The final months of life for Jacob Securities Inc. were marred by capital deficiencies, compliance violations, a senior executive’s abrupt exit and employees being locked out of the office, according to documents released Tuesday.

Amid the pandemonium, the Toronto-based broker dealer was still trying to raise money for a new fund, say documents from the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC). On Dec. 18, IIROC announced it had suspended Jacob Securities’ membership, which effectively put the dealer out of business.

“We disagree with both the characterizations and the outcome of the report, and we are weighing our options,” Sasha Jacob, founder and chief executive officer of Jacob Securities, said in an interview.

The federal government could raise $300 million a year in tax if it legalised marijuana. 

Just what are they smoking down in the Parliamentary Budget Office?

The normally conservative federal institution has done some highly unusual economic modelling based on the question: how much money could the Turnbull government raise if it legalised and then applied the GST to marijuana?

The answer is about $300 million a year.

And that doesn't even include the increased tax toke – sorry, take – from the inevitable boom in sales of pizza and Doritos.

Members of Americans for Safe Access (ASA), KOPAC and Dioscorides Global Holdings (DGH) were joined by the Minister of Health for the Czech Republic recently to announce the establishment of a new research center, the International Cannabis and Cannabinoid Institute (ICCI) – intended to foster evidence-based exploration with a modern scientific approach to refine the therapeutic applicability of cannabis-based medicines in the Czech Republic. ICCI will identify, coordinate and support global research priorities for the advancement of cannabis and cannabinoid treatments through a multidisciplinary evidence based approach that incorporates innovative tools and approaches.

OTTAWA -- Call it Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's secret stash.

A new report from CIBC World Markets says Canada's federal and provincial governments could reap as much as $5 billion annually in tax revenues from the sale of legal marijuana.

CIBC economist Avery Shenfeld crunched the numbers using current estimates of Canadian recreational pot consumption, the revenue experience in U.S. states that have legalized, and other factors -- such as prevailing "sin tax" rates on alcohol and tobacco.

"The bottom line is that federal (and) provincial governments might reap as much as $5 billion from legalization, but only if all the underground sales are effectively curtailed," writes Shenfeld.

"That's on the order of 0.25 per cent of GDP, no barnburner."

Every two months, Chris Skidmore crushes about half a kilogram of dried marijuana, soaks it in isopropyl alcohol, then strains the liquid through a coffee filter and into a rice cooker to burn off the remaining fumes – creating his own cannabis oil. He swallows a few drops of the oil every morning before breakfast, along with a cocktail of vitamin, fish oil and glucosamine chondroitin pills, to treat his HIV symptoms.

Ramsin Ishaq can smoke his medically prescribed marijuana all day long at a new medical marijuana smoking and vaping lounge in downtown Windsor, Ont., but health officials say he can't flick the ash from his joint in an ashtray.

Instead, he has to ash his joint on the counter top or table.

That's because health officials ordered the owner of Higher Limits lounge to remove all ashtrays, which cannot be kept inside any business under Ontario's tobacco laws.

The situation is a bit of an odd conundrum for the owner, Jon Liedtke. Those same tobacco laws have no mention of marijuana, which is why he can legally operate a smoking and vaping lounge that caters to medical marijuana users.

An Ontario public health unit is getting ahead of federal promises to legalize marijuana by issuing resolutions on how to regulate the drug. 

Officials from the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit outlined their concerns in a report last week. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made it a campaign promise to legalize the drug. Former Toronto police chief, turned Liberal M-P Bill Blair is leading an investigation into what regulations might be adopted.

"From a public health perspective, if we can't get rid of something, let's look at how we can use it safely," said Dr. Wajid Ahmed, the health unit's associate officer of health.  

Gonzo Nieto, the co-chairman of the grassroots organization Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy (CSSDP), believes marijuana will be less accessible to minors once it's regulated.

CBC Daybreak spoke to Nieto about the impact of legal cannabis on youth as part of its series, Montreal 420.

Here are some of the key points Nieto addressed in the interview. Nieto's responses have been edited, for clarity.

On availability and use by youth

Call it Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s secret stash.

A new report from CIBC World Markets says Canada’s federal and provincial governments could reap as much as $5 billion annually in tax revenues from the sale of legal marijuana.

CIBC economist Avery Shenfeld crunched the numbers using current estimates of Canadian recreational pot consumption, the revenue experience in U.S. states that have legalized, and other factors – such as prevailing “sin tax” rates on alcohol and tobacco.

The Liberal government has promised to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana and has made MP Bill Blair, the former Toronto police chief, the lead on investigating a new regulatory model.

Legal marijuana could soon be a major revenue stream for Canada.

A new report by CIBC World Markets says legalizing marijuana in Canada could create a $10 billion annual industry, as reported by Global News.

Using Colorado’s legalization experience as a financial model, economists say Canada’s marijuana market could become much larger than earlier predictions of $3 billion annually.