Inner Spirit to open more Alberta pot shops, eyes another 30 locations in Ontario this year 

Cannabis retailer Inner Spirit Holdings said it is opening two more cannabis stores in Alberta, with construction set to begin for an additional four Spiritleaf stores in the province. Inner Spirit currently operates 39 stores in Alberta, which it claims makes it the largest cannabis retail brand in the province. The retailer said in a statement it has 20 potential store locations which have qualified for provincial licensing in Ontario, and is projecting to open up to 30 Spiritleaf locations in the province by the end of the year.

Organigram to launch latest wave of Cannabis 2.0 products 

Moncton, N.B.-based cannabis producer Organigram is prepping to launch its new Cannabis 2.0 products, the company said in a release on Thursday. Organigram, which previously only had one vape product available on the market, is releasing another vape under its Edison brand which will use technology powered by the Feather Company. It will also begin an initial run of chocolate products, also under its Edison brand. A recent BMO Capital Markets report said that, at least in Ontario, the cannabis vape segment appears “well-supplied” and there have been no sell outs yet. Additionally, BMO said that it is difficult to draw conclusions on which edibles products will be “winners” in that particular category as all of those items typically quickly sell out.

Admitting cannabis usage may lead to losing Nexus pass privileges: Report 

U.S. border officials may rescind Nexus passes or refuse to grant the pass if a Canadian admits to the use of cannabis, even though it is legal in Canada, according to Global News. The broadcaster obtained “secret instructions” that show that Canadians may be “technically admissible to the U.S., but would not be eligible for a Trusted Traveller Program” if they confirm they have consumed cannabis in the past. The instructions were intended to be used by U.S. border control superiors, and were disclosed recently in a lawsuit.

Cannabis retailer advises peers to remove frosted window coverings 

Is it time to take down those frosted pot shop window coverings? Fire & Flower’s head of government relations Nathan Mison said in a LinkedIn post on Thursday that the retailer will be removing window coverings where product cannot be seen from the outside after a store location was robbed recently. The decision was made after interpreting Canadian cannabis legislation on how retail stores can operate and display its offerings while remaining compliant with the law, according to Mison. Retailers have often complained that the frosted or blacked out window coverings make cannabis stores unappealing to consumers, notably at a time when legalization was intended to help reduce the stigma of cannabis usage.

DAILY BUZZ

10.4%
-- The amount which legal cannabis prices have declined between January 2019 and January 2020, according to an analysis of consumer prices released by Statistics Canada on Wednesday.  

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