Canadian marijuana companies have attracted roughly $700 million in financing since investor interest exploded in the fall amid heightened anticipation of a recreational pot market, according to new research by a financial services firm.

Analysts at Canaccord Genuity tracked the capital raised by public and private companies operating in the country's nascent cannabis market since Health Canada opened the industry to commercial grow-ops in 2014.

There were several flashes of investor interest in the first two years, but none of it matched the frenzy that began in the third quarter of 2016 before hitting a feverish pitch in the final three months of the year.

A Cayman Islands pharmacy says it has secured an import permit to bring cannabis oil to the territory for medicinal purposes.

It is believed to be the first such permission to be granted since cannabis oil extracts and tinctures were legalized late last year.

However, the export from Jamaica will still require approval from the Cannabis Licensing Authority in that country.

Despite approving amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act to allow the drug to be prescribed for therapeutic purposes, several politicians, including Premier Alden McLaughlin, had highlighted practical concerns around importation.

Though cannabis is produced and used for medical purposes in multiple countries, its import and export are tightly regulated.

As the legal cannabis industry grows in the U.S., competition for customers is heating up. Now, a startup called Baker Technologies has raised $3.5 million to become a “Salesforce for pot.”

The company’s software helps marijuana dispensaries bring in new customers and inspire customer loyalty, without running afoul of ever-shifting regulations that govern precisely how these shops can market and sell their goods.

A business that is well used to risk sees greater opportunities ahead.

THESE are high times for America’s marijuana-industrial complex. More than half the country’s states have legalised medical cannabis, often rather loosely defined. Eight have voted to legalise the drug for recreational purposes. The industry was worth about $6bn last year, a figure that is likely to rise sharply in 2018 when recreational sales begin in California.

Licensed medical marijuana producer Organigram Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Organigram Holdings Inc. (TSX VENTURE:OGI)(OTCQB:OGRMF), recorded single-week sales of over $250,000 for the first time in its history for the period March 5-11, 2017, the company reported today.

The record-setting sales follow the release of Organigram's newly harvested and tested marijuana. The crops were grown under the company's new operating protocols which includes testing all harvested product to ensure the product's purity. Those new procedures were implemented when traces of unapproved pesticides were detected in some of its dried and oil-based products harvested last year. That product was voluntarily recalled by the company.

Businesses that hope to sell legal marijuana in Edmonton should expect to pay higher city fees, Coun. Dave Loken said Tuesday.

"We're going to be stuck with a lot of the enforcement," Loken said as council's executive committee discussed a report from administration designed to help the city prepare for the coming legalization of marijuana.

The federal Liberal government has pledged to legalize and regulate marijuana during its current term in office.

"The more they define the rules as we get closer to legalization, the clearer the impacts will be on municipalities," Mayor Don Iveson said.

​"They'll raise all the tax revenue from this new taxable substance and once again municipalities will have to do all the hard work."

Seattle has long been synonymous with coffee, and nowadays the city with a distinctive coffee culture is crafting a burgeoning reputation for cannabis culture. What might happen when you combine the two, coffeeshop and cannabis? Sounds like a great idea, right? Like it was meant to be?

In assessing the true potential of this endeavor, where else could we begin than with the elder statesman of not only the cannabis coffeeshop industry, but also cannabis legalization: the Netherlands. We’ll take a look at the context in which cannabis coffeeshops emerged and the changes they have undergone over time. What valuable lessons can be learned from the Dutch cannabis experience, and how might they apply in the context of the United States?

Farmers in Jamaica are struggling to engage with the nation’s new medical marijuana (or ‘ganja’) scheme, according to a new study.

The findings of the study, conducted by a student at Writtle University College, have been shared in a press release from the International Journal of Drug Policy.

Study author Simon Jones reveals that, out of the over 180,000 registered farmers growing traditional crops in Jamaica, only 25 applications for ganja cultivation have been made. High licensing fees and other financial and infrastructural burdens have been cited as the main impediments to farmers.

Original article - Benzinga recently spoke with investment banker and President of cannabis advisory firm Electrum Partners, Leslie Bocskor, about how CEOs in the marijuana industry could navigate market volatility in times of regulatory uncertainty.

One aspect of legal marijuana that is not often acknowledged is the difficulty of making money in the industry. Despite seemingly bottomless demand for cannabis, companies face problems that stem from its unique semi-legal status. Many pot companies, for example, have to deal with 280e, a few lines of the tax code left over from the early Reagan years.