Last month, Sports Authority and Aeropostale became the latest major retailers to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and announce store closures.

When Colorado legalized sales and use of marijuana for recreational purposes in 2014, Aspen was right there. You can find stores within a block of city hall, with restrictions little different than those imposed on liquor stores.

But in unincorporated Pitkin County, elected officials have been hesitant. Their concerns are rooted in lingering questions about unintended consequences of THC-infused edibles. Their particular worry is about edibles getting into the hands ­— and mouths — of children and adolescents.

Several months ago, the county commissioners flat-out said no to a local woman who wanted to infuse candy products at a kitchen located just outside the town.

Local businesses worry the cannanbis industry is edging them out.

While Oregon may still be the new kid on the legalization block, the two states that beat us to the punch, Washington and Colorado, might have a lesson or two to teach us about what’s to come.

There’s no doubt that states have benefited financially from taxing the recently legalized industry and are looking at dramatic declines in crime rates, according to a 2015 study by the Drug Policy Alliance.

Oregon’s Department of Revenue started collecting taxes on recreational cannabis for the first time beginning Feb. 1, and by March 4 the state had collected $3.48 million from dispensaries statewide.

Up to this point financing of legal cannabis in the U.S. has relied largely on private money - friends and family raises, high net-worth individuals, and small to medium sized private investment firms. Banks and large investors have shied away from companies in the cannabis space, even for businesses that do not touch the plant. The federal prohibition on cannabis has led to this situation in which small investors and venture funds have become the industry’s financial backbone. This moment in time of individual investing power in cannabis is waning, however.

When Jim McCann, the CEO of 1-800-Flowers, admits that he is concerned about his supply chain now that many flower growers are tempted by the huge potential from growing cannabis, you know this is an industry greenhouse growers need to pay attention to. On Fox News show Morning with Maria, McCann expressed particular concern about large growers in California, Colorado and Oregon who are already considering ‘Maybe I can switch to cannabis and get 10 times on the revenue line.’ “That’s a big concern of ours.”

The City of Toronto began its crackdown on the proliferation of illegal marijuana dispensaries on Wednesday, going after the owners of the properties rather than the sellers of the products.

Letters from the city and the Toronto Police Service were sent informing landlords of buildings that contain dispensaries that the shops violate local by-laws and the property owners are subject to stiff financial penalties. Until the city sent out the notices, operators of the dispensaries expected to be the ones facing fines, as much as $50,000.

“Gardening is one of the single biggest acts of protest for consumerism.” – Dragonfly Earth Medicine

As the marijuana movement gains momentum nationwide, more stories in the media are drawing attention to the fact that our precious greens are in reality, not so green.

Dragonfly Earth Medicine (DEM) is here to set the standard for sustainability with their Pure Certification, and the standard is being set sky-high.

Company Reports 700% Revenue Increase & Opening of 2 Additional Marijuana Super Stores.

Marijuana and Cannabis opportunities shows no signs of slowing down as experts forecast the market to top $7 Billion by the end of 2016 in a recent Forbes article with companies aiming to take advantage through new storefronts to reach more consumers.  Brick and mortar cannabis stores are becoming increasingly common throughout the United States as the industry swells behind increased acceptance and surging revenue.

On Tuesday night, the Cannabis Friendly Business Association held an emergency session at Toronto’s Hotbox Cafe. Entrepreneurs, consultants and lobbyists gathered to take on Mayor John Tory, who has vowed to fine unlicensed marijuana dispensaries up to $50,000 a day. It was standing-room only, and no one was taking this threat laying down.

All the tropes and trappings of the high life one might expect in this Kensington Market setting were in effect: berets, goatees, dreads, bongs and vapes, the air inexorably filled with suspicious wafts. But the fog wasn’t so thick that one couldn’t see that this energized group of entrepreneurs, consultants and lobbyists meant business.

A city spokesperson confirmed Tuesday that the Wealth Shop was granted a licence to operate in a shopping complex on West 10th Avenue in the city’s tony Point Grey neighbourhood, near the University of British Columbia.