When it comes to sniffing out trouble, Scooby-Doo has nothing on Habo the German shepherd.

For the third time in less than two years, the police dog has sniffed out a marijuana growing operation at the same Placentia industrial complex.

The Placentia Police Department’s K9 unit dog alerted officers to the marijuana in the 700 block of Monroe Way. Officers had served a search warrant Monday morning and seized 600 live plants and 100 pounds of packaged marijuana valued at half a million dollars.

Placentia police Lt. Eric Point said Habo previously sniffed out marijuana in a suite of the complex in July and last year in April.

Two men were taken into custody in April in relation to the marijuana find.

Steamboat Springs — Dressed in full tactical gear, a squad of Routt County Sheriff's Office deputies quietly headed into the Routt National Forest before sunrise Friday morning to secure and dismantle an illegal pot-growing site authorities had learned about on Buffalo Pass.

The squad of six was joined on the mission by a dozen federal officers.

Carrying 40 to 60 pounds of gear on their backs, they all walked three miles over rugged terrain with the help of a nearly full moon.

"I've been here a long time, and this is the first time I've had to participate in a mission like this," Routt County Undersheriff Ray Birch said.

Underlying the debate over marijuana legalization has been an equally fierce battle between marijuana and another so-called vice industry: alcohol.

As an increasing number of states look to join the four states and Washington DC in legalizing recreational marijuana, many in the alcohol industry have feared that legalized weed will cut into their existing profits.

But a few years into Colorado legalization, alcohol sales are up in the state, and those in the alcohol business have embraced their fellow industry.

Marijuana has expanded like a weed across the United States, but according to our contributors these three hurdles could prove too difficult to overcome.

The marijuana industry is absolutely budding across the United States. Since 1996, 23 states having legalized medical marijuana, with four states legalizing the currently illicit drug for recreational adult use since 2012.

Marijuana's market potential is obviously enormous; but so are its risks. With that in mind, we asked three of our contributors to name what they believe is a major hurdle the marijuana industry could struggle to overcome. Here's what they had to say.  

One unexpected benefit of medical marijuana legislation appears to be a decrease in painkiller overdoses, perhaps because some chronic pain patients are turning to cannabis instead of powerful opioid drugs.

In states with laws legalizing medical marijuana, new research shows there are nearly 25 percent fewer deaths from painkiller overdoses. Opioid painkiller overdoses are a growing problem nationwide. More than 16,500 Americans died of opioid drug overdoses in 2010, and the numbers continue to rise.

Although a casual relationship hasn’t been proven, there appears to be a significant association between marijuana legislation and a fall in overdose deaths.

The potential effect of cannabis on brain structure remains a subject of intense scientific scrutiny, but mixed results have emerged from two of the latest studies on the topic.

The effects that marijuana has on a user’s brain have been one of the major questions when it comes to legalizing the drug.

Study participants who’d used pot had on average, a slightly smaller amygdala and a slightly smaller right ventral striatum (another brain region, associated with the reward system). Their brains showed lower cortical thickness when they used marijuana. And several studies have found that people who smoke pot are more likely to develop schizophrenia than those who don’t use the drug.

Partners plan to grow, process recreational marijuana in Tumalo

TUMALO —  On land where goats once grazed to make award-winning artisan cheese, a new venture is taking shape. 

The former Tumalo Farms, 84 acres off U.S. Highway 20, is now the site of a proposed marijuana growing and processing plant, a plan by  Oregrown Industries Inc., a business partnership that operates a dispensary near downtown Bend. The four partners in Oregrown, all 31 years old, envision a business they say will become a huge presence in Central Oregon. 

Marijuana, the drug that even a decade ago was generally too taboo to talk about, has officially gone mainstream and is captivating the nation.

Marijuana is no longer a taboo topic
According to the most recent polls from national research firms Gallup, the Pew Research Center, and the General Social Survey, somewhere between 51% and 53% of respondents now favor across-the-board legalization of marijuana. Smaller studies that have been conducted in individual states have suggested that support for medical marijuana legalization is considerably higher (70%-plus in most studies).

Marijuana is big business, and I don't mean in the illegal sense. Pot is slowly eradicating its misconception as a drop out drug for bums and hippies, which its been labeled as since the early 60's.

Often perceived  as a recreational drug for liberal, free spirited and creative types, marijuana or weed as its commonly known has become an interesting and subjective choice for startups and venture capitalists alike.

The legalise pot movement is nothing new and has been in existence for years, advocates for medical usage are on the rise and investment capital is flowing in this interesting business niche, with fresh investors eyeing up the Marijuana Startups.

A side effect of a federal drug law has left legal pot farmers without any approved pesticides—and as a result, many have turned to harmful chemicals to protect their crops.

Growing marijuana takes vigilance, even when it’s legal. Like any crop, cannabis plants are prone to pests and disease—from tiny leaf-sucking spider mites, which can spawn a new generation in less than a week, to powdery mildew, a fungus that forms a talcum-like coating on leaves and spreads rapidly through greenhouses. For every other agricultural product, there is a relatively clear solution: Find a pesticide labeled for the specific plant or setting, and apply it according to the instructions.