As more states legalize recreational marijuana, they’re also looking to police people who drive while stoned. Research to create a breathalyzer for marijuana is advancing—but evidence shows that driving under the influence of pot doesn’t actually cause accidents.

Colorado breathalyzer company Lifeloc Technologies, which received a $250,000 state grant last year to develop the equivalent of a marijuana breathalyzer, is moving forward with the new technology, the Durango Herald reports.

When he was managing a 3,500-plant medical marijuana grow facility in Denver, Adam Koh would have his staff thoroughly inspect his crops several times a week for signs of infestation. Tiny bite marks on the cannabis leaves could mean two-spotted spider mites were piercing the plant’s skin and sucking up nutrients. Small piles of what looked like powdered sugar could be the beginning of a mildew incursion.

From marijuana finance to global-warming trends, a look at some new ways to invest.

Most investors can do just fine by buying a fund pegged to the S&P 500 or focusing on a list of 10 stocks with solid dividends.

But that would be so square, man.

Indeed, most investment stories churned out each day are the kind your parents’ generation could easily relate to. But sprinkled in amidst the conventional fare are occasional stories that play on themes that might have once seemed suited only for the counterculture.

THERMAL Calif. June 9 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- New Global Energy Inc. (OTCBB: NGEY) announced today that it has signed an exclusive 20- year agreement with Alternate Health Group's CanaCard a regulatory and compliance software system that will enable all U.S. states with legal medical marijuana laws in place to utilize and monitor the physician prescribed protocol.

Health Canada has recently updated its licenced producers web page with additional licensee information and a newly-designed map. Interestingly the map very clearly and graphically highlights the much higher number of licensed cannabis producers in Ontario. In fact, Ontario has more licensed producers than all other provinces combined. Below is an up-to-date listing of all the licencees, which shows the breakdown, as well as information on the licence type (cultivator, seller, or both) and when they were approved.

Number of licensed producers by province or territory

Patients and medical practitioners need to understand what exactly is in their product. As our industry moves forward, a critical change will be the role of testing. In order to give Lift readers a better understanding of the Quality Assurance andcannabis testing practices that are required under Canada’s MMPR legislation, we’ve enlisted the help of Emily Kirkham, VP of Laboratory Operations at Signoto.

Some of the most successful companies in the cannabusiness were founded by women. Check out the stories of three founders who have already made a significant impact on the burgeoning industry.

While it's certainly not easy to achieve success in the heavily regulated legal marijuana industry, it's a field that remains highly accessible to savvy entrepreneurs. That's especially true in Colorado, which unlike other emerging markets doesn't have a limit on the number of licenses to grow and sell pot.

Marijuana has inspired the medical community and the investing community, with state legalization spurring interest in companies related to the drug. Yet many fear that the tiny companies that dominate the marijuana industry right now aren't good investments and carry too much risk for the typical investor.

With that in mind, we asked three Motley Fool contributors to weigh in on their views about whether marijuana is or will be a place to invest in the near future. See what they have to say and then weigh in with your comments below.

Potlines is an app that will send users an alert as to differing state marijuana laws.

WASHINGTON, June 7, 2015 – Marijuana is already legal for medical and recreational use in the District of Columbia. Alaska, Oregon, Washington and Colorado also allow recreational use and possession of cannabis.

Twenty-three states from Maine to California allow medical marijuana use. But if you are taking a road trip from the NorthEastern shore to Southern California, there are a lot of states in between where marijuana is still illegal.

The laws are constantly changing and  the laws for use and possession in those states is not uniform.

And ignorance of the law is not a legal defense.