Women could create millions of jobs if the companies they founded grew at the same pace as men's.

Tapping into this huge economic resource was the subject of a conference in Berlin, where attendees discussed what barriers women face around the world and what could be done to overcome them.

If women’s businesses flourished at the same rate as men’s, they would spark 15 million jobs in the United States, 74 million jobs in China, and 1.9 million jobs in France, according to the Global Women Entrepreneur Leaders Scorecard, which is research sponsored by Dell that crunches data from groups such as the World Bank and the United Nations.

THE Peckham women are your typical attractive, well-educated New Yorkers from a wealthy construction dynasty.

But the family has had its share of sadness, most recently when Frances Keeffe, mother of Amy Peckham and grandmother to Hillary and Keeley, died two years ago after a painful battle with Motor Neurone Disease.

It was soon after that tragedy that Amy made a bold suggestion to her daughters — they should go into the marijuana business.

The women had the money, thanks to family business Peckham Industries, a titan of road construction and maintenance with a 92-year history. They also had determination and an eagerness to help people living with chronic illnesses.

With widespread anticipation that California voters could legalize recreational marijuana use for adults next year, a generation of women growers are poised to shed the term “activist” for “CEO.”

About two dozen women working in the North Coast’s flourishing medical cannabis industry will be rubbing elbows after business hours Thursday in downtown Santa Rosa during a launch party for a local chapter of Women Grow, a for-profit networking company.

The women say they aim to break through what some call the “green ceiling” of an industry traditionally run by men, with marketing heavily skewed toward able-bodied heterosexual males.

Anita Roy, assistant manager at Trees Dispensary, Nanaimo, offers cannabis-based products said to relieve everything from stress to relief from physical symptoms of illnesses at the company’s location on Bowen Road.

A steady stream of customers file into Trees Dispensary Nanaimo, one of several places to pick up medical marijuana in the Harbour City.

Cookies, brownies and B.C bud can all be found behind glass cases at the Bowen Road storefront, estimated to serve 1,500 people each week. Clients don’t have to be medical marijuana patients as long as they declare they have a serious medical condition.

At some point in our cannabis careers, we’re all posed with the question, “How long is my cannabis good for?” Maybe you’ve found a few nugs tucked in your winter jacket from last year’s ski trip, or when harvesting a medical crop you may need a way to safely store the excess buds until you’re ready to consume the fruits of your labor. Like a fine wine cellar or whiskey barrel, cannabis is best when aged in a cool, dark place, and while there is no steadfast expiration date for cannabis, there are a few key elements to consider when storing cannabis for any extended period.

The upcoming Cannabis Creative Conference, slated for July 29 and 30 at the Oregon Expo Center in Portland, has added an Investment Forum on July 28 to help investors and entrepreneurs profit in the newly legalized marijuana industry. The forum is presented by the Marijuana Investor Summit.

LAS VEGAS--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--Signal Bay, Inc. (OTC: SGBY), leading provider of research and expert consulting services to the legal cannabis industry, announces that it has entered into a strategic advisory agreement with Casey Houlihan. Mr. Houlihan is co-founder and executive director of the Oregon Retailers of Cannabis Association, is partner in two licensed Oregon Medical Marijuana Dispensaries and was field director for the Yes on 91 Campaign, the ballot measure which legalized recreational cannabis in the state of Oregon. Mr. Houlihan will join Electrum Partners founders, Leslie Bocskor and Gordon Katz on Signal Bay’s Advisory Board.

You can't eradicate fear, for fear and cowardice are permanent advisers to all our decisions. Fear is a natural human response when faced with a life change as significant as quitting your job to found a startup.

But you are not alone. See every person who pursued the path of self-actualization faced the very same fear, but it didn't stop them. Because they were motivated to overcome their fears by an even greater fear ... of living a failed life of regret.

Self-actualizing people are far more fearful of: