IN THE SPOTLIGHT
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
META OFFERS SETTLEMENT
MORE CANADIANS BUYING CANNABIS FROM A LEGAL SOURCE An annual survey from Health Canada shows that 73 percent of respondents are buying their cannabis from legal sources. That number compares with 37 percent in 2019, the year after Canada first legalized cannabis. Almost 70 percent were using legal sources in 2022. In addition to more Canadians buying cannabis from a legal source, the survey also found the most purchased kinds of pot were dried flower or leaves, edible cannabis, and vape pens or cartridges. People who used cannabis in the 12 months leading up to the survey said they typically spend close to $63 on cannabis each month, a drop from $73 in 2018. This year’s survey questioned 11,690 Canadians between May and July. It must also be said that Industry experts have long warned data collected by government agencies on cannabis may be impacted by pot users who are still unlikely to report pot use or purchases from illicit sources to officials because of the stigma around the substance.
Meta is offering $51 million to settle a class-action lawsuit in four Canadian provinces over the use of some users’ images in Facebook advertising. The legal action filed by a B.C. woman claimed her image and those of others were used without their knowledge in Facebook’s “sponsored stories” advertising program, which is no longer in operation. MNP Ltd., the court-appointed administrator handling the proposed settlement, says in a statement the agreement needs to be approved by a B.C. Supreme Court judge in March, along with a process to determine class members’ share of the money. The lawsuit was expanded outside of B.C. in 2019 to include residents of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Sponsored stories ran from January 2011 to May 2014. If someone liked a product under the program, Facebook generated a news feed endorsement using their name and profile photo but didn’t tell them their image was being used. Lawyers estimate that 4.3 million people who had their real name or photo used in a sponsored story could qualify as part of the Canadian settlement. Anyone who wants to object to the proposed settlement has until March 11.
SPOTLIGHT MAGAZINE ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • VOL 23 ISSUE 5 9
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