Hemp has been described as a versatile crop used in the production of certain foods, body and hair care products, textiles, papers, plastics, and even construction. However, the cultivation of industrial hemp is currently prohibited in the United States and has been since the 1970s when all cannabis plants were classified as controlled substances. A recent study conducted at the University of Minnesota shows the genetic difference between hemp and marijuana.

Despite significant investment, many entrepreneurs aren’t using government grants. Their reasons aren’t encouraging

anadian entrepreneurs are leaving money on the table: A new study from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) found that close to half of startups aren’t taking advantage of available government funding.

VAIL — The temporary ban on retail marijuana in Vail could be permanent in a matter of weeks.

Just two weeks after the Vail Town Council passed yet another extension of a 2014 moratorium banning marijuana businesses, the council Tuesday night will consider the first reading of a permanent ban. That ban could be overturned by a future town council.

While 2012’s Amendment 64 legalized recreational use and sale of marijuana, the amendment gives towns and counties the ability to impose bans on retail operations. Several towns and counties have taken that step. Locally, retail operations are allowed in unincorporated Eagle County and the town of Eagle. Sales are allowed in Red Cliff, but there have been no applications there.

Federal marijuana offenders may soon get their record cleared, a move that's already happened at the state level.

In a statement, Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon said passage of the Clean Slate for Marijuana Offenses Act of 2015 would pave the way for individuals who have been federally charged with marijuana offenses to have those counts expunged from their records in the event that the conduct in question is allowable under state law, where applicable.

Depending on who you talk to, a shortfall of nearly 30,000 signatures on a marijuana legalization petition was due either to bad math or mistakes by elections officials.

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted’s office contends it counted every signature submitted on a marijuana legalization petition, but that ResponsibleOhio made a big math mistake, turning in 35,083 fewer signatures than it claimed for a total of 660,190.

Ian James, executive director of ResponsibleOhio, countered that his organization kept a digital record of all 695,273 signatures submitted and that elections officials in some of the 88 counties erred by failing to review and count all the names.

America’s first ever ad for a marijuana product has been pulled because of concerns about its legality.

The 15-second commercial for Neos, a company which makes “vape pens” infused with cannabis oil had planned to run the ad on the Denver based TV channel KMGH, in Colorado.

The state changed its laws in 2013, allowing adults aged 21 and over to grow and legally possess small amounts of Cannabis and providing licenses for cultivation, manufacturing and testing facilities as well as shops to sell it in.

Marijuana ads are legal in the state but they can only run if 70 per cent of the audience is over 21, so the 15-second spot was planned to go out before late night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” 

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Andrew Collins no longer has a cocktail of 17 prescriptions coursing through his body.

The Army combat veteran stared death in the face while serving two tours of Iraq in the 2000s. He now battles post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his wartime experiences.

The Olympia veteran has tried medications, meditation and hypnosis while adapting to the stresses of life in the civilian world. But more than any other treatment, Collins says marijuana has helped him cope with the psychological trauma he carries around — trauma that at times has filled his head with aggression and suicidal thoughts.

“I smoke a joint and the thoughts are gone,” said Collins, 30.

Despite a memo from the Department of Justice last October, the legal status of pot on tribal lands is still unclear.

In the foggy early morning hours of Wednesday, July 8, special agents from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Drug Enforcement Administration and state and local law enforcement descended on the Pit River Tribe’s XL Ranch and the Alturas Indian Rancheria in northeastern California, seizing 12,000 marijuana plants and 100 pounds of processed potfrom the two large-scale growing facilities.

This Sunday, July 26, from 9 am to 7 pm, at the Hampton Inn Atlanta Airport, 1888 Sullivan Road, College Park, GA, Cannabis Career Institute will be hosting a business seminar about the cannabis industry.

Cannabis Career Institute offers state-specific training courses that address a range of topics – from legal requirements and regulations to basic grow techniques. The class will be led by Doug Porter, the Cannabis Career Institute expert in Bud-Tending, Dispensary Management, Delivery Service and Security.

Washington's voters legalized recreational marijuana the same day that Colorado's did, but so far that state has been far behind Colorado in creating the infrastructure for the new industry.

Far behind in most ways, that is: Last week the Colorado Board of Health again rejected adding Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to the list of conditions for which medical marijuana can be prescribed, but Washington will be approving PTSD on July 24.