Members of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs will vote Thursday on a proposal to grow and process marijuana on the reservation and sell the product at tribal-owned stores in Portland and other Oregon cities.  

If the referendum passes – and the state signs off on the plan – Warm Springs would be among the first tribes in the country to enter the commercial cannabis market. The tribes expect to have results Friday.  

It's a trend fueled by a federal memo issued last year that said the government would treat tribes as they do states when it comes to legal pot. But debate over cultural, economic and health risks, as well as complex legal issues, has most Native American tribes moving slowly on marijuana initiatives.  

As 2015 comes to an end and 2016 quickly approaches, many people with huge financial goals in the works might be wondering how to better manage their money or get out of debt in the new year. But smart investors — they want to know where they should be putting their money next year. To do that, they need to know which industries are expected to yield high returns.

Based on research and experts’ opinions, here are seven fast-growing industries investors should consider investing in for 2016.

Canada’s market for recreational cannabis is worth an estimated $4 to 7 billion annually, depending on who you ask.

That makes the question of who controls and profits from the industry one many people are watching closely.

A Minnesota medical marijuana company has developed a potent new strain it hopes will help patients, and help drive down prices.

Minnesota Medical Solutions announced Wednesday that it has bred a new strain of cannabis that is rich in cannabidiol, or CBD — a nonintoxicating compound used to treat seizures and inflammation. Because CBD is found in lower ratios in most marijuana varieties, the company hopes its new high-CBD strain will make its products easier and cheaper to refine.

“This is potentially a huge cost saver,” said Dr. Kyle Kingsley, CEO of MinnMed and its parent company, Vireo Health.

Hana Gabrielová, CEO of Hempoint, studied agriculture in the Czech Republic where she learned about the historical importance of hemp farming in her country. After working for several environmental NGOs, she decided to shift her focus to creating a company utilizing a once traditional Czech crop in new and exciting ways. Thus, in 2010 Hempoint was born.

Hempoint’s product range boasts around 30 wonderfully tasty hemp based products which they currently sell throughout Europe. It includes a selection of hemp teas, hemp seed cookies, hemp oil and even hemp seed paste (like peanut butter only hempier!).

It's been three years since recreational cannabis was legalized in Washington - and in the weeks leading up to the holidays, business has never been more brisk.

Overall, monthly sales in the state grew from $3-million in the first year, to more than $57-million this November. Figures from the Liquor and Cannabis Board indicate 24 tons of marijuana was harvested in the state in November alone.

Even as opinion stands divided on the economic and social gains on legalising cannabis, cannabis advocates are pointing to the gains made in the tourism sector by Colorado as a case study for all countries thinking of liberalizing cannabis laws.

According to a report commissioned by the Colorado Tourism Office, half of all the tourists visiting Colorado are influenced by the liberal cannabis laws. More than 20 percent of visitors also attest that Colorado's laws were "extremely influential."

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has all but refused to acknowledge lawful cannabis producers as part of legitimate commerce here in the United States, but that has not stopped the agency from working with corporate drug pushers in the importation of cannabis products to be used to facilitate the Big Pharma takeover of the medical marijuana industry.

Dan shines a light on the dark and dirty traditions of cannabis cultivation and argues that a sun-grown future is the only sustainable pathway for a burgeoning new industry. Recorded at TEDxVancouver at Rogers Arena on November 14, 2015.

YouTube tags: marijuana, grow op, cannabis, cannabis cultivation, sun-grown TED, TEDxVancouver, TEDxVancouver 2015, Vancouver, TEDx, Rogers Arena, Vancouver speakers, Vancouver conference, ideas worth spreading, great idea,

Medical Marijuana, Inc.’s Hemp-Based Cannabidiol (CBD) Oil Products Cost Being 100% Subsidized by the Brazilian Government for Three Indications: Epilepsy, Parkinson’s and Chronic Pain