Economic turmoil in China, the world’s second-largest economy andtop consumer of industrial metals, has hit commodity prices hard. For the smaller players in the mining industry, that’s made business difficult, and the future uncertain. The solution for some? Enter a booming field that’s relatively unaffected by China and has plenty of upside: marijuana. A recent Reuters report lists a number of companies that have made the switch:

TORONTO – When Sarah Stuive first got into the natural pest control business – which uses predatory insects, or “good bugs,” to weed out pests – she never expected to be working with cannabis plants.

But thanks to Health Canada regulations that limit the use of chemical pesticides on medical marijuana in order to make sure the plants are safe for consumption, the biological control specialist says she’s seeing an uptick in business.

“I have seen a lot of growth in demand since the start of the cannabis industry,” said Stuive, who works for Global Horticultural and also provides her services to vegetable farmers and plant growers. “It’s a new alternative to chemicals.”

Authorities can't agree on a set pot policy

It’s police versus pot shops in the escalating battle over “medical” marijuana in Vancouver — and the cops say it’s keeping them busier than a bud grower at harvest time.

Marijuana shops are sprouting like weeds all over the city.

And despite claims that the stores are helping sick people by providing them with medical marijuana grown by green-thumbed angels of mercy, overwhelmed police say that’s not always the case.

“We’ve seen an explosion in the number of stores — we’ve gone from 12 to over 100,” said Sgt. Randy Fincham, spokesman for the Vancouver Police Department.

“It certainly is creating more work for us. It has caused us to take a hard look at where we’re going to put our police resources.”

As you know, the National Hockey League is very protective of its trademarks, lest anyone think lesser about their Toronto Maple Leafs dog toy tosser. 

So the last thing the NHL would want is to be associated with something as destructive and nefarious – according to the cinematic classic “Reefer Madness” – as marijuana. (Although 'drinking tubes" that looked like bongs were OK for a while.)

NDP leader Tom Mulcair said he will decriminalize marijuana the “minute we form government” during a stop in British Columbia on Thursday.

“I want to make sure that everybody understands, that the NDP’s position is decriminalization the minute we form government, it’s something we can do right away,” he said.

Licensed growers and would-be growers dial back expectations as illegal dispensaries and home growers continue to flourish

When Sarah Stuive first got into the natural pest control business — which uses predatory insects, or "good bugs," to weed out pests — she never expected to be working with cannabis plants.

But thanks to Health Canada regulations that limit the use of chemical pesticides on medical marijuana in order to make sure the plants are safe for consumption, the biological control specialist says she's seeing an uptick in business.

"I have seen a lot of growth in demand since the start of the cannabis industry," said Stuive, who works for Global Horticultural and also provides her services to vegetable farmers and plant growers. "It's a new alternative to chemicals."

VANCOUVER -- Michelle Arnold says she's seen cannabis oil save two lives -- hers and her husband's.

Now, she's fighting for the chance to see if it can save her four-and-a-half-month-old daughter, who is clinging to life in a Vancouver hospital.

"I can't just give up when I've seen hope," Arnold said tearfully outside B.C. Supreme Court on Friday.

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"If there is a medicine out there ... that can help her, that can make her my child, then I will do it. I will do whatever I can to give it to her."

Couple fight for chance to see if treatment can save daughter clinging to life in a Vancouver hospital.

They knew a course in legal marijuana growing would spark interest from the public, but staff at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) never thought it would go viral.

Since announcing the new program on Monday (Aug. 17), the internet has blown up with articles.

TIME Magazine, BBC, CNBC, Fox News, USA Today, and VICE are just some of the outlets eager to report the story, according to Hayley Woodin, media specialist at KPU.

"It's been a stressful week," Jim Pelton, executive director of continuing and professional studies at KPU, said with a laugh.

He had just returned to work Monday morning from a relaxing vacation on Hornby Island, when he was immediately greeted by Woodin who said, "you're going to be on TV at 1 o'clock."