CannabisLink.ca - Current Affairs 2026

(2026) - Current Affairs (41 items)

(All links open in new tab)

Aug 28, 2026	Canada now the world’s largest legal cannabis market OTTAWA — Canada is now the largest legal cannabis market in the world by monthly retail sales, with dispensaries outnumbering liquor stores in some communities as national sales climb to record levels. Statistics Canada says cannabis stores sold $517.8 million worth of products in June, setting a monthly record. The previous month also surpassed half a billion dollars, with revised May sales reaching $510.4 million. Both totals exceeded the previous record of $508.6 million set in December 2025.
Aug 24, 2026	Canada still dominates global cannabis exports, but changes are coming fast Long a boon mostly for Canada, still the world’s biggest exporter of cannabis, Germany’s growing appetite for medical cannabis threatens to reshape the global marijuana market and trigger a race among major international players to seize and ensure a share of the pie in rapidly expanding Europe. These include U.S.-based marijuana multistate operator Curaleaf Holdings as well as Canadian licensed producers who have long dominated global cannabis trade.
Aug 21, 2026	Canadian Cannabis Retail Sales Hit New $500M+ Record in June 2026 Retail cannabis sales surpassed half a billion dollars in May and June of 2026, both setting new records, according to the latest figures from Statistics Canada, which also include notable increases to previous estimates for May 2026. Cannabis stores across the country sold $517.8 million worth of cannabis in June 2026 and $510.4 million in May. Both months outperformed the previous high-water mark of $508.6 million in December, 2025.
Aug 12, 2026	Federal government invests $24 million for cannabis and brain health research TORONTO — Federal Minister of Health Marjorie Michel has announced $24 million to create the Canadian Cannabis and Brain Health Consortium. Funded through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the group of 10 research teams from across Canada will work together to study how cannabis affects the brain in people of various ages.
Jul 28, 2026	Veterans with PTSD and chronic pain will have to pay up for pot prescriptions with new government policy There are concerns about recent changes to how much veterans are reimbursed for medicinal cannabis. In April, Veterans Affairs Canada dropped how much it covers from $8.50 a gram to $6.00 per gram. Many veterans have reported that this change affects the way they consume cannabis through the federal reimbursement program, which has been around since 2007.
Jul 28, 2026	Canadian Cannabis Sales Reach $485 Million in May 2026 Canada sold $485 million worth of cannabis in May 2026, according to the most recent figures from Statistics Canada. This represents a 1% year-over-year increase compared to sales in May 2025 and a 1% month-over-month decline from April 2026. National sales were down slightly from the previous month’s $490.8 million, driven by declines in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and BC.
Jul 22, 2026	Health Canada Revises Cannabis Import, Odour, and Hemp Policies Health Canada has created a central online repository for ongoing and upcoming guidance documents as part of the cannabis program’s Red Tape Reduction efforts, including some initial “key” and “minor” changes. Those changes include revisions relating to guidance documents for cannabis imports, odour mitigation requirements, and hemp policies. The red tape reduction initiative, launched in 2025 as part of the federal government’s overall red tape reduction efforts, aims to reduce administrative burden and improve service delivery in Canada.
Jul 17, 2026	Extracts, Edibles Shape Q3 2025 Canadian Cannabis Trends The latest sales and inventory figures from Health Canada indicate that total cannabis sales in the medical and recreational markets were up 21% in Q3 2025 (July-September) compared with Q3 2024. Dried cannabis continued to account for the largest share of total medical and non-medical sales at 48% (12,901,920 units), although its overall share continues to shrink from 50% in Q2 2025 and 51% in Q3 2024. The second largest cannabis product category after dried cannabis flower was cannabis extracts at 28%, which includes the fast-growing vape pen category. This was up from 25% in the previous quarter and 24% year over year.
Jul 16, 2026	Ottawa’s high taxes are stunting the growth of legal cannabis Almost eight years after Canada legalized cannabis, the black market remains strong. One major reason: a tax structure that makes it harder for the legal industry to compete. A long overdue reform of that tax structure could move Canada closer to achieving the aims of legalization. The legal regime, laid out in 2018’s Cannabis Act, was designed to keep cannabis out of the hands of youth, prevent money from flowing to criminals and protect public safety through the creation of a regulated market.
Jun 27, 2026	Nova Scotia raises illegal cannabis fines to $50,000, adds new offences Nova Scotia proclaimed higher fines and new offences under its Cannabis Control Act on June 25, targeting illegal cannabis sales and aiming to reduce youth access to unregulated products.
Jun 26, 2026	Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance Urges Regulatory Overhaul to Boost Industry Growth The Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance (CHTA) is calling for a redefinition of “industrial hemp” to allow for higher THC limits up to 1%, and for modernizing and streamlining the licensing process for hemp farmers. The proposal is part of CHTA’s submission in response to Health Canada’s May 2026 call for feedback on streamlining aspects of Canada’s industrial hemp regulations as part of the government’s red-tape reduction efforts. The deadline for that feedback is Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
Jun 24, 2026	Health Canada answers concerns about retail cannabis oversight Health Canada is defending its oversight of the cannabis industry after a recent study concluded there are gaps in the tracking of new products and a lack of uniformity in how product potency is displayed on packaging. These concerns were raised in a report prepared by Lakehead University researchers.
Jun 20, 2026	The Cannabis Debate Is Not Just About Legalization Anymore, It’s About Who Benefits Generations of activists have protested against cannabis prohibition, taking to the streets in cities around the world to lobby for legalization. But a major global review published this week, suggests this once-controversial conversation is no longer a question of whether cannabis should be regulated, but how— and what comes next.
Jun 19, 2026	Health Canada Orders Ontario Cannabis Store to Remove Colourful Mural Health Canada has told a cannabis retailer about two hours north of Toronto that it must remove a large, colourful mural from the outside of its building. Treetz Cannabis, an independently run store in the community of Collingwood, had an artist paint a mural on the outside. The mural includes various characters painted in bright colours.
Jun 16, 2026	PBO Clarifies the Math Behind $4.4 Billion “Savings” from Veterans’ Cannabis Policy The Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) has provided additional information on the government’s estimate of savings from recent changes to the medical cannabis compensation program through Veterans Affairs Canada. Canada’s Budget 2025, released in November, included measures to adjust medical cannabis benefits for the RCMP and Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), to save the government $4.4 billion over four years. The move lowered the compensation rate from the federal government for cannabis for medical purposes for approved Veterans, from $8.50 a gram to $6 a gram, effective April 1, 2026.
Jun 11, 2026	Alberta updates cannabis sampling policies Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) has announced amendments to its cannabis representative and retail cannabis store policies, with changes taking effect immediately. The updates apply to Section 4.3 of the Cannabis Representative Handbook and Section 6.3 of the Retail Cannabis Store Handbook. Under the revised guidelines, cannabis representatives are now permitted to provide product samples to retail cannabis store licensees on an ongoing basis, in quantities deemed appropriate for legitimate business and educational purposes. All samples are restricted to licensee use only and must remain in compliance with federal guidelines. The amendments also bring a notable reduction in administrative burden: record-keeping requirements for cannabis sampling have been cut from six years to two years.
Jun 9, 2026	Statistics Canada: Canadian Governments Earned $2.5B from Adult-Use Cannabis Sales During One Fiscal Year Federal and provincial governments earned $2.5 billion from adult-use cannabis sales during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, according to data from Statistics Canada. The total represents an 11.5% increase from the previous fiscal year. Simultaneously, governments earned $13.1 billion from alcohol sales, which marked a 4.2% decline and the largest annual decrease since the agency began tracking the figures in 2004-2005. During the fiscal year, adult-use cannabis sales increased 6.1% or $300 million from the previous fiscal year; however, the growth was down compared to the $5.5 billion increase in 2024-2025. In 2022-2023, adult-use cannabis sales in Canada were up 15.8% from the previous fiscal year, and in 2023-2024, sales increased 11.6%, according to Statistics Canada.
Jun 3, 2026	Health Canada recalls cannabis product sold in Alberta Health Canada says some Albertans were shorted on their pot purchases. In an online advisory, the agency says Hybrid Infusion Ltd. initiated a recall of one of its cannabis products because of improper labelling and packaging.
Jun 2, 2026	Canadian Cannabis Industry Meets Trade Commissioners in London to Strengthen Global Export Position Representatives from Canada’s cannabis industry met with the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service hosted at Canada’s High Commission in London, UK, on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. Attendees say the meeting highlights the Canadian cannabis industry’s position on the international stage, as well as the federal government’s growing support for Canada’s medicinal cannabis export industry. It also served as a follow-up from a May 4 meeting in Ottawa with similar attendees and topics.
May 21, 2026	Cannabis vape recalled due to incorrect THC labelling A cannabis vape sold in Ontario has been recalled due to incorrect THC labelling that shows lower THC content than what is in the product. On Wednesday, CannaPiece Corp. issued a recall notice for its Jays Pin Pennifer 0.4 g all-in-one vape after the company received a complaint. Health Canada stated the product’s label underreports total THC, listing 350 mg/g instead of the correct 972 mg/g.

Page: 1 2 3