There are hundreds, even thousands of popular cannabis strains available on the black market. But how do these illicit, black market plants find their way into a legal, regulated market?

Up to this point, because there are so few legal sources of cannabis in the world, the government of Canada has largely relied on finding ways to transition these illegal plants into a regulated system.

So how does an illegal plant become legal? Transitioning from prohibition to regulation can be a complicated process, and this process impacts patients, licensed producers and even researchers, and several industry experts say it is is already creating a genetic bottleneck.

These days, it feels like everyone in Bogota, the capital of Colombia, is talking about cannabis. 

The grass soon won’t look so green for Toronto’s pot dispensaries.

With at least 78 marijuana dispensaries operating in the city, bylaw officers will be hitting them with hefty fines for zoning bylaw violations by the end of the month, according to municipal officials.

“In this case, because these types of activities and uses are not permitted, then yes, that would be the end goal, that these places are shut down,” said Mark Sraga, Toronto’s director of licensing and standards.

But Sraga said he would be surprised to see anyone shutter their storefront dispensaries just yet.

In a number of states, the legal use of marijuana for recreational purposes is well on its way, but it remains illegal on a federal level. This is causing major problems for the industry’s emerging dealers. According to The Guardian, people like Andy Williams of Colorado are faced with numerous financial complications as a result of the situation. The First Bank of Colorado has closed his accounts and those of all his family members involved in the business. This effectively prevents him from attaining any financial help from the institution, forcing him to fund expansion through personal loans from friends and family.

Since 1996, two dozen states have approved medical marijuana laws in the U.S. The most recent was Pennsylvania, which passed medical marijuana legislation just last month. We've also witnessed four states legalize the sale of recreational marijuana.

For medical marijuana patients, approval of the drug at the state level means possible new pathways to treatment. Though each state typically differs on what diseases and disorders qualify, glaucoma, epilepsy, and most terminal cancers are ailments that commonly fit the bill. For the states themselves, legalization is primarily motivated by the additional revenue-generating potential. Since marijuana is taxed, medical marijuana provides a way for states to funnel extra money to schools or law enforcement.

The debilitating side-effects left him constantly nauseous or vomiting, with fevers, infections and nerve damage to his legs that put him in a wheelchair.

His symptoms were relieved by cannabis oil, supplied by the parent company of Zelda Therapeutics, which now hopes to run clinical trials in Australia.

Aussie co-founder and stem cell scientist Stewart Washer told news.com.au the firm’s work could bring millions into the economy, and it’s just one of many falling over themselves to cash in on what is potentially a multibillion-dollar industry.

Galen G. Weston wants in on the medical marijuana business. Weston, the head of the country’s largest drugstore and grocery chain, said Thursday that pharmacists are well-positioned to dispense the drug in a safe manner.

“We’re an industry that is extremely effective at managing controlled substances,” said Weston, Loblaw’s president and executive chairman, following the company’s annual general meeting Thursday.

“It gives pharmacists the opportunity to work directly in real time with patients as opposed to doing it through the mail, working on their doses and making sure it actually has the therapeutic effect that it is intended to have.”

A man who uses medical marijuana to ease the pain of his arthritis has started a Regina business to assist others wanting to use cannabis for medical reasons.

"There are a lot of people afraid of the whole medical marijuana thing," said Cannabis Health Clinic owner Ryan Murray.

"They don't know how to use it. They don't know how to access it. I'm here to help."

Medical marijuana use is legal if a patient has a prescription from a licensed physician. The patient must also obtain the cannabis from a licensed distributor.

That's where Murray comes in.

Through his company, he helps patients register online with one of a half dozen licensed cannabis producers from across Canada. 

He also emails the necessary documents to Health Canada.