rijuana—legal or otherwise—requires a lot of power to produce. And in the Pacific Northwest, utilities are now facing the complicated task of efficiently meeting that demand while navigating a set of opposing laws.

Just how much power the marijuana industry uses is tough to judge, and estimating future demand is even trickier. The recreational market is just getting started in Washington, where legal sales began this summer. Since July 8, the state is reporting just shy of $24 million in sales—and the pace seems to be accelerating. Sales in July averaged about $146,450 per day and so far in October have reached almost $400,000 each day.

How does that translate into power demand forecasts?

Juan Palese, 25, stands outside the door of his Urugrow shop, sharing a red-tipped marijuana joint with a group of young friends. The sweet, pungent aroma of cannabis permeates the street as chattering students from Montevideo’s nearby school of social sciences walk heedlessly by.

“Two policemen live here, right next door,” Palese says with a mischievous look, leaning into the entrance of an old house next to his “grow shop”, where he sells fertilisers and compost for growing cannabis at home. Business is good, and a steady trickle of customers arrive throughout the afternoon.

For many companies, the core of their culture is bound up with their size. A small startup tries to maintain its closeknit vibe and ability to move very quickly as it grows, while larger firms take pride in their presence, process and strength in a given field.

Despite nostalgia for what once was, many companies strive for growth and expansion yet face challenges in handling current operations as they grow. Whether they aim to reach the 10- or 50-employee mark, businesses can rely on basic planning, tracking and forecasting principles to manage an expansion to realize success and minimize growing pains.

By CHARITY MOONGA -

In his workshop in a 200-year-old barn in rural Quebec, Boyd Pellow handcrafts electric guitars using traditional luthier methods to create beautiful instruments with optimal sound. The guitars are uniquely designed, using classic styles of the 50s and 60s for inspiration, and aside from the marijuana leaves emblazoned on each headstock, there’s no indication that there is anything at all out of the ordinary about the instruments... until it comes out that they’re built from hemp. 

On Nov. 4, citizens in Alaska, Florida, Oregon and Washington, D.C., will cast their ballots on marijuana initiatives, and other states are also likely to consider legalization in upcoming elections. Colorado, the first state to allow the sale of recreational marijuana, is expected to take in $60 million to $70 million this year in taxes from legal pot sales, according to the Denver Business Journal. Cash-strapped states stand to collect millions if they legalize the drug.

“Never be afraid to scrap what you got and start over, because you’re never scrapping your knowledge” – Mark Williams | The Firefly

MANATEE -- An Arizona company called Cannabis-Rx that bought property in Manatee County this year with hopes for a licensed marijuana facility is at the center of a stock scheme and federal indictment.

The FBI announced Tuesday six people were indicted by a federal grand jury in a $500 million offshore asset protection, securities fraud and money laundering scheme. Cannabis-Rx was created as a shell company, according to the FBI.