News

Quick Hits: Cannabis news in brief

Published on May 22, 2026 by Pat Bulmer

Photo: Contributed

Cannabis news in brief: Aurora can breed 2 new strains; Medican shares all bought up; New Spinach Stix drop; 55 million grams seized; HYTN can expand in Kelowna; Get Perma Fried in Quebec; 90-packs of softgels from Canopy; More certifications for breathalyzer 

Aurora awarded breeders rights

Aurora Cannabis has been given the right to grow and sell two new cultivars in Canada that were developed through its own breeding program.

Aurora has been granted “Plant Breeders Rights” by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for, SOT20R07-007 (known as Farm Gas) and SOT20R07-005 (aka Driftwood Diesel) that were developed at Aurora Coast, the company’s research and development facility in Comox, BC.

“Plant Breeders’ Rights are a form of intellectual property protection, similar to patents, that apply specifically to new and distinct plant varieties,” Aurora explained in a news release. “In Canada, plant breeders’ rights are granted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and give breeders exclusive rights to produce and sell a protected plant variety.”

Farm Gas and Driftwood Diesel are available in Germany, Poland, the U.K. and Australia.

“These plant breeders’ rights recognize the depth of work behind our leading breeding, genetic development and testing program,” said Lana Culley, vice-president of  innovation and international operations for the Edmonton-based company.

Cannara buys Medican

Quebec cannabis producer Cannara Biotech has bought all the shares in Medican Organic.

Medican was a wholly owned subsidiary of BZAM. Purchase price was $2.8 million, Cannara said in a news release.

“This acquisition completes Cannara’s prior acquisition of its Valleyfield cultivation and manufacturing facility, purchased from Medican on June 8, 2021,” Cannara said in a news release. “The acquisition was completed following Medican’s exit from proceedings under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) involving Medican’s parent company.

“Since the initial transaction in 2021, Medican has continued to refine its operating procedures, cultivation practices and post-harvest know-how, including unique extract manufacturing processes,” the release said.

Cannara operates two large growing and production facilities — in Valleyfield and Farnham, both outside of Montreal. They cover more than 1.6 million square feet and provide “100,000 kg of potential annualized cultivation output,” the company said.

Cannara also announced that CFO Nicholas Sosiak is shifting positions to become chief operating officer.

Cronos rolls out new preroll

Cronos is launching a new preroll across Canada.

“Introducing Spinach Stix into more provinces across Canada allows us to meet evolving consumer preferences by offering an alternative, sleek preroll option,” said CEO Mike Gorenstein in a news release

Stix comes in indica, sativa and hybrid strains

— GMO Cookies is the indica and is Spinach brand’s No. 1 flower strain — 25% THC

— Sour Chem is the sativa — 26% THC

— Space Cake is the hybrid at 24% THC

They come in 10-packs with 0.4 grams of cannabis in each smoke.

Spinach Stix are available in Alberta, BC, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Saskatchewan.

Border guards seize 55M grams of cannabis

Canada Border Services Agency seized 55 million grams of cannabis in the 2025-26 fiscal year, the agency reported.

The first quarter was the big one with 32 million grams of illicit pot seized.

That was more than was seized in all of 2024-25 (17 million grams) or 2023-24 (23 million).

Over the most recent year, 409,000 grams of hash were also seized.

“The ‘cannabis products’ category consists of dried and fresh cannabis, cannabis seeds, solids, non-solids, concentrates, and synthetic cannabis. These numbers include both declared cannabis forfeited to the CBSA and undeclared cannabis seized by the CBSA,” the agency said.

RCMP in Nova Scotia announced they had seized guns, illegal cannabis, mushrooms, tobacco and cash in a raid on three residences April 26.

Among goods seized were 10 long guns, 9.6 kilograms of dried cannabis, 300 grams of hash, 1,500 packages of THC gummies and chocolates, 253 cartons of unstamped cigarettes, and $160,000 in cash.

“The retail value of the products seized is estimated at over $600,000,” police said.

HYTN approved to expand work at Kelowna site

HYTN Innovations has received Health Canada approval to do more work at its Kelowna pharmaceutical facility.

“The updated scope of the license expands the company’s GMP (Goods Manufacturing Practices) manufacturing activities and supports its ability to service both pharmaceutical and cannabinoid supply chains,” the company said in a news release.

Under the amended licence, HYTN has a greater ability to produce and package cannabinoid products, now including oils.

“This licence amendment represents an important operational milestone for HYTN and

demonstrates the continued development of our GMP manufacturing capabilities,” said COO Jason Broome.

The company also announced a new remediation process for cannabis flower processing has been released in Germany.

Officially it’s known as Hermetic Autogenous Remediation or HARd.

“The process is designed to reduce microbial burden while preserving the structural, organoleptic and chemical characteristics of dried cannabis,” the company said as simply as it could in a news release.

Perma Fried now available in Quebec

A cannabis strain that gets “flipped” at just exactly the right time is now available in Quebec.

Vanquish Brands, aka BC-based Pistol and Paris, says its Perma Fried flower is now available in 3.5-gram formats in the province.

The key, said third-generation grower Daniel Torres, according to a blog post, is picking the precise moment to “flip” the cannabis plant from grow mode to bloom mode. That’s when the plant is 18-24 inches tall, trials have shown.

The company also tested several genetic lines and determined Hawaiian Marker worked best, the blog said.

Harvesting is done when everything looks right – usually after 58-60 days.

Perfection took 2.5 years to achieve.

“The result is a cultivar that delivers loud terpenes, strong potency (28–32% THC), and a clean, dense structure without sacrificing the commercial consistency that retailers need,” the post said.

Softgels come in bigger containers

Now you can buy 90 Canopy Growth softgels at a time.

The Smiths Falls, Ont., company announced a lineup update recently that includes new 30 and 90-pack formats and higher-dosing options through its Spectrum Therapeutics division.

Canopy has daytime (Clarity and Daily Relief brands) and nighttime (Unwind) CBD and CBG formulas.

“Clarity, Unwind, and Daily Relief 90-pack softgel formats are available now to patients through Spectrum Therapeutics,” the company said. The “30-pack of Daily Relief higher-dose format and 90-pack of Nighttime Relief will be available at the end of May.”

Cannabis breath test wins more approvals

BC’s Cannabix Technologies has delivered its Marijuana Breath Test system to a drug and alcohol testing clinic that serves workplace clients in eastern Canada.

“The delivery was completed through an authorized reseller,” Cannabix said in a news release.

Cannabix also announced its portable Breath Collection Unit, a core component of the system, has been given Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and Canadian Standards Association (CSA) electrical safety certifications, which “confirm a device is safe and suitable for professional, industrial, and regulated use,” the company explained.

“Testing and certification were completed at an independent ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory recognized in both Canada and the United States for electrical safety evaluations.”

Cannabix developed the breath-test system with U.S.-based Omega Labs. It’s designed to detect recent cannabis use.