In China, concerns about food safety are so serious that residents at times take to the green spaces between tenements to plant gardens. Others farm on windowsills and balconies, or use specialized e-commerce services to track down safe vegetables and meats.

These habits led Lennon Tsai to start a company that supplies all the hydroponics equipment necessary for a would-be urban farmer to get started on an indoor garden. While trying to sell equipment to a new Chinese middle class concerned about the rampant contamination of China’s soil and water, Mr. Tsai by chance came upon a secondary market in America.

By Omar Sacirbey

Wildfires raging through northern California because of a early summer have ruined numerous marijuana farms, triggering millions of dollars in damage to cultivation sites and including complications to an industry currently dealing with myriad obstacles.

The fires bring to the center several issues dealing with growers in uncontrolled medical marijuana states. They likewise supply lessons in the realms of insurance, crop location and customer relationships.

Much of the damage happened in federal wilderness land where unlawful grows are located, and the majority of that marijuana works its escape of state rather than into California dispensaries.

As state and municipal lawmakers draw nearer to finalizing regulations, Marijuana Control Board chairman Bruce Schulte has recommended that marijuana entrepreneurs start preparing soon for license applications.

Schulte said aspiring marijuana business owners should prioritize forming a business plan, finding a location, and reading the entire regulations package.

"They're going to want to choose their real estate very carefully, particularly in Anchorage," says Schulte. "As in other communities, there may be other local zoning issues they want to take into account."

It is legal to sell marijuana in 23 states. But pot businesses can't deposit their money in banks because of federal banking laws. While the dilemma has been a back-burner issue in Congress for several years, a solution may be in the works.

A provision in the upcoming financial services spending bill would prevent the federal government from spending money on penalizing financial institutions that accept legal marijuana businesses as clients. That would greatly reduce the ability of federal agencies' to prosecute the banks.

Colorado marijuana testing facility CannLabs closed its Denver laboratory on Tuesday and laid off as many as 15 employees.

The shutdown of one of the largest labs in Colorado, and one considered an industry leader, comes after months of controversy involving the company’s leadership.

“It’s positive for us,” CannLabs Inc. CEO Mark Mirken told The Denver Post on Tuesday, “There were a significant amount of issues surrounding our involvement with CannLabs Colorado, items that were made public by certain people within that company that were factually incorrect and clearly became an impediment to our ability to work with them under the administrative services agreement.”

Two flavors of Bay Area life — cannabis and technology — will continue their fusion this winter with the launch of Gateway Incubator, LLC in Oakland's Jack London district. It will be California’s first cannabis company incubator.

Gateway LLC is backed by a leading weed industry holding company, MJIC, Inc., in partnership with “entrepreneur evangelist” Ben Larson and Carter Laren, a director and mentor for the Founder Institute, “the world's largest entrepreneur training and startup launch program.”

WeedHire International Inc (OTCMKTS:WDHR) has seen a recent surge in volume and price after several months of inactivity. WDHR hit the bb’s in November of last year after the name change from AnythingIT, Inc., and the launch of their web portal; weedhire.com.

WDHR benefits from being in an explosive sector that is liable to get hot at any time; recent catalysts include: Canada’s new prime minister promising legalization immediately, billionaire Richard Branson suggesting a decriminaliztion ammendment in the U.N., 6,000 non-violent drug offenders released Nov 1st, Australia lifting ban on medical mj, and New York opening medical mj dispensaries January to name a few.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) --

A Riverside neighborhood is upset as a major marijuana home-grown operation with nearly 600 plants sits right near their backyards. The only problem is that the operation is completely legal.

ABC7 talked to several neighbors who expressed their frustrations and concerns with the operation that grows marijuana inside the home and in the backyard.

Laura and Chris live nearby the home and asked ABC7 not to use their last names because of concerns for their safety.

"I was shocked, and I was scared," Laura said. "There were lights glowing inside the tents."

"There are times we cannot use our backyard because of the smell," Chris said.

Celebrities bring big money and big names to a capped marijuana industry

PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) -

The Thanksgiving weekend is the retail industry's biggest time of year, so it only make sense that Oregon's marijuana businesses would want a piece of the proverbial pie.

Shango Cannabis, which has three stores in the Portland area, says it plans to offer special deals for medicinal and recreational marijuana customers.

Shango's director of sales says its specials will start the day before Thanksgiving.