The benefits of cultivating and processing hemp domestically go beyond the economic advantages. Making hemp farming federally legal and increasing the number of crops nationwide could make a powerful impact on our efforts to prevent global warming.

Last week, Colorado Hemp Company and NoCo Hemp Expo hosted Hemp On The Slope, an event in Collbran, Colorado, meant to educate and inform the community on the benefits of domestic hemp cultivation. Among the most significant of the benefits? Industrial hemp farming reduces our carbon footprint and thereby combats global warming.

As proponents gathered outside the State House Wednesday to urge support for marijuana legalization and condemn arguments against it as rooted in fear, opponents of a ballot question to allow the adult use of marijuana released a list of 119 members of the Legislature opposing legalization.

Massachusetts voters will decide at the ballot box in November whether to legalize adult use of marijuana while also setting up taxation and a regulatory structure for marijuana sales.

Supporters on Wednesday described backing the question as a matter of fairness and racial justice and said the tax revenue could provide an infusion of financial resources for areas like education, infrastructure and addiction treatment.

Kevin Smith's 'View Askewniverse' is a haven for stereotypical burnouts like Jay and Silent Bob, who spend their days selling weed outside a convenience store. But the funny thing is that Smith -- who turns 46 today -- didn't smoke marijuana when he created this cinematic world. Now that he's a regular cannabis user, he spends much of his time breaking down the stigmas that his previous films have helped ingrain in pop culture.

Smith opened up about using cannabis during a 2013 interview on City TV's 'Breakfast Television.' When asked him how he kept up his productivity, the director said marijuana was the secret to managing an ambitious work schedule.

Security is not only an integral part of any growing legal cannabis business, but it’s also a licensing requirement. Many traditional security companies aren’t open to changing their protocols. I had the chance to talk with Douglas White of Forensic Fog Technologies to discuss how cannabis businesses could change the way everyone looks at security and asset protection – no matter the location.

Jason Sander: Thanks for joining me today, Douglas. Let’s start with your elevator pitch. 

Legalized medical marijuana is coming soon to Ohio, and Marijuana Business Daily is bringing its “crash course” here to inform potential entrepreneurs.

“We chose Ohio because of the potential for the industry,” said Editorial Director Chris Walsh.

Half of the U.S. has legalized marijuana in some form, and the Ohio legislature followed suit this year in response to a ballot push from national advocacy group Marijuana Policy Project. (You can read who donated to the group's Ohio-based campaign here.)

Boston City Council President Michelle Wu and Councilor Tito Jackson will formally endorse the state ballot push to legalize marijuana for recreational use. The move, to be announced at a State House event Wednesday morning, puts them directly at odds with Mayor Martin J. Walsh, who is helping to lead the charge against the referendum. 

A 2007 graduate of Harvard College, Wu said she never used the drug but recalled some classmates did during their years in Cambridge.

“It just seems ridiculous that kids at Harvard can smoke pot and have incredibly successful careers while blacks and Latinos, particularly men and boys, who are using the same substance are sent to jail,” she said, voice rising.

The cannabis industry is starting to see some serious investment activity.

Over the last few years, a new wave of cannabis-finance companies have formed to capitalize on the green rush.

Companies like Tuatara Capital, Seventh Point, Poseidon Asset Management, and Privateer Holdings have dived headfirst into the industry.

While the first three are brand new, having been founded in the last few years, Privateer started in 2011. The fund bills itself as the first in the US to focus solely on cannabis-related endeavors.

The addition of heat to common pesticides can create poison. Organic Maryland LLC has a safe solution that uses no chemical pesticides.

It was a only a matter of weeks after the November 6th deadline to apply for a Maryland medical cannabis grower’s license before the public outcry over Colorado recalls began. In March of this year, the Denver Post reported more than 10 recalls in less than a month. A commonly used pesticide has driven massive recalls in Colorado, prompting concerns over crop safety and product integrity, particularly within the state of Maryland.

Bruce Schulte at a press conference held by the Coalition for Responsible Cannabis Legislation in February 2015. (Photo by Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)

One of the state’s key regulators on commercial cannabis has been unexpectedly ousted by the governor.

Bruce Schulte was active in the 2014 ballot initiative legalizing commercial marijuana in Alaska. He then served as chair of the Marijuana Control Board, a position with tremendous influence in crafting regulations for the new industry.

Recently though, he’d been voted out of the chairmanship. And last Friday, Schulte — who is a commercial pilot — landed after a flight to find an unexpected voicemail.

Hillary Clinton has solid support from cannabis industry executives even though she isn't a strong supporter herself of legalization, according to a new survey by Marijuana Business Daily (MBD).

In fact, as you can see from the MBD chart below, she has greater support from them (43 percent) than does from the national polls of the general population (39.8 percent).

According to the MBD poll, Clinton has even stronger support from cannabis industry investors (45.9 percent).