MassRoots, a Denver-based operator of a cannabis-centric social network, is eyeing a listing on the Nasdaq exchange.

MassRoots (OTCQB: MSRT) filed an application for its shares to be listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, officials announced Monday.

Moving to a tier of a major exchange from the over-the-counter market could bring further legitimacy to the burgeoning legal marijuana industry as well as bolster the company’s stature in the eyes of potential investors, officials said in a statement.

Innovating health care from the inside out

After 25 years of performing ear-nose-throat and facial plastic surgeries, Jeff Hausfeld, MD, put down the scalpel and went back to school -- business school.

Like many doctors who practice for some time, Hausfeld found himself wondering how to "leave a larger footprint" with his career. "How do you affect more people with the time that you have?" For him, the answer was entrepreneurship.

With all the news surrounding the U.S. cannabis industry lately, it can be easy to overlook the changing policies and growing marijuana-related markets around the world.

Consider Uruguay, for example: in 2013, former president José Mujica made history by passing legislation to completely legalize marijuana cultivation and consumption in the South American nation, making it the first country in the world to create a regulated cannabis market. Under this new law, individuals must register as self-growers and are limited to six marijuana plants apiece. They may also purchase up to forty grams of marijuana from pharmacies each month, but pharmacy sales have not started yet.

Underlying the debate over marijuana legalization has been an equally fierce battle between marijuana and another so-called vice industry: alcohol.

As an increasing number of states look to join the four states and Washington DC in legalizing recreational marijuana, many in the alcohol industry have feared that legalized weed will cut into their existing profits.

But a few years into Colorado legalization, alcohol sales are up in the state, and those in the alcohol business have embraced their fellow industry.

Partners plan to grow, process recreational marijuana in Tumalo

TUMALO —  On land where goats once grazed to make award-winning artisan cheese, a new venture is taking shape. 

The former Tumalo Farms, 84 acres off U.S. Highway 20, is now the site of a proposed marijuana growing and processing plant, a plan by  Oregrown Industries Inc., a business partnership that operates a dispensary near downtown Bend. The four partners in Oregrown, all 31 years old, envision a business they say will become a huge presence in Central Oregon. 

Marijuana, the drug that even a decade ago was generally too taboo to talk about, has officially gone mainstream and is captivating the nation.

Marijuana is no longer a taboo topic
According to the most recent polls from national research firms Gallup, the Pew Research Center, and the General Social Survey, somewhere between 51% and 53% of respondents now favor across-the-board legalization of marijuana. Smaller studies that have been conducted in individual states have suggested that support for medical marijuana legalization is considerably higher (70%-plus in most studies).

Marijuana is big business, and I don't mean in the illegal sense. Pot is slowly eradicating its misconception as a drop out drug for bums and hippies, which its been labeled as since the early 60's.

Often perceived  as a recreational drug for liberal, free spirited and creative types, marijuana or weed as its commonly known has become an interesting and subjective choice for startups and venture capitalists alike.

The legalise pot movement is nothing new and has been in existence for years, advocates for medical usage are on the rise and investment capital is flowing in this interesting business niche, with fresh investors eyeing up the Marijuana Startups.

Tweed Marijuana, a publicly traded medicinal marijuana company on the Toronto Stock Exchange-Venture board (TWD), announced Monday morning that the company had completed its merger with Bedrocan Cannabis in an all-stock deal valued at about CDN$61 million on the day the arrangement was first announced in June.

Tweed is Canada’s first publicly traded medical marijuana company and Bedrocan is a clinical research firm that claims to be one of only two companies in the world currently capable of producing standardized full-bud, pharmaceutical grade medicinal cannabis. Bedrocan operates as a division of Tweed, and Bedrocan’s shareholders own approximately 40% of the merged companies. Tweed shareholders own about 60%.

A side effect of a federal drug law has left legal pot farmers without any approved pesticides—and as a result, many have turned to harmful chemicals to protect their crops.

Growing marijuana takes vigilance, even when it’s legal. Like any crop, cannabis plants are prone to pests and disease—from tiny leaf-sucking spider mites, which can spawn a new generation in less than a week, to powdery mildew, a fungus that forms a talcum-like coating on leaves and spreads rapidly through greenhouses. For every other agricultural product, there is a relatively clear solution: Find a pesticide labeled for the specific plant or setting, and apply it according to the instructions.

Tweed Marijuana, a publicly traded medicinal marijuana company on the Toronto Stock Exchange-Venture board (TWD), announced Monday morning that the company had completed its merger with Bedrocan Cannabis in an all-stock deal valued at about CDN$61 million on the day the arrangement was first announced in June.

Tweed is Canada’s first publicly traded medical marijuana company and Bedrocan is a clinical research firm that claims to be one of only two companies in the world currently capable of producing standardized full-bud, pharmaceutical grade medicinal cannabis. Bedrocan operates as a division of Tweed, and Bedrocan’s shareholders own approximately 40% of the merged companies. Tweed shareholders own about 60%.