Professors of pot

Western University

The course: Marijuana Law and Practice
The professor: Hugo Alves
Alves is a former partner at Bennett Jones, one of the country’s go-to legal advisory teams for the cannabis market. (He’s worked with about half of the country’s licensed producers.) His course covers the battle to legalize medical marijuana and famous charter challenges to Canadian cannabis laws.

Ryerson University

The course: Business of Cannabis
The professor: Brad Poulos
In 2015, serial entrepreneur Brad Poulos sought a new industry to work in, eventually settling on weed. (Blockchain and drones were runners-up.) His 13-week crash course includes lectures on design, start-up principles and retail guidelines for cannabis.

Loyalist College

The course: Cannabis Formulation and Product Development
The professor: Monica Vialpando
Loyalist is the first Ontario institution to offer a graduate-level cannabis science program. In Vialpando’s course, students learn about the polypharmacy of the cannabis plant, formulation chemistry and methods of administration (such as dermal, sublingual and suppository).

Niagara College

The course: Biology and Evolution of Cannabis
The professor: Bill MacDonald
MacDonald has worked in greenhouses since he was in his teens, and has consulted for aspiring cannabis producers since 2013. His syllabus includes the origins of cannabis, its migration from Asia to Canada, the politicization of the plant and the biological principles of its cultivation.

The New Gold Rush

Part 1: Pot-Luck Dinner
The city is teeming with fancy, secret summer clubs serving THC-laced cuisine. We sent our restaurant critic to sample the goods

Part 2: The Pot Pilgrims
These five newcomers packed up their lives and moved to Toronto—all for the chance to work in weed

Part 3: Hot Boxes
Luxurious designer boutiques are the future of cannabis retail

Part 4: Professors of Pot
It’s a stoner’s dream come true: you can finally major in marijuana

Part 5: Plant Managers
The favourite strains of the horticulturally gifted growers at the city’s top cannabis companies

Part 6: Baked Goods
Wellness gurus are spiking their artisanal lotions and salves with a not-so-secret ingredient. We tested out some of the more intriguing products

Part 7: Buzz Food
Cannabis cooking classes—for those who want to cause and cure the munchies in one fell swoop

Part 8: High Rollers
We quizzed the city’s most powerful cannabis CEOs on their favourite strains, weed slang and what they eat when they get the munchies

Part 9: Joint Ventures
Five of Toronto’s hottest burgeoning canna-companies

Part 10: Who You Gonna Call?
The accountants, lawyers and ad agencies carving out a niche in the buzz biz