In the two years since recreational marijuana sales became legal in Colorado, the state has seen economic growth two times greater than the U.S. national average, according to a new in-depth analysis.

"The Economic Impact of Marijuana Legalization in Colorado," released by the Marijuana Policy Group in October 2016, was created using a new "Marijuana Impact Model" designed to accurately measure the cannabis industry's economic impact on the state.

While most people are busy talking about the potential doom from a Trump presidency, there is a much more real change undergoing. For the first time in American history, we have seen the country take steps towards acceptance of marijuana (for better or worse). California made history with the passing of its marijuana legalization bill, which presents a more interesting look at the substance than most understand.

CS Compliance Systems (www.cscomply.com), developers of CannaScore (www.cannascore.net) - the world's first real-time regulatory compliance auditing application for the cannabis industry, announced its system is now in use by banks and financial institutions.

The CannaScore Agent program has been used by professional consultants since 2015, to help cannabis-related businesses (CRBs) avoid fines, suspensions, and even loss of a business license. By demonstrating compliance with regulations through the CannaScore Agent program, CRBs can gain access to capital and services from investors, banks, brokers, landlords, lawyers, and CPAs.

Cannabis industry thought leaders share some thoughts on how the Trump administration may affect them.

Election night was a resounding success for those supporting medical and recreational cannabis legalization. Recreational use was legalized in California, Nevada, Massachusetts and Maine. Voters in Florida, North Dakota and Arkansas all approved medical marijuana initiatives. A second go-around for Florida where, two years earlier, a medical marijuana measure earned an impressive 58 percent of the vote, but was short of the 60 percent threshold needed for passage.

Indiana legislators may not want to tackle the issue of medical marijuana in the Statehouse, but one Lake County Council member is looking to gain the support of his peers for a resolution supporting the practice.

Lake County Councilman Jamal Washington, D-Merrillville, said he would like fellow council members to consider a resolution supporting the decriminalization of marijuana for medical purposes when the council meets Tuesday.

Smoking cannabis has been known to treat certain forms of cancer, but a recent study has found a link between use of the controversial herb and a heart-weakening condition.

Stress cardiomyopathy, popularly known as broken heart syndrome, shows symptoms eerily similar to a heart attack, including chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness and fainting.

The effects of the rare illness, which is often caused by the heart’s inability to pump blood, are usually short-lived but could indicate a more serious condition, according to a report by The Telegraph.

Beaverton firm steps into security gap.

Riding shotgun on a truck full of cash and cannabis didn’t make the list of obvious career choices for Chad Holtman, 28, a Portland resident and U.S. Army veteran. 

Then he met an employee of CannaGuard Security, a Beaverton firm that provides transportation, secure storage and electronic security services to marijuana businesses in Oregon and Washington. CEO Noah Stokes made a point of hiring military veterans to staff his company, particularly veterans like Holtman, a former airborne infantryman who said he saw combat during a year in eastern Afghanistan. 

Over 63 million Americans now live in states where it's legal to consume recreational weed.

Americans said "yes we cannabis" on Election Day, when voters in California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada passed ballot initiatives fully legalizing the use and possession of marijuana without a doctor's recommendation.

41% of republicans support marijuana legalization, according to Pew.

The smoke hasn’t cleared from the cannabis industry’s substantial wins a week ago and already there are questions about whether the industry is under threat from a Trump administration.

President-elect Donald Trump has yet to confirm the various members of his administration, but the way it is shaping up may pose challenges to supporters of recreational and/or medical marijuana legalization. For now however, the industry isn’t ready to ring the alarm.

With public attitudes and laws changing in the United States regarding the use of recreational and medical marijuana, minds are beginning to change in the NFL as well.

Based on conversations with 10 NFL team owners and executives over the past few months, marijuana usage could emerge as a key issue when the collective bargaining agreement is renegotiated over the next few years. The team sources spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to talk candidly about the subject.