Changes are coming to Ontario’s emerging retail cannabis industry. The Ford government is reportedly loosening cannabis store restrictions that have historically forced brick-and-mortar retailers to cover their shop windows.

“As part of its 2025 budget, the province announced it is planning to amend those rules to allow cannabis stores to operate with transparent windows, like any other high street shop.” reported Global News in its local coverage. “The move is one the industry has lobbied for and welcomed after it was announced in the budget.”

“To increase the comfort, security and safety of both customers and employees of licensed cannabis retail stores, changes are being made to allow stores to improve their outside visibility,” stated the government, according to Global News‘ reporting. “These changes are intended to support legitimate local businesses by enhancing transparency and fostering a more welcoming environment for consumers, while still protecting youth from exposure to cannabis.”

Requiring non-transparent windows negatively impacts cannabis retailers in various ways. Foot traffic in the area doesn’t result in potential customers coming in to make purchases like it typically does for stores in other industries that have transparent windows. After all, ‘window appeal’ is predicated on customers being able to see through windows.

As touched on in Global News‘ coverage, not being able to see through windows creates safety issues for cannabis retail staff and the store’s customers. Obviously, people with nefarious intent can still cause public safety issues even if windows are transparent. However, it helps mitigate potential issues to some degree to have better visibility and see if trouble is heading in the direction of the store.

Ontario will not be the first Canadian jurisdiction to make the regulatory retail change. Both Alberta and British Columbia have already permitted cannabis retailers to remove coverings from store windows. In addition to changes to store window regulations, Ontario is expected to place a special logo on domestic cannabis products to make consumers aware that the products were ‘made in Ontario.’

When Canada became the second country to adopt a national adult-use cannabis legalization measure in 2018, it was a historic moment for both Canada and the larger international cannabis industry. Uruguay may have legalized recreational cannabis before Canada; however, Canadian legalization has proven to be more significant in many ways.

Whereas Uruguay limits legal adult-use cannabis sales to residents through limited commerce channels, Canada’s recreational commerce model permits sales to anyone of legal age via a multitude of purchasing options. Canada remains the top jurisdiction for cannabis industry and policy research, years after modernized adult-use policies were implemented.

Canada’s emerging legal cannabis industry goes well beyond the nation’s borders, with Canada serving as a major source for cannabis exports to other legal markets around the globe. As the international cannabis industry continues to transition from a patchwork of largely siloed markets to a more harmonized global industry, Canada’s legal market is more important than ever.

Every large national and international industry is built on partnerships and relationships, and lucrative collaborations require effective networking. Additionally, entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, regulators, and industry service providers have to remain in a constant state of learning and evolving. After all, the cannabis industry and policy landscape are constantly shifting, and people and entities must always stay ahead of the curve if they want to succeed.

With that in mind, two timely events are coming up at the end of this month that everyone serious about the cannabis industry should consider attending. The first is the CannaVision Global Executive Summit taking place on May 26th, 2025, at the Pearson Conference Center in Ontario.

CannaVision is an exclusive event designed for leaders and decision-makers in the cannabis space to engage in high-level discussions, to network, and to collaborate with other executives, entrepreneurs, investors, and experts in the industry. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in strategic talks, panel discussions, and case studies addressing the latest trends, regulations, market developments, and investment opportunities in the global cannabis market.

Following the CannaVision Global Executive Summit will be the iconic Grow Up Industry Gala Awards, which is also taking place on May 26th, 2025. The Awards Gala, which is now in its 6th year, is one of the most anticipated events on the annual international cannabis industry calendar, where industry pioneers, innovators, and trailblazers gather to celebrate the year’s achievements and the people who made them possible.

The two-day Grow Up Conference and Expo, Canada’s largest and premier cannabis event, will be held on May 27th and 28th, 2025. The event is in its 11th year, and this year’s installment will be bigger and better than ever. With so much going on in Canada’s industry and the wider international cannabis industry, the two-day Grow Up Conference and Expo is a must-attend for anyone wanting to gain a meaningful spot in the most exciting industry on the planet.

A wide range of important topics will be discussed via the event’s numerous presentations, all of which will be led by some of the true experts in the cannabis space. You can see a list of the event’s speakers and schedule at this link here.

The Grow Up Conference is a privately owned Canadian company since 2017, focusing on cultivation, brands, and retail. Event attendees will be surrounded by industry professionals to network with and explore potential collaborations. A limited number of tickets, exhibitor spots, and sponsorship opportunities are still available. Lock in your spot now before it is too late. You can find out more at: growupconference.com.

A major goal of every jurisdiction that has modernized its cannabis policies to permit adult-use cannabis activity is to help combat the unregulated market, including in Canada, where lawmakers adopted a national recreational cannabis legalization measure in 2018.

Since 2018, Canada has served as the largest legal national adult-use cannabis market and remains the only country on earth where anyone of legal age can make purchases of recreational cannabis products, regardless of their residential status. Uruguay, which adopted national legalization in 2013, still restricts legal adult-use cannabis sales to residents only.

A team of investigators affiliated with academic and research institutions based in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom recently analyzed data from Canada’s legal cannabis market and determined that Canadian legalization has resulted in the legal industry largely displacing the nation’s unregulated market.

The researchers’ findings were published in the academic publication International Journal of Drug Policy.

“The current analysis used ‘demand-side’ methods to estimate the size of the Canadian cannabis market using data from two sources.” the researchers stated about their study’s methodology. “First, data from the Canadian Community Health Survey were used to estimate the number of Canadians who use cannabis.”

“Second, data on cannabis expenditures from legal versus illegal sources were analyzed from 5656 past 12-month consumers aged 16–100 who completed national surveys conducted in 2022 as part of the International Cannabis Policy Study.” the researchers also stated.

In a regulated cannabis commerce system, cannabis producers, product manufacturers, and retailers must adhere to certain standards, including stringent testing, which ensures that consumables are fit for human use. The same is not true of the unregulated cannabis market, which creates potential public health outcome issues when patients and consumers make their purchases through unregulated sources.

Additionally, unregulated cannabis sales do not generate revenue for public coffers, and profits from such sales often support organized criminal enterprises, which further adds to the potential for public issues that can affect all members of society. With that in mind, the more market share that a legal, regulated cannabis commerce system can gain, the more it benefits all members of the jurisdiction’s society.

“In the 12-month period ending in September 2022, total cannabis expenditures in Canada were estimated at $6.72 billion dollars, including $5.23 billion from legal sources and $1.49 billion from illegal sources for an estimated legal market capture of 78 %.” the researchers stated about the legal Canadian market’s share of the nation’s cannabis purchases.

“In 2022, dried flower accounted for 55 % of total legal expenditures and an additional 2 % was spent on plants and seeds. Concentrates accounted for 12 % of legal expenditures, followed by oral liquids (11 %), vaping liquids (10 %), and edibles (8 %, excluding drinks).” the researchers also stated.

“The findings provide evidence of substantial transition in expenditures from the illegal to the legal market in the five years since legalization of non-medical cannabis in Canada.” the researchers concluded.

Findings from this data analysis provide valuable insight for lawmakers and regulators in other jurisdictions who desire to effectively combat the unregulated market in their areas, including in European jurisdictions where national adult-use commerce models like Canada’s remain prohibited due to current European Union agreements.