Virginia Maria Vidal started medicating with marijuana in 2003, after the birth of triplets left her with post-natal discomfort. She ran into trouble over the years, once being arrested, charged, and eventually acquitted of possessing 19 grams of pot. Even after obtaining a licence to use medical marijuana, the 45-year-old mother of six and caregiver to a grandparent with dementia found the smoke to be a nuisance and embarrassing. So she ground it into tea instead.

It’s like forecasting early gold reserves in the heady days of California’s Gold Rush era. Revenue estimates that will come from legalizing marijuana are growing almost like weed itself.

In analyzing the ballot initiative to legalize recreational use of marijuana, California’s legislative analyst and finance director estimates that legalizing marijuana for casual use could net as much as $1 billion in new tax revenue for the state and local governments.

That estimated revenue, however, dwarfs the amount calculated by the state’s tax board, the Board of Equalization, based on legal medical marijuana-related sales.

Global medical cannabis leader proud to help Croatian patients in need.

Tilray, a global leader in medical cannabis research and production, today announced that the company has shipped precisely crafted medical cannabis products to Croatia to be dispensed to patients with prescriptions via pharmacies. This marks the first time medical cannabis products containing the active compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are being legally imported into the European Union from North America for commercial medical use. It marks another strategic milestone for Tilray as the company aims to build the world's most trusted and admired medical cannabis brand by offering patients, physicians, researchers and pharmacies pure, precise and predictable products.

Alaska regulators were applauded Thursday as they approved the first licenses for legal marijuana growing and testing facilities — another milestone for the fledgling industry.

Priority was being given to growing and testing operations to ensure that retail stores will have legal product to sell. The first retail licenses are expected to be issued later this year.

Thirty applications were on the agenda Thursday at a meeting of the Marijuana Control Board in Anchorage. Two were for testing facilities. The rest were for grow operations.

The first application approved came from CannTest LLC of Anchorage, a marijuana testing facility. The action was greeted by applause and cheers.

“That’s history right there, folks,” board member Brandon Emmett said.

California officials want to ensure that those once punished over harsh weed laws aren’t overrun by wealthy entrepreneurs once it’s legalized recreationally.

Joshua Weitz’s marijuana delivery company was supposed to be the biggest achievement of his life. The San Francisco native began dealing weed when he was 14 years old, and by 2013 he was eager to apply his skills in a legitimate medical cannabis business with a California license.

“You get this sense of a real supreme accomplishment. It felt so good to build something,” said Weitz, now 33.

Female entrepreneurs are carving out a space for themselves in the burgeoning sector.

A Florida-based firm is opening three new offices in cities where cannabis is an emerging industry, and it has plans to open more.

Another sign of how the legal cannabis industry is growing and maturing: the arrival of established law firms, looking to represent those involved in what was once an outlaw enterprise.

PharmaCielo will open curative cannabis production in Colombia with crops in Antioquia. Its president, Jon Ruiz, received the first government license.

In the coming days, Jon Ruiz, president and CEO of PharmaCielo Colombia Holdings will receive the first license to be issued in Colombia to grow, process, and sell marijuana for medicinal purposes. A business without precedent in legal history. The company, Colombo-Canadian, plans to plant 600 hectares of cannabis in Rionegro, Antioquia, to produce natural oils that keep more than 98% of the active elements of the plant.

A task force studying energy and water use associated with marijuana production is likely to recommend that the state do more to educate growers about existing agricultural rules and practices, as well as back a certification process that encourages Oregon's new industry to pay closer attention how it uses natural resources.

The task force, made up of growers, agency representatives and lawmakers, is set to make recommendations to the Legislature later this summer.

Rep. Ann Lininger, D-Lake Oswego, suggested Wednesday that the panel won't propose "top down" requirements but instead will offer recommendations on the "light touch" end of the spectrum.

It appears medical marijuana sellers in Canada are charging ahead despite recent crackdowns.

In Toronto, half of the city’s 83 known unlicensed stores have been targeted in raids and shutdowns that started May 26. Police have executed search warrants and seized products from stores they believe are selling to recreational consumers, which is still illegal.