Week in Weed – January 31, 2026

This past week, StratCann was full of cannabis industry sales data, as Canadian cannabis prices continue to level off and retail sales continue to climb, while new figures from Health Canada show that Canadian cannabis sales were up 20% in Q2 2025, as the total licensed area expands. BC released their Q3 wholesale figures, showing a big decline in sales and a massive increase in sales through Direct Delivery, as expected.

We also looked at a recent petition that seeks to raise the legal age for cannabis use in Canada to 25, ban edibles, revoke licenses over odour, and questions how the cannabis industry uses Canada’s Temporary Foreign Workers program.

In financial news, Cannara Biotech shared its Q1 2026 report, Nextleaf shared its 2025 fiscal report, High Tide shared its Q2 2026, and Ayurcann filed for creditor protection, citing an urgent need for relief following increased CRA fees.

Health Canada has updated information available online for adults who use cannabis for medical purposes or are considering it. This was developed in response to recommendations 44 and 45 in the final report from the 204 Legislative Review of the Cannabis Act.

Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corp (NLC) shared cannabis trends as part of a 2025 In Review.

Cannabis NB’s next Cannabis Expo will be at the Moncton Coliseum on Saturday, March 7.

PEI Cannabis’ O’Leary store turned seven years old this past week.

The OCS shared their new cannabis products for February 2026.

A new CannabisXpress location will be opening in Cap-Pelé, NB, in the coming weeks.

One Plant Cannabis has applied for a cannabis retail licence in Williams Lake, BC. The company hopes to open this spring.

The District of Kent, BC, is welcoming comments from the public for a proposed cannabis store—1064500 B.C. Ltd. (Harrison Cannabis)—on Lougheed Highway, near the turnoff for Harrison Hot Springs. Comments must be received by February 17, 2026.

City Council in White Rock, BC, approved a bylaw to amend the Zoning Bylaw to permit the operation of a non-medical cannabis retail store on a permanent basis at 1478 Johnston Road for A Little Bud, which had previously been operating under a Temporary Use Permit (TUP). White Rock has two licensed cannabis stores.

A proposal for a cannabis production facility on Cowichan Lake Rd in BC was unanimously given third reading by North Cowichan council at a meeting on Jan. 21. The property is located within the ALR, and the application was for a non-soil based-cannabis production facility.

The dispute between residents in Pelham, Ontario, and a nearby Redecan cannabis facility over claims of odour and light pollution continues.

Equipment for processing cannabis was stolen from a greenhouse in rural Norfolk County, Ontario, police say.

MTL Cannabis Corp. has mailed its management information circular and related proxy materials for its special meeting of the holders of common shares of MTL Cannabis to be held at the offices of Farris LLP at 700 W Georgia St #2500, Vancouver, BC V7Y 1B3 at 9:00 a.m. (Vancouver time) on February 17, 2026.

Cannara Biotech Inc. announced that it has received conditional approval to uplist its common shares to the Toronto Stock Exchange from the TSX Venture Exchange.

The Cannabis Working Group at Membertou First Nation has been disbanded due to the current political tension between the Mi’kmaq Nation and the Nova Scotia government. However, the group is continuing its work on developing a regulated model for cannabis sales in the community.

First Nation chiefs in Nova Scotia now tell CBC they are developing their own law and regulations on the retail sale of cannabis on reserves in defiance of a provincial crackdown on unlicensed outlets. Membertou Chief Terry Paul, who speaks for the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs on the subject, said First Nations are opposed to provincial regulation of cannabis sales and are exercising their right to self-government.

An Appeals Commission for Alberta’s Workers’ Compensation panel found that a worker’s medical cannabis authorization exceeded the limits set by WCB, which caps daily cannabis dosage at 3 grams and THC content at 9%. Despite prior approval, the updated policy applied to all decisions made after September 7, 2022, including coverage extensions. The worker’s prescription of six grams per day with 26% THC did not meet these criteria, and an appeal was denied.

In 2025, the CBSA intercepted over 46,608 kg of cannabis, a 162% increase from the prior year.

Eight men who were facing cannabis trafficking and money-laundering charges saw the cases brought against them tossed out because the lead prosecutor and one of the defence lawyers in the case had an affair.

Village Farms International, Inc. was named the winner of Business in Vancouver’s (BIV) 2026 BC Export Awards in the Consumer Products category, recognizing the company’s exceptional export performance and its contribution to British Columbia’s growing international trade economy.

According to a new report from the IMF, fully eliminating non-geographic internal trade barriers could raise Canada’s real GDP by nearly 7% over time, or roughly $210 billion in today’s terms. The report focuses on large industries with the greatest economic influence, like finance, transport, and telecommunications—sectors that are highly traded across provinces and deeply embedded in input-output networks. Still, it adds to the conversation around the kinds of inter-provincial trade barriers holding back Canada’s growing cannabis sector from realizing its full potential for Canada’s economy.

US cannabis company Vireo Growth Inc. entered into a nonbinding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company to acquire The Hawthorne Gardening Company LLC, an independent operating subsidiary of Scotts Miracle-Gro.

A new report, called Cannabis Marketing Restrictions and Exposure to Cannabis Marketing in Legal US Cannabis Markets: Findings From the International Cannabis Policy Study, was published in the Drug and Alcohol Review.

The United Center in Chicago will become the first arena in the US to offer hemp-derived THC beverages, available at most concerts and live events for guests 21 and over, although this will not include Bulls or Blackhawks games.

After more than twenty years of a strictly regulated framework for medical cannabis in the Netherlands, Bedrocan is moving towards a new supply relationship with the evolving global cannabis industry, reports Newsweed.

Caribbean cannabis growers eye budding domestic sales and exports, reports the BBC.

IM Cannabis Corp., a medical cannabis company with operations in Israel and Germany, today announced that it has raised a total of US$2,171,660.40 in debt financings from an arm’s-length third party in order to manage its current liquidity requirements.

In 2025, Israel imported 30.5 tons of medical cannabis and exported about 11 tons, reports Israel’s Cannabis Magazine.

US anti-cannabis organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) published an“Impact Report” on the cannabis industry, highlighting SAM’s opposition to cannabis regulation and its efforts to prevent rescheduling.

And finally, Uruguay was the first country in the world to regulate the cannabis market for all its uses. But medicinal use, one of the most widespread globally, was paradoxically one of the last to be regulated and has been the most neglected, writes El Observador.