Global Ganja Report

Nationwide cannabis shortages since Canada went legal last month are causing some provinces to rethink their distribution plans. Alberta has just announced that retail outlets will be barred from purchasing online but must place their orders manually to prevent the computerized system from being overwhelmed. Provincial authorities are struggling to break the logjam in the supply chain, and keep enough product in stock for those who purchase either online or from brick-and-mortar outlets.

Colombia is facing a strange contradiction—foreign capital is pouring in for the legalized cannabis sector, yet the new right-wing President Iván Duque is returning to the hardline "drug war" policies that the country has moved away from in recent years. This means not only a resumption of glyphosate spraying to wipe out illegal crops in the countryside, but an overturn of the former decriminalization policy. Street arrests for cannabis use and possession have soared since Duque issued his recrim decree.

On the first day of legal cannabis in Canada, many suppliers ran out of stock—pointing to challenges in meeting demand. Several provincial governments and private outlets turned to e-commerce company Shopify to help negotiate the initial tsunami of online sales.

Canada's postal unions are contemplating a nationwide walk-out—exactly as legal mail-order cannabis deliveries are set to begin. Talks are ongoing, but if the strike is not averted, cannabis consumers could be left high and dry—especially in those provinces that are relying mostly or entirely on home deliveries.

Justin Cooper is co-founder and CEO of British Columbia-based Green Planet, which supplies equipment to all of Canada's Licensed Producers of cannabis as well as producing its own line of fertilizers. He speaks with Cannabis Now about the fast-growing legal industry in his country, and what it means for the world.

As legal cannabis finally becomes a reality in Canada, a policy patchwork across the country's provinces and ongoing political tussles have left many confused as to what the new system will actually look like. We break down some of the frequently asked questions. 

A Vancouver police raid on a "harm reduction center" that was selling cannabis products raises uneasy questions about the availability of cannabis in British Columbia when Canadian legalization officially hits in next month. With only one retail outfit likely to be licensed province-wide and authorities pledging a crackdown on the old dispensaries, the ironic reality may be cannabis will initially be harder to get in BC once it is "legal."

Lesotho is a land-locked mountain kingdom in Africa that few in the outside world have heard of, but it punches above its weight where cannabis production is concerned. "Dagga" has long been a pillar of its economy. Now it is attracting international investment to grow cannabis for the global medical market. With cannabis just decriminalized in South Africa—which borders Lesotho on all sides, and is closely integrated with the kingdom—this is a promising sign for the entire region.