Most companies don’t want to be in the business of selling a commodity. By definition, a commodity is an item that is indistinguishable from others of its type, and all units are usually sold at or near the same price. Gasoline is one example of a commodity.

Yet even though most gasoline will do essentially the same thing (fuel your car), companies like Chevron, Shell, Exxon Mobile and others, will spend hundreds of millions to convince you to buy from them, even though you can get basically an equal product across the street from their competitor.

In today’s economy, many items are now considered a commodity. Why purchase a pair of Nikes from Zappos when the same item can probably be purchased elsewhere at a lower cost?

Small Colorado Mom-and-Pop stores are at the vanguard of the nation’s newest marijuana businesses, but, while the weed marketplace might look quaint from the Rocky Mountains, Silicon Valley billionaires are preparing to swoop down and take advantage of weed’s “green rush.”

The entry of billionaires who mainly seek profits has sparked deep anger among long-term activists who have toiled for legalization in the name of personal freedom, civil rights and racial justice.

An internal split became public recently when Dan Riffle, a highly regarded federal policy staffer at the Marijuana Policy Project, publicly quit over the organization’s decision to court big corporate money.

Billionaires profiteering over marijuana doesn’t sit well with long-time activists.

Though Oregon's new clean indoor air provisions kicked in Jan. 1, the World Famous Cannabis Café continues to operate as usual this week, with its popular Stoner Bingo meet-ups and Thursday night jam sessions.

But Multnomah County has already received a complaint about smoking in the establishment and plans to send owner Madeline Martinez a letter reminding her about the law.

A county code enforcement officer plans to visit within 30 days to make sure Martinez is in compliance, Julie Sullivan-Springhetti, a county spokeswoman, said. The officer will outline the steps the business needs to take and make an additional unannounced visit, she said. .

Penalties include the possibility of daily fines of up to $500 per violation, said Sullivan-Springhetti. 

The company Cannabis Science, Inc. is one example of a company seeking increased growth in the medical marijuana sector during 2016, tapping into the burgeoning North American medical marijuana market.

In the last few years the medical marijuana market has grown considerably, fueled by many U.S. states permitting the use of the psychoactive drug or its extracts (at different levels of use.) Medical marijuana products are consequently being developed by start-ups and established pharmaceutical companies. The value of the industry is expected to hit $1.2 trillion globally by 2018.

Marijuana conferences have exploded from 1 in 2013 to over 30 planned in 2016 saturating this emerging industry with too many events. While some conferences are worth attending, others feel poorly arranged and only organized to enrich the organizers.

A marketing campaign called Faces of Nimbin has just been launched with the aim of debunking the stereotypical image of the village as a drug-takers' haven.

Lismore City Council's tourism services coordinator Andrew Walker said the concept was created by the Nimbin Marketing Campaign Focus Group, set up to boost tourism after the 2014 fires that destroyed several local businesses, including the Nimbin Museum.

"Nimbin is a melting pot of dynamic individuals and the reason it's so special is because it celebrates its diversity and individuality," Mr Walker said.

John Lord once walked into a federal government building with $2 million in cash in his backpack to pay his taxes for the cannabis he sells. 

Due to federal laws, he couldn't get a bank account to bank his drug profits. It's different now. His customers still have to pay cash, but he can now transfer money to the Internal Revenue Service come tax time.

Lord is the chief executive of Livwell - the largest marijuana dealer in Colorado, one of a few states that have legalised cannabis.

He sells in excess of $80 million worth of product annually. He won't talk profit margins.  

Denver officials just noticed a troubling pattern in the location of the city’s marijuana businesses.

A Jan. 3 analysis by the Denver Post found that companies with pot licenses in the city, where cannabis use has been legal since 2014, are mostly in low-income neighborhoods with high proportions of ethnic minorities. Just three of those neighborhoods account for about a quarter of local marijuana-related facilities.

Residents of those areas complain about the smell that wafts out of the grows, and say they worry about a rise in crime and youth drug use.

The State of Oregon started accepting recreational marijuana business applications on Monday. It was a bit of a bumpy start due to some inclement weather in the Willamette Valley area where the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) headquarters is located. The OLCC was hoping to have a call center staffed for opening day to help answer questions about the applications and the application process. But due to snow and ice, the office was closed Monday.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act - or Spending Bill - of 2016 continues protections for medical cannabis businesses following state law, but does not include additional reform to further facilitate cannabis commerce. Section 538 of the 2015 Spending Bill - the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment, noted in last week’s report - was renewed in this year’s appropriations legislation. Combined with District Court Justice Charles Breyer’s defense of the law and continuing cuts to federal asset forfeiture programs, medical cannabis growers and dispensaries in states with legal systems will be able to operate with a significantly lessened threat of federal intervention.