Bills to eliminate residency requirements for pot business ownership, give lenders legal protections and combine medical and recreational cannabis retail outlets all moved forward easily in the Oregon Legislature last week, though none have yet become law.

While all relate to cannabis, the three bills seek to achieve a variety of outcomes for the young industry.

In my last column I wrote about dispensary operations. More specifically, I discussed structural organization, suggesting some departments to create in order to manage your retail store.

At Pure Green (my dispensary), we approach structural organization by emphasizing two themes — professionalism and accountability.

Professionalism can be hard to define, but the focus here is on treating your business like any other business.

Accountability means making certain that you define who is ultimately responsible for each department. Know where the buck stops so that when issues arise (and they will), you know who is in charge of correcting them.

As pesticide legislation works its way through the Colorado General Assembly, the Cannabis Business Alliance (CBA) calls for sensible regulation of pesticides. Cannabis’ federal status has presented challenges to the Colorado industry: pesticides do not contain labeling for cannabis use, and research is non-existent for the use of pesticides on cannabis. As of now, pesticides cannot be registered with the EPA to be labeled and approved for use on cannabis. Applying many pesticides off-label may not be dangerous, but the ambiguity puts the industry in an uncertain position as a whole.

Former Attorney General Eric Holder, in a newly released interview conducted after he left office, said he was in favor of reclassifying marijuana as something less than a Schedule I controlled substance comparable to heroin. This was hailed as encouraging news by marijuana enthusiasts who immediately asked why Mr. Holder didn’t push for this change when he was running the Justice Department.

Cannabis.Net owned by Evergreen Buzz, LLC has finished their second round of funding in the cannabis and legal marijuana niche online. Cannabis.net is state of the art software platform for all things marijuana and cannabis related.

Boston, MA (PRWEB) February 25, 2016

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — The Vermont Senate has given preliminary approval to a bill to legalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by adults in the state.

The measure was approved Wednesday by a vote of 16-13. A final vote on the measure is expected Thursday.

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the bill on a 4-3 vote on Monday after it had previously won approval in the Judiciary and Finance committees.

In a statement issued after the vote, Gov. Peter Shumlin called it "a big moment for Vermont."

He says 80,000 Vermonters admit to using marijuana on a monthly basis and it's clear the current system is broken.

The bill will now be considered by the House.

Next Developmental Milestone in Aggressive National Expansion Strategy to Deliver Dixie Elixirs & Edibles Products Across the Country

Las Vegas, NV/Denver, CO (PRWEB) February 24, 2016

Dixie Elixirs & Edibles, a Dixie Brands, Inc. company and creator of the world-famous Dixie Elixir, has formed a joint venture agreement with Nevada’s Silver State Wellness, LLC. Today’s announcement marks Dixie’s fifth market expansion in the last nine months, with plans to bring a line of eight different edible, vapable and topical cannabis products to the Nevada medical marijuana market by late May, 2016.

ADHD Hyperactivity, impulsiveness, mood swings, hypersensitivity, crankiness, lack of concentration and organisation, as well as difficulty falling asleep. These are the symptoms that typically determine the lives of ADHD patients. ADHD medication usually comes with a plethora of side effects. Would cannabis be an alternative?

Off licences, fast food restaurants and abandoned buildings line Gratiot Street in north-east Detroit where the cannabis dispensary 420 Dank stands.

The store is not owner Kim Gaetano's first foray into the medical marijuana business. The mother of two ran legal marijuana shops in Colorado and Washington before moving to Detroit to be closer to family. 

Her shop sells cannabis flowers as well as edible products and has a 24-hour drive-through for patients who find it difficult to get out of their cars, especially in the harsh Michigan winter. 

But despite the store's success, Ms Gaetano and her nine employees may soon be out of business.