Just over half the states in the union (and the District of Columbia) now have some form of decriminalized cannabis. But for medical marijuana patients living in a state not yet on that list, getting the medicine they need often means crossing state lines in violation of federal law. That’s exactly what one GOP lawmaker did to treat his cancer — and he says he’d do it again.

In 2014, CNN found at least 100 families in Colorado who had essentially “fled” there in order to ensure a regular supply of medical marijuana for a sick family member.

The November election caused shock throughout the nation, but there was an underlying story that was not shocking at all. As expected, seven more states legalized marijuana in some form. In 2017, 60 percent of Americans will have legal access to medical marijuana, and 20 percent will also reside in areas where recreational marijuana is legal.

Given this new reality, I am renewing my call for Congress to remove its outdated and harmful federal prohibition on marijuana.

Every Congress since 2013, I have introduced legislation that removes marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act and leaves the decision to legalize up to the states, where it belongs. I plan to reintroduce the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act in the next Congress.

The world cannabis industry is dramatically growing in such a various countries like The Netherlands, Canada, Uruguay, Israel or a huge part of United States of America (22 states to be exact). In these countries it is allowed to sell marijuana legally, but in some of them there are still many unnecessary restrictions which restrict the further development of the marijuana industry. For example, in some states it’s still impossible to fully profit from health, economic and social benefits provided by cannabis business. Let’s take a good look at particular countries and draw proper conclusions.
 

The United States of America marijuana politics
 

Donald Trump may have won the US presidency, but in six of the nine states that were asked to decide on marijuana legalization on election day, more people actually voted for weed than voted for Trump himself. And with medical marijuana now available in more countries than ever before, the coming years could see a massive explosion in cannabis research across the globe.

As the movement to legalize marijuana goes mainstream, an increasing number of celebrities are stepping out of the cannabis closet. Some are looking for ways to cash in.

Entertainers including Snoop Dogg and Miley Cyrus have lent their names to marijuana strains, edibles, and weed-infused bath soaks.

Premium marijuana brands fetch high prices. An analysis by Marijuana Business Daily found that celebrity-branded strains are marked up 24% on average, generating $5 to $10 more per eighth of an ounce of pot. In an era when most strains are given arbitrary names like "Maui Wowie" and "Pineapple Express," new users might favor the weed their favorite singer trusts.

Medical cannabis has seen a rather dramatic political renaissance over the past two decades. Until California passed Proposition 215, there were no states with legal marijuana. Today, 28 states and Washington, D.C., have legal marijuana while medical use has supermajority support among American voters. Medicinal use laws clearly help increase the support for adult use by non-patients as more people become educated about cannabis use.

The subscription box business is big. From socks to sex toys, Americans are signing up for monthly personal care packages of themed, curated goods at a rate that generates an estimated $5 billion dollars annually. Marijuana is a natural fit for this model.

The odd couple's hit TV show already has 3-million viewers.

VH1's new hit show, "Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party," pairs Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg in a celebrity cooking show, which on the surface appears to be a very strange choice.

However, if you ask the show's producer, SallyAnn Salsano, the pairing is far from random. In fact, she believes the move is actually brilliant.

The cannabidiol (CBD) market is estimated to grow by 700% by 2020, according to Forbes. A new report by market intelligence firm Hemp Business Journal projects that the CBD market will grow to $2.1 billion by 2020, an astronomical jump in value compared to last year’s CBD market of $202 million.

CBD is one of the more than 85 cannabinoids so far identified in marijuana and hemp. Unlike the better-known compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), CBD is not psychoactive, meaning it won’t cause a high. Thousands of studies have shown that CBD possesses an array of therapeutic benefits, including antioxidant and neuroprotective properties.

One of the best questions to ask an entrepreneur is, “What’s the last great book you read?”

Whether on audiobook, ereader or tablet, or even on the ancient medium of paper, books offer a path to escape one’s own worldview and learn through the words and experiences of the author, making them a standard item in any forward-thinking entrepreneur’s home or laptop bag. 

Through talking with some of the cannabis industry’s top leaders, Cashinbis gets a lot of amazing book recommendations – some of them are cannabis-specific, and others are just great business books. 

No matter your stage in the game, we hope you enjoy the following suggestions for a stellar holiday reading list.