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  • How Canada Became the World’s Cannabis Superpower

    How Canada became the world’s cannabis superpower, dominating exports and setting global standards for legal cannabis production.

    Once viewed as a social policy experiment, it has evolved into a global economic force. Here is how Canada became the world’s cannabis superpower. Nearly eight years after nationwide legalization, the country now leads the world in legal cannabis exports, pharmaceutical-grade production, and regulatory standards — a position reshaping international trade and influencing policy debates far beyond its borders.

    When Canada legalized recreational cannabis in 2018, it became the first G7 nation to do so nationwide. That move provided a decisive first-mover advantage. Canadian companies built compliant supply chains, secured federal oversight, and invested heavily in high-tech cultivation facilities designed to meet strict medical standards.

    RELATED: Feds Reveal Medical Cannabis Is Very Popular With The Disabled

    Today, Canada dominates the legal export market, shipping medical cannabis to Europe, Australia, Israel, and Latin America. Germany has emerged as one of the most important destinations, with Canadian producers supplying a significant share of its imported medical cannabis as patient demand grows faster than domestic production.

    Unlike the United States — where federal prohibition still blocks international trade — Canada’s unified national framework allows companies to export legally, giving them a structural advantage in global markets.

    Photo by Yarygin/Getty Images

    Cannabis has become a major pillar of Canada’s economy. The legal sector contributes billions annually to national GDP and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs across agriculture, logistics, retail, and pharmaceutical research.

    Exports are an increasingly important piece of the economic impact. As domestic markets mature and retail prices soften, international sales provide higher margins and long-term growth opportunities. Pharmaceutical-grade cannabis products, oils, and extracts are especially valuable in medical markets where safety and consistency are paramount.

    Tax revenue from cannabis sales also funds public programs and enforcement, further embedding the industry into Canada’s fiscal landscape.

    Several factors explain Canada’s leadership position:

    • Federal legalization which enables international trade
    • Strict regulatory oversight building global trust
    • Advanced cultivation technology and quality control
    • Access to capital through public markets
    • Compliance with EU pharmaceutical standards

    RELATED: Science Confirms Choosing Joy Boosts Mind and Body

    Together, these advantages have made Canadian cannabis a global benchmark for safety, reliability, and medical quality.

    Canada may lead, but it is no longer alone in shaping the global cannabis economy.

    The United Kingdom has become a major exporter of medical cannabis products, while Israel continues to set the pace in research and clinical innovation. Portugal has emerged as a cultivation hub for European markets, attracting multinational investment due to its climate and regulatory environment. Uruguay, the first country to legalize recreational cannabis, maintains a growing export presence. Meanwhile, countries such as Colombia, Australia, and Morocco are expanding legal production, betting on lower costs and favorable growing conditions to compete globally.

    RELATED: Native American Tribes Find Economic Power In Alcohol, Cannabis And More

    Despite its leadership, Canada’s cannabis industry faces mounting challenges. Price compression, regulatory complexity, and competition from lower-cost producers threaten margins. Domestic oversupply has forced consolidation, and some companies have struggled to achieve profitability.

    Still, Canada’s reputation for quality and compliance continues to differentiate its products in medical markets, where safety standards outweigh price alone.

    As more countries legalize medical cannabis and explore recreational frameworks, Canada’s model is increasingly viewed as a template. Its blend of strict regulation, public health safeguards, and export-oriented production has demonstrated a legal cannabis market can generate jobs, tax revenue, and global trade opportunities.

    For now, Canada remains the world’s cannabis superpower — not only cultivating the crop, but exporting the rules, standards, and economic playbook that may define the industry’s future.

    Terry Hacienda

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  • The Skinny On Mardi Gras In New Orleans

    The skinny on Mardi Gras in New Orleans: history, parades, Zulu and Rex, and king cake fun.

    You have seen the photos, maybe watch the webcams, but here is the skinny on Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Carnivale, the festive season precedes Lent and has roots stretching back centuries in Catholic Europe. The word itself comes from the Latin carne levare, meaning “to remove meat,” a nod to the fasting and abstinence observed during Lent. Over time, communities created elaborate celebrations to indulge before the solemn season began. Two of the world’s most famous Carnivale traditions still flourish today: the masked elegance of Carnival of Venice and the electrifying samba parades of Rio Carnival. Both events blend pageantry, costuming, music, and public revelry — elements later defining Mardi Gras on the Gulf Coast.

    RELATED: Cannabis Is Quietly Reshaping Mardi Gras Culture

    In the United States, Mardi Gras first took root not in Louisiana but in Mobile. French settlers celebrated the holiday there as early as 1703, marking one of the earliest organized Mardi Gras observances in North America. Mobile’s early mystic societies and parading traditions laid the groundwork for what would evolve into a uniquely American festival. Yet it was downriver in New Orleans where Mardi Gras found its grand stage.

    New Orleans embraced and expanded the celebration throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, blending French, Spanish, African, and Caribbean influences into a spectacle unlike any other. By the mid-1800s, organized parades, masked balls, and social clubs known as krewes transformed Mardi Gras into a citywide cultural institution. Today, the season typically begins on Twelfth Night — January 6 — marking the end of the Christmas season and the start of Carnival. From that date through Fat Tuesday, the city hosts dozens of parades; in a typical year, more than 70 processions roll through neighborhoods across the metro area.

    Central to the celebration is the Krewe system. Krewes are private social organizations who plan parades, design floats, host balls, and select royalty such as kings and queens. Each krewe has its own history, traditions, and themes. Some, like Rex and Zulu, date back more than a century, while newer groups reflect the city’s evolving cultural landscape. Membership is often selective, and krewe identities are closely tied to neighborhood pride and social networks.

    Fat Tuesday, the final and most anticipated day of Mardi Gras, carries its own traditions. Only two parades roll in New Orleans on the day: the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club and the Krewe of Rex. Zulu, known for its hand-decorated floats and prized painted coconuts, represents African American cultural heritage and community philanthropy. Rex, founded in 1872, crowns the symbolic King of Carnival and established the city’s official Mardi Gras colors: purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power.

    RELATED: How Marijuana Can Heighten Intimacy With Your Partner

    No Mardi Gras season is complete without king cake, a ring-shaped pastry decorated in those same royal colors. Inside each cake is a tiny plastic baby, and tradition holds whoever finds it must host the next king cake party. Bakeries across the city produce thousands each day during Carnival, making the dessert as central to the season as beads and brass bands.

    At the stroke of midnight on Fat Tuesday, the revelry ends. Police clear the streets, bars close, and the city symbolically shifts from indulgence to reflection. Ash Wednesday dawns, Lent begins, and New Orleans returns to its everyday rhythm — at least until Carnival comes again.

    Sarah Johns

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  • Cannabis Is Quietly Reshaping Mardi Gras Culture

    How cannabis is quietly reshaping Mardi Gras culture, as millennials trade hurricanes for THC seltzers and balanced Carnival experiences.

    For generations, Mardi Gras in New Orleans has been synonymous with exuberant parades, bead throws, brass bands, and free-flowing alcohol. From the krewes rolling down St. Charles Avenue to the packed revelry of Bourbon Street, the Carnival season has long been fueled by hurricanes, hand grenades, and go-cups carried through the French Quarter. But as cultural attitudes shift and younger generations redefine celebration, cannabis is quietly reshaping Mardi Gras culture.  Marijuana, hemp, cod and low-alcohol alternatives are quietly reshaping how people experience the greatest free show on Earth.

    RELATED: Data Shows People Like Cannabis Before Intimacy

    Mardi Gras traces its roots to medieval Europe and Catholic traditions marking the last indulgence before Lent. When the celebration arrived in Louisiana in the 18th century, it evolved into a uniquely New Orleans blend of pageantry, music, and community. Over time, drinking became embedded in the festivities. Public consumption laws in New Orleans—famously permissive compared to most U.S. cities—helped cement the image of Carnival as a marathon of cocktails and street parties stretching from Twelfth Night to Fat Tuesday.

    Yet today’s younger revelers are changing the script. Gen Z and many millennials are drinking less than previous generations, driven by wellness trends, mental health awareness, and a desire for more mindful social experiences. Instead of chasing the next sugary daiquiri, many are opting for cannabis products, THC-infused beverages, and low-ABV cocktails allowing them to stay present and energized through long parade days.

    The rise of cannabis culture—particularly in legal states and through hemp-derived THC beverages available in parts of the South—has introduced alternatives aligning with these preferences. Lightly dosed THC seltzers and cannabis mocktails offer a social buzz without the heavy hangover, while low-alcohol spritzes and bitters-based drinks provide flavor and ritual without excess. For many, this shift reflects a broader move toward balance rather than abstinence.

    Safety is another factor shaping this new era. Mardi Gras crowds can swell into the hundreds of thousands, with shoulder-to-shoulder conditions along parade routes and in the Vieux Carré. Lower alcohol consumption can mean greater situational awareness, fewer medical incidents, and a more comfortable experience navigating dense crowds. Public health experts have long noted excessive drinking contributes to accidents and altercations at large events; a moderation-minded approach may help reduce these risks.

    RELATED: How Marijuana Can Heighten Intimacy With Your Partner

    None of this means the end of traditional revelry. The sound of a trumpet echoing down Royal Street, the cry of “Throw me something, mister!” and the joy of catching beads under a balcony in the Quarter remain unchanged. But alongside the classic purple, green, and gold festivities, a quieter transformation is underway. Younger celebrants are embracing options letting them laissez les bons temps rouler—let the good times roll—without sacrificing well-being.

    As Mardi Gras continues to evolve, cannabis and low-alcohol beverages are becoming part of the cultural mosaic, offering new ways to celebrate while honoring the spirit of Carnival. In a city which thrives on reinvention, this subtle shift may be just another chapter in New Orleans’ long tradition of adapting the party to the times.

    Anthony Washington

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  • Three victims identified in UNC Rex sex assault case, nurse jailed without bond

    Brayan Alvarez Ortiz, 28, a traveling nurse, has been accused of sexually assaulting sedated patients at UNC Rex Hospital. Police believe there may be more victims and are encouraging them to come forward. As a general policy, The N&O does not publish police mug shots. We are publishing this photo as it may help other victims.

    Brayan Alvarez Ortiz, 28, a traveling nurse, has been accused of sexually assaulting sedated patients at UNC Rex Hospital. Police believe there may be more victims and are encouraging them to come forward. As a general policy, The N&O does not publish police mug shots. We are publishing this photo as it may help other victims.

    Raleigh Police Department

    RALEIGH

    Prosecutors have identified a third victim in the case of a UNC Rex Hospital nurse accused of sexually assaulting patients who were recovering from surgery.

    Brayan Alvarez Ortiz, 28, appeared in Wake County District Court Thursday via a feed from jail, where he is being held without bond.

    Police charged Ortiz Wednesday with sexual contact under the context of medical treatment, second-degree sex offense and sexual battery due to reports of assault in November. Officers spoke to a Rex patient who had been under anesthesia and soon found a second who reported being touched while sedated.

    On Thursday, Assistant District Attorney Kathryn Pomeroy said her office learned of a third victim less than 24 hours after police asked patients to come forward. All of them were recovering from surgery.

    “The defendant was sexually abusing patients who were incredibly vulnerable,” she said.

    Pomeroy added Ortiz is in the United States on a green card and that his case will involve immigration issues.

    First-degree kidnapping charges have been added to Ortiz’s case, and Pomeroy said more charges relating to the new victim will be added Friday.

    Ortiz spoke over a telephone and said only that he had hired an attorney. Defense counsel Seth Blum said he has not asked for a reduction in Ortiz’s bond because all the charges have not yet been filed.

    “It’s very early days,” he said outside the courtroom. “There’s a lot of information still to come out.”

    UNC Health spokesman Alan Wolf said Ortiz joined the Rex staff in 2019, put himself through nursing school and had only become a nurse this summer. He is no longer employed with the health system, Wolf said.

    The NC Nursing Board suspended Ortiz’ registered nurse license after a complaint on Nov. 21, records show. The report said Ortiz had improperly touched the genitals of two male patients after removing Foley catheters, which go into the urethra.

    Raleigh police and prosecutors have referred to Ortiz as a traveling nurse. Blum could not clarify that Thursday.

    “I don’t know what a traveling nurse is,” he said.

    Rex has set up a confidential reporting phone line where patients or family members can share information. Someone will contact them as soon as possible to discuss any concerns about this situation. The number is (919) 784-1800.

    Josh Shaffer

    The News & Observer

    Josh Shaffer is a general assignment reporter on the watch for “talkers,” which are stories you might discuss around a water cooler. He has worked for The News & Observer since 2004 and writes a column about unusual people and places.

    Josh Shaffer

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