BARRY, Ill., Oct. 3 (UPI) -- Many of Illinois' medical marijuana cultivation centers are harvesting their first medicinal marijuana crop this weekend.

The 75,000-square-foot cultivation center in Barry, Illinois -- the biggest in the state -- is already preparing its first shipment to patients. The center is one of two owned and managed by Revolution Enterprises.

"The capabilities, technologically, scientifically, within these facilities is unheard of in the industry," Tim McGraw, CEO of Revolution Enterprises, told reporters.

Genifer Murray, founder and President of CannLabs and a pioneer in Colorado’s cannabis industry, has been forced out of the company, which had previously described her as a “well-respected voice and advocate for safety and best practices in the marijuana industry .” CannLabs, which began trading in 2014 on the OTC with the symbol “CANL” following a reverse-merger,  traded earlier this week to an all-time low of $0.30 per share.

California and Florida could both pass legalized marijuana measures next year.

Marijuana advocates have been gaining momentum in states that have yet to legalize marijuana, but supporters and those interested in the legalization efforts are undeniably watching most closely to see what happens in California and Florida.

Those two states have different histories when it comes to their stance on marijuana, but both are likely to have marijuana bills on their ballots in 2016, and if those bills pass, then roughly 59 million Americans could enjoy greater access to marijuana by the end of next year.

ALBION, Ill. (AP) — Thousands of legal medical marijuana plants are growing under lights in a warehouse in Albion, a small southeastern Illinois city whose residents are more familiar with corn and soybeans. Ataraxia, which runs the facility, was the state's first cultivation company allowed to start growing plants. It has started harvesting and will be the first to deliver to licensed dispensaries throughout the state by mid-October. The Associated Press was given exclusive access to see the crop.

Here's a brief explanation of the 60- to 67-day growing process:

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'IMMACULATE CONCEPTION'

More than 80 years ago, it became clear to even the most ardent supporters of Prohibition that their bold experiment wasn't working. The most practical among them recognized that the "public good" would be better served by legalizing and regulating alcohol than by an outright ban. After all, the ban had led to the rise of organized crime, deadly black market and bootleg product, and disrespect for the rule of law and for those charged with enforcement of the Volstead Act.

Eco-friendly Bits, the San Francisco TechCrunch Disrupt very first runner up, brings point-of-sale software services to the world of legal retail cannabis. According to Ben Curren, CEO of Environment-friendly Bits, “The most interesting thing is that [cannabis retail] shops can run like regular companies. It gets rid of all the headaches of compliance.”

The ballot initiative, which will be decided Nov. 3, would also permit Ohioans to grow small amounts of marijuana in their homes while commercial growing would be limited to 10 sites.

Ohio banks could fall foul of a host of federal laws if they served marijuana businesses including the Bank Secrecy Act, U.S. Controlled Substances Act, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and the Patriot Act.

Right now, the biggest controversy in the National Football League — a matter far more important than trivia such as Deflategate — involves concussions.

A recent study showed that 87 of 91 former players who donated their brains to science after their death tested positive for CTE, a disease linked to concussions. And the impending release of Concussion, a new movie starring Will Smith, promises to bring even more attention to an issue the league would just as soon underplay.

ew study of Los Angeles-area kids suggests a specific way to reduce the risk that they will drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs as teenagers — challenge their positive beliefs about marijuana, and start doing it as early as sixth grade.

Why? Compared to 12-year-olds who had negative views of marijuana, 12-year-olds who believed marijuana could help them relax or was otherwise beneficial were significantly more likely to drive under the influence when they were 16. They were also significantly more likely to ride with someone else who was buzzed, drunk or high behind the wheel, according to the study, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.

Marijuana regulation in Arizona could assist K-12 funding

The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol is collecting signatures to tax sales of marijuana to fund public education and the Arizona Dept. of Health Services.

The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, sponsored by a national advocacy group called the Marijuana Policy Project, wants to “sensibly” tax the retail sales of recreational marijuana in Arizona. According to the campaign website, regulatemarijuanainarizona.org, the campaign will raise millions and the majority of the tax revenue will go toward funding public education in Arizona.