It’s not just the turtles and the fish we need to worry about, humans are now breathing in microplastics from all types of packaging. According to the lead researcher of a Utah State University study, microplastics are turning into dust and are contaminated with toxic chemicals, plastic fragments, and metals. These contaminants are in 4 percent of the air we breathe.

The cannabis industry’s fear of big tobacco trying to elbow into the industry has finally come true with today’s announcement of a $175 million investment into Organigram Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: OGI) from a wholly-owned subsidiary of British American Tobacco or BAT (NYSE: BTI). The BAT subsidiary has subscribed for approximately 58.3 million common shares of OGI, which represents a 19.9% equity interest on a post-transaction basis for total proceeds of approximately C$221 million (“Investment Proceeds”) at a price per share of C$3.792.

One of the only bright spots in 2020 was the emerging cannabis industry.

Whereas the ongoing global pandemic has negatively impacted virtually every other industry on earth, the legal international cannabis industry has powered forward.

According to data firm BDSA, spending on the legal cannabis industry is expected to top $20 billion in 2020, up from an estimated $14.8 billion in 2019.

To put that number into perspective, the international music organization IFPI estimates that the entire global music industry is worth roughly $20 billion dollars, and unlike the music industry the cannabis industry has plenty of room for growth.

Back in the days when “skunk” was mainly associated with Pepé Le Pew and hydroponics was a way of improving cucumbers, most of the UK’s cannabis supply was imported from places such as Morocco and Lebanon. This changed in the past two or three decades in the UK and many other countries as organised criminal gangs set up growing operations closer to home.

Many women around the world were raised to believe “this is a man’s world.” And, to a certain extent, that was the case back then. But as society progresses, we have come to understand that men and women should — and need to be — equal, both in and outside the workplace.

Working in cannabis processing is stepping foot into a young, blossoming industry. No matter how much flower your company goes through in processing, automated batching will ultimately improve net value. Before choosing automation, a company can struggle with time management and precision when doing every step by hand.

Automated batching cuts time, makes measurements precise every time, reduces product loss, and increases quality. All these things combined will pay for the automated instrument.

Canopy Growth Corp. is laying off 75 people in North America, and may cut dozens of additional positions in Denmark, as the Canadian cannabis producer completes a year-long cost-cutting review of its operations, a company spokesperson said. 

The restructuring in Canopy’s home market took immediate effect, with 75 people let go in North America, the spokesperson said. Most of those affected workers were employed at Canopy's headquarters in Smiths Falls, Ont. 

"As part of the final stage of Canopy Growth’s end-to-end global strategic review, staffing adjustments were made within our North American operations team earlier today," the spokesperson told BNN Bloomberg in an emailed statement Tuesday. 

Ian Kwechansky is the CEO and Co-founder of LOOP/POOL, an artist co-owned and social-forward cannabis brand that gives back to emerging Canadian talents. Here, he talks about why the company’s focus is on nurturing homegrown talent.

Cannabis and music have always been closely linked, not only as a part of the experience for fans at home, festivals and concerts, but also in the creative process for artists. It has evolved from Jerry Garcia fighting for legalization to John Mayer renouncing alcohol for cannabis, advocating how his “quality of life has gone up considerably.” The association between the plant and artists is an enduring one.

2 Pot Stocks To Watch This Month For Bigger Gains

When the team at East Coast Cultivation set out to build its new indoor grow operation in Rhode Island, it knew it had to nail one thing: environmental controls.

“The key factor in having a successful grow is controlling your environment,” said East Coast Cultivation CEO and co-founder Joe Welch. “Once you lose control of your environment, the serious crop-crushing issues begin to take hold.”