When Brendan Kennedy told his family he was leaving his job at the Silicon Valley Bank to go into the marijuana industry, they thought he was crazy.

Kennedy, who has an MBA from Yale, does not fit the classic image of a marijuana operator. Sharply suited and softly spoken, he is more likely to quote Schumpeter than Bob Marley, and except for the occasional high-resolution photograph of bright green leaves, his company’s airy Seattle office feels more like the headquarters of a Silicon Valley incubator than anything to do with weed.

Marijuana connoisseurs may soon have a new option for finding the best weed: brain scans.

In the past, the marijuana selection process went something like this: buy whatever your dealer offers. If you're lucky, you can choose between strains with vaguely evocative names like Blue Dream and Romulan. Then, with the advent of medical marijuana dispensaries, selection became more refined. All of a sudden, that Blue Dream comes with information on its percentage of THC (the ingredient that gets you high) and CBD (the pain relief ingredient).

Legalization of Marijuana would save the United States an estimated $20 billion per year.

Even if you don’t use Marijuana, you should be supporting getting it decriminalized.

Tax Marijuana, Hit Cartels Where it Hurts

About 1 in 4 people have claimed to have used Marijuana at least once in their life (the rest are probably lying) and according to the Federal Government about 15 million Americans are currently using Marijuana at least once per month. Marijuana is the most popular illegal drug in the world and has shown no signs of slowing down.

Between 2012 and 2050 the United States will experience a considerable increase in its older population, with aging baby boomers largely contributing to that growth. American’s graying population has wide-ranging implications for the legal cannabis industry, which grew from $1.5 billion in 2013 to $2.7 billion in 2014.

There was a time when the term 4/20 drew either blank stares or giggles. The term, which refers to marijuana, has become more mainstream in recent years and April 20, once considered a counterculture holiday, is actually trending on Twitter. The reality is that marijuana doesn’t have the same taboo as it did before. That’s largely thanks to legalization.

Minnesota Medical Solutions (MinnMed) has closed on $16.6 million in capital as it prepares to open medical marijuana dispensaries this summer.

The Edina-based startup is one of two licensed medical marijuana growers in the state. MinnMed raised the funding from individual investors, most of whom live in Minnesota, said CEO Dr. Kyle Kingsley.

The 20-employee business was able to raise capital quickly, he added.

"There was pretty dramatic support," Kingsley said.

Today is April 20, aka 4/20, the semi-official annual holiday for the marijuana industry and pot-enthusiasts around the world.

People flock to public celebrations across the country that, in some cases, attract crowds of thousands. Pot-related businesses also show off their products.

Heated debate has ensued since the Cigarettes Dealers Association submitted an official request to legalize hash.

Fierce criticism of Osama Salama, chairman of the association and sponsor of the campaign, is paralleled with strong support for the initiative.

While the first camp views calls for legalization as implicit encouragement of addiction, the second stresses the financial benefits of such a move, especially in light of the high rates of consumption among Egyptians.

Salama says his request is purely pragmatic: “Hash is already widely consumed in Egypt. We might as well make it legal.”

He says the state will save billions annually if hash becomes legal.

Are marijuana labels the latest celebrity-owned wine or liquor brand? Maybe not, but at least one legend is getting into the game that Snoop Dogg is part of. Willie Nelson announced on April 20 (a celebratory day for stoners everywhere) that he’s launching Willie’s Reserve, a high-quality brand of marijuana, grown in Washington and Colorado.

This is pot's $3 billion banking problem The marijuana business is attracting a lot of interest from entrepreneurs, venture capitalists -- and consumers -- in states where pot is legal for recreational and/or medicinal use.

There are even dozens of publicly traded pot stocks. But should you buy any of them? Probably not ... unless you don't mind seeing your portfolio do a Cheech and Chong and go up in smoke. (Sorry.)

Many of the companies are trying to attract investors with goofy names and ticker symbols that make it obvious they're in the pot business.