With the legalization of marijuana as a recreational substance in Colorado and Washington state, enterprising marijuana growers and sellers are ready to enter the world of legitimate business. The most important thing for a new product is advertising so let me save these budding businessmen a trip to Don Draper's office with five wonderful ads for their newly legal companies.

NEW YORK (MainStreet) - In another sign that marijuana has gone main stream, this year's top Oscar nominated actors, actresses and directors all went home with more than just greater industry recognition last night. They also brought with them, accompanied by an Oscar or not, a marijuana vaporizer currently listed at retail price of $250. 

And you thought "Birdman" was trippy.

The Haze Vaporizer, as described by Jason Azurmendi, the marketing manager for Haze Technologies, "is the first portable vaporizer with dual chambers, allowing the user to vape two different materials -- dried herbs, concentrates, and oils -- interchangeably, all by the switch of a button. "

Marijuana is now legal for adults in Alaska.

Alaska on Tuesday becomes the third U.S. state to end prohibition of marijuana, officially putting into effect Ballot Measure 2, approved by 53 percent of state voters in November.

Alaskans age 21 and older may now legally possess up to one ounce of marijuana, grow as many as six marijuana plants in their homes (with no more than three flowering), and possess any additional marijuana produced by those plants.

Shops selling legal recreational marijuana aren't likely to open until 2016, after the state legislature establishes a regulatory framework. State lawmakers have begun introducing legislation to that end.

New study: We should stop fighting marijuana legalization and focus on alcohol and tobacco instead

Compared to other recreational drugs -- including alcohol -- marijuana may be even safer than previously thought. And researchers may be systematically underestimating risks associated with alcohol use.

To put it mildly, the marijuana industry is rapidly evolving before our eyes. What seemed like a long shot to succeed a decade ago is quickly becoming a flourishing industry.

Over the last decade, we've witnessed the pendulum swing from 75% of those surveyed by Gallup being against the legalization of marijuana to 58% of respondents being in favor of its legalization as of 2013. The implications, as we've previously discussed, are twofold.

Kosher marijuana could soon be available to Orthodox Jews in New York State — but only on doctor’s orders.

Rabbi Moshe Elefant, COO of the Orthodox Union’s kosher certification agency, said he has held “preliminary discussions” with several companies interested in obtaining a kosher seal of approval for medical marijuana.

The move comes as legalization of cannabis for medicinal and recreational purposes spreads across the country, with many of the leading pro-legalization activists, philanthropists and entrepreneurs drawn from the Jewish community.

Medical marijuana is legal in about half of U.S. states today. A handful of states have legalized recreational marijuana use.

WITH Caribbean neighbour Jamaica making moves to decriminalise marijuana University of the West Indies (UWI) Professor Emeritus Kenneth Ramchand is renewing his calls for marijuana to be decriminalised in Trinidad and Tobago for medicinal purposes.

In January this year the Jamaican Government tabled the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act, 2015 in that country’s Senate to decriminalise marijuana for medicinal, religious and personal use. 

Police were called to a summerhouse in West Iceland last weekend after a young couple’s trip turned out to be more than they bargained for.

The man started hallucinating, took off his clothes and started running around naked outside after eating homemade hash ice cream, which the couple made from a recipe on the internet. Meanwhile, the woman became very ill and called the police after becoming concerned for their mental health.

The police seized the remainder of the ice cream for investigation, where it was determined to be neither good nor fit for human consumption. The police dropped the couple home where they could be under adult supervision because it was not considered a good idea for them to be alone in the cottage.

CLEAR has published a revised and updated version 2.0 of its plan for the regulation of cannabis in Britain. This is based on the 2011 study 'Taxing the UK Cannabis Market' which CLEAR commissioned from the Independent Drug Monitoring Unit (IDMU).

Peter Reynolds, president and elected leader of CLEAR, said:

CLEAR has published a revised and updated version 2.0 of its plan for the regulation of cannabis in Britain. This is based on the 2011 study 'Taxing the UK Cannabis Market' which CLEAR commissioned from the Independent Drug Monitoring Unit (IDMU).

Peter Reynolds, president and elected leader of CLEAR, said: