CannabisLink.ca - Current Affairs 2026

(2026) - Current Affairs (34 items)

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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.
May 20, 2026	Canada’s Cannabis Advantage: Infrastructure, Innovation, and the Road to Global Dominance At the recent International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC) Berlin in April, a panel of industry veterans gathered to discuss the evolution and future trajectory of the Canadian cannabis market. Moderated by Alex Revich, the discussion provided a comprehensive look at how Canada has been actively leveraging its first-mover advantage while navigating the complexities of a maturing and constantly evolving industry. The Canadian cannabis market, born from a historic federal legalization, continues to evolve from its early “green rush” days into a mature industry seeking sustainable global influence.
May 18, 2026	Strict Rules Keep Canadian Cannabis Brands on the World Cup Sidelines Canada is preparing to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside the United States and Mexico, an event expected to draw millions of viewers and hundreds of thousands of visitors. For most industries, it represents a once-in-a-generation marketing opportunity. But for cannabis companies, the conversation is much more complicated.
May 15, 2026	Should Canada rewrite the Cannabis Act? The Cannabis law was passed in 2018 under former prime minister Justin Trudeau. But as Staniforth points out, it doesn’t include any mention of First Nations, Inuit or Métis people. “That was a really big red flag when the Act was tabled as a bill in 2018,” Staniforth said. “It passed over arguably the most complicated aspect of legalization, which is how on earth do you harmonize legalizing nationally with Indigenous rights and treaty?”
May 15, 2026	Health Canada Seeks Feedback on Potential Changes to Industrial Hemp Regulations Health Canada is looking to streamline aspects of the nation’s industrial hemp regulations as part of the government’s red tape reduction efforts. In a Notice of Intent posted on May 15, 2026, the federal health agency called for interested parties to provide feedback on potential amendments to the Industrial Hemp Regulations (IHR).
Apr 27, 2026	Health Canada, Public Safety Canada provide updates on personal/designated medical cannabis licences New data released by Health Canada provides a detailed look into the landscape of personal and designated production registrations for medical cannabis across Canada. The information comes in response to a request for information tabled in the House of Commons asked in March by Todd Doherty (MP for Cariboo—Prince George, BC), who asked a series of questions regarding the monitoring and inspection of personal and designated production of cannabis for medical purposes under the Cannabis Act and associated regulations. Such licences allow individuals with authorization from a medical professional to grow cannabis for themselves for medical purposes, or to designate someone to grow it for them on their behalf. Such licences have been established through several court cases in Canada going back more than twenty years. Such licences are also often a point of controversy as they often operate in residential areas and have, at times, been found to be abused by criminals operating under such licences while diverting cannabis into the illicit market.
Apr 24, 2026	Canadian Cannabis Sales Continued to Advance in February Statistics Canada released February retail sales for the country, with cannabis sales decreasing from the January levels, down 7.9% to C$440.5 million from the prior month. The sequential decrease was up 2.0% on a per-day basis more due to the fewer days than in the prior month. January, originally reported at C$466.1 million, was revised higher to C$478.2 million. The sales in February were up 7.9% from a year ago, down from the level last month at 9.4% and in May at 8.3% and 7.5% in June but better than the prior lowest annual growth rate since legalization commenced of -0.9% in September 2024 due to the BC strike. In 2024, total sales increased 4.5% to C$5.39 billion, and they were up 4.1% in 2025 to C$5.62 billion. So far in 2026, sales are up 8.6%.
Apr 16, 2026	Canada’s cannabis business since legalization It’s coming up on eight years since recreational cannabis use in Canada was legalized in 2018. Before that, virtually all cannabis transactions were conducted illegally, in the shadows, where everything, including accurate data, were sketchy at best. Today, we know how and where legal cannabis is grown, where it is warehoused and sold, and how much it is taxed. Half of Canada’s cannabis retailers are small businesses, employing four people or less You will find legal cannabis dispensaries across Canada, precisely 3,295 retail businesses with employees at the end of 2025, on main streets in big cities, in suburban strip malls and in small towns, too. In 2025, just over half (51.4%) of Canada’s cannabis retailers were small shops with one to four employees. Meanwhile, we counted two mega retailers with 200 to 499 employees.

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