Students of Australia's first medicinal cannabis course will learn everything there is to know about the plant, short of ingesting the thing.

There won't be any visits to secret cultivation facilities, but architects of the new eight-week course at Deakin University will teach best-practice in growing, extracting and manufacturing medicinal cannabis in Australia.

As the youth grow up, they are warned about the “dangers” of marijuana and other substances. The supposed danger, as echoed by many, is that marijuana makes people become unkempt, irresponsible, lazy and ultimately, running-on-the-streets-naked (that is, madness). Some religious preachers go as far as to say that marijuana users are hell-bound. Since the 1950s, thousands have been jailed; countless properties have been confiscated by the government, and taxpayers’ money has been wasted on the war on drugs in Nigeria, through the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Although the cannabis industry is the fastest growing industry in the world, investors need to be selective and conduct thorough due diligence before investing.

When it comes to the cannabis industry, it all starts with the management team and it is important than ever to know who you are investing in. The emergence of the cannabis industry has led to an influx in the number of publicly traded companies focused on this incredible growth sector.

Although some of these companies may wow you with exciting investor presentations, attractive business model and remarkable high growth estimates; don’t believe everything you read!

After two decades in the pharmaceutical industry, Vic Neufeld entered the cannabis space in 2014 as the CEO of the low-cost, large-scale cannabis producer Aphria.

What makes your company different from others in the cannabis space?

There are three components that differentiate Aphria from others in the industry: First, our strategic growth plan is factual, a reality and committed. This includes a four-part expansion of our facility in Leamington, Ontario, which will increase our greenhouse footprint from 100,000 square feet to 1 million square feet by August 2018. The expansion will give us the capacity to supply more than 75,000 kg of high quality cannabis at one of the lowest costs in the industry.

Terra Tech Corp (OTCMKTS:TRTC) has 

According to Marijuana Business Daily estimates, Nevada's recreational market could generate $75 million or more in sales this year and $450 million to $550 million annually down the road. Tourist spending is expected to account for a heavy portion of sales.

DENVER (AP) — Now that Nevada has approved an early start to recreational cannabis sales, existing medical marijuana companies in the state are readying for a burst of new business that could equate to tens of millions of dollars in additional revenue this year.

With Las Vegas alone drawing 40 million-plus visitors in 2016, the overall recreational cannabis industry is set to take another big step forward.

On Friday morning, South Dakota prosecutors are expected to offer their opening arguments in a long-awaited trial against Eric Hagen, president and CEO of the Colorado cannabis consultancy Monarch America.

If convicted, Monarch America CEO Eric Hagen could face up to 15 years in prison for helping the Santee Sioux tribe set up their grow.

The case has drawn national attention and will be closely watched by leaders in both the cannabis industry and the Native American legal community. Issues of tribal sovereignty—and a potential precedent regarding the legal culpability of cannabis consultants—will play out in the old Moody County Courthouse, a small stone structure that sits lonely on a city block of grass in the county seat of Flandreau.

Regulated marijuana sales are growing rapidly in participating states, but with federal legalization still a slow-turning wheel, it could take decades for the industry to fully mature on a national level.

On the back of 11 states passing marijuana-related measures last year, sales of recreational marijuana are expected to increase by roughly 30% this year — reaching $5.1 billion to $6.1 billion — and increase up to 45% in 2018, according to industry data provided by Chris Walsh, analyst and editorial director of Marijuana Business Daily. Walsh said he expects another spike in 2019, pushing sales past $11 billion.