Today we release the first test of all the cannabis we purchased on the streets in order to get a better idea of its quality.

Lots is being said about the quality of cannabis around the globe. THC-levels, lack of CBD especially for medicinal use, the presence of pesticides and other contaminants, some used to increase weight.

Cannabis News Network is introducing the CannaTest, a test which shows which compounds are present in the plant. Reporters from all over the EU will gather weed from street dealers which will be tested in one testing facility.

The goal? To monitor, record and report the state of cannabis in Europe. 

The UpTake: Casey Craig isn't much different from any other startup founder, except that he's out on the frontier of legalized marijuana.

C asey Craig works 85 hours a week at his new business, a pace that's familiar to nearly every startup founder. He has his life savings, at least $300,000, tied up in the venture. He quit his stable job and struck out on his own. He spent months searching for the best team to give his business a chance of success.

But there's one big difference between Craig and the thousands of other startup founders in the state.

Twice a week at the office of Patrick Fasusi, District residents line up to ask the pain specialist to approve their use of medical marijuana. For most, the brief wait in the lobby is longer than their consultation.

As marijuana, which became legal for recreational use in the nation’s capital in February, continues to morph from contraband to commonplace, Fasusi’s clinic is a window into the ease with which some residents have been buying officially sanctioned pot for more than two years.

LOVELAND — Once banned because it is a close cousin to marijuana, hemp is coming back in Colorado and now has its own convention, attracting international interest as a new crop for farmers struggling to find new crops to stay afloat.

Hemp, which is fiber drawn from marijuana plants, was outlawed in 1937, but a new Colorado law allows it. However, farmers are still trying to find ways to get their plants and seeds to market because federal law still heavily regulates the industry.

Ten states went ahead and allowed the growing of hemp. Those states are Colorado, Washington, California, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont and West Virginia.

Rep. Jonathan Singer, D-Longmont, has been a leading voice on how Colorado’s medical and recreational marijuana industries are regulated, carrying most of the most important bills and providing testimony and experts on nearly all of them.

Singer, 36, has represented House District 11 — which also includes northern Boulder County, most of Niwot, Allenspark and parts of Lyons — since 2012. He has undergraduate and master’s degrees in social work from Colorado State University. He is a former board member for the CSU Drug and Alcohol Task Force and the CSU Counseling Center.

This sign at the First Inn of Pagosa Springs, Colo., subtly alerts customers that they're welcome to consume marijuana on the premises.

BOULDER – Colorado's marijuana tourists quickly run into a harsh reality after stopping at one of the state's approximately 330 marijuana stores: Most hotels and ski condos prohibit indoor smoking of any kind, never mind the "kind" kind.

Enter Sean Roby and his new website, Bud and Breakfast. Roby aims to make his site the Air BnB of marijuana-friendly lodging, connecting visitors with homeowners willing to let their guests partake of legal marijuana. The site has about 50 listings from around the globe, with many in Colorado, and is an outgrowth of Roby's existing of "Taste of Travel" company.

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom released a policy primer that outlines how recreational marijuana could be regulated after it is legalized. Newsom, a blunt advocate for legal pot, opened an exploratory committee last month for a 2018 gubernatorial run.

Here are five highlights from the report by the Blue Ribbon Commission on Marijuana Policy, a group co-chaired by Newsom and sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The U.S. is slowly and steadily moving towards legalizing marijuana in all fifty states. Almost half have already legalized medical marijuana; more are on their way. Several states have legalized recreational use of marijuana, and some have given the nod to retail outlets selling marijuana. These moves, whether brought about through the ballot box or via state legislatures, have unleashed intense public debate on the use and abuse of marijuana and the feasibility of legalizing a potentially addictive substance.

SAN DIEGO, March 31, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Payout, Inc. (OTC Pink:GOHE), a leading provider of international electronic payment solutions, announced today that it has entered into a strategic relationship with CannaTrac™ Technology, Inc. (CannaTrac™) for the deployment of Global Payout's closed-loop marijuana industry payment platform. As announced on March 18, Global Payout has developed a closed-loop payment system that resolves the unique challenges present in the fast-growing medical cannabis and recreational cannabis industries by reducing the risks associated with cash transactions, and by solving the crucial payment and transaction execution issues currently plaguing the industry.

Medical marijuana is legal in 23 states. Nine more states—including Pennsylvania—have medical marijuana legislation pending. The legal marijuana industry is big and growing rapidly; it is projected to generate annual revenues of over $8 billion by 2019. Given this rapid growth, many entrepreneurs are exploring entering the market. These would-be marijuana growers, processors or distributors quickly learn, however, that the legal marijuana industry poses unusual challenges. Some of these challenges are discussed in this article.

Legal Marijuana is Illegal