With the medical-marijuana industry caught in a tainted-cannabis scare that Health Canada has yet to fully confront, one company has struck out on its own to devise a solution to the controversy – and hopes the rest of the sector will voluntarily follow suit.

Some federally licensed companies in Canada’s medical-marijuana sector test for contaminants, but don’t make the data available for consumers to see. Others don’t test at all for substances such as dangerous pesticides, because Health Canada does not require it.

Illegal marijuana dispensaries in British Columbia and Ontario say they are developing a system of testing standards amid concerns about contaminants in cannabis – both at unauthorized storefronts and in the federally regulated system.

The proposal from the Canadian Association of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries, whose 25 members represent a fraction of the hundreds of illegal dispensaries operating across the country, to set up a testing system by May comes ahead of federal legislation to legalize the drug. The Liberal government has not said where recreational marijuana will be sold, but dispensaries have lobbied to be included in the new system.

Bill Blair, the former police chief of Toronto, slides into his restaurant chair and twinkles at the waitress. He’s 6ft 6in, white-haired now but perky. Bill has 120 years of policing behind him. He, his father and his grandfather all served 40 years in the force. Now he’s an MP and he’s legalising cannabis in Canada.

The restaurant has been here since early in Bill’s father’s time on the beat. It claims to have invented the bacon cheeseburger. We sit round a plastic-topped table and Bill tells me how he ended up pushing drug reform.

Canada’s publicly-traded marijuana companies saw their stocks dive Wednesday, after the Liberal government’s point man on legalization cautioned the government will take its time on the move.

Ontario-based Canopy Growth -- which bills itself as the world’s largest medical marijuana producer -- saw its market value plunge nearly 18 per cent between Monday’s close and Wednesday morning, to around $1.53 billion. That’s a market value loss of more than $300 million.

Most other marijuana stocks fell Wednesday as well, with Aurora Cannabis down 6.7 per cent, OrganiGram down 12.6 per cent and Supreme Pharmaceuticals falling 11.2 per cent as of 11:30 am ET Wednesday.

As investors flock to Canada’s burgeoning marijuana sector, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is signaling recreational pot sales aren’t imminent.

Lawmaker Bill Blair -- the former Toronto police chief leading Trudeau’s legalization effort -- confirmed a bill is due in parliament this spring, but it won’t be the last hurdle as ample regulatory work remains. The federal government will take its time and work with provinces, territories and cities to build a framework and develop specific regulations, he said.

Michael Fasman’s 12-year-old dog, Hudson, limps from pain caused by arthritis and an amputated toe, but Fasman doesn’t want to give her painkillers because “they just knock her out.”

So the San Francisco resident has turned to an alternative medicine that many humans use to treat their own pain and illness: marijuana.

On a recent morning, Fasman squeezed several drops of a cannabis extract onto a plate of yogurt, which the Portuguese water dog lapped up in seconds. It’s become part of Hudson’s daily routine.

“We think it’s really lifted her spirits and made her a happier dog,” Fasman said. “It’s not that she’s changed. She’s just back to her good old self.”

In honour of International Women’s Day, the cannabis industry must take a good long look at how it will not only include and support women, but also raise them up. This will require forward thinking folks, and some fierceness on all of our parts.

There are initiatives from within the sector, but also significantly outside of the industry, that women would be well-advised to tap into.  The recent announcement by the Canadian and American federal governments of the creation of a Canada−United States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders—a joint initiative meant to help businesses owned by women as a way to contribute to economic growth, competitiveness and the integration of the two economies—is a signal of what is to come for all women.

While the U.S. continues to squabble state-by-state over medical and adult use legalization, over the past year cannabis has quietly grown into a truly international industry.

The Vancouver park board has voted to ban 4/20 rallies and Cannabis Day events from city parks, even as organizers vowed this year’s April 20 event will go on, with or without the board’s approval. 

The decision by the board Monday night blunted plans by the Vancouver 4/20 Events Society, which applied for a permit to hold this year’s smoke-in at Sunset Beach park.

“This is not an anti-marijuana motion,” said commissioner John Coupar, who put forward the motion to deny permits for pot-related events at park board properties.

The cannabis sector is in the early innings of a multi-decade growth cycle that should create more millionaires than the tech boom.

Today, want to provide an update on some of the corporate initiatives at some of the leading global cannabis companies.

Leading Biotech Company Announces New CFO

GW Pharmaceuticals plc (GWPH) announced the appointment of Scott Giacobello as Chief Financial Officer. Giacobello will be based out of Carlsbad, California. The previous CFO (since 2012), Adam George is the Managing Director – UK, a newly-created executive role with broad leadership responsibilities for UK operations.