With four years of legal cannabis under our belts here in Colorado, we’ve seen some fortunes created by bringing an enormous black market online as a wholly new and regulated industry. For those that are considering the opportunity created by Election Day legalization in their home state, we can point you to some interesting business ideas.

From edibles to security, the U.S. cannabis industry has opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors with the skills that can grow the business to $50 billion within a decade.

Hawaii’s first two medical marijuana dispensaries have been approved by the Department of Health.

Maui Wellness Group, d.b.a. Maui Grown Therapies, and Aloha Green Holdings on Oahu were given the go-ahead to acquire and grow marijuana for medical products.

Other dispensaries on Oahu, Maui, and Kauai are scheduled for inspections this month. Dispensaries on Hawaii Island are expected to be ready for inspection later this year.

Scotts Miracle-Gro has a budding hydroponics business and what it hopes is a friend in the new president.

But what it doesn't know is how the Trump administration feels about legalization of marijuana use - a factor that's driving sales of some of Scotts' products.

"I was a supporter of Donald Trump. I voted for him," said Scotts CEO Jim Hagedorn, during an earnings call with analysts Tuesday morning. He said he did so because he expected Trump would be good for Scotts' business plans, including its interest in the marijuana industry.

The Marysville-based company makes most of its money selling weed killers, mouse traps, lawn fertilizers, soil and mulch, but its future growth is pinned on a once-nefarious concept - helping people grow marijuana.

Tilray, a global leader in medical cannabis research and production, today announced that it has received necessary regulatory approvals in Canada and Chile to export medical cannabis for distribution to Chilean patients.

“Today’s announcement marks Tilray’s entry into Latin America and expands our international reach to a fourth continent,” said Brendan Kennedy, Tilray President. “We are proud to be able to offer patients in need access to high quality, pharmaceutical-grade medical cannabis products.”

The second full month of marijuana tax revenue has entered the state treasury.

In December, 13 marijuana cultivators paid $145,800 to the Alaska Department of Revenue's Tax Division, revenue audit supervisor Kelly Mazzei wrote Tuesday.

Under Alaska law, growers pay the state's tax. Bud is taxed at $50 per ounce, and other parts of the plant, like the stems and leaves, are taxed at $15 per ounce.

A total of 167 pounds of marijuana bud and 46 pounds of other parts were sold in December, Mazzei wrote.

Seven of the growers who paid taxes were located in Fairbanks and two were in Kenai. Kasilof, Sterling, Juneau and Anchorage each had one commercial grower selling wholesale in December.

Country music legend Willie Nelson speaks to fans during an event celebrating the collaboration between Willie’s Reserve and Redwood Cultivation at Exile in downtown Las Vegas, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017.

With burning joints raised high, about 200 marijuana industry employees and representatives celebrated the arrival of country music legend and marijuana advocate Willie Nelson on Tuesday in downtown Las Vegas, commemorating the debut of Nelson’s brand of cannabis products in the Las Vegas Valley.

Alaska brothers James and Giono Barrett have a dream: that some of the scores of cruise ship passengers who crowd the streets of the state capital each summer will one day use their shore excursions to kick back and light up a joint in a pot store's lounge.

The Barretts own Juneau's first marijuana retail store and want to tap into the $260 million or so that tourists dropped in the small coastal city last year.

Regulators could decide soon whether to make that happen. At a meeting Thursday in Juneau, they will consider allowing marijuana retail stores statewide to provide separate areas of their businesses for onsite consumption.

As medicinal marijuana grows to a billion dollar industry in Canada, producers are tapping Simcoe County for our knowledge in farming and agriculture. We’re home to two Health Canada licensed producers — in Creemore and Stayner — and at least three more companies plan to set up within our borders. They are: Enderlein Nurseries in Lisle, MedReleaf Corp. in Bradford West Gwillimbury, and Georgian Bay Bio Med in Collingwood.

“We consider what we do to be high-value agriculture. So we’re looking for people who come from an agricultural background,” said Jeff Jacobson, vice-president of business development with The Peace Naturals Project in Stayner.