As the legal marijuana industry expands throughout the United States, the industry is in dire need of professional branding.

Branding is one of the most important aspects of any business, large or small, retail or B2B. An effective brand strategy gives you a major edge in increasingly competitive markets.

Therefore, I’ve put together four tips that you should apply to your cannabis business:

Thirteen years ago when I was aspiring to do something about this crazy mixed up world, I endeavored to earn the title marijuana activist. I didn’t know much about cannabis, except I liked it and knew it shouldn’t be criminalized. I didn’t know anything about medical marijuana, and was pleasantly shocked when someone told me medical marijuana was legal in a few states.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Police say they’re investigating an attack and robbery at an illegal mobile medical marijuana cart.

Authorities say the owners of the Smoke Buddy mobile trailer reported on Thursday that a man and woman attacked them as they were opening up for the day.

The man flashed a knife, stole marijuana and fled. The woman, who swung a stick at the cart owner, was arrested.

Police said 34-year-old Kelly Green was booked into Multnomah County Jail on investigation of robbery. She is to be arraigned Friday.

The Oregon Health Authority says mobile marijuana sales are illegal. The Smoke Buddy isn’t registered with the state dispensary program.

Workers tend the cannabis crop at Minnesota Medical Solutions manufacturing facility in May. (Star Tribune photo by Glen Stubbe.)

Minnesota’s fledgling medical marijuana program is one of the least-used in the nation, after two months in business.

As of Friday, 460 patients were registered with the Health Department’s Office of Medical Cannabis and could legally buy marijuana in Minnesota. Those numbers have been inching steadily upward and Michelle Larson, head of the OMC, expects the expansion to continue.

Cannabis industry leaders and policy makers will gather in Portland for the fourth edition of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference this weekend. With previous successful events in Ashland, Eugene, and Portland, the OMMBC has proven to be the largest medical marijuana industry event in the Pacific Northwest, and is rated highly on the national cannabis investment scene. With the implementation of Measure 91 right around the corner, this weekend is expected to be the largest yet.

I believe that all states will legalize marijuana in the next five years. There will be several proposals this year to legalize the stuff that made Cheech and Chong famous. Currently, 23 states and the District of Columbia have laws legalizing marijuana in some form. Most of them use the guise of medical necessity to allow their citizens to get high. The District of Columbia, Alaska, Oregon, Colorado, and Washington make no pretense — if you want to smoke a joint there, knock yourself out.

From premium subscription services to 'haute cuisine' marijuana, a new level of luxury and craftsmanship is overtaking cannabis culture

The Vancouver Police Department is playing it cool in response to the suggestion the RCMP could be on its way into the City of Vancouver to shut down marijuana dispensaries.

"We have a great working relationship with the RCMP,” VPD Const. Brian Montague told the Straight. “I'll let them [RCMP] respond to any insinuation that they are going to come into Vancouver.”

The spokesperson for the force made those remarks in response to the distribution of letters sent from Health Canada to a number of Vancouver marijuana dispensaries. In those documents, Ottawa threatens to send RCMP officers into the City of Vancouver.