Unfairly or not, most people think of marijuana as an illegal drug that thrives on the black market. They don’t view it as a highly regulated commodity packaged in one of the most high-tech surveillance systems on the market. But that’s exactly what it is — at least, in four states where it is legal, primarily in Colorado.

Uncertainty about the city's proposed commercial medical marijuana ordinance has created an uneasy situation for Jeff Nemeth.

Nemeth is CEO of a cannabis testing facility called ACT Laboratories Inc. Nearly $200,000 has been invested in his business that's been located in a light industrial corridor between Cedar Street and Pennsylvania Avenue for over a year and a half. It generates a loyal following with state-registered caregivers and patients. It hosts monthly support group meetings of up to 50 people that are aimed to educate patients, family members and organizations.

And it could soon be on its way to Jackson.

The growth prospects for the U.S. marijuana industry are phenomenal. Investment company Cowen & Co. anticipates that today's $6 billion in legal sales could turn into $50 billion in legal sales by 2026, while cannabis research ArcView has suggested that compound annual growth for the industry could average about 30% through 2020.

The impetus behind this rapid growth is the dramatic shift in public opinion toward marijuana. National pollster Gallup has shown that in roughly two decades, support for nationwide legalization has jumped from just 25% to an all-time high of 60%.

Legal marijuana sales are experiencing explosive growth in the United States, and are expected to top $7 billion this year.

The drug is now legal in some form in more than half of all U.S. states after ballot initiatives passed in several parts of the country in November elections.

As CCTV America’s Steve Mort reports from Florida, the increasing availability of legal marijuana is spawning a host of industries designed to support the cannabis sector.

Crowds from around the globe flocked to Tel Aviv in March for the second annual CannaTech conference. The summit was aimed at attracting fledgling marijuana ventures to the country and included speakers from medicine, politics, science, agriculture, and investments.

“Everything is set up here to be the epicenter of cannabis research,” organizer Clifton Flack told Quartz.

Why medical marijuana research is blossoming in Israel.

The Israeli government's stance on medical marijuana research and the country's cultural landscape make it far friendlier to marijuana than the puritanical policies of the U.S. government.

Assemblyman Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale, this week introduced a bill that would allow officers to take a spit swab from drivers who’ve failed field sobriety tests. Portable instruments promise to detect the presence of pot and other drugs within minutes, telling officers whether they should potentially let the driver go free or take them to the station for a blood test and possible arrest.

“Driving is the most dangerous thing we do,” Lackey said Wednesday. “Using new technology to ... get stoned drivers off the road is something we need to embrace.”

Swab tests are widely used on drivers in the United Kingdom, but the process remains controversial.

It may not be much longer before bank branches join video-rental stores and record shops as relics of a bygone era.

Silicon Valley is pressuring banks to change their ways or risk becoming the latest industry overtaken by technology. Hundreds of startups are offering easier and cheaper ways to save, borrow, spend and invest. They are doing it by shifting the battleground to smartphone apps and websites, which function as digital offices that are accessible around the clock with minimal staffing, and by lowering fees.

Medford officials are considering whether the city’s ban on outdoor marijuana cultivation also applies to greenhouses.

The Mail Tribune reports that the City Council on Thursday will hold a study session to discuss what constitutes a legitimate structure in the city and where marijuana can be grown.

Voters in November ruled that cannabis should only be grown indoors in the city, but a resident contacted Councilor Kevin Stine asking what inside really means.

Deputy City Attorney Kevin McConnel says the ordinance was not intended to go after grows in structures or accessory dwellings. He says the council will likely consider the questions “what is a greenhouse?” and “what makes a structure?”

Leading supplier of therapeutic grade nutraceutical cannabis and hemp products, Creso Pharma (ASX: CPH), has delivered its second shipment of hemp protein to one of Slovakia’s largest bakeries, Pekarne Liptovsky Hradok,s.r.o. (PLH).

The 700 kilogram shipment followed the delivery of 500 kilograms in mid-August, and has effectively created an additional revenue stream for the vertically integrated group.

CPH’s Hemp Industries division is looking to forge a long-term relationship with PLH, resulting in increased shipments of hemp protein and other hemp seed based products.

However, it is early stages in this relationship, so investors should seek professional financial advice for further information if considering this stock for their portfolio.

This year, the major accounting technology conference Accountex (formerly SleeterCon) happened concurrently – and down the street from – the largest cannabis industry conference in the United States, the Marijuana Business Conference and Expo. Seemingly an unrelated coincidence, the timing turned out to be kismet: Accountex attendee Penny Breslin, a financial technology consultant based in San Diego, found herself fielding questions from Expo attendees asking whether she “knew any good accountants.”