Marijuana has expanded like a weed over the past two decades, but 2016 could be its greatest year yet.

In November, residents in up to a dozen states could vote on whether or not to legalize medicinal or recreational marijuana. Five states have secured marijuana initiatives on their ballots, while signature collection and verification continues in the remaining states.

The marijuana industry faces a huge problem: Few banks will touch cannabis cash. 

Even though big bucks are on the line — Colorado is predicted to pull in more than $140 million from taxes on marijuana sales in 2016 alone — marijuana is still classified as a Schedule I drug at a the federal level.

Most banks don't want to deal with that kind of risk, forcing dispensaries to operate on an all-cash basis.

Anti-marijuana groups criticize the impact of pot legalization in the state

As Colorado deals with the fallout of an expanding — but controversial — marijuana industry, those who supported the drug’s legalization are acknowledging it will take time to overcome early challenges.

“It will take time to change some people’s opinions that pot is bad,” said Pueblo County commissioner Sal Pace in a recent interview withFortune. The city of Pueblo is the top cultivation spot for marijuana in the state — something Pace notes with pride — but some opponents have started to argue the industry is taking a negative toll on the area.

“Budtender” Michael Rose introduced himself to me at the LoDo Wellness Center in downtown Denver last week.

Don’t let the business name mislead you. This is not a place filled with treadmills and barbells, and Rose is not a fitness trainer. This is a retail store filled with recreational marijuana in many forms — the kind you smoke, the kind you nibble, the kind you rub on your body — all legally sanctioned for sale by the state of Colorado for use within the state.

It’s what the Denver TV anchors call a "pot shop" and the state calls a "dispensary."

And Rose’s title is a derivative of the word “bartender,” his counterpart in the world of serving people who want to, frankly, get high.

The THC in the marijuana plant is medicinal and the fibers in hemp can be used in manufacturing. This has led to marijuana being legalized in some states in the US. This includes states like Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska. It is expected that 16 more states will legalize the use of marijuana within the next 5 years. 14 of these states will legalize the use of recreational marijuana and 2 states will legalize medical marijuana. It is projected that by the end of 2019, legal marijuana will bring in a combined income of $ 19 billion in all the states that it has been legalized in.

Science is starting to understand what marijuana smokers have known for years: how marijuana helps sleep. Because of this understanding, doctors are now able to legally prescribe marijuana for sleep disorders in seven states.

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the most active marijuana ingredient that affects sleeping patterns. We’ll look into exactly how marijuana aids sleep, delve into how our brains work, and offer insights on this fascinating subject.

Sleep Disorders and Marijuana

Sleep disorders include:

Floyd's of Leadville will produce recreational vapes and edibles as alternatives to addictive painkillers.

Former pro cyclist Floyd Landis is about to start a new career producing “high-quality cannabis products” under the brand name Floyd’s of Leadville. Since Colorado legalized recreational marijuana in 2014, the pot market has since grown to a billion-dollar industry—and Landis appears happy to be on board.

“I am really excited about this new phase of my life,” Landis said in a press release. “The cannabis industry is growing fast and I am fortunate to have this opportunity to play a role.”

With 22.2 million Americans reporting they've gotten high within the past month, it's no secret that the U.S. is having an increasingly open love affair with cannabis. But which states are the most open-minded when it comes to cannabis?

How important is pot to Colorado tourism? “It is the elephant in the room,” said Cathy Ritter, the new state tourism head, who moved here from Illinois, shortly after she started in January. “Everyone does want to know about the impact of marijuana in Colorado.”

Just because cannabis is legal in Colorado doesn't mean all the companies based in the state are using Colorado grown weed in their products. We've been digging into rumors and lore about some edibles companies using CBD oil made in China instead of locally grown CBD.