Leaders of Canada’s cannabis industry are pleading with the federal government for help to curb the damage the coronavirus pandemic is having on the sector.
Cannabis companies are currently left out of the federal government’s $82 billion stimulus package, something Rick Savone, SVP Global Government Relations for Aurora Cannabis Inc, hopes will change sooner rather than later.
In the vastly disrupted economic and social reality created by the COVID-19 pandemic, many industries appear to be trapped in a downward spiral. As international airlines, hospitality providers, and a broad range of other sectors seek bailouts and federal assistance, the cannabis industry has shown signs of thriving amid the volatility.
When Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced recreational marijuana shops would be forced to close under the city’s stay-at-home order Monday, the response from customers was swift. They swarmed local dispensaries to stock up on products and caused enough of a stir that the mayor rescinded the moratorium just three hours later.
Massachusetts’ Commonwealth Dispensary Association is partnering with the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association to make hand sanitizer and other cannabis companies around the continent are donating personal protection equipment to hospitals amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Marijuana is illegal in South Dakota. However, the state decided to make both recreational and medical marijuana legal this year. South Dakota started its marijuana campaigns to put legalization proposals on the November 2020 ballot. Campaigns have to collect signatures to qualify for the ballot. However, the coronavirus pandemic will probably make it difficult. Now, South Dakota will plan on how to make sure marijuana legalization initiatives pass through in case the pandemic gets worse or isn’t resolved by November.
Hemp has nearly unlimited potential. The surface of that potential has only been scratched, meaning much more remains to be discovered about the possible uses of this hardy and versatile substance.
Cannabis sales are touching new highs as customers across the US and Canada stockpile weed to prepare for long spells of isolation because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Maryland's medical cannabis companies are getting creative about finding ways to get their products into the hands of paying customers, while keeping face-to-face retail interactions to a minimum.
Unlocking the full potential of cannabis for agriculture and human health will require a co-ordinated scientific effort to assemble and map the cannabis genome, says a just-published international study led by University of Saskatchewan researchers.
In a major statistical analysis of existing data and studies published in the Annual Review of Plant Biology, the authors conclude there are large gaps in the scientific knowledge of this high-demand, multi-purpose crop.
