending national legalization and eight U.S. states that have dropped pot prohibition, an Edmonton trade show held in early April exceeded attendance expectations, said Kevin Blackburn of organizer Canwest Productions.

“We were hoping for 3,000 to 5,000 people and we doubled that,” he said. 

“We expect the same, if not better, in Calgary.”

There’s no question the momentum in marijuana’s mainstreaming is drawing both exhibitors and the curious out of the weeds for events such as the Calgary Cannabis and Hemp Expo at Stampede Park’s Big Four Building May 6-7, said Blackburn.

As large crowds of marijuana activists and enthusiasts gathered in cities across Canada on Thursday, the question lingering in the smoke-filled air was simple: what’s the point?

Marijuana is expected to be legalized across the land by July 2018, and legislation has already been tabled in the House of Commons to that effect. Supporters of the legal, recreational use of the drug have seemingly won the day.

But the fight, according to many, is far from over.

The federal government tabled legislation last week that is expected to legalize the production, distribution and sale of cannabis in Canada by July 1, 2018. In response to the news of this proposed legislation, shares in Canadian marijuana stocks jumped several percentage points – and rightly so. Canaccord Genuity analysts reported in late 2016 that if legalization were to follow expected timelines, Canada could have nearly four million legal recreational users of marijuana by 2021, with a potential for $6-billion in annual sales.

The federal government's plans for legalizing recreational marijuana has many would-be players looking to carve out a role for themselves in the emerging market, including pharmaceutical distributors who already ship drugs across the country.

The Canadian Association for Pharmacy Distribution Management — a supplier of medicine for pharmacies and hospitals — says it has a ready-made system for marijuana distribution that they say is far superior to mail-order pot.

Pharmaceutical distributors offer a more appropriate vehicle for the recreational marijuana market, CEO David Johnston said in an interview Wednesday, noting they already have the infrastructure in place to handle potential recalls, be it in downtown Toronto or remote northern Ontario.

When you go to a restaurant, do you order a cola?

No, chances are, you ask for a Coke or a Pepsi. That's the power of successful branding: the generic name of the product gets lost in the marketplace.

Now imagine ordering marijuana. Does a brand come to mind? Probably not.

But that could change, as a result of the Liberal government's proposed legislation to legalize recreational marijuana.

The question is: how will it change?

Legalization: 
The majority of Americans (57%) support legalization, and support is highest among men (61%), particularly younger men (79%), and Millennials overall (68%). Among current users in states where marijuana is not currently legal, 37% say they are likely to consume more marijuana after it’s legalized.

Only 16% of Americans believe Marijuana is “very harmful”, which is lower than alcohol (27%), processed sugar (23%) and saturated fat (33%). A majority (51%) believes consumption can be beneficial, while only 32% believe that regular users are less successful in life. However, 25% report having a close friend or family member whose life was negatively affected by marijuana.