Arkansas' Medical Marijuana Commission has approved a final set of rules on how businesses can cultivate and sell the drug.

The rules approved Tuesday will now go up for public comment, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/2kMoXCq ) reported. Lawmakers must adopt them no later than May 8. Commissioners are expected to hold a hearing March 31.

Dr. Ronda Henry-Tillman, the commission's chairman, said questions remain about who would educate patients and ensure safety.

"People who want it are thinking about the relief that it provides them," she said. "Others are thinking dollar signs and business plans, but ... the safety of that individual has to be considered as well."

An annual Las Vegas marijuana convention has severed ties with its Seattle-based parent organization after a four-year partnership.

The former Las Vegas Hempfest will now be called the Las Vegas Hemp Festival after what the Seattle-based Hempfest brand called a difference of opinion regarding the definition of a cannabis social gathering.

“The two organizations have a differing vision of what a traditional Hempfest event should be, so we have amicably dissolved the licensing relationship to allow the Las Vegas event to follow its vision unhindered by the contractual agreements,” Hempfest Executive Director Vivian McPeak said.

McPeak did not provide any details about the reasons for the separation.

Twenty-five companies have applied for licences to grow and manufacture medicinal cannabis in Australia. 

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt announced today medical marijuana could be easier to import to Australia, if requested through a doctor, by fast-tracking importation while local supplies expand.

Meanwhile the Victoria Government has harvested its first crop and approved a trial to test its effectiveness of cannabis a treatment for epilepsy.

Medical marijuana is already a rapidly growing business in Israel, the United States and Canada and many of those global companies are now positioning themselves for entry here.

Gold Leaf Gives Us a Tour of Their Clean Green Certified Grow Op.

t only takes a moment for Nate Gibbs to find what he's looking for. He brushes aside a rotting orange rind and uses his fingers to pull back a half-inch of soil, revealing a collection of squirming earthworms a couple inches away from the stalk of a cannabis plant. Sure, the pot smells amazing, has all the right hairs and crystals, and returns all the right test results, but these prized little worms are how Gibbs brags about his weed.

Welcome to C-Suite, our new interview series with business leaders in the cannabis industry. Below is our interview with John Docherty, President at Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (OTC: LXRP; OTCMKTS: LXRPD), which produces hemp-infused foods for consumers with active lifestyles.


CIVILIZED: How did you get into the cannabis space?

Olivia Mannix, the founder of Cannabrand, is on a quest to transform attitudes towards marijuana.

Cannabis has long been associated with hippies and students. But as marijuana is gradually legalised across the US and other parts of the world, growers and sellers are looking to change its image and attract new clients.

Enter Olivia Mannix, the founder and CEO of Cannabrand: what is believed to be the first marketing agency dedicated to cannabis. 

Medical Marijuana is legal in twenty-eight states. Wait, what?

Yes, more than half the population of the United States live in a place where they can legally use cannabis for medical purposes. The industry is developing rapidly, refining its growing and processing technologies, creating new products and building expertise among employees. And as regulation increases (product testing, child-safe containers, accurate labeling, etc.) the supply of cannabis has become safer.  Dispensaries are moving beyond the random supplier who shows up with the big baggie at the back door to tax-paying product-testing sources of cannabis.

In early 2015, we highlighted three publicly traded Israeli cannabis companies to watch and we hope you listened!

Although Canadian cannabis stocks have been the story to watch over the last year, Israeli cannabis stocks have been stealing headlines in 2017.  

This comes after two United States traded Israeli cannabis companies, Cannabics Pharmaceuticals (CNBX) and OWC Pharmaceutical Research (OWCP) rallied 842% and 1087%, respectively so far this year.

From the moment you enter the security-controlled reception area at MedReleaf, you notice there’s something different about the place.

Perhaps it’s the aroma in the air, reminiscent of marijuana plants, which happen to be growing in the thousands just metres away. Or maybe it’s the smell of money, as in the revenue generated by Canada’s largest medical marijuana producer. It might also be the aroma of Israel’s agri-tech sector, since the Markham, Ont. company is a partner with Tikun Olam, an Israeli firm that’s a pioneer in the development of medical grade marijuana to treat a variety of illnesses.

Marijuana is transforming into the darling of daring investors, and the nascent legal weed industry is excited about the prospects for profits. But there are many risks to investing in this tricky business. Canopy Growth, a Canadian cannabis holding company, is representative of the hope and potential woes that go with buying stock in an industry still negotiating existence.