Startups dealing with marijuana could be positioned to see serious green. Forbes stated that a recent report revealed that legal cannabis sales in the U.S. grew 184 percent last year. For 2015, our country’s legitimate marijuana business was worth $5.4 billion and much of the growth was due to a rise in recreational sales, which went from $351 million in 2014 to $998 million in 2015.

Daniel Delaney, lobbyist for Patriot Care, the operator of Boston’s only medical cannabis dispensary, has formed a campaign committee to oppose the legalisation of recreational cannabis in Massachusetts.

According to public records filed with the state Office of Campaign & Political Finance on Wednesday, the purpose of the new group, Safe Cannabis Massachusetts, is “opposition to the ballot initiative to regulate and tax marijuana like alcohol” that is likely to appear on the ballot in November of this year.

It was 2012, and Douglas Leighton wanted to pour some money into marijuana.

Leighton, the co-founder of a Boston-based hedge fund called Dutchess Capital, had done his homework. He saw public opinion shifting in favor of cannabis. Laws had already begun to follow, including the legalization of medical marijuana in Massachusetts.

And as the legal landscape changed, a $50 billion black market was about to emerge into the sunlight—marking a major investment opportunity.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Plus, he admitted, he just enjoyed smoking pot.

“It’s what got me interested in it, definitely,” Leighton said.

Eight state senators traveled to Denver this month to study the highs and lows of marijuana in Colorado, one of four states where voters have legalized the drug’s recreational use. With Massachusetts voters likely to vote on a legalization ballot question in November, the senators quizzed top officials about how legal pot impacts everything from public health to drugged driving to taxes. They aimed to gain an understanding of how to regulate the new industry, should Massachusetts give it the green light.

Massachusetts state senator Jason Lewis during his tour of a Denver-area dispensary. A video and more below.

Last month, we reported about a Colorado marijuana fact-finding mission involving officials from Indio, California.

The Patriots' playoff opener against the Chiefs is a day away, but the story of Chandler Jones' stop at the Foxborough police station continues to hog the headlines.

The latest reason? ESPN's Cris Carter, appearing on "Mike and Mike" on Friday, speculated that Jones arrived seeking assistance not because of a reported bad reaction to synthetic marijuana, but smoking marijuana laced with PCP. Oh, and there's a bit about Aaron Hernandez involved, too.

On Wednesday, a source divulged that Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones had a bad reaction to synthetic marijuana, which led to his admittance to Norwood Hospital.

Synthetic marijuana — also known as K2, spice, crazy monkey, and Scooby snacks — is a designer drug. It does not actually contain marijuana, but is made of plants sprayed with various psychoactive chemicals, according to Boston police and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – The Boston Globe reported this week that New England Patriots DE Chandler Jones sought police and medical help after a bad reaction to synthetic marijuana last weekend.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse said synthetic marijuana, or “K2” or “SPICE,” is known to be capable of causing extreme anxiety, altered perception, confusion, and paranoia. Synthetic marijuana is really an industrial product, a chemical sprayed on dried, shredded plant material.

DENVER — Standing in a retail marijuana dispensary Tuesday, amid cannabis-infused candy and big jars of “Sour Diesel” and “Bazooka Joe,” eight Massachusetts senators had some questions.

“If I were to buy this, what would I do with it? Do I crush it? Roll it? Do I —” asked Senator John F. Keenan, pointing to a jar with a potent-smelling strain, his voice trailing off as if he weren’t sure of the other options.

“Is this medicinal?” asked Senator Michael O. Moore, who then lifted up a jar filled with Purple Alien OG, smiling and posing for a photo on his phone.

Later Keenan, a 51-year-old Quincy Democrat who opposes legalization and says he has never used the drug, had another query for a store employee: “Do you sell” — he paused — “the balm?”

Chandler Jones had a bad reaction to synthetic marijuana leading to his admittance to Norwood Hospital Sunday, a source familiar with the situation told the Globe Wednesday.

The source said Jones lives near the Foxborough police station and walked there to seek help after he had the reaction.

The source added that Jones was at the Patriots facility lifting weights at 6:30 a.m. Monday. The team had previously confirmed that Jones was on time for work that morning and hasn’t missed any meetings or practices.

Synthetic marijuana is known to be capable of causing extreme anxiety, altered perception, confusion, and paranoia, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.