News - Business (255 items)
(All links open in new tab)
| Feb 27, 2026 |
Monsanto Never Cracked Weed. 2026 Might Open the Door If corporations own the seeds of almost everything we eat, why hasn’t anyone managed to do the same thing to cannabis? Until now, cannabis has lived in a kind of legal and cultural side universe where the usual machinery of seed monopolies never fully clicked into place. That universe is ending. The changes converging around 2026, especially the shift to regulating seeds by THC potential and the slow march toward rescheduling, represent the first plausible structural opening for a Monsanto-style player in weed. |
|---|---|
| Feb 26, 2026 |
Alberta to eliminate 2% early payment fee for cannabis producers The Alberta Government announced on Thursday, February 26, 2026, that it will be getting rid of its 2% early payment fee for producers selling into the province as of April 1, 2026. The fee applies to payments from Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis (AGLC) to producers for their products sold in the province within 15 days, rather than the standard 60-day turnaround. |
| Feb 25, 2026 |
Union raises safety concerns as solo shifts introduced for BC Cannabis Store workers Some BC Cannabis Store staffers will be working solo for the first time since legalization, following a provincial policy change that is raising safety concerns for the union that represents store employees. |
| Feb 24, 2026 |
Arbitrator kills cannabis suspension: positive urine test wasn't enough proof A workplace vehicle accident. A positive urine test. A 30-day unpaid suspension, mandatory drug assessments, and random testing — all thrown out. In a February 12, 2026, award, Arbitrator Graham J. Clarke ruled that Toronto Terminals Railway Company (TTR) had no just cause to discipline a signal maintainer who tested positive for THC metabolites after a workplace incident, because TTR failed to prove he was actually impaired on the job. For HR professionals relying on blanket cannabis prohibition policies, the message is clear: a positive urine test alone is not enough. |
| Feb 24, 2026 |
Health Canada provides updates on cannabis sampling rules for producers Health Canada is reminding cannabis production licence holders of the requirements for engaging in activities with cannabis samples, focusing on storage, distribution, documentation, and personnel. All cannabis used for the purpose of providing samples to cannabis retailers must be stored at the site specified in the licence. Storage is not permitted at any location other than the licensed site or at a dwelling-house, including permanent or temporary residences. |
| Feb 24, 2026 |
Organigram launches 10 SKUs in Australian medical cannabis market Organigram Global Inc. is introducing 10 product SKUs in the Australian medical market across its Edison and BOXHOT brands. The move marks the first time the company’s branded products will reach one of the world’s largest medical markets, although the Canadian cannabis company already supplies cannabis flower to the Australian market through existing B2B supply relationships. |
| Feb 22, 2026 |
Ottawa yanks 4,100 cannabis licences as legal pot industry struggles with debt and black market Federal health regulators have pulled more than 4,100 cannabis licences since legalization, citing risks to public health and safety — including concerns about marijuana being diverted into the black market — as the legal pot industry grapples with bankruptcies and mounting unpaid taxes. |
| Feb 20, 2026 |
Recreational Cannabis Market Report 2026-2035: The recreational cannabis market is poised for growth due to increasing legalization, public acceptance, and demand for high-THC strains and innovative products like premium edibles and vape formats. Opportunities lie in product innovation, expanding digital retail, and capitalizing on changing attitudes toward cannabis use. |
| Feb 20, 2026 |
OCS issues recall for Cannabis Cartel QUADS’ Dubai Inspired Chocolate
The Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) has issued a recall for Cannabis Cartel QUADS’ Dubai Inspired Chocolate. The OCS says the recall is being conducted as a “precautionary measure following an aflatoxin result identified in the non-cannabis, un-dosed chocolate ingredient.” The products were packaged on September 30, 2025 and November 27, 2025 with the UPC#: 00846067004731. |
| Feb 20, 2026 |
Canadian Cannabis Sales Bounced to a New Record Level in December Statistics Canada released December retail sales for the country, with cannabis sales increasing from the November levels, up 5.3% to C$503.7 million, a new record monthly total. This sequential increase was up 1.9% on a per-day basis more due to the higher number of days than in the prior month. November, originally reported at C$477.9 million, was revised slightly higher to C$478.4 million. The sales in December were up 2.9% from a year ago, down from the level in May at 8.3%, from 7.5% in June and the 6.2% in September. This was also down from the 20.3% August 2023 growth rate and better than the prior lowest annual growth rate since legalization commenced of -0.9% in September 2024 and then -1.6% in October due to the BC strike, and it was down substantially from the December 2024 growth of 9.1%. The prior record level in August was only 1.8% above the year-earlier level. 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. |
| Feb 18, 2026 |
Cannabis jobs used to pay well. Now minimum wage is catching up. When it comes to paying her employees, Jasmine Johnson is one step ahead. Minimum wage in Florida, where the CEO of hemp-derived THC retailer Gud Essence opened her first location in Clearwater, will increase from $14 to $15 an hour Sept. 30. But Johnson already pays front-line employees significantly more – and people appear to have noticed. |
| Feb 18, 2026 |
Two years of legal cannabis from specialized retail stores: Swiss pilot project shows positive effects For more than two years, the scientific pilot project "Grashaus Projects" has been underway in the Swiss canton of Basel-Landschaft. The study examines the regulated, legal sale of recreational cannabis to registered participants through licensed specialty stores, operating under clear legal requirements and providing individualized professional counseling. Implemented operationally by the Sanity Group under the scientific leadership of the Swiss Research Institute for Public Health and Addiction (ISGF), the project is now delivering robust, up-to-date data on how controlled access to recreational cannabis can function in practice. The central findings: legal specialty stores can help push back the illicit market, strengthen consumer competence, and promote harm-reducing behavior - factors that are highly relevant both for Switzerland's ongoing legislative process on cannabis legalization and for Germany. |
| Feb 18, 2026 |
Partnership announced to introduce Japanese-quality medicinal cannabis to global markets Somai has partnered with Kiseki Plant Factory (Thailand) to support the global distribution of Kiseki's medicinal cannabis flower across Somai's international medical markets. Through this collaboration, Kiseki's medicinal cannabis products will become available for the first time in the UK, leveraging Somai's established regulatory infrastructure and pharmaceutical distribution network. This milestone represents one of the first introductions of a Japanese-origin cannabis brand into Western prescription markets. The partnership will continue to expand in phases, aligned with applicable market authorization processes and regulatory requirements. |
| Feb 18, 2026 |
Organigram to acquire German cannabis company Organigram Global has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire German operator Sanity Group GmbH. "Organigram's proven track record in executing highly strategic and complementary M&A is exemplified by our proposed acquisition of Sanity Group, a transaction that is both strategically significant and financially accretive. By combining our strengths as focused cannabis pure play companies, we will be well-positioned to deliver meaningful value for our shareholders and accelerate growth in key European markets. We are truly excited about the opportunities ahead with this acquisition as we are now poised to set a new standard in the global cannabis sector together," said Paolo De Luca, Chief Strategy Officer at Organigram. |
| Feb 17, 2026 |
City staff oppose Iqaluit cannabis store's relocation An Iqaluit cannabis store is facing opposition from city staff over its proposed move to a new location before its current lease expires. |
| Feb 17, 2026 |
Leading Cannabis Brand PAX Returns to Canada With TRIP All-in-One Vape TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PAX, a pioneering global cannabis brand, today announced its anticipated return to the Canadian market with the launch of TRIP, PAX’s All-in-One vaporizer in the brand’s award-winning Live Rosin with Diamonds line. Products are now available in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, with further expansion to come. |
| Feb 13, 2026 |
The Media Narrative Turning Against Cannabis? In the latest Trade To Black podcast presented by Flowhub, hosts Shadd Dales and Anthony Varrell challenge the conventional media narrative around the cannabis industry. Most people believe cannabis struggles because of regulation, oversupply, and price compression. But what if those aren’t the root causes? What if the real constraint holding the industry back is capital structure and liquidity timing? Adam Stettner, CEO of FundCanna, and Kevin McKernan join the show to discuss the issues and news this week. |
| Feb 13, 2026 |
Gorilla Gardens opens Alberta's first cannabis farmgate store in Okotoks |
| Feb 12, 2026 |
Cannabis Stocks Are Sinking The Global Cannabis Stock Index closed on 2/11 at 5.69, which is down 3.4% in February and down 13.7% so far in 2026. Since April 30, 2024, it has plunged 51.4%. Five years ago, the index peaked at 92.48, and it has dropped 93.9% since then. |
| Feb 11, 2026 |
Cannabis retail's frontline workers are carrying more than we think In the early days of legalization, the budtender was cast as the friendly guide in a brave new world, part educator, part concierge, and part cultural translator. Over eight years later, that role has hardened into something far more complex: regulator, brand ambassador, salesperson, and sometimes security buffer, all at once. |