“Pot Baron” Tripp Keber, the CEO of Dixie Brands who has been called the “Willie Wonka of Weed” by some, was the cover story on the September edition of mg Magazine, an impressive new cannabis-industry focused endeavor by CANN Media. Thomas Hymes does a masterful job of capturing Keber’s persona and describing the challenges and opportunities for the maker of premium infused marijuana products. Dixie Brands has expanded from its home state of Colorado to California recently, but the company is preparing for a broader expansion:

On Friday the 16^th of October 2015 Sensi Seeds’ daughter company HempFlax opened a brand new factory in the Alba region of Romania. A new and very special chapter for the company that aimed to relaunch the hemp industry 20 years ago, and is successfully doing so.

If you wanted to grow your own cannabis in the 1970s, your choices for genetics were extremely limited. One could take back seed but the available Columbian, Mexican and Thai were all equatorial sativas, which were not well suited for more northerly climes. Plus, Finishing times were too long to really produce high-grade bud. During the 70s, intrepid travelers began bringing back seeds from Afghanistan. These were short, stocky indicas, traditionally used for hash production. Thus the era of skunk began.

Those with a stake in cannabis-related companies weren't just hoping the Liberals would win the federal election, they were banking on it.

Legalized marijuana could be a budding into big business in Canada if the party follows through on its much-publicized campaign pledge, with one analysis projecting a $5 billion market for recreational weed.

The same analysis paints a picture of the path legalization will take, at first mimicking alcohol sales, then becoming subject to potential takeovers by Big Tobacco -- a scenario that has long worried critics of Justin Trudeau's legalization plan.

Developers are poised to break ground on a project that could make a tiny southern Colorado town one of the nation's largest producers of legal marijuana.

The town of Walsenburg this month formally closed a $1.33 million deal with a developer to build a 332-acre campus for cannabis growing, processing and distribution, with the marijuana to be trucked 160 miles north to consumers in metro Denver. Walsenburg is a former coal mining town that never recovered when the mines closed by the 1960s, and its population has dropped to fewer than 3,000 residents. InHuerfano County, which is home to Walsenburg, 20% of the population lives below poverty level.

Nick Lachey husband, father, singer, TV host...and potential marijuana kingpin. Yep, you read that right.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — In a story Oct. 28 about North Dakota launching a research program on industrial hemp, The Associated Press reported erroneously that a state hemp permit costs $4,275. The state Agriculture Department says the fee for the permit is $5 per acre with a minimum of $150, along with $42.75 to cover the cost of a background check.

A corrected version of the story is below:

North Dakota launches industrial hemp research program

Mark Hauk, the 36-year-old owner of Saskatoon's unlicensed medical marijuana dispensary, has been charged with drug trafficking and released on $1,000 bail after appearing in Saskatoon Provincial Court on Friday morning.

Speaking with reporters after he emerged from court mid-day on Friday, Hauk called the Saskatoon Police Service "gutless" for the manner in which they handled his arrest and charges.

"The actions the Saskatoon Police Service took yesterday were nothing short of shameful and gutless," he said. "I have had two meetings with Chief Weighill over the last three weeks, which he has postponed on me."

A Saskatoon police spokeswoman could not confirm that was the case.

4 arrests made in raid

According to a recent story on TechCrunch.com, Israel’s recent work to decriminalize marijuana could result in the nation becoming a worldwide cannabis superpower.

Israel has lately built a reputation for fostering innovative tech startups, as well as its advancements in agriculture and security. However, a recent push to decriminalize marijuana and to turn the drug into a medical export is making news.

As it stands now, Israel is already a trailblazer when it comes to clinical research on cannabis. This has allowed growers in Israel to grow new strains of the drug, and some believe there are now medical-grade products ready for the market.

When New York's new medical marijuana program takes effect next year, employers in this state will find themselves caught between federal and state law.

The state law, signed by Gov. Cuomo in July 2014, will authorize certified patients to receive medical marijuana to treat a select group of serious illnesses. Federal law, however, still considers any form of marijuana illegal.