Cannabis, marijuana, pot, weed, ganja, Mary Jane, doobage. Whatever you call it, it has taken center stage in the world of investment. It’s getting the 15 minutes of fame it rightfully deserves, and it’s getting it right now. Traditionally, whenever anyone mentioned the words “cannabis” and “entrepreneur” together in one sentence, it meant one thing: drug dealer. That’s changing very quickly — and technology will play a huge role in the industry’s future legitimacy.

Exchange Platforms

The working theory is that cannabis, as an industry, is headed toward commoditization, regulation and standardization. It makes sense…most other plants that are grown achieve similar status. They’re also traded on public markets, with transparency, and have market-based and regulator-based rules that are upheld to maintain the integrity of those markets.

In achieving this within the cannabis industry, an enormous opportunity exists for technologists to both standardize and create proper marketplaces within which to sell raw...