1. Cannabis will be legal in Canada this week, but the industry's landscape is still hazy. In just two days, Canada will become the second nation to legalize the adult use of recreational cannabis, but it's still unclear how many retail locations will get licensed in time to open on Wednesday and if they will be stocked with product. At the same time, some are questioning how—and if—legalization will change Canada's culture, and investors are waiting to see which of the 135 publicly traded cannabis companies in the country will win, and which will lose. – FINANCIAL POST

2. The midterm elections could have major consequences for cannabis. Michigan, North Dakota, Missouri, and Utah will all vote to legalize either recreational and medical cannabis this election season, while voters in a number of other states — including California, Ohio and Wisconsin — will vote on a number of municipal ballot measures related to cannabis. While 2016 was a banner year for legalization, 2018 could push cannabis reform even further into the mainstream. – THE HILL

1. President Trump will push for federal cannabis reform, according to a GOP Congressman. California Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said Trump plans to pursue federally legal medical cannabis after the midterm races next month. During the 2016 election, Trump said he supported the right of states to choose their own cannabis policies, but his administration has been less lenient. Now, Rohrabacher said she has heard from people "inside the president’s entourage" who say he plans to push for reform. – WASHINGTON TIMES

2. The Supreme Court is wrestling with a case that involves immigrants and minor cannabis crimes. The case involved the government’s ability to detain green-card holding immigrants after they’ve served sentences for committing crimes in the country. The lawsuit is led by Mony Preap, a permanent resident in the country who was convicted for possession of cannabis and was released from prison in 2006. He was detained by immigration officials in 2013. – AP

3. The head of a military academy was fired for treating cancer with CBD. Retired Captain Henry Cobbs was fired from the Air Force Special Operations School in Florida, where he had served as dean since 2009, for using "a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance" to treat symptoms related to cancer. His termination reflects the military's ongoing opposition to medical cannabis despite pleas from veterans and active duty members to loosen the rules. – MILITARY TIMES

4. Cannabis cultivators are wrestling with the industry's high-tech future. As legal cannabis builds to a $32 billion industry, longtime growers are grappling with how to speed up production with technology and industrialization. While some growers will keep their small-scale practices intact for the boutique market, for the mainstream, the future of growing weed involves genetic testing, robotic harvesting, crop data analysis, and yeast-based manufacturing. – CNET

5. One little stamp is slowing down Canada's producers. As cannabis D-day approaches, legal producers are rushing to get their products ready to sell. Slowing them down is a government-issued excise stamp that must be placed on every product. – FINANCIAL POST

6. In California's wine country, cannabis is reshaping agricultural traditions. With legalization, cannabis cultivation has moved into less traditional areas of California, which is reinvigorating the agriculture market in some areas and reinventing it others. – WAPO

7. In Canada, civil forfeitures could spike with legalization. Defense lawyers in the nation are warning that police could increase the seizing of people’s property without charging them with crimes as a way to crack down on the illicit market. – VICE

8. Enforcement at the U.S.-Canadian border is still hazy. Though the feds said legal cannabis workers will be allowed into the U.S. last week, some Canadians are still being banned from the U.S. for admitting to taking the drug. – LA TIMES

9. The U.S. cannabis industry could have access to banks by 2019. One of the biggest issues facing the cannabis industry is the lack of access to banks. But according to Canopy Growth's CEO Bruce Linton, that may not be a problem for much longer. – FORBES

10. Shops in Texas are selling CBD, despite the legal grey area. As law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and pro-cannabis activists argue among themselves over whether sales of CBD are legal in the state, retailers are increasingly stocking their shelves with products. – CBS AUSTIN

3. President Trump said he plans to release many more prisoners serving life sentences for low-level drug crimes. Earlier this year, Trump commuted the sentence of Alice Johnson, a 63-year-old grandmother who was serving life for drug trafficking, at the urging of Kim Kardashian West. Now, Trump says he's "actively looking" for more inmates like Johnson to release. "There are a lot of people like that, that will unfortunately be locked up for many, many years, and there's no reason for it," he said. – WASHINGTON EXAMINER 

4. The U.S. government is loosening border restrictions for Canadian cannabis workers. Last month, the federal government announced that Canadian citizens employed by the soon-to-be-legal cannabis industry would be banned from entering the U.S., potentially forever. One week before the recreational industry goes live in Canada, the U.S. government has clarified that is the citizen is coming to the country "for reasons unrelated to the marijuana industry," they will generally be allowed. – MARIJUANA MOMENT

5. Malaysia has repealed a death sentence for medical cannabis use due to public outrage. Muhammad Lukman Mohamad received a death sentence in Malaysia for selling medical cannabis oil to cancer patients. But after public outcry, the decision was repealed, and the death penalty was abolished altogether. – NYT

6. Feds raided black market grows in Colorado. DEA agents raided two dozen homes suspected of growing cannabis illegally in a "posh neighborhood" outside of Denver. The move signals a crackdown on the illicit market in legal states. – DENVER POST

7. Facebook will stop blocking cannabis search results. Ahead of the legalization of cannabis in Canada, Facebook will end a months-long block on cannabis and related search results for pages on its platform. – MARKETWATCH

8. Doctors in the U.K. will be able to prescribe cannabis next month. Cannabis oil was legalized in the country after a series of high-profile cases involving children being denied access to cannabis oil to control epileptic seizures. Now, the drug will be available Nov. 1. – THE GUARDIAN

9. A quarter of potential first-time cannabis users said they'd use it in place of beer. According to a survey from the consulting firm A.T. Kearney, 27% of cannabis-curious consumers would drop beer in favor of the drug. But beermakers say they aren't concerned. – BI

10. The big money could be in medical cannabis. The global medical cannabis market is expected to be worth more than $50 billion by 2025, up from $8 billion in 2017. That's 10 times the projected size of Canada’s total cannabis industry. – BLOOMBERG

1. The Trump administration is seeking public comments on reclassifying cannabis. Under current federal law, cannabis is classified as a Schedule 1 drug, which is the most restrictive category. Lawmakers have been pushing to reschedule the drug, and in response, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is asking for the American public to comment on the "abuse potential, actual abuse, medical usefulness, trafficking, and impact of scheduling changes on availability for medical use" of cannabis, as well as a few other drugs. The public input will be used by the World Health Organization to "consider whether to recommend that certain international restrictions be placed on these drugs." – FORBES

2. The U.S.'s biggest tobacco company is in talks to invest in a cannabis company. Altria Group Inc., the maker of Marlboro, is reportedly in talks to buy a stake in Aphria Inc., a Canadian cannabis producer. Though there have been rumors of Big Tobacco eying the cannabis market, this would be the first tie-up between the two industries. The news sent Aphria’s stock soaring 12 percent, giving it a market value of $3.5 billion. – BLOOMBERG

3. Over 100 legal cannabis retail shops are expected to open across Canada next week. On Oct. 17, Canada will become the second (and the largest) country to legalize the recreational sale and use of cannabis. On that day, at least 109 shops are expected to open, with many more to come. For now, the shops will sell dried flower, capsules, tinctures and seeds. Edibles and concentrates are expected to hit the shelves next year. – TIME

4. MedMen has struck one of the biggest legal cannabis deals to date. The U.S. cannabis company known for its high-end retail locations has agreed to buy medical cannabis company PharmaCann for $682 million, creating one of the biggest deals in the industry to date and expanding MedMen's reach in the U.S. With the acquisition of PharmaCann, the company will have 79 licensed cannabis facilities and grow operations across 12 states. – BLOOMBERG

5. A top Wall Street analyst says cannabis will be bigger than expected. As the cannabis industry explodes and partnerships with mainstream brands are increasing, the possible market for legal cannabis is far bigger than top analyst Cowen's Vivien Azer originally predicted. – CNBC

6. Various strains of cannabis contain the same amounts of THC, according to a new study. Though many strains are touted for being stronger than others, research from UBC Okanagan found that levels of THC and CBD are virtually identical despite their names. – PHYS.ORG

7. Celebrities are increasingly endorsing cannabis. While Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg have long been associated with weed, more mainstream celebrities are speaking out about and getting involved in the cannabis industry. – THE STRANGER

8. A Harvard study will research the effects of cannabis on menstrual cramps, as it is believed to help relieve symptoms. Researchers at the university are asking four hundred women to track their symptoms over the course of a few months, during which time they'll administer cannabis suppositories. – BIG THINK

9. A nonprofit organization is using cannabis policy to get people to vote. The group HeadCount has launched a single-issue campaign to leverage the popularity of cannabis legalization into a greater level of turnout at the polls. – BILLBOARD

10. Cries of "reefer madness" are increasingly being ignored. The law enforcement organization Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area has been issuing negative reports about the impact of legalization in Colorado for years, to much pushback. But its latest report was largely ignored. "You can only cry 'Reefer!’ so many times before people stop taking you seriously." – WESTWORD

1. Legalization efforts across the country are increasingly focused on criminal justice. After California's bill to legalize recreational cannabis opened the possibility for people with past pot convictions to expunge their records and join the industry, jurisdictions across the country turned legalization into an issue of criminal justice reform. Now, New Jersey, North Dakota and Michigan have made economic and social justice the centerpiece of their campaigns, a shift away from the traditional rationale for legalization—tax income and evolving attitudes about the drug. – LA TIMES

2. Municipalities that ban legal cannabis risk losing out on a big influx of tax dollars. When Colorado legalized cannabis in 2012, the mayor of the small town of Manitou Springs opted out of the industry. Eventually, she was overruled and, in 2016, the town took in $1 million in taxes. “As someone who opposed it—and I want to be balanced in my thinking—how can I honestly say this has been terrible?” said former mayor Marcy Morrison. Like Colorado, Ontario is allowing municipalities to opt out of hosting retail dispensaries when the recreational market opens in Canada next week. But the cities staying out of the industry could lose out a substantial amount of income. – VICE