Cannabis may be legal in Canada but its stigma has not been eliminated entirely. This seems to be especially true when an organization in Alberta recently turned down a donation from another.

Members of the Calgary Cannabis Club raised $6,000 in honor of a former member Rick Beaver who passed away in November following a long battle with cancer. Beaver used cannabis to ease some of the symptoms associated with the bladder and esophageal cancer he experienced later in life.

Marijuana became legal across Canada in October, but that hasn’t stopped the black market from thriving. Product shortages across the country have made it nearly impossible for some to purchase cannabis legally and have cause length wait times for those who have purchased cannabis online. Add to this the high cost of buying cannabis legally and it’s no wonder that people are continuing to purchase cannabis from the illicit market.

Numbers released earlier this week by government agency Statistics Canada found that the average price for a gram of legal recreational cannabis was $9.70 whereas a gram could be purchased from the illicit market for $6.51, a near 50 percent difference.

Illegal cannabis dispensaries in Vancouver have been warned once more to shut down or risk some hefty fines and possibly even jail time.

The warning follows last month’s order from the Province of British Columbia for the dozens of illegal shops in Vancouver to cease operations. The City had previously filed 53 injunction applications against the illicit shops.

When the order was given in December, there was no timeline given for when shops had to be closed and owners were unsure of how the province would be enforcing the order, but the City’s warning on Monday suggested that time is running out for those who have yet to shut down.

Those interested in opening a cannabis retail store in Ontario will have the chance to enter a lottery early next week to receive one of the first 25 retail licenses for the province.

When the Progressive Conservative (PC) government took leadership of the province in October, they decided to switch the Liberal’s plan of having only government-run retail locations to having privately owned shops as well. As such, no stores were opened for legalization in October so for now, the only way to purchase legal cannabis in Ontario is online through the provincially-run Ontario Cannabis Store.

Ohio residents waiting for medical cannabis have had to witness one of the slowest program rollouts that any state has ever seen. However, Chris Lindsey, senior legislative counsel for the Marijuana Policy Project told sources earlier this week that patients will be able to get legal cannabis within the next few days.

“This will benefit patients because there will finally be licensed facilities patients can visit to get medical cannabis that has been tested and meets state standards,” said Lindsey. “Patients shouldn’t have to wonder if they are following the law or getting a safe product. Retail access finally offers that clarity.”

The New Year is officially upon us and looking back at 2018, it’s no wonder that it’s being referred to as the year of marijuana. Canada officially legalized marijuana for recreational adult-use and more countries seem to be inching closer toward doing the same. There were numerous medical breakthroughs now that more research is being allowed on the benefits of cannabis and it seems that 2018 really set the stage for what’s to come in the world of weed. Here’s a look at some of the top events that happened in cannabis in 2018:

The mayor of New York has officially voiced his support for legalizing marijuana last week following New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s plans to legalize cannabis across the state.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said that if the state of New York legalizes cannabis that past low-level marijuana convictions should be expunged and that sales from marijuana should be “closed to corporate interests”. He said that the market should be open to New Yorkers, especially Hispanic and African-American residents who have for too long been unfairly targeted for marijuana use.

“Legalization, done the right way, will marry opportunity with justice,” said de Blasio.

In a series of questions and answers on Twitter earlier this week, it appears that Democratic Governor of Pennsylvania Tom Wolf is considering legalizing recreational cannabis in the state.

“More and more states are successfully implementing marijuana legalization, and Pennsylvania should learn from their efforts,” Wolf responded to one tweet which asked when Pennsylvania will “catch up and make recreational marijuana legal".

“Any change would take legislation, but I think it is time for Pennsylvania to take a serious and honest look at recreational marijuana.”

A Canadian privacy watchdog is warning Canadians who have or plan to purchase cannabis to avoid using their credit cards and instead use cash, especially if they plan on travelling outside of Canada.

Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien posted a statement on his website this week warning cannabis users and anyone who may purchase cannabis about the risks associated with using your credit card. He also provided guidelines for purchasers to understand more about their privacy rights.

 “Cannabis is illegal in most jurisdictions outside of Canada,” reads the statement. “The personal information of cannabis users is therefore very sensitive. For example, some countries may deny entry to individuals if they know they have purchased cannabis, even lawfully.”

New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo has changed his stance on marijuana legalization within the last year, announcing on Monday that legalizing cannabis across the state is a top priority for 2019. The governor who as early as last year considered marijuana to be a “gateway drug” now says that legalizing cannabis is one way of alleviating some of the obvious racial injustices currently happening in New York.

“Let’s legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana once and for all,” said Cuomo during a speech on Monday.

“We have had two criminal justice systems: one for the wealthy and the well-off and one for everyone else. And that’s going to end,” he said. “We must also end the needless and unjust criminal convictions and the debilitating criminal stigma.”