As rural youth have known for more than a generation, growing pot, even in the Canadian climate, is not so difficult. A sunny patch between young pines, a bit of fertilizer and seed and then go away till autumn.

The constraint on pot production has never been agricultural.  

Marijuana laws have been in place for so long that there will be political pressure to make sure any changes put health and safety first as Canada leads the way on pot regulation. But as governments across the country consider how to liberalize the rules on the distribution and use of cannabis, they are also laying the ground rules for a multibillion-dollar industry.

I'm an HR pro by trade and I recently went to an employment law seminar. The topic? The implications of medical marijuana in the workplace.

The speaker who opened the session was a lawyer, and let's just say he didn't present medical marijuana in an objective, balanced light. Quite the opposite, really.

He began by saying there were more marijuana dispensaries in Vancouver than Starbucks, a story Civilized covered recently. The jury's out on whether that's true or not.

Perfect marijuana doesn't grow on trees, but did you ever wonder how buds get their distinctive appearance? It largely comes down to trimmers: workers who carefully snip bushy cannabis into compact, ready-for-sale buds. 

Every year California's cannabis-rich North Coast sees an influx of seasonal workers, mostly twenty-somethings, looking for work processing marijuana. While there isn't much hard data on the number of seasonal laborers in the underground industry, local experts tell The Washington Times between 7,000 and 12,000 workers arrive in California's pot-rich towns during the trimming season from mid-September through the end of November.

The gradual legalisation of cannabis across US states is a triumph for the American Dream, says Sarah Dunant.

Medical marijuana is already available for sale in a local dispensary, and now, local cultivators have been given the green light to begin growing strains, according to Illinois Department of Agriculture.

While the region is still a few months away from seeing locally grown medical marijuana in the dispensaries, both cultivators in Southern Illinois — in Murphysboro and Anna — are beginning the process.

Tom Jennings, co-manager of Ieso, the cultivation center at Southern Illinois Airport, said there is a 23,000 square-foot greenhouse at the facility and the entire footprint of the building is 46,000 square feet.

A tiny northern Ontario First Nation has announced plans to get into the medical marijuana business.

The Wahgoshig First Nation, near Kirkland Lake, is partnering with an Ontario company called DelShen Therapeutics to convert a former forestry operation into a facility that will grow "pharmaceutical grade" pot.

The medical marijuana grown will be a strain developed in the Netherlands, specifically for medical purposes.

The entire operation is expected to cost $18-million. In a press release, chief David Babin said the First Nation has chipped in $2-million of that cost.

An Oregon government agency refused food donations from a pro-marijuana group. The Women Leaders in Cannabis in the city of Eugene made a food donation to the Thanksgiving food drive for homeless people, but it was declined, KOMO News reports.

The group says Oregon's Department of Human Services (DHS) accepted its offer at first, but changed its mind due to the group's involvement in the pot business.

KIRKLAND LAKE, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Nov 27, 2015) - Wahgoshig First Nation (WFN) and DelShen Therapeutics Corp. (DelShen Therapeutics) today announced that they have signed a first-of-its-kind community benefits agreement that will deliver investment, training and employment benefits to the region.

WeedHire International Inc (OTCMKTS:WDHR) has seen a recent surge in volume and price after several months of inactivity. WDHR hit the bb’s in November of last year after the name change from AnythingIT, Inc., and the launch of their web portal; weedhire.com.

WDHR benefits from being in an explosive sector that is liable to get hot at any time; recent catalysts include: Canada’s new prime minister promising legalization immediately, billionaire Richard Branson suggesting a decriminaliztion ammendment in the U.N., 6,000 non-violent drug offenders released Nov 1st, Australia lifting ban on medical mj, and New York opening medical mj dispensaries January to name a few.