Canadian medical marijuana producers are in the spotlight, thanks to high share prices and a more than $1 billion valuation for Ontario-based Canopy Growth Corp. So should Canadians consider the country's booming marijuana sector as an investment opportunity?

Not necessarily, say investment experts.

Pat McKeough, chief investment officer for TSI Wealth Network in Toronto, said a number of his clients have asked about marijuana stocks. But "none of them" have struck his team as anything they would recommend.

Amid the relatively new industry's explosive growth, not every company will achieve long-term success, he said.

Is it true… Could pot now be laced with fentanyl?

That’s the claim Premier Christy Clark is making, as she takes her pitch for more help in the opioid crisis to Ottawa.

Speaking to reporters today, Clark said the toxic narcotic had turned up in pot seized by Vancouver cops.

“Vancouver police did a major seizure, they found cocaine with fentanyl, heroin with fentanyl, methamphetamine with fentanyl and marijuana with fentanyl,” she said.

It’s a worrying claim. And one that’s news to Vancouver Coastal Health’s Chief Medical Health Officer Patricia Daly.

“I can only speak for what we know in the Vancouver Coastal Region and we haven’t had any reports of fentanyl contamination of marijuana here at this point,” she said.

The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) is calling on government to put strict regulations in place before marijuana is legalized in the country.

The Liberal Government, led by Justin Trudeau, is on its way to legalizing marijuana across the country for recreation use and many are concerned for what this means for drivers.

A poll conducted by the CAA shows that nearly two-thirds of Canadians are worried that roads will become more dangerous when marijuana is legalized.

Vice President of the Canadian Automobile Association, Gary Howard, says these are concerns need to be addressed before smokers hit the road.

The Canadian government is getting gouged on its veteran medical marijuana program, and a VICE News investigation has revealed the likely culprits.

According to figures provided by Veterans Affairs Canada, the number of retired soldiers obtaining medical marijuana from the government saw a staggering 15-fold increase over just three years, with a corresponding 50-time increase in cost.

From just 112 veterans on the plan in 2013, the federal government now covers the medical marijuana prescriptions for 1,762 veterans nation-wide. The cost has gone from $400,000 to $20 million in that time. That’s a jump of 5,000 percent. 

Marijuana scored huge victories in eight out of nine states on Election Day. California, Nevada, Massachusetts, Maine, Florida, North Dakota, Arkansas and Montana all legalized medial and/or recreational marijuana use.

Although marijuana remains illegal in the United States on a federal level, the marijuana legalization movement is clearly gaining momentum. Unfortunately, the federal ban makes marijuana investing risky and treacherous business for U.S. investors.

The Top 5

It looks like Canada is well on its way to legalizing marijuana. Our federal government has voiced its support for legalizing the drug, and changes to the Criminal Code are expected by next spring.

But it's not all fun and games.

Before marijuana is legalized, a number of serious concerns will need to be addressed. This will involve participation from both our federal and provincial governments. After all, most of the practical responsibilities associated with adapting to its presence will fall into the hands of our provincial governments. These will include responsibilities such as the sale and distribution the drug, as well as the regulation of highways and roadways.

Canadian marijuana stocks went on a wild ride on Wednesday as a number of the companies’ shares soared in the morning and were later halted after massive spikes in trading.

The country’s publicly-traded marijuana companies, including Canopy Growth Corp (CGC.TO), Aurora Cannabis Inc (ACB.V), Mettrum Health Corp (MT.V), Aphria Inc (APH.V), OrganiGram Holdings Inc (OGI.V), and Supreme Pharmaceuticals Inc (SL.CD) were all halted for brief periods.

Smith Falls, Ont.-based Canopy was halted five separate times on Wednesday. Its stock surged nearly 30 per cent, and ended down 15.24 per cent to close at $11.40 per share. More than 24 million shares of Canopy changed hands on Wednesday.

Retrofit existing greenhouses or is it better to purpose build greenhouses for marijuana growing?

Just before the election I read an article about California pot growers paying millions of dollars for old greenhouses in the Salinas Valley. After the results of the US marijuana elections greenhouse property values are likely increasing in eastern states like Massachusetts and Maine as much as they are in the West.

Using marijuana could help some alcoholics and people addicted to opioids kick their habits, a UBC study has found.

"Research suggests that people may be using cannabis as an exit drug to reduce the use of substances that are potentially more harmful, such as opioid pain medication," says the study's lead investigator Zach Walsh, an associate professor of psychology at UBC's Okanagan campus.

This comprehensive systematic review of research on the medical cannabis use and mental health also found some evidence that cannabis may help with symptoms of depression, PTSD and social anxiety. However, the review concluded that cannabis use might not be recommended for conditions such as bipolar disorder and psychosis.

Aurora Cannabis Inc keeps climbing after posting strong earnings and its latest operations update. Investor enthusiasm for the leading Canadian cannabis players like Aurora, Canopy Growth Corp, and Aphria Inc continues. Aphria just boosted its war chest and Canopy became Canada’s first billion dollar plus cannabis unicorn after its tremendous bull run. With a current market cap of C$669 million, is Aurora Cannabis next to have a billion dollar market cap?