Mobile payments/wallets—those initiated on a mobile device such as a cell phone or tablet computer—have received a significant amount of attention recently. Yet, despite the attention, mobile payments have not been widely adopted in the United States.

While industry experts agree mobile payments eventually will take off, there are many barriers. Some barriers are on the supply side—for example, the difficulty of getting industry participants to agree on technological standards and the lack of compelling business models for participants.

BOULDER, Colo., Aug. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Surna, Inc. (OTCQB: SRNA), a technology company that engineers state-of-the-art equipment for controlled environment agriculture ("CEA") with expertise in cannabis cultivation, announced today that three new members have been added to Surna's board of directors including Stephen and Brandy Keen, co-founders of Hydro Innovations, LLC, and Morgan Paxhia, Founding Partner and Managing Director for Poseidon Asset Management.

As the marijuana industry grows across the United States, industry leaders have been forced to keep up with ever changing regulations that are often designed in response to safety concerns or legality questions. While the medical marijuana market has proven easier to maintain, the introduction of recreational marijuana in several states has led the U.S. Justice Department to call for strict monitoring systems that keep tabs on growers and sellers.

Keeping Track Of Inventory

When you set up a business taking care to choose the right partners and suppliers is an important step, which, if you get wrong can cost you dearly. In June I wrote about the MediPen CBD oil vaporiser and detailed how the product was a legal and effective way to experience the benefits of CBD oil in the UK.

Whether considering the recreational or medical benefits of cannabis, therapeutic value is derived from cannabinoids and terpenes, the “miracle molecules” that deliver relief for everything from depression andgastrointestinal problems to cancerous tumors and epilepsy.

But from where are these compounds derived?

Not all marijuana works in the same way. And understanding the differences between the two major strains — indica and sativa — could play a crucial role in advancing the medical uses of pot over the next few years.

Let’s break down some myths about marijuana:

Myth 1: Marijuana use is harmless.

Today’s marijuana is far more potent than the plant of the past.

New strains are being crossbred to produce higher levels of tetrahydrocannabinol — the chemical responsible for marijuana’s effects — than ever before, with some reaching 20 to 30 percent THC (as compared with the average 1 percent THC in the 1970s).

We don’t yet know the full extent to which increased levels of THC will affect the brain and the body. However, the National Institute on Drug Abuse cautions that it could lead to higher rates of addiction and adverse health consequences.

Back in February, rapper-turned-venture capitalist Snoop Dogg announced his plans to raise a $25 million fund for tech startups working in the field of cannabis. That led to his participation in the biggest investment in a cannabis-focused startup to date: a $10 million Series A investment in San Francisco-based weed delivery startup Eaze, in April.

It’s been a long time coming, but it seems that now the floodgates have opened and cannabis is getting its chance at disruption.

What do you get when you combine pot and techies? (No, not a late night Doritos-driven coding session.) It's a whole new startup industry that's blossoming in Seattle.

The Emerald City is already known for being fertile ground for tech startups. With the growing recreational and medicinal cannabis industries getting off the ground, we're seeing the tech and marijuana markets colliding in new and very interesting ways.

Cy Scott is one of the co-founders of Leafly, a website that allows users to rate and review pot strains and dispensaries. Scott says the seed for Leafly was planted while he was working at Kelly Blue Book, a website that allows users to rate and review cars.

A weight loss pill may be available in five years, suggest researchers who found that a combination of extracts taken from cannabis and vitamin A shows promise as a drug to tackle obesity. 

"The results of our study show, for the first time, that particular compounds in cannabis and vitamin A can work together to reduce the deposit of lipids (fats)," said Dr Yann Gibert, the Head of the Metabolic Genetic Diseases Research Laboratory at Deakin University, Australia. 

"This finding opens up exciting opportunities to potentially treat obesity without the need for invasive surgery," Gibert said.