MarketsFarm — Accounting for 60 per cent of Canada’s 1,100 cultivation licenses as of 2020, according to Health Canada, Western Canada is the country’s most important region when it comes to hemp production. But while there are more products on store shelves, more cultivars than ever before and high prices for the crop, demand for […] Read more

Regulations, versatility pull hemp in different directions in West
Crop 'still struggling with reaching its full potential'

Pot producer Canopy Growth to cut 250 jobs in profitability bid
Reuters — Canopy Growth Corp. said it would lay off about 250 employees as part of a cost-cutting plan as the Canadian pot producer tries to achieve long-elusive profitability. Most Canadian marijuana companies have struggled to turn a profit despite more than three years of cannabis legalization due to fewer-than-expected retail stores, cheaper rates on […] Read more

Pot company Hexo to shut production sites, cut jobs
Reuters — Pot producer Hexo Corp. said Tuesday it will close three production sites in Canada in early 2022, affecting 155 employees, as part of its integration plans following recent acquisitions. Gatineau, Que.-based Hexo said it will cease operations at its Kirkland Lake and Brantford facilities in Ontario at the end of January and at […] Read more

Canopy eyes U.S. expansion via weed gummies maker
Ontario firm to pay US$297.5 million for Wana Brands
Reuters — Canada’s Canopy Growth Corp. said on Thursday it would buy weed gummies maker Wana Brands for US$297.5 million, as the world’s biggest pot producer looks to expand in the U.S. cannabis market. Demand for pot edibles such as gummies has risen during the pandemic, as people stuck at home turn to cannabis-related products […] Read more

Aurora Cannabis revenue short of expectations on lower pot demand
Reuters — Aurora Cannabis on Monday missed Wall Street expectations for fourth-quarter revenue as pandemic-related restrictions weighed down consumer demand, leading Canadian provinces to cut orders. U.S.-listed shares of the company, which also posted a bigger-than-expected quarterly loss, were down two per cent in extended trading. After more than three years into Canada’s legalization of […] Read more

Aurora Cannabis to shut one Edmonton plant
Reuters — Aurora Cannabis said Tuesday it will shut down a facility at Edmonton, adding to the woes of the cash-strapped Canadian pot producer which has been reeling under the impact of the pandemic since last year. The company said medical distribution from the Aurora Polaris facility that is being shut down will move to […] Read more

Pot producer Jushi acquires U.S. retailer in cheaper deal
Lack of movement on legalization drops valuations
Reuters — Cannabis producer Jushi Holdings acquired Massachusetts-based retailer Nature’s Remedy at a cheaper price than initially offered, as valuation of weed companies across North America has dramatically dropped lately. The decline in valuations over the last few months has been largely due to a lack of progress on anticipated federal marijuana reforms in the […] Read more

Is the long-predicted boom for the hemp sector nearly here?
Hemp is versatile and has lots of boosters, but it’s never been more than a niche crop on the Prairies
Reading Time: 4 minutes The hemp industry on the Prairies is slowly making strides and many believe — once again — that the sector is poised to boom. “We believe there’s a strong case for hemp in the world,” said Andrew Potter, CEO of Blue Sky Hemp Ventures, a company incorporated in Calgary but based in Saskatoon. Potter, whose […] Read more
Pot producer TerrAscend to buy U.S. rival Gage Growth
Company to pay US$545 million
Reuters — Cannabis producer and processor TerrAscend will buy Michigan-based rival Gage Growth Corp., backed by prominent cannabis investor Jason Wild, for around US$545 million, the pot producer said on Wednesday. Dealmaking in the U.S. cannabis industry has heated up this year as companies bank on Democrats’ promises to reform marijuana laws and potentially legalize […] Read more

Cannabis firms catch whiff of opportunity in Brazil
Canadian producers among those now supplying Brazilian market
Sao Paulo | Reuters — International cannabis companies are showing interest in Brazil, both its large consumer market for medicinal products and a proposal that could legalize planting of the crop. Major producers such as Colombia’s Clever Leaves and Canada’s Canopy Growth are developing and selling medicinal cannabis products to a Brazilian consumer segment estimated […] Read more