Colorado, already a national leader in hemp cultivation, is pushing forward with a plan to certify seed, in part to ensure THC levels, the active ingredient in marijuana, do not exceed legal levels.

“We’ve always felt that if hemp is going to be an agricultural crop, it has to be treated like a mainstream agricultural crop. The grower needs to know what he is getting,” said Duane Sinning, assistant director of the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s Division of Plant Industry.

To be classified as industrial, hemp may contain no more than 0.3 percent THC. If hemp farmers inadvertently plant seeds that create higher THC levels in plants, those crops have to be destroyed, Sinning said.

For a conference on marijuana, the Cannatech convention was remarkably free of reggae and thick smoke. If the three-day event held in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem March 7-9 featured fantasies, they were about financing and economic opportunities for the medical cannabis industry. And yeah, that whiff arose two or three times.

Medicinal cannabis firm Auscann Group is set to be taken over by ASX-listed TW Holdings.

Another so-called pot stock is set to join the Australian share market.

Medicinal cannabis company AusCann has agreed to a takeover by ASX-listed TW Holdings, which had until now been managing wine operations.

TW Holdings intends to change its name to AusCann Group and raise $3 million to support its growth strategy.

TW Holdings made an annual loss of $302,000 in 2015, and indicated it was considering investment opportunities outside of the wine industry.

Amendments to the Narcotic Drugs Act in February have made it an opportune time for AusCann to expand its reach and access to capital markets, AusCann managing director Elaine Darby said.

On March 16, 2016, Comprehensive Cannabis Consulting, a cannabis consultancy and author of Cannabis Benchmarks, announced that it predicts there will be a cannabis shortage in Colorado and Oregon due to noncompliant cannabis being removed from circulation for contamination and residual pesticides.

It may seem odd that a drug that is still illegal in most parts of the world can have an annual report, but Marijuana Business Daily have produced exactly that — and all signs point to a massively growing economy.

The US cannabis industry "will pump up to $44 billion (£31 billion) annually into the country's economy by 2020, if current business and legalisation trends continue" the report says. This is more than double the $14-17 billion impact it currently has.

Ancillary revenues include licensing fees, taxes, marijuana tourism, employee spending, job creation and growth in real estate prices in a community.

Moving the black market in marijuana into the light has been a boon for state tax coffers, entrepreneurs and cannabis users, but an inconvenient fact went unaddressed in the process: Potentially dangerous chemicals are used to grow it. 

That changed last fall, when a Colorado newspaper’s investigation found shelves stocked with products grown using pesticides that hadn’t been approved for cannabis farming, spurring a rush of legal, regulatory and business activity. 

Since then, states have quickly drawn up regulations, companies have seen their products and methods put under the microscope — sometimes taking big hits to their businesses — and cannabis product and pesticide buyers have filed lawsuits against their manufacturers. 

Dispensaries technically aren't legal according to Health Canada, but many police forces leave them alone

Craig Gaudet of Summerside, P.E.I., hopes to open the Island's first medical marijuana dispensary this April.Gaudet says he already supplies medical marijuana to people who have approval in P.E.I., but wants to make it easier for others to get medical marijuana at one central location.  

He told CBC he's already picked out a location — on Water Street in Summerside. He's hoping to open in April. 

The largest annual event of the marijuana industry drew local backlash from elected officials in Colorado and is moving to California.

Marijuana might be legal in Colorado, but the industry still has battles to fight.

After trouble obtaining a permit in Denver, High Times magazine is moving its annual U.S. Cannabis Cup over the 4/20 holiday to San Bernardino, California.

The success of one weed-based drug trial sent investors scrambling to buy into the future of marijuana pharmaceuticals.

Stock brokers were left scratching their heads on Monday as the value of shares in a little-known company called Cannabis Science Inc. dramatically increased. By the end of day, they were up 120 percent.

From Herbal Outfitters LLC to Dazed Dog Gardens, there's no shortage of creative and pun-laden business names in the nearly 200 marijuana business licenses that are currently working through the state system, which were released Tuesday.

The public can now see all the in-progress marijuana business applications on the Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office’s website. For businesses that are far enough along in their applications, a public notice is also linked in the spreadsheet that provides the name of the owner and the exact location of the business, according to Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office Director Cynthia Franklin.