Industry Minister Anthony Hylton has signalled to prospective ganja investors that interim regulations to police the industry should be in place by March.

It would pave the way for commercial ganja and allow persons in the trade to start emerging from under the radar.

Hylton told the Financial Gleaner on the margins of the annual Cannabiz business conference, hosted by the National Alliance for the Legalisation of Ganja, that drafting instructions for the regulations had been issued to the chief parliamentary counsel and the process should be completed by the end of February.

The final set of regulations will be promulgated after further consultations, he said.

Wiz Khalifa has announced plans to official start selling weed and not just smoke it…though that’s sure to continue as well. The rapper has partnered with Colorado-based RiverRock Cannabis to put his name on all things marijuana, including a strain all his own, called Khalifa Kush.

DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / February 4, 2016 / Canna Security America (CSA) (OTCQB: CSAX) and The Cloverton Group are proud to announce the continued growth of their strategic partnership with Dixie Brands one of the most prominent names in the cannabis industry. As part of the comprehensive array of security solutions, Dixie Brands has now added armored transport. CSA has been providing video surveillance, access control, and alarm systems to them since their beginning.

Sy Alli, Director of Corporate Security at Dixie Brands commented, "We truly value the entire team at Canna Security and The Cloverton Group for their expertise and support as we continue to expand."

The start-up world can expect to see a different kind of green in the next few years if the marijuana business grows as rapidly as some expect.

Legal marijuana sales grew to $5.4 billion in 2015, up from $4.6 billion in the prior year, and sales are expected to grow by 25 percent to about $6.7 billion this year, according to research firm Arcview's latest marijuana market report.

CITIVA, a leading developer of cannabinoid research studies in numerous countries, including Jamaica and the United States, will take part in The Cannabiz Business and International Investors Conference Jamaica 2016. The Conference has named Josh Stanley as one of its speakers and Josh will be an integral part of the Conference as he explains CITIVA's current research and its impact on the cannabis industry.

Stanley and other CITIVA associates will be available during the conference to speak directly to consumers, researchers and the press about CITIVA's ongoing research. In addition, they will discuss their ongoing support of the medical cannabis industry, and their vision of a licensed partnerships seed-to-sale model.

New York's medical marijuana law, known as the Compassionate Care Act, launched just last month, but has been the target of harsh criticism since Governor Andrew Cuomo signed it in July 2014. Now, Albany's biggest advocate for legal medical marijuana, Manhattan Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, has introduced legislation to improve the program.

The report that legal marijuana sales have topped $5.4 billion in 2015, and is expected to reach $6.7 billion this year, has many pot prohibitionists questioning their allegiance to what amounts to a losing battle. It also has cash-flushed pot businesses scrambling to find a place to put their literal piles of cash.

The problem is that while states like Colorado, Oregon, and others have given the green light on marijuana legalization, the federal government still has it as a schedule one drug – right next to heroin and LSD. This means that federally insured banks can’t open accounts for local cannabis companies without serious risk of penalties.

Daren Grant biked to the Bloom Room dispensary in San Francisco on Monday to pick up some “Big Kahuna.” Instead, he walked out with two grams of “Carolina Cam Crush” and “Bronco Mile High.”

Grant, a 31-year-old waiter, considered what to do with his weed during the Feb. 7 football championship. Maybe every time a team scored, he said, he could take a bong hit of the corresponding strain. “I would definitely give it a toke,” he said.

Removing a two-year residency requirement to start a marijuana business is one of the proposed changes.

SALEM — Representatives from the marijuana industry came out in droves Tuesday to speak out on legislation to hone the state’s infant marijuana laws.

“This is going to be an ongoing process that probably goes on for several years, but I hope what you’re hearing is we are making a good faith effort to meet people’s needs,” said Rep. Ann Lininger, D-Lake Oswego, co-chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Marijuana Legalization.

The committee has moved a series of proposed changes to the law.

Giadha DeCarcer, a former investment banker, is founder and CEO of New Frontier, a data analysis provider for the cannabis industry.

The cannabis industry is quickly becoming a magnet for female entrepreneurs.

Medical or recreational marijuana is legal in 23 states and the District of Columbia. As legalization has increased, so have sales. In 2013, the industry was at $1.8 billion. 

In 2015, it was estimated at $5.4 billion (accounting for evolving business models), according to the ArcView Group, a cannabis-focused investment and research firm.