Sales for the cannabis industry in North America totaled $6.7 billion in 2016. Cannabis sales grew by 30 percent from 2015 to 2016, according to a new report by Arcview Market Research. Arcview utilizes data from BDS Analytics. BDS has access to direct point-of-sales data from dispensaries across the United States. In addition to monitoring overall sales grwoth, BDS is also able...

Volunteers gathered December 22 at the Hollywood Hills mansion of Advanced Nutrients founder Michael “BigMike” Straumietis for the first-annual Holiday Heroes philanthropic effort in Los Angeles. The volunteers arrived at 8 a.m. to fill 1,600 backpacks with goods such as socks, non-perishable food items, and dental floss, after which teams headed to their assigned areas to hand out the...

The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus has partnered with Cannakids to raise money for sick children in need of cannabis oil. While cannabis has been receiving attention as a safer alternative to alcohol and other recreational drugs, its greatest impact is in its ability to heal. Norman Reedus is helping to highlight the need for safe access by publicly supporting a recent...

November 8, 2016, was a watershed moment for the cannabis industry. Voters in Arkansas, Florida, and North Dakota approved a measure allowing doctors to prescribe medical marijuana. Montana voters eased restrictions on the state’s decade-old medical marijuana law. In California, Massachusetts, Maine, and Nevada, it is now legal for anyone older than 21 to smoke cannabis. In states with...

A free joint giveaway during the inauguration may lift the spirits of those concerned over a Donald J. Trump presidency. Americans are waiting (many on pins and needles) to see what President-Elect Donald Trump will do when he moves into the Oval Office. Some believe he will greenlight Paul Ryan's plans to reduce costs associated with government entitlement programs. Trump...

Legal cannabis is coming to America, and you can take that to the bank. Unfortunately, cannabis businesses still can't take their money to the bank. Which is a big problem that Senator Elizabeth Warren and nine of her Senate colleagues are trying to mitigate. The Associated Press and LA Times report that the senators are sending a letter to a key...

With widening legalization, the emerging cannabis market will be putting its best foot forward, and that foot is likely to be attached to a budtender – the first point of contact for patients and now, more retail customers. The job also is viewed as an entry-level position by many curious employment seekers. Good budtenders (like feet and buds) must be groomed...

2016 was a monumental year for marijuana, as voters and regulators throughout the U.S., including those in Arkansas, North Dakota, Florida, California, Nevada, Maine, and Massachusetts, legalized medical or adult recreational marijuana use. Through comprehensive regulations, marijuana-tolerant states have allowed cannabis businesses to emerge from shadowy corners into licensed and well-lit storefronts. These businesses have shaped a robust industry, which,...

California's newly legalized recreational pot users got a super-sized New Year's shout-out this weekend when pranksters armed with tarps changed the famous Hollywood sign in the hills above LA to "Hollyweed." The high (altitude) change didn't last long however, as buzz-killing park rangers yanked down the tarps before noon. Sadly, many New Year's Eve cannabis revelers may not have been...