Pot prices climb
Canadian cannabis users are paying more since legalization. The average cost has gone up over 17-percent for legal weed, while the price of illegal cannabis has dropped. Stats Can says smokers who buy from legal brick and mortar shops are paying the most per gram. Consumers in New Brunswick and Manitoba are paying the highest prices in Canada.
Opioid crisis deepens
Thousands of Canadians have died from opioid overdoses in the past two-and-a-half years. The data from the Public Health Agency of Canada says more than 10,000 people have died. Of the 3,200 that died in the first nine months of last year, 93-percent of the deaths were accidental. Fentanyl was cited as the main reason for the crisis.
Trudeau defends changes to asylum law
Justin Trudeau says changes to asylum laws are fair for everyone. The changes would mean that asylum seekers could not apply for refugee status in this country if they have applied in another country. The PM is defending the changes against critics who say the new law will not protect vulnerable asylum seekers.