Cannabics Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CNBX) today announced it will begin providing personalized cannabinoid anti-tumor tests for cancer patients. The diagnostic tests are based on liquid biopsies of patients suffering from any kind of cancer. The test uses CTC technology that collects cancer cells from patients' blood samples, and tests their sensitivity to cannabinoid compounds alongside conventional chemotherapy medicine.

Voters in California passed Proposition 64 last November, which legalized the growing, possession and sale of marijuana for recreational, or adult use, purposes. And last  week the San Diego City Council voted to make their city the first one to approve the establishment of recreational marijuana shops in their jurisdiction when the shops are allowed statewide, something that is expected to happen in 2018.

Marijuana had an incredible 2016, and the hope for pro-legalization enthusiasts is that momentum will continue to carry into 2017 and beyond.

As it currently stands, just 21 years after California became the first state to legalize cannabis for medical purposes, 28 states have now legalized medicinal pot, while residents in eight states have voted in favor of legalizing recreational, adult-use weed. In fact, in the November elections eight out of nine cannabis initiatives/amendments passed, with the lone failure being Arizona, which saw its recreational marijuana initiative fail by just 2%.

Despite well-founded fear in the cannabis culture about the nation’s new president, Donald Trump is unlikely to go after state-level cannabis laws.

Instead, we believe that the Trump Administration will take a hands-off, allow-the-states-to-decide approach that will allow things to continue, for the most part, as they have the past several years.

Here’s a few reasons why: First off, politics

For whatever you may think of Donald Trump, he knows how to play politics. No one can win the presidency if they don’t.

Nine ways federal marijuana laws are limiting rights of residents in legal weed states Derek Peterson, CEO and president of Terra Tech. Just weeks after Prop. 64 passed, Peterson learned the company that for two years had managed Terra Tech’s payroll and health benefits would be dropping them, Dec. 31, because of concern over their role in the cannabis industry. “The decision came out of nowhere,” he said. “We have almost 200 employees that spent their holiday season stressed about the possibility of not having their health benefits available in the new year, let alone a reliable pay schedule.”

Even as he celebrated the end of a big year for his cannabis-focused company, Terra Tech, Derek Peterson was scrambling to cope with some bad news.

The marijuana industry is red hot, and it has the rapidly changing views of the public to thank.

In 1995, just prior to California becoming the first state to legalize medical cannabis for compassionate use, only 25% of respondents in Gallup's national poll wanted to see pot legalized nationally. That was essentially unchanged since 1980. However, since 1995 we've seen a steady uptick in support for weed. By 2005, 36% approved of its nationwide legalization. In 2011, marijuana's approval hit 50% for the first time ever. Finally, in 2016 it topped 60%, logging an all-time high. It's this rapid shift of opinion that's allowed marijuana to expand so quickly at the state level.

In just 12 months, shares of GW Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: GWPH) have shot up 125%. Over the past five years, the market cap of the cannabinoid-focused biotech has increased by well over 1,100%. Is GW Pharmaceuticals still a good pick for investors -- or is this hot marijuana stock just too expensive to buy right now?

Over-hyped?

Some would argue that the prospects for GW Pharmaceuticals are over-hyped. What they really mean is that the prospects for the company's lead cannabinoid candidate Epidiolex are over-hyped. GW's fortunes depend on the experimental drug.

Taxes on marijuana? There is a lot of money being made in this world already on the taxation of cannabis. There are nations like Uruguay and Israel taking a new approach on the substance and bucking the status quo on marijuana policy in their country. Many states have legalized medical marijuana in America, and many more will follow in the coming months and years.

This interesting graphic from Turbotax shows just how prevalent the cash is from taxes. In the end, the US spends 12 billion prosecuting marijuana crimes, which is a real shame. Hopefully the feds will move, but with the new administration, we aren’t holding our breath.

A Vancouver-based medical marijuana producer is taking their business to new heights with a budding facility at Edmonton Airport.

Aurora Cannabis is leasing 30 acres from the Edmonton Regional Airports Authority to build an 800,000 square foot production facility, 170 times bigger than their plant in Mountain View County.

“We’re very excited about it,” Aurora vice president Cam Battley says.

“It’s going to be the largest, the most advanced and the most highly automated cannabis production facility in the world, as far as we know, and it’s going to be the first cannabis production facility to be located at an international airport.”