In the two years since recreational marijuana sales became legal in Colorado, the state has seen economic growth two times greater than the U.S. national average, according to a new in-depth analysis.

"The Economic Impact of Marijuana Legalization in Colorado," released by the Marijuana Policy Group in October 2016, was created using a new "Marijuana Impact Model" designed to accurately measure the cannabis industry's economic impact on the state.

Unless you were living under a rock this week, then you are aware that the number of legal states in America doubled after the election. The states that legalized were of course California, Nevada, Massachusetts, and Maine. According to the most recent census numbers, those states have a combined population of 49,714,000 people, with California of course making up the bulk of the statistic (38.8 million people live in California).

When it comes to legal marijuana, Colorado is an industry leader. Following in our footsteps, four states, California, Nevada, Massachusetts and Maine voted to legalize retail marijuana on Tuesday.

More states betting on legal marijuana means more competition for Colorado's industry. Dispensary owner Jim Parco says he's not worried.

"Despite the fact that other states have legalized, they can't bring it into Colorado just as we can't take it out of Colorado," Parco said.

Parco says dispensaries like Leaf On The Mesa in Pueblo County shouldn't be worried about business going elsewhere because they have established themselves in the community.

As four more states legalized marijuana this week, Denver voters took the considerably less dramatic step of authorizing a pilot program that will allow cannabis consumption in specially licensed businesses. Under Initiative 300, which was favored by 53 percent of voters on Tuesday, a business that wants to let customers bring their own marijuana and enjoy it on the premises can establish a "designated consumption area" with the consent of "an eligible neighborhood organization" and a permit from the city.

Almost all small-business owners dream of the day when they can expand nationally. This has proved to be a unique challenge for those in the marijuana industry because the products they create are illegal under federal law, and the checkerboard of states that permit marijuana sales have complex and constantly changing regulations.

Dixie Brands, a company in Denver that creates drinks and other products using marijuana, is aiming to navigate those hurdles and become one of the first companies in the industry to build a national presence.

After November 8, 20% of Americans now live in states that have voted to allow recreational marijuana use. 

Massachusetts, Maine, Nevada, and California have now joined Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and the District of Columbia in voting for initiatives that make it legal for adults to consume cannabis.  And several states joined the 25 that already allow for medical use of marijuana — the most notable addition being Florida, with a broad medical marijuana law that will allow doctors to recommend cannabis for a wide variety of conditions.

A “pottech” company called Wurk has raised $1 million in seed funding to help cannabis businesses such as dispensaries or growers to comply with all the different regulations coming into play around the burgeoning, legal cannabis industry.

The seed deal closed before various ballots are voted on today in the U.S., that could make the sale and use of marijuana legal for adults in a broad number of new markets.

Wurk CEO Keegan Peterson said his company’s software-as-a-service helps cannabis businesses do everything from background checks of potential new hires, to managing employees’ schedules, benefits, training, and making sure they get paid on time.

1620 Solutions, an initiative by Veronica Carpio and Edgar Hemm in Colorado educates hemp and Cannabis farmers about Bitcoin and its advantages.

Tom couldn't sleep.

After six years in the U.S. Navy, he found himself in the civilian world unable to readjust from his time on a ship, when a commanding officer would often wake up the sailors every few hours.

He tried prescription sleep aids, but nothing really worked until he smoked some weed.

"I tried it very sparingly and slept the whole night for the first time in like months," Tom said.

For members of the U.S. military, admitting to using marijuana could result in an investigation and in most cases, punishment or separation from the military. Because of this, many of the veterans who use marijuana chose not to reveal their last names to the Times-Call for this story.

In 2012, Colorado became one of the first states to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Four years later, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper — who initially criticized the move as "reckless" — has changed his tune.

Though Hickenlooper remains skeptical about the long-term impact of legalization and encourages states to compile data on the pros and cons of marijuana reform, he acknowledges that many of the concerns expressed by opponents have not come to fruition.