The Olympics opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro has been many things: An introduction to Brazilian culture; a parade of many, many nations; and a collection of entertaining moments. Naturally, Twitter users have been on the case all Friday night long, not letting the smallest details go unnoticed. There was a moment when the tops of those silver, cheese grater-looking boxes exploded to reveal green plants that formed the Olympic rings. Now, I don't know about you, but to me and many viewers on Twitter, those green Olympic rings looked like weed.

The Rio Olympics, which is set to kick off this Friday, has already been marred by doping scandals. Russian athletes (among many others) have been accused of systemic doping of athletes to improve performance.

One would think that these huge developments would lead to heavy testing of Olympic athletes this year. However, The World Anti-Doping Agency, which is in charge of regulating drug tests for all Olympic sports worldwide, has reportedly cared very little about athletes use of marijuana outside the window of the Olympic games.

One company has made it their mission over the past year to expand access to cannabinoid-based products to people across Latin America. Since summer of 2014, Medical Marijuana, Inc. has been the first company to have cannabis products approved for import and use in three separate countries, Brazil, Mexico, and Paraguay, and has shown that is eager to develop additional untapped markets for future development.

Paraguay and Brazil authorities say they destroyed nearly 67 metric tons of marijuana in a joint operation, but the figure pales in comparison to Paraguay's estimated pot production.

Authorities of the neighboring countries found and destroyed 57.8 metric tons of loose marijuana and a further 9.1 metric tons of pressed marijuana over 12 days of aerial and ground operations, Paraguay's Anti-Narcotics Secretariat (Secretaría Nacional Antidrogas - SENAD) reported.

Canopy Growth Corp., the largest of Canada's publicly traded marijuana companies, is preparing to export its expertise through a new Brazilian partnership.

Canopy's Bedrocan subsidiary and its Brazilian partners have created a new company to import proprietary varieties of cannabis into Brazil — a country with a population of 200 million.

Initially, Bedrocan Brazil will import cannabis products into Brazil from Canada or the Netherlands.

Eventually, the company will establish domestic cultivation facilities in Brazil using Bedrocan's genetic material and cultivation technology.

The Canadian company will also partner with Sao Paulo-based Entourage Phytolab SA to develop medical cannabis products for the Brazilian and international markets.

The Evils of Capitalism Will Make You Wealthy.

The title of the article was, “The Undeniable Evils of Capitalism.”

The guy who wrote it was clearly a fool.

If there’s one thing that really fires me up, it’s some moral do-gooder who seeks to place the burden of blame for the world’s problems on what is the greatest force for good in the world: capitalism.

The truth is, I actually take offense to the suggestion that those who seek to utilize capitalism as a mechanism to wealth and prosperity are somehow evil. Especially when you consider that capitalism is also the greatest catalyst for positive change in our world today.

No Apologies

A cannabis producing and processing company based in California has been selling and shipping a range of their products to UK customers. They also ship to other countries where the import and export of the cannabis flower is illegal, such as Brazil, Spain and Germany. This is the first time a cannabis-derived product has been shipped on an international scale, and the products have been reaching UK customers with no problem – but before you start to fret, everything is completely legal.

Medical Marijuana, Inc. has announced to its shareholders and the public that the Brazilian government has approved its hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) oil product, Real Scientific Hemp Oil™ (RSHO™), to be imported as a prescription medication for cancer, and is subsidizing its cost under the Brazilian federal government’s heath care system.

The BRICS nations comprise of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The members are all developing or newly industrialised countries, with a significant influence on regional and global affairs. What is the Brics’ stance on marijuana and why should you care?