Michael Berger, Associate Editor of MoneyShow.com, a leading expert on the cannabis sector, discusses how the Nasdaq’s recent decision to decline MassRoots’ listing application actually opened the door for Canadian cannabis stocks.

The Main Stage at the Lift Cannabis Expo was packed full of amazing and knowledgable speakers, providing a great cross section of the cannabis industry. Starting off with...

The Main Stage at the Lift Cannabis Expo was packed full of amazing and knowledgable speakers, providing a great cross section of the cannabis industry. Starting off with industry analysts like David Hyde, Ivan Ross and Elliot Gauthier and finishing off the day with activists like Jodie Emery and Dana Larsen, the Main Stage area was full of crowds interested in learning more about the evolving cannabis industry in Canada and around the world.

More than a week after Toronto police raided dozens of local pot dispensaries, the ones still open are feeling the stress.

“Most [staff] are just trying to make a living, not making big bucks like the owners,” said a manager at the Green Room dispensary in Davisville who identified himself as Green Eyez.

“We shouldn’t have to worry about being charged with a serious crime.”

As part of the Project Claudia raids May 26, police laid criminal charges against 90 dispensary owners and employees, while confiscating 270 kilograms of pot and $160,000 in cash.

Chef Cody Lindsay whips pancake batter while an intrigued crowd watches. He adds whole wheat flour and oats to give the mixture a healthy boost.

"It's just small improvements to your diet that will help you feel better," he tells the audience at a recent cooking demonstration in Toronto.

Then comes the final ingredient — one not typically found in pancakes — a few doses of cannabis oil.

"Now, we know that each pancake is going to have a least one millilitre of THC," Lindsay says.

The cannabis industry in Toronto these days can feel a lot like riding Space Mountain. The twists and turns are sudden; you’re mostly kept in the dark and, when the sun rises the following morning, you can’t believe how much the trip ended up costing.

420 is a mega-marijuana mart in Olympia, Washington — a big box store selling pot from local producers with names like “time bomb.”

But business is certainly booming, according to owner Chad Champagne, and there was a steady stream of customers the morning and afternoon Global News paid a visit to the store.

“Demand is high,” Champagne told Global News. “People now feel comfortable coming in and buying pot.”

He said his customer base is a bit older than many might expect. “People in their mid-40s and mostly male.”

The cash-only joint is run like Fort Knox, with three different security systems and night patrols.

But in the backroom, vaults are filled with the green stuff rather than greenbacks.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking interest in how to effectively regulate marijuana.

The agency is cohosting a conference later this month that will include a panel examining Canada’s system of legal medical cannabis, according to a notice published in the Federal Register on Thursday.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has admitted to smoking marijuana in the past, said on Thursday he has no plans to light up even after his government makes it legal to do so.

"I don't think so. I'm not someone who has a history of using drugs," Trudeau said, speaking in Winnipeg in a question and answer session with the Winnipeg Free Press newspaper. "I lived in Whistler (British Columbia) for a few years, surrounded by friends who did.

"It was never my thing."

Trudeau, 44, said he does not drink much alcohol or coffee, either.

Canadians are allowed to use medical marijuana with a prescription, but recreational use is illegal. The government has said it will introduce legislation to legalize recreational use in 2017.

Michael Berger, the Associate Editor of MoneyShow.com, is a leading expert on the cannabis sector, highlights the fastest growing licensed medical cannabis producer and views the company as a buy opportunity after reporting its third quarter earnings.

As cannabis continues to become mainstream, more investors will become attracted to the sector and look for investment opportunities within it.