Two years ago, the BC Pain Society’s marijuana dispensary at Commercial Drive and West 13th Avenue became an online sensation after it installed Canada’s first vending machine for pot.

Now, the organization’s owner is saying it will fight to keep the location open, despite an order to close by the city.

“They are saying they’re going to start some sort of enforcement on Saturday. I’m ready, I’ve been talking to a number of lawyers, and I’m looking at my options,” says Chuck Varabioff, owner of the BC Pain Society.

“I don’t agree with it. I don’t agree with it at all. We’re providing a service here for sick people.”

Tucked in the rolling hills of Orange County, New York, inside a row of anonymous buildings and behind doors bristling with security, is an operation few have ever seen.

Welcome to Pharmacann, one of five companies licensed by the State of New York to manufacture and distribute medical marijuana. In giant greenhouses covering the equivalent of three football fields are fields of green in every sense.

“The term factory is a little bit of an understatement, because these are state of the art manufacturing facilities,” said Jeremy Unruh.

Unruh is a former prosecutor and the general counsel for Pharmacann. He says what you see in these facilities is an industry that’s taking root.

Beneath a purple glow, in a warehouse sharing the street with two indistinguishable strip malls, Kevin Biernacki is growing around 100 pounds of medical marijuana. The purpose of this facility, owned by The Grove, is no different than that of 39 other cultivation sites approved in Clark County. Yet, the roughly 480 industrial lamps suspended over clusters of cannabis set this place apart.

Those energy-efficient lights allowed The Grove to slash its power bill. The decision to use LED lamps might seem unsexy at first, simply a marginal deduction on a complicated balance sheet. But it’s not. It is the type of business decision many experts believe can offer huge benefits in a growing market.

“In the long run, I think it will be an advantage,” Biernacki said.

Canopy Growth Corporation (TSX:CGC) ("Canopy Growth" or "the Corporation") today released its financial results for the first quarter fiscal 2017 ended June 30, 2016.  All financial information in this press release is reported in Canadian dollars, unless otherwise indicated. 

Consolidated financial results include the accounts of the Company and its wholly‑owned subsidiaries Tweed Inc. ("Tweed"), Tweed Farms Inc. ("Tweed Farms") and Bedrocan Canada Inc. ("Bedrocan Canada"). 

First Quarter Fiscal 2017 Highlights

When it comes to new buzz ingredients, the beauty industry loves anything quirky - hence the fascination with bee venom, placentas and snail mucus. And now it seems cannabis if the predictions from the trend forecasters at The Future Laboratory are correct.

The ingredient topped their list for the new beauty must-haves we’ll be slathering onto our skin by the end of the year.

While hemp seed oil has been around for years (the Body Shop has an entire range dedicated to it), beauty brands are now looking into marijuana as a treatment for acne.

The recreational marijuana industry is “doing phenomenal” in Eugene, Oregon.

That’s what Courtney Delaplain, the manager of a local dispensary named Casper’s, said of Eugene’s newest industry.

A recent report published by the Department of Revenue shows that Oregon state-licensed dispensaries sold $42.2 million worth of recreational marijuana in June and July combined. This comes after selling $59.6 million worth from January to May.

Hemp useful for food, cosmetics and textiles.

You could be forgiven for thinking a field full of tall, leafy crops in Baileys Brook is an illicit operation – but it’s perfectly legal, and not for smoking.

Bradley Jardine and Doug MacEachern are the owners of Northumberland Hemp, with 150 acres of industrial hemp growing in the province – mainly in Pictou County – that they process into hemp seed oil, flour and protein powder.

“As you can tell, it looks exactly the same as marijuana and that’s because it’s the same plant. It just has no THC, or very low levels,” Jardine said in an interview beside a 40-acre field where the plant is growing.

Williams farm with elaborate greenhouse operation underscores huge growth in local marijuana industry.

Josephine County's growing marijuana industry is experiencing growing pains.

The number of medical marijuana grow sites in the county has remained steady from a year ago, at about 2,500.

But growers who sell to retailers have been sprouting up — 38 new state-issued licenses have been granted this summer to people who plan to grow for the recreational market. More applications are pending.

Pivoting to take advantage of retailer preference for indoor-grown marijuana, these new operations are springing up in former pastures and fields across the county.

Like wine growers, Mendocino area farmers want Emerald Triangle recognised for its superior product.

Mendocino marijuana farmers are taking a leaf out of France's book and plotting to arrange a "champagne of weed" and other appellations for cannabis from the Emerald Triangle of northern California.

Pot grown in the region is a unique product and appeals to the discerning stoner palate, some farmers suggest. Marijuana grower Justino Calvino and supporters hope to market to consumers using a special, legally defined and protected geographical identification system, similar to that of the wine industry.

Three municipalities in British Columbia want a stake in any tax revenue that the federal government collects from the legalization of marijuana.

Nelson, Duncan and Prince George put forward resolutions to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities asking it to put pressure on higher levels of government to ensure tax sharing with municipalities is considered by the federal task force investigating marijuana legalization and regulation.

With eight dispensaries open in Nelson, Mayor Deb Kozak said determining how to regulate and monitor the technically illicit businesses has required considerable city and police resources.

“There is a real cost attached to that and we are not realizing any revenues from (the marijuana) industry at this time,” Kozak said.