Emblem Cannabis Corporation, Canada's most anticipated licensed producer of medical marijuana with plans to go public before the end of the year, is now open for business, opening the door for patients across the country to now register and fulfil orders on its website.

For the past several months Emblem has been developing and growing a variety of strains and their phenotypes, with a wide range of cannabinoids and terpenes and that catalogue of strains is expected to grow as cultivation space, and production expand substantially.

On November 16, 2016, Vice News published an article, "Veteran Medical Marijuana Benefits Are Costing Canada a Fortune", on the skyrocketing use and cost of medical cannabis among Canadian veterans. The article uncovered industry practices that artificially inflate pricing for veterans' medical cannabis as well as unethical referral arrangements between veteran clinics and licensed producers. 

MedReleaf, Canada's premium licensed producer of medical cannabis, today announced the findings from a landmark study on the effectiveness of medical cannabis on military veterans diagnosed with PTSD. The study found treatment with medical cannabis improved aggregate patient reported outcomes by 50-60% with a 77% decrease in suicidal thoughts as well as a 50% reduction in the consumption of related medications.  

The study, being presented today in Vancouver at the 7th Annual Military and Veteran Health Research Forum, was conducted by Dr. Paul Smith, MD, using several of MedReleaf's proprietary strains of medical cannabis including AviDekel, Luminarium and Midnight.

In a report released Monday, global leaders denounced harsh responses to drug use, such as the mass killing of drug users in the Philippines under President Rodrigo Duterte, and called for worldwide drug decriminalization.

The report, Advancing Drug Policy Reform: A New Approach to Drug Decriminalization, is a product of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, a high-level panel that includes former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan; former presidents of Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Switzerland; and British philanthropist Richard Branson, among others.

Veterans Affairs Canada is set to “reduce substantially” the amount of medical marijuana for which retired soldiers can seek reimbursement, after new projections revealed the cost is set to rise to $90 million — 18 times more than the amount paid out two years ago.

The program under which veterans could access marijuana for medical purposes was introduced in 2008-09 and by the end of the year there were just five recipients being reimbursed $19,000.

Although the United Nations international drug treaties have upheld an official prohibition against marijuana, the marijuana industry has spread across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Recreational marijuana legalization in Canada was a key component of Justin Trudeau's 2015 campaign to become prime minster, and it appears he's making good on his promises for marijuana legalization and reform.

And if recreational marijuana is legalized in Canada, it will be a boon for the government and investors alike…

According to data from the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, marijuana legalization in Canada could generate as much as $5 billion for federal and provincial governments.

Witnessing the birth of an industry is the best way to describe what’s happened in the Canadian stock market in the past couple of weeks.

Uncle Ike’s Budget Bud is the cheapest pot we’ve found anywhere.

A product line of a Seattle, Wa.-based marijuana retailer, it lives up to its name at US$99 an ounce. That works out to $4.76 a gram Canadian, and it would put the cost of a joint in the $1.50-$2 range.

Medical cannabis may have the potential to help wean opioid users addicted to the deadly drugs, new research shows.

The review of previous research found early evidence that medical marijuana might help with treatment for mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse disorders.