After dozens of people across the Midwest and California were sickened as a result of vaping cannabis or e-cigarettes, consumers, vape makers, and retailers alike have to be aware of how products are made and where they were made.

Vape pens have surged to new heights on the marijuana mountain by offering a portable and discreet way to consume THC or cannabidiol (CBD)-heavy concentrates. 

The marijuana stock market has been waiting for a solid push for some time now. With so many companies entering the industry, it seems as though the competition is at an all-time high. The competition that we have seen however has been very positive as many companies are working to innovate in such a new industry.

A wave of illnesses and deaths in the U.S. linked to vaping products may dampen demand for soon-to-be-legal cannabis vapes in Canada later this year, industry watchers say.

An ongoing vaping probe south of the border -- where as many as five people have died and hundreds more have fallen ill -- may slow sales growth in what has been one of the fastest growing categories in the industry, said Jennifer Lee, Deloitte Canada's Cannabis national leader.

"It's going to create some hesitation in the market," she said in an interview. However, new users are more likely to be deterred than smokers who are looking to shift to reduced-risk products, Lee added.

While pot maybe legal in Canada, the skunky, funky stink that comes from cannabis is something that still draws complaints from condo dwellers and residents living nearby legal grow operations.

Cannabis can’t seem to catch a break online. 

Enthusiasts, brands, influencers, and plenty of others seem to run into myriad headaches when dealing with Facebook and other popular online marketing platforms. Whether marketing their product or just talking about the plant, many have seen their content conflict with some of the most popular platforms of today.   

The stance taken by Facebook and others in the space has often been one of little acceptance. Companies often cite company policy that tends to coincide with federal regulations for such bans. 

Canadian tourism bureaus use controlled substances such as alcohol to entice people to attend wine cycling tours or craft brewery events, but when it comes to cannabis tourism the same push is virtually non-existent. 

"I think we need to get on board or people are going to take their interests elsewhere," said Jessilin Deschamps, manager of Windsor River Cruise. "I think we're missing out on a huge market right now because certain people have biases against it."

The wine connoisseur in some ways is not different than the cannabis connoisseur.- Rick Moscone, Canadian Marketing Association's working group on cannabis

While it may not be known to many, the truth is that Cannabis, also known as the Marijuana plant, has been cultivated for its medicinal, physical, and psychoactive properties for thousands of years.

Old records say that the first medicinal use of the cannabis plant could date back to 2000 BC when the then emperor of China Shen Neng drank marijuana tea to treat various ailments like poor memory, gout, malaria, etc. 

From a high-end dispensary opening up in Barneys New York to cannabis-infused pastilles and $20 chocolate bars, luxury cannabis has been all the rage this past year. The trend makes sense. Savvy entrepreneurs see a huge yet untapped market of canna-curious customers with lots of disposable income. But what about consumers who want the "premium" experience without the premium price tag?

That's where companies like Quarter Brands come in.

Just about every estimate shows that the cannabis industry will see strong long-term growth. Yet there are some major challenges–and they are more than just about changing existing laws and regulations.

But AI (Artificial Intelligence) is likely to be a big help. True, the industry has not been a big adopter of new technologies. However, this should change soon as investors pour billions of dollars into the space.

Marijuana is one of the fastest growing industries on the planet.