The cannabis industry is one of the fastest-growing and most complex emerging industries. Dr. Opal Man-Ching Leung, a management professor in StFX’s Gerald Schwartz School of Business, is helping readers make sense of this rapidly changing landscape. Her new book, Guide to the Cannabis Industry, is now available as part of the Sage Works series from Sage Publishing.
The ebook was officially released on February 17, 2026, followed by the print version in early March. The book is available globally on sites including Amazon, Indigo, Barnes & Noble, and various European and Asian book sites.
Commissioned by Sage Publishing, Guide to the Cannabis Industry responds to a growing need to fill widespread gaps in public understanding about how cannabis is produced, regulated and sold. While legalization has expanded in recent years, cannabis remains illegal in many parts of the world, and misunderstandings persist about how the industry functions.
Dr. Leung’s book offers a 10-chapter overview of cannabis production, regulation, finance, marketing, ethics, medical applications, and social impact. It focuses primarily on Canada, the first G7 country to legalize recreational cannabis at the federal level, and selected U.S. states with established legal markets, while also addressing what is going on in the rest of the world.
By combining legal, financial, medical, cultural, and sociological perspectives, the book provides readers with a multidimensional understanding of the sector. According to its publisher, the accessible guide is ideal for students in business, public policy, health, and social sciences, as well as for aspiring entrepreneurs and policymakers to better understand the current and future landscape of cannabis. Classified as a reference book, Dr. Leung says while it is aimed primarily at academic libraries, the book is written in an accessible style that appeals to a wider readership.
“The book straddles the line between an academic and general audience,” she says.
Dr. Leung says her interest in cannabis research began shortly after she joined the St. Francis Xavier University faculty in 2014, as Canada, in 2015, was preparing for legalization. Drawn to what she describes as a “new and emerging industry,” she authored her first cannabis-focused teaching case through Ivey Publishing and later wrote several case studies for both Ivey and Sage.
“It was a new industry, and the more I learned, the more I became interested,” she says. Even after a decade studying it, there’s always something new about the industry in the news. “It’s still evolving.”
She notes that public opinion around cannabis is often polarized. Usually, people fall into one of two camps, either for it or against it. What’s often missing, she explains, is a clear understanding of what the industry actually is, how it operates, and what the laws really mean. She wanted to fill those gaps with this book.
Completing her first book was both challenging and rewarding over the year-long process. “It feels great,” she says to now see it published. She also highlights her positive experience working with the editorial team at SAGE throughout the process.
In the acknowledgements in the book, Dr. Leung thanks her colleagues and the StFX community for their encouragement and support.
