Canada sees first day of cannabis legalization

After years of study, fierce debate, and a relentless campaign of public persuasion, Canadians are now free to enjoy legal cannabis, from coast to coast to coast. While many rejoiced and celebrated as they were able to purchase their buds legally for the first time, the vision of what a pot-permissive Canada looks like still remains somewhat hazy.

Video source CBC the National

October 17th 2018

Meet the first Canadian to buy recreational cannabis legally

Ian Power says he’s ‘honoured’ to be the first Canadian to buy cannabis legally and he plans to frame the purchase.

Video source CTV

‘Prince of Pot’ Marc Emery on looming legalization

Marc Emery is Canada’s self-proclaimed ‘Prince of Pot,’ and cannabis legalization has long been his cause, but with recreational marijuana becoming legal next week, Emery explains what he believes are the flaws in Canada’s legalization plan.

Video source CBC News

First Day of Legal Marijuana in Canada – 4 Hour Line-Ups! [Viva Frei]

October 17, 2018 is the first day of legal marijuana in Canada. Canada is only the second country in the world to legalize recreational marijuana. This video is not condoning or condemning marijuana use. Although I think as a general rule, one should not do drugs. With that said, this is the reefer madness in Montreal. Peace out!

Video source Viva Frei

What you need to know about Canada’s new weed laws

Getting candid about cannabis — Shauna Hunt (The Legal Pot Cast), Kim Shiffman (Editor-In-Chief Today’s Parent), and Abi Roach (Cannabis Advocate) discuss what Canada’s new marijuana legislation means for families.

Video source Cityline

Good news = Canada is Legal

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AND THE RAIDS BEGIN:

WARMINGTON: Toronto police boot out illegal dispensaries

By Joe Warmington

They can’t say they were not warned!

They were.

They can’t say they were not given the opportunity to partake in the legal weed game.

That opportunity was available to them as well.

What they can say is they clearly misread the resolve of government and law enforcement to crack down on black market marijuana in favour of the new legalized pot now available for sale.

That was on full display. Message sent. Message delivered.

Five illegal pot dispensaries were shut down by Toronto Police Friday. These locations were at 66 Fort York Blvd., 333 Spadina Ave., 912 Danforth Ave., 1506 Dundas St. W. and 2655 Lawrence Ave. E.

“Nothing has changed since before (legalization day on Oct. 17),” said Toronto Police spokesperson Gary Long.

1019 21:10 Provincial Cannabis Act Enf, Five Dispensaries Closed, Ei…pl Chrgd & Rlsd https://t.co/BrPl4DvKwc

— Toronto Police (@TorontoPolice) October 20, 2018

“The selling of marijuana through these places was illegal before that day and it’s still illegal today.”

He reminded the public that Premier Doug Ford’s government gave those operating dispensaries the heads up that they needed to cease operations immediately while offering them a chance, if they complied, to apply for a legal cannabis sales licence which would allow them in on the market in about six months.

“Anyone operating a storefront after Oct. 17 is doing so illegally,” Ontario’s office of the Attorney General said in a release last week. “Failure to comply with the rules, whether provincial or federal, would preclude someone from obtaining a Retail Operator’s Licence.”

There was no ambiguity there.

“Until they have a licence they are not legally allowed to sell it,” said Long. “The legal way is through the Ontario Cannabis store.”

What is interesting about these charges compared to such raids prior to the legalization is they now fall under the provincial Cannabis Act. They are not criminal code charges, but provincial offences that come with stiff fines. In this case, eight budtenders were charged under the new act. Unlike before with criminal code charges, police say they will not be releasing the names of those associated with the raids.

Illegal drug sales are still enforced by Toronto Police’s drug squad and convictions under this act still will put people on the sidelines of applying for a legal retail outlet when they go online in the spring.

So, five down and how many more to go?

Well, there are a lot more of them out there which must see the writing on the wall? It’s not like before when police felt kind of bad about busting these places as the date to legalize was looming. This is different now. There is a legal market for marijuana available to consumers and these storefronts are not part of that. The message to those who did not get Friday’s message is even louder and clearer than it was before.

“The Toronto Police Service will continue enforcement and would like to remind those operating illegal dispensaries that if they choose to stay open, they do so at their own risk,” said a news release.

In other words, keep your eye on the door and get your cheque book ready.

It’s not like you weren’t warned.

Article source Toronto Sun

How much weed was sold on Canada’s legalization day, province-by-province

By Katie Dangerfield

Cannabis was “flying off the shelves” in retail outlets and online stores across the country as soon as the clock struck midnight Wednesday.

The demand was so high that pot stores reported running low or completely out of cannabis on the first day. So how much weed did Canadians purchase on legalization day?

Here is a breakdown of the cannabis sales by province (Manitoba, Ontario and Newfoundland did not get back to Global News at the time of publication).

British Columbia

Nearly 10,000 cannabis sales were made in British Columbia on Wednesday.

According to the BC Liquor Distribution Branch, a total of 9,980 orders were placed — 9,175 of which were online sales. Around 800 sales were made at the only government-run store open on Day 1. It’s in Kamloops.

The government did not provide the total sales, but the cheapest weed you can buy in the province is a pre-roll for $4.20. So if the baseline is set at the minimum price, B.C. made around $41,000 in sales that day.

Alberta

Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis said it made nearly $730,000 in sales that day. As of 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the province recorded around 8,300 sales.

Watch below: More questions were being raised about Alberta’s cannabis supply on Friday. Some retailers have sold out already and experts warn we may face shortages for years. Fletcher Kent reports.

Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan Liquor & Gaming Authority said it does not track cannabis sales as private retailers sell recreational marijuana and the product comes from federally licensed producers or private wholesalers.

Quebec

The Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) said there were 42,000 cannabis orders processed on the first day of legalization, with 12,500 in-store transactions and 30,000 online orders.

“This volume of orders far exceeds the SQDC’s expectations, but also demonstrates the robustness of the company’s systems,” the SQDC said in a statement.

Quebec has previously said products would be priced at a minimum of $5.25 a gram, taxes included, meaning if every customer limited themselves to one gram of the cheapest product, the province would have pulled in $220,500 in sales.

Nova Scotia

It was a big day for Nova Scotia. The province made 12,180 cannabis transactions on the first day of legalization.

Beverley Ware, a spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation said the transactions totalled “just over $660,000 in sales” and that almost $47,000 of those sales were online.

New Brunswick

Cannabis NB said it’s choosing not to release its cannabis sales.

“We want to take the extra time to do a manual analysis of our foot traffic, sales, and inventory to ensure that they are all function as prescribe,” a spokesperson told Global News.

P.E.I.

P.E.I. Cannabis said it made a total of $152,408 in sales after tax on Wednesday. Online sales accounted for $20,974 and stores brought in around $131,434.

Article source Global News