Oh, no big deal, it’s just a marijuana get-together.  A bunch of guys are chatting, about weed, yes. But the talk is also about revenue, and futures, and even the NASDAQ. Turns out, we’re at a convention center for a business expo on cannabis. And it’s crawling with straight-laced financiers and ex-Wall Streeters. The host, Scott Greiper — a former analyst and New York banker who’s president of Viridian Capital Advisors, the country’s first advisory firm and investment bank totally devoted to cannabis — is bullish: “This is going to be the cash crop of the world.”

There is a great deal of excitement when you see how much it helps people,' says CEO of Tikun Olam, Israel’s largest grower of prescription cannabis. Yet the unusual business is not without its challenges.

Aharon Lutzky has a long career in Israeli industry, one that is characteristic of many CEOs who grew up on kibbutzim – until personal circumstances introduced him to medical cannabis.

True Leaf Medicine International Ltd. (CSE: MJ) has secured coast-to-coast distribution for its new Trueleafpet™ Hemp Chew product line to be launched this fall.

Freedom Pet Supplies (Freedom) has agreed to service Ontario to Prince Edward Island and Anipet Animal Supplies Inc. (Anipet) will cover the western provinces. Both companies cover the entire Canadian pet specialty marketplace, servicing over 2800 stores between them.

These distribution agreements will support True Leaf’s strategic decision to enter the $60 billion pet industry with a line of hemp-focused pet products. Initially, True Leaf will market pet chews through direct, pet, natural health and veterinary channels in Canada and the US.

Colorado’s monthly recreational cannabis sales topped $50 million for the first time, according to new data from the Colorado Department of Revenue.

The retail pot sales figures for June 2015 also saw their largest-ever month-over-month increase, adding credibility to 2014 trends that hinted at marijuana sales spiking in Colorado tourism’s high seasons of summer and winter.

Colorado state Sen. Pat Steadman, a Democrat representing District 31, said that spikes in recreational cannabis sales correlating with tourism hotspots “wouldn’t surprise me.”

Want a job in cannabis?  David Murét ofViridian Staffing joins show host Shango Los to discuss where the jobs are in this exploding market and how you can get one. Viridian Staffing is a recruiting agency in Washington that connects employers with job-seekers in the legal cannabis industry. Companies in Washington have hired Viridian to find and place candidates in job roles ranging from entry-level to executive, in every sector and niche of the marijuana market.

After five years, the founders of marijuana strain and dispensary database Leaflyare moving on to their next cannabis-related startup.

Cy Scott, Brian Wansolich, and Scott Vickers — who launched Leafly in 2010 — are the co-founders of Headset, a new Seattle-based startup that’s building a business intelligence platform for the fast-growing marijuana industry.

We understand that where you decide to invest your money is not a decision you take lightly. If you’re wondering if there really is money to be made in cannabis, if this is an industry to be taken seriously, or simply if now is the time to jump in, we applaud you for taking the time to do the research. Some recent news may help make that decision easier.

If you’re seriously considering investing in the cannabis industry, we recommend you have a look at the MMJ state postings for patient gains from 2014 to 2015. They are explosive! There has been no better example of industry growth than these precise numbers.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) have both issued guidance intending to ease concerns that the federal government would target banks working with marijuana businesses with the goal of “enhancing the availability of financial services for marijuana businesses.” DOJ guidance has proved helpful in providing guidance for marijuana businesses to operate within specific state boundaries; however, the financial services industry remains uncertain about opening its doors to the marijuana industry.

A WA-based metal explorer says it has made a significant step towards breaking into the big-money world of medicinal marijuana production.

Former gold miner International Goldfields Limited recently moved to acquire 85 per cent of cannabis biosciences specialist Winter Garden Biosciences, which has been given approvals and licenses by the Uruguayan government to start planting its first crop.

IGS director David Tasker said Winter Garden now had the ability to import any varieties of hemp or cannabis, without having restrictions on how much it can grow.

The company will eventually manufacture synthetics, patches and tablets for both medicinal and recreational use.

INKATHA Freedom Party (IFP) wants Parliament’s health committee to scrap the Medical Innovation Bill’s proposals to legalise the commercial use of marijuana and focus the bill solely on its medical applications, it has emerged.

It is a private member’s bill, and was the brainchild of late IFP MP Mario Oriani-Ambrosini, who died of cancer last year.

It proposes legalising dagga for medical, commercial and industrial purposes, and says that a medical practitioner working at a pilot health centre should be allowed to administer unproven treatments without fear of litigation.

IFP MP Narend Singh said on Wednesday the bill should focus solely on the medical use of marijuana.