The cannabis industry has made incredible strides over the last two years as scientific research continues to support the plant’s vast medical applications.

Although the biotech sector will be one of the greatest beneficiaries of the burgeoning cannabis industry, companies levered to the health and wellness side of the business will also benefit as they continue to develop new products and supplements that support healthy living. 

Even as more and more states allow their residents to use marijuana, the federal government is continuing to obstruct scientists from studying whether the drug is good or bad for people’s health.

Hi is a cannabis brand. Its logo — “hi” in white letters inside an orange circle — can be found above the front door of a Portland, Ore., marijuana shop and on a handful of cannabis products, including massage oil and Hi Releaf pain-relief balm.

But you wouldn’t guess any of that from Hi’s trademark filings. In 2015, the brand’s parent company, Cannabis Sativa Inc., filed a trademark application — not for any of Hi’s core products, but for hats, T-shirts and a wide array of other apparel.

If the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office signs off on the application, Cannabis Sativa would be able to stop other companies from using the Hi brand on clothing, but it might not be able to stop rivals from setting up Hi-brand marijuana shops or selling knockoff Hi-brand products.

Opponents of the constitutional amendment allowing medical use of marijuana ran some scary TV spots last year, warning that pot shops would pop up near schools, peddling pot-infused candies to kids.

Supporters of the amendment – who prevailed by a comfortable margin at the polls – patiently insisted that they wanted to let doctors prescribe cannabis under controlled circumstances to help terribly ill people for whom benefits outweigh any risks.

It’s been a long struggle. The Legislature authorized use of a “non-euphoric” form of non-smoking marijuana a couple years ago, for patients with severe seizures. More recently, it permitted full-strength cannabis for terminally ill patients, those thought to have less than a year to live.

Recreational marijuana is becoming legal in more jurisdictions throughout the US and is being used medically at an even greater rate. 

The push has driven Vicente Sederberg LLC to create the International Cannabis Practice Group for the potential onslaught of weed related legal issues to arise from the regulatory adoption.

“Public perception of marijuana is rapidly shifting around the world, and the cannabis industry is poised to become a large, mature marketplace with a host of legal needs,” Brian Vicente, partner and founding member of Vicente Sederberg said.

Vicente Sederberg also announced its partnership with Spain’s top cannabis law firm Soriano Fernández Abogados (S&F Abogados) to launch a Spanish language website providing legal advice.

With the passage of Proposition 64, investors are hoping to cash in and take advantage of California's growing marijuana industry.

Hundreds of investors looking to cash in on the state's growing marijuana industry traveled to West Hollywood on Monday to tour MedMen, a West Hollywood dispensary. 

The dispensary refers to itself as the "Whole Foods of Cannabis" and its goal is to normalize marijuana now that the industry no longer needs to hide. 

"We want people to feel like they can explore and really take their time looking at all our products," said Jocelyn Pettway, director of facility design. "It's really just like any other store."

While Canada is on the brink of legalizing Cannabis country-wide in 2017, the U.S is still engulfed in skepticism and legal ruffle about the substance. The election of Donald Trump wasn’t good news for the marijuana industry. As with most issues, Trump isn’t clear about his stance on pot. But in the past, he had supported giving Schedule 1 or Schedule 2 status to marijuana. Schedule 1 status substances are considered federally illegal and perceived to have no medical benefits, whereas Schedule 2 substances are considered to have some medical benefits, but with addictive ingredients.

The marijuana industry enters 2017 with high hopes. Last year was arguably the best year ever for cannabis, and pro-legalization enthusiasts are counting on that trend to continue.

Entering 2016, 23 states had legalized medical cannabis while residents in another four states had legalized the sale of recreational pot. By year's end, five new states have legalized medical cannabis, two of which did so entirely through the legislative process (Ohio and Pennsylvania). What's more, the number of recreation-legal weed states doubled to eight, with Nevada, Maine, Massachusetts, and the crown jewel, California, all voting in favor of their respective state's pot initiative.

Imagine a group of young professionals enjoying a dinner party. It’s time for dessert, and everyone moves from the dinner table to the living room. A digestif is served alongside a handful of luxury chocolates that have a slightly sweet taste and a low-dose of THC that kicks in within 15 minutes, just as the coffee is ready from the kitchen.

Marijuana is said to be the most energy-intensive agricultural crop in the United States, consuming one percent of the entire nation’s energy output. It drains resources because of its high energy and water requirements. When pesticides are used, and that’s often, its carbon footprint gets even more troubling. Cannabis may grow green, but growing it is far from green in the sustainability sense.