It’s no secret that one of the most popular ways of smuggling cannabis to states where it remains illegal is through the mail. As the late comedian Mitch Hedberg put it, “I love my FedEx guy, ‘cause he’s a drug dealer and he doesn’t even know it.”

The practice is a violation of federal law. But according to a new report, there’s more to worry about than criminal charges if you decide to mail an illicit package.

More than 10,000 cannabis industry leaders from around the country have converged on Las Vegas for a convention.  At ShowGrow, marijuana professionals are looking at everything from equipment and fertilizer to an actual mockup of a dispensary.

"What we've done with the ShowGrow concept is to offer safe access, in essence, with a fun environment," said David Barakett, CEO of ShowGrow.

At the convention, businesses offer a glimpse into what Nevada's marijuana industry could look like in the future.  State lawmakers will soon tackle a bill that would require edibles to be packaged in non-descript, child-proof packaging.

Manufacturers like California-based Kush Bottles are already working on meeting those standards.

Legalized recreational marijuana in an increasing number of states will reduce unnecessary arrests for people in possession the plant, exhibitors and speakers at this week’s Marijuana Business Conference and Expo said.

“It’s time to roll back the war on marijuana and work toward fulfilling its potential,” Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, said during a keynote panel in front of about 500 marijuana business owners from across the country.

The Canadian government is getting gouged on its veteran medical marijuana program, and a VICE News investigation has revealed the likely culprits.

According to figures provided by Veterans Affairs Canada, the number of retired soldiers obtaining medical marijuana from the government saw a staggering 15-fold increase over just three years, with a corresponding 50-time increase in cost.

From just 112 veterans on the plan in 2013, the federal government now covers the medical marijuana prescriptions for 1,762 veterans nation-wide. The cost has gone from $400,000 to $20 million in that time. That’s a jump of 5,000 percent. 

Heliospectra AB, a world leader in intelligent lighting technology for controlled environment horticulture, announced its exhibition at the Marijuana Business Conference and Expo, November 16-18, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nev

Marijuana scored huge victories in eight out of nine states on Election Day. California, Nevada, Massachusetts, Maine, Florida, North Dakota, Arkansas and Montana all legalized medial and/or recreational marijuana use.

Although marijuana remains illegal in the United States on a federal level, the marijuana legalization movement is clearly gaining momentum. Unfortunately, the federal ban makes marijuana investing risky and treacherous business for U.S. investors.

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In Colorado, recreational marijuana has been legal since 2012, but it’s still forbidden by many employers.

That apparent conflict means lab owner Kelly Kirwan sees people regularly attempting to rig their drug tests. Some try to use someone else’s urine (requiring them to reheat it for authenticity; sparking the microwave rule at the nearby convenience store), while others try to mix in powders they buy via Internet in the hope of masking pot-positive results.

Just a few yards from the Salem city line, a customer strolled into the Herbal Remedies cannabis shop, and put his nose into two jars with pot strains on promotion: Black Licorice and Berry Funk. He drew in the aroma appreciatively, like a wine connoisseur savoring the smell of a fine cabernet sauvignon.

On shelves were other brands, such as Obama Kush, Space Candy and Blueberry Northern Light.

The shop, though, seems to be doomed at least for recreational sales.

It is in one of three dozen locales in Oregon where voters on Election Night prohibited marijuana businesses, according to a list compiled by Rob Bovett, legal counsel for the of Association of Oregon Counties. Voters in another two dozen towns and counties decided to allow these businesses.

Real estate speculators stake out territories for what’s to come, infrastructure builders and lawyers queue up for business, investors jostle to get in on the ground floor, and tech startups seek ways to make a new industry run more efficiently.

This could be any nascent industry, but in this case it’s marijuana.

Voters have approved the Prop 300 law.

A glass of wine with dinner? Or maybe some marijuana?

Denver voters have approved a first-in-the-nation law allowing willing bars and restaurants to give patrons the option to use marijuana alongside a cocktail or meal. The catch: Smoking pot won’t be allowed inside, and the locations would have to first get the approval of neighbors.

Denver voters approved Proposition 300 on the same day that the nation’s largest state of California and two others legalized pot for all adults and five more states approved pot for sick people—signs of society’s increasing tolerance for the drug.