Headlines out of Colorado this week made many cannabis industry leaders and advocates do a double-take. “Boulder County District Attorney Named to Trump Marijuana Advisory Group,” announced Denver’s Fox 31 news site. The Denver Post and Boulder Daily Camera also referenced a “group that will advise Trump” on cannabis policy.

Marijuana reform is sweeping across the United States, with 8 states (and D.C.) voting to legalize marijuana for adult use, and nearly 30 states having legal medical marijuana laws on the books. But, despite recent victories, support for reform at an all-time high, and a booming marijuana industry in America, researching marijuana is still a tough thing to do. Marijuana is of course considered to be a Schedule I controlled substance by the federal government. The same federal government that itself grows marijuana for research purposes. It’s a brutal irony that has hampered the process of unlocking all of the medical benefits of the marijuana plant.

With four years of legal cannabis under our belts here in Colorado, we’ve seen some fortunes created by bringing an enormous black market online as a wholly new and regulated industry. For those that are considering the opportunity created by Election Day legalization in their home state, we can point you to some interesting business ideas.

From edibles to security, the U.S. cannabis industry has opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors with the skills that can grow the business to $50 billion within a decade.

labama Senator Jeff Sessions nomination to be the Donald Trump’s attorney general passed out of the Senate Judiciary along party lines today, setting up his vote before the full Senate.

Scotts Miracle-Gro has a budding hydroponics business and what it hopes is a friend in the new president.

But what it doesn't know is how the Trump administration feels about legalization of marijuana use - a factor that's driving sales of some of Scotts' products.

"I was a supporter of Donald Trump. I voted for him," said Scotts CEO Jim Hagedorn, during an earnings call with analysts Tuesday morning. He said he did so because he expected Trump would be good for Scotts' business plans, including its interest in the marijuana industry.

The Marysville-based company makes most of its money selling weed killers, mouse traps, lawn fertilizers, soil and mulch, but its future growth is pinned on a once-nefarious concept - helping people grow marijuana.

Forget lingerie, candy and boring flowers; this Valentine's Day, give a gift that truly keeps on giving. Lowell Farms is offering a $400 bouquet of cannabis stems, available for delivery anywhere in Los Angeles on February 14 (and by anywhere, we mean to any patients with a verified doctor recommendation).

The cannabis industry is still at risk of being shutdown.

When President Donald Trump needs guidance on marijuana policy in the United States, he will look to a panel of 14 district attorneys from across the nation.

Incidentally, one of the advisors selected by the National District Attorney’s Association to keep the Trump Administration in the know with respect to legal weed is Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett – the only legal eagle from Colorado to be thrown into the mix.

The second full month of marijuana tax revenue has entered the state treasury.

In December, 13 marijuana cultivators paid $145,800 to the Alaska Department of Revenue's Tax Division, revenue audit supervisor Kelly Mazzei wrote Tuesday.

Under Alaska law, growers pay the state's tax. Bud is taxed at $50 per ounce, and other parts of the plant, like the stems and leaves, are taxed at $15 per ounce.

A total of 167 pounds of marijuana bud and 46 pounds of other parts were sold in December, Mazzei wrote.

Seven of the growers who paid taxes were located in Fairbanks and two were in Kenai. Kasilof, Sterling, Juneau and Anchorage each had one commercial grower selling wholesale in December.

Country music legend Willie Nelson speaks to fans during an event celebrating the collaboration between Willie’s Reserve and Redwood Cultivation at Exile in downtown Las Vegas, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017.

With burning joints raised high, about 200 marijuana industry employees and representatives celebrated the arrival of country music legend and marijuana advocate Willie Nelson on Tuesday in downtown Las Vegas, commemorating the debut of Nelson’s brand of cannabis products in the Las Vegas Valley.