Read Next Article →

News on cannabis stocks and on developments in the industry haven’t let up in today’s volatile markets. Here are this week’s stories that we believe will mean most to you as a Canadian investor.

1. A new study suggests that tough policies on cannabis use do little to stop teens from using cannabis, while it also casts doubt on long-held assumptions about a more-liberal approach.

Researchers at the University of Kent, in the U.K., re-analyzed information from over 100,000 teens in 38 countries, including Canada, the U.S. and France.

This time, however, analysis of that 2015 data took into account differences between male and female rates of cannabis consumption in various countries. It also considered a significantly wider range of data. The results demonstrated no correlation with liberalism and rates of adolescent cannabis use.

Published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, the study challenges a 2015 study that suggested there is a correlation between a liberal approach to cannabis policy and an increased likelihood of teenage consumption. That earlier research has been used to support a continuing ban on cannabis use in several jurisdictions.

The Kent researchers claim that the 2015 study misinterpreted its own numerical results.

2, There may indeed be an association between cannabis dispensaries and neighbourhood crime, say Colorado researcher behind a new study, but that connection may be short-lived.

University of Colorado Denver researchers published their findings in Justice Quarterly, a publication of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. The study found an association between cannabis dispensaries and increases in rates of crime and disorder in Denver neighbourhoods directly following the state’s legalization of recreational cannabis sales.

“We found that neighbourhoods with one or more medical or recreational dispensary saw increased crime rates that were between 26 and 1,452% higher than in neighbourhoods without any commercial marijuana activity,” says the study’s lead researcher, Lorine A. Hughes, an associate professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver. “But we also found that the strongest associations between dispensaries and crime weakened significantly over time.”

3. Marijuana producers are taking a leaf from the playbook of winemakers, with the introduction of guided tours of their facilities.

The latest is a “California Cannabis Country” tour based on the same model used across Napa Valley and other Northern California wine centres. The cannabis tour takes tourists to licensed legal cannabis farms and provides an inside look at the Northern California cannabis industry.

The tour takes guests to dispensaries, farms, and cannabis processing facilities while also making stops at traditional sightseeing spots.

The model is something that could easily be adapted for Ontario’s own Niagara wine country, where several cannabis farms have moved into greenhouse space.

4. The U.S. House of Representatives has now started its review of proposed changes to the SAFE Banking Act that would protect institutions opting to serve cannabis companies that comply with state laws.

Analysts expect the cannabis-related financial services bill to be passed sometime next year. Passing it in the Senate remains unlikely.

A similar suite of proposed changes in also before the Senate. Both would allow U.S. states to set up legal cannabis markets without the threat of federal criminal intervention for the industry.

Both bills also aim to ease the conflict between federal laws and those of states that have legalized cannabis use.

The Democratic majority in the House appears more open to considering proposals to ease federal restrictions on marijuana. It has scheduled a hearing this week to debate a bill intended to make banking services more widely available for pot companies.

5. The Quebec government will maintain its decision to increase the legal age of cannabis use to 21 from 18, says Premier François Legault.

“On age 21, we are inflexible,” he recently told reporters. “It’s proven that it’s dangerous for developing children to consume cannabis so I want to send a clear signal. Children, youth less than 25 years told should not consume cannabis.”

The statement followed a formal request from Montreal for an exemption for the city.

Mayor Valarie Plante argued that the higher legal age and other parts of the province’s cannabis bill do not reflect Montreal’s reality and the fact 60% of residents are renters.

The bill seeks to ban smoking in public spaces, including parks and festivals, but at the same time a growing number of landlords across the city have now banned cannabis smoking in their apartments.

That threatens to leave many Montreal residents with no place to use a now-legal substance, says Plante.