Investing in the marijuana industry is a tricky thing. In most other industries, the main things to look for in an investment is if and when you will get a return on your investment, and how much. That is true of the marijuana industry as well, but investing in the marijuana industry also involves the added element of legality. There are many, many good ideas out there in the marijuana industry, but a lot of them involve operating in a legal gray area at best.

Green Technology Solutions, Inc. (GTSO) continues work to bring its new cannabis testing laboratory online in Colorado as demand rises within the industry for improved, standardized testing methodology.

Howard Wooldridge, a Washington lobbyist, is a former detective and forever Texan on an important mission — trying to persuade the 535 members of Congress to end the federal war on marijuana.

Liberals tend to be an easier sell than conservatives. With liberals, Wooldridge dwells on the grossly racist way the war on drugs has been prosecuted.

Conservatives hear a different argument, but one that Wooldridge holds every bit as dear: “Give it back to the states.”“The war on drugs,” he tells them, “has been the most immoral policy since slavery and Jim Crow.”

Beverly Hills Cannabis Club's Cheryl Shuman

It was bound to happen — cannabis networking events that encourage curious women to pursue a career in a growing market. Pun intended.

A marketing queen who has been running the private Beverly Hills Cannabis Club for 20 years, Cheryl Shuman is taking advantage of what she calls the “pot-com boom,” and wants to take other career-minded women along for the ride.

In February she formed the networking group Women Grow, where she inspires others to join the cannabis industry. The group met recently in West Hollywood to discuss financial opportunities such as weed photography and selling baked pot edibles.

AUSTIN, TEXAS (NBC) - The Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence approved a bill Monday that would reduce state penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana. The measure will now advance to the House Calendars Committee.

HB 507, authored by committee vice-chair Rep. Joe Moody (D-El Paso), would remove the threat of arrest, jail time, and a criminal record for possession of up to one ounce of marijuana and replace them with a civil fine of up to $250. Under current Texas law, individuals found in possession of less than two ounces of marijuana can be arrested and given a criminal record, and they face up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.

A demonstrator smokes a marijuana cigarette during a protest outside the Capitol building in San Juan April 20, 2015. People gathered outside the Capitol building as legislators are debating to decriminalize small amounts of medical marihuana and its cultivation, according to local media. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

A committee representing a cross-section of professions and expertise has been established to develop rules for the state's regulated marijuana industry.

Oregon Liquor Control Commission Executive Director Steven Marks said the committee "will provide a balanced approach" to marijuana regulation. The committee will be chaired by Chris Lyons, a Gresham resident and former executive director of the Oregon Lottery.

In addition to the 15-member rules advisory committee, the agency also appointed members to two permanent subcommittees that will deal with technical issues. One will focus on licensing, compliance and law enforcement. The other will provide advice on tracking marijuana from seed to sale as well as marijuana testing labs.

Sixteen months after Colorado launched legal recreational marijuana sales, the center of the burgeoning industry in Denver is asking to extend shops' evening closing hours and revisit the outright ban on public consumption.

And many City Council candidates in Tuesday's election are receptive — including several with a good shot of winning or proceeding to a runoff.

Industry concerns center on competing with pot shops in neighboring cities that have closing hours later than Denver's 7 p.m. cutoff for both recreational and medical stores. Some in the industry also want to provide tourists with safe, legal places to smoke or consume their purchases, since hotels typically don't allow it in rooms.

Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro García Padilla signed an executive order on Sunday, May 3, to put an end to the prosecution of medical use of marijuana on the island. A press release issued by the governor’s office explained the decision by citing the use of cannabis for health purposes in other US jurisdictions.

The state of Colorado legalized recreational marijuana a year and a half ago. And those in the industry there say it is already showing dividends in terms of tourism.

"Business Insider just named Colorado the fastest growing economy in the country. They say we are number one out of 50 states!" says Michael Elliott with the Marijuana Industries Group in Denver. His groups is kind of like the Chamber of Commerce for marijuana-related industries there. "We see this all helping fill up hotels and cut unemployment. Our unemployment right now is at 4%."

Ashley Kilroy with the Marijuana Policy for the City of Denver would agree that tourism is up...but says you can't attribute it all to pot.