Last month, Sports Authority and Aeropostale became the latest major retailers to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and announce store closures.

The upside of legalizing weed? You can tax the stuff and then use that revenue to fund scholarships. That is what Colorado is doing — one of four states (plus the District of Colombia) that has legalized the sale of marijuana for recreational use. Aurora, Colorado is already using its weed tax revenue to help fights its homelessness problem. Now another part of the state is following suit for students who want to go on to higher education.

When Colorado legalized sales and use of marijuana for recreational purposes in 2014, Aspen was right there. You can find stores within a block of city hall, with restrictions little different than those imposed on liquor stores.

But in unincorporated Pitkin County, elected officials have been hesitant. Their concerns are rooted in lingering questions about unintended consequences of THC-infused edibles. Their particular worry is about edibles getting into the hands ­— and mouths — of children and adolescents.

Several months ago, the county commissioners flat-out said no to a local woman who wanted to infuse candy products at a kitchen located just outside the town.

“Gardening is one of the single biggest acts of protest for consumerism.” – Dragonfly Earth Medicine

As the marijuana movement gains momentum nationwide, more stories in the media are drawing attention to the fact that our precious greens are in reality, not so green.

Dragonfly Earth Medicine (DEM) is here to set the standard for sustainability with their Pure Certification, and the standard is being set sky-high.

Company Reports 700% Revenue Increase & Opening of 2 Additional Marijuana Super Stores.

Marijuana and Cannabis opportunities shows no signs of slowing down as experts forecast the market to top $7 Billion by the end of 2016 in a recent Forbes article with companies aiming to take advantage through new storefronts to reach more consumers.  Brick and mortar cannabis stores are becoming increasingly common throughout the United States as the industry swells behind increased acceptance and surging revenue.

When Colorado voted to legalize recreational marijuana four years ago, one of the move's chief critics was Gov. John Hickenlooper.

The moderate Democrat said that if he could "wave a magic wand" to reverse the decision, he would. Then he called voters "reckless" for approving it in the first place, a remark he later downgraded to "risky."

“Colorado is known for many great things,” Hickenlooper said. “Marijuana should not be one of them.”

But the governor’s views have softened. During a recent panel discussion at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, he said that despite opposing the legalization of pot, his job was to “deliver on the will of the people of Colorado.”

Why the change?

The modern American landscape seemed like a pipe dream just a decade ago. The White House is occupied by a person of color, marriage is no longer confined by Judeo-Christian concepts of love and cannabis has gone from being a despicable “gateway drug” to a legitimate component of the economies of several states. 

One can only admire the evolution underway in the world of cannabis agriculture and consumption. As soon as American innovators saw the budding legitimacy of big-time cannabusiness, they got to work ushering in a new age of grow and intake technology to meet and even create demand.

Consumption 2.0

Thanks to marijuana, some Colorado students will have an easier time paying for college.

The Pueblo Hispanic Education Foundation, in Colorado’s Pueblo County, is distributing scholarships to 25 students this year, USA Today reports. The grants, which amount to $1,000 each, are being funded by cannabis taxes.

"It took me getting into the weed business to actually put on a suit," laughs Duncan Cameron at the Denver grow he oversees. As chief production officer at Colorado dispensary Good Chemistry, Cameron has given tours of the company's 20,000 square-foot grow to businesspeople and politicians in the era of legal cannabis. Often, his role requires him to dress up. Today, he sports a Good Chemistry t-shirt.

A first-of-its-kind case in Colorado alleges that an edible manufacturer helped lead a husband to kill his wife—and he himself has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. As weed goes legal, will this be the new excuse for all variety of crime?

Before shooting his wife to death, Richard Kirk asked her to kill him.

After the Denver, Colorado father of three allegedly murdered Kristine Kirk, he asked their 7-year-old son to do it, saying it would allow “mom and dad to be together with God.”