News

Quick Hits: Cannabis news in brief

Published on February 7, 2025 by Pat Bulmer

Photo: Adobe Stock/the oz.

Cannabis news in brief: New from Greenway; HYTN + SNDL; Cannabix in a catalogue; Aurora in Germany; Cannara record revenue

In Kentucky, it’s guns or pot—not both

Medical marijuana patients in Kentucky must choose between their pot and their guns.

Medical marijuana became legal in the state on Jan. 1.

“The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives recently sent a letter informing federal firearms licensees that individuals who ‘unlawfully’ use controlled substances are legally barred from possessing guns or ammunition,” according to a news release on the Cannabis News Wire.

Cannabis consumption and production is still illegal in the U.S. at the federal level.

“In Kentucky, the federal government has made it clear that Kentuckians will have to choose between gun ownership and medical marijuana.”

According to the release, Kentucky NORML Executive Director Matthew Bratcher has previously said laws preventing marijuana users from owning guns have seen limited enforcement in other states.

New products from Greenway

Greenway Greenhouse Cannabis Corp. will be launching new Millrite-branded products in Ontario.

Greenway is expanding its MillRite Lavender Haze product line with a new 10 x 0.35g pre-roll. As well, Greenway is launching a 14g milled-flower offering called Blue Crush. This is Greenway’s first entry into the milled flower market.

Calgary-based Simply Solventless is also launching approximately 25 new products in Alberta and Ontario. Fifteen are infused prerolls and blunts. They’ll be under the Astrolab, Footyhooty, Lamplighter and Zest labels.

SSC recently bought a large production facility in Winnipeg and announced financing to complete that purchase.

Will cartridges be called HYTNSNDL?

Vancouver-based HYTN has entered into an agreement with Canadian cannabis and liquor giant SNDL to develop Good Manufacturing Practices-compliant vape cartridges.

SNDL will provide specialized equipment and the required capital. HYTN will provide the facility.

The initiative follows a manufacturing partnership announced a week earlier.

HYTN has various certifications, “making it one of the few facilities in Canada capable of manufacturing vape cartridges for international distribution,” said Jason Broome, HYTN’s chief operations officer, in a news release.

Upon completion of the development phase, both parties may explore separate manufacturing agreements for vape cartridges.

The market for GMP-compliant vape products continues to expand.

“The number of medical cannabis patients in the UK is projected to increase by 124% from 2024-2028, and the German cannabis vape market is expected to reach $966.6 million USD by 2030, with Canada accounting for approximately 50% of Germany’s medical and scientific cannabis imports,” the news release said.

Quick Hits

🏈 Touchdown for weed: Super Bowl another opportunity for cannabis businesses to boost brand and product awareness (MJBizDaily)

🤰 Pot pregnancy: Cannabis use during pregnancy is surging in Ontario (Ottawa Citizen)

🇨🇦 High hopes: How Canada became the world’s largest cannabis exporter—and rescued a flailing industry (Toronto Star $)

💵 Laundered: Burnaby man charged in $47M money laundering scheme linked to illicit cannabis sales (CBC News)

💨 Second hand: Children who live with cannabis smokers also test positive for it (Science Alert)

🚔 High-profile raid: Police raid Vancouver cannabis dispensaries linked to Dana Larsen (Vancouver Sun)

📰 50 years ago: Here’s what newspapers said about cannabis (Calgary Herald)

👔 Busted at work? Positive test for cannabis cause for discipline, but not dismissal (HR Reporter)

Breathalyzer included in catalog

The Vancouver manufacturer of a cannabis breathalyzer has make a deal with a Tennessee company to start marketing the device in the United States.

AlcoPro of Knoxville, Tenn., will include the Cannabix breathalyzer in its upcoming 2025 product catalogue, mailed to over 70,000 businesses.

AlcoPro has been distributing drug and alcohol testing instruments, kits and supplies for professional use, since 1982.

“We are very pleased to be building a relationship with AlcoPro to begin preliminary marketing our technology,” said Cannabix CEO Rav Mlait in a news release.

AlcoPro’s Director of Business Development Brian Terry said: “We are thrilled to establish a relationship with Cannabix Technologies, broadening our focus from providing physical testing tools to embracing innovative technologies.”

Aurora’s Germany launch

Edmonton-based Aurora Cannabis is growing in Germany.

The company announced the launch of its first German-cultivated medical cannabis product, under the brand IndiMed.

The Aurora facility In Leuna is one of three facilities licensed to cultivate in Germany.

“The premium product launching from the IndiMed brand is Island Sweet Skunk, dried flower, sativa, 20% THC, (less than) 1% CBD,” Aurora says in a news release. “The flowers are harvested by hand, dried under controlled conditions, and tested in the state-of-the-art laboratory for purity and active ingredient content.”

Good times for Cannara

Cannara Biotech, a Quebec cannabis producer, has reported record revenue for the most recent financial quarter.

Net revenues of $25.1 million in in the latest quarter are a 29% increase over the same quarter a years ago — driven by strong demand for Cannara’s premium-grade cannabis products, the company said in a news release.

Canadian market share is 4.1%, which is a 28% increase quarter over quarter, and 58% increase over the same period of prior year, the company says.

“I am pleased to report to our shareholders that our Q1 2025 results delivered the strongest quarter in company history, producing company records for market share, revenue, adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization), operating cash flow, and free cash flow,” said Zohar Krivorot, president and CEO.

“We delivered our 15th consecutive quarter of positive adjusted EBITDA, totalling a record-high of $6.0 million, said Nicholas Sosiak, chief financial officer of Cannara.

Recently, Cannara brought Nugz all-in-one vapes, shatter concentrates, Nugz “Stinky Cheese Infused Joints” and Tribal Trifecta infused pre-rolls to the market.

Cannara has two large facilities in Quebec.