The state-of-the-art marijuana growing operation with its 65 strains of plants is in its infancy as finishing touches are being put on the building where it will take about 14 weeks to grow about 80 pounds of pot. That's how much the tribe hopes to sell weekly at its smoking lounge and entertainment resort just south of their casino that is noting its 25th year of operation this month.

The resort has been about a year in the making, as the tribal council which leads the tribe of 280 adults and 110 children on the reservation voted 5-1 late last year to pursue the resort idea.

If a public referendum on does pass 13 months from now legalizing recreational pot in California, the bills enacted this week could help smooth the state's transition to legalization, and being prepared to roll out retail sales in an orderly manner could pay very real dividends.

The owner of Main Street Marijuana in Vancouver says he's not anxious about competition from Oregon's new law, despite taking a 10 percent hit in sales last week. Those dispensaries can sell recreational products until December. 31, 2016, at which point all recreational sales will fall under the Oregon Liquor Control Commission's regulations and will take place at OLCC-licensed retail stores.

Nearly 20 years ago, California led the nation in legalizing cannabis for medical use with the enactment of the Compassionate Use Act (Proposition 215). However, the Act offered little guidance on how patients should obtain medical cannabis or how the industry should be monitored. This uncertainty has created a hodgepodge of local rules and ordinances and some very disturbing environmental and safety issues, but that’s all about to change.

DENVER -- The Shark Tank for Ganjapreneurs is rolling in Denver this weekend, giving contestants a chance to pitch cannabis ideas to accredited investors for a chance to win more than $10 million in investment capital.

“What a chance this is for anyone with an idea to take non-THC cannabis products to the next level,” said Wendy Robbins one of the co-inventor of the show. We have contestants who have come from all over the world to try out… one is only 10 years old!”

Then there is the man from Key West, Florida who has taken Henry Ford’s idea for a hemp car that runs on plant material and made the Renewal Sports Car.

“This car will improve our carbon footprint for sure,” said Bruce Dietzen, who drove his car to Mile High from Margaritaville. Renewsportcars.com

A legislative package signed into law Friday by the governor establishes a regulatory framework for the statewide cultivation, transportation and sale of medical marijuana, providing exemptions and sanctions that Riverside County officials were busy analyzing to determine their impact.

“The Office of County Counsel has all the content, and we’re waiting to hear back from them on what this could mean,” Supervisor Kevin Jeffries told City News Service. “I have felt for a number of years that the state Legislature failed to address significant issues concerning medical marijuana across California. It might be a good thing to establish a framework that all counties can work within.”

Oregon has clear advantages that make it the perfect test state for the recreational marijuana movement. However, that still doesn't guarantee that marijuana businesses will succeed.

Lately it seems as if the marijuana movement reaches a new milestone just about every week. Last week it was Oregon officially becoming the third state in the country to allow adults ages 21 and up to purchase marijuana for recreational use. Alaska also legalized recreational marijuana sales in the November 2014 election, but it hasn't given legal shops the OK to begin selling the drug as of yet.

Why you may soon be seeing your medical cannabis producer in grocery stores

Hemp, quinoa, coconut and various oils have all had a comfortable place on Canadian retailers shelves for decades and consumers can now expect to find several new products to try in the massive battlefield of healthy food from some local cannabis farmers.

Enter the MMPR cannabis parent companies Mettrum Health Corp. and The Peace Naturals Project. Each company holds license to produce and sell medical cannabis under the MMPR in Canada via the mail to registered patients.

The fast-growing, controversial cannabis industry is said to be a supportive haven for female entrepreneurs. Intrigued, we took a closer look.

“Reefer Madness.” Cheech and Chong. “Half Baked.” American pop culture tends to depict cannabis as either a joke or a danger. But amid a shifting legal landscape, an active group of entrepreneurs now see it as a serious business.

Over the next few weeks, an old horse barn will be transformed into one of the first medical marijuana cultivation facilities in New York.

The 8,000-square-foot barn in Chestertown is still being renovated but once complete it will serve as the extraction, curing, processing, separating and lab site for Etain, LLC’s production facility. Alongside the barn, nestled in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, is the footprint for what will soon be a 13,000-square-foot greenhouse.

VANCOUVER, Wash. -- A legal marijuana grow in a Washington backyard is causing a stink for a Vancouver woman.

"It comes in through our windows. It's so strong, like a thousand skunks, so strong we can't even go out on our own patios. We can't even use our own backyards," Sally Wray said, referring to her neighbor's backyard on NE 16th Street.

The neighbor, Derryl Boone, has a medical license to grow pot. Some of his 15 plants have grown nearly as tall as his home.

Wray and other neighbors have complained to police, city code enforcement officers, city council members and the SW Washington Clean Air Agency about the smell of Boone's plants.