Here we are in 2016, in a world full of ignorance and in a world that continues to breed ignorance and hypocrisy because we are easily influenced into conforming into a way of being and into this closed minded for of thinking.

Cannabis! Here we have a plant that has been demonized for close to a century and still to this very day the world remains ignorant on a plant that grows in nature naturally and causes no harm to no one and yet it is illegal.

Remember Cliff Robinson? The sharpshooting power forward was ahead of his time in the NBA, making the 1994 All-Star game and enjoying a long, productive career. 

Here's a career update: The player once known as "Uncle Cliffy" now goes by "Uncle Spliffy" — he's a marijuana activist in Oregon. 

Robinson will be a featured speaker before 2,500 guests at the 2016 Cannabis Collaborative Conference in Portland on Feb. 3 and 4, according to the Portland Business Journal. 

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Signal Bay Inc. (OTC:SGBY) a leading provider of cannabis consulting, operations, and analytical laboratory services is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Oregon Analytical Services, LLC. expanding its cannabis testing footprint into Eugene, Oregon.

“This strategic acquisition enables Signal Bay to expand its vision of protecting patients through comprehensive product testing”

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New Rochelle, NY, January 21, 2016--Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research the new peer-reviewed open access journal fromMary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, announces a new partnership with The International Cannabinoid Research Society. This new collaboration promotes the missions of the Journal and Society to further the advancement of cannabis and cannabinoid-related research.

Legal weed outlets, flush in cash, struggle to find financial institutions

There is an old jest that says the fastest way for a business to run off its customers is to adhere to the motto, “In God we trust; all others must pay cash.” But for Kimberly Cargile, director of the East Sacramento medical marijuana dispensary, A Therapeutic Alternative, cash and carry is her only option. And it really is no laughing matter.

“We’ve had quite the difficulty getting access to banking,” she says. “We have to pay all of our bills and our taxes in cash. Even getting change from the bank is tough, because the cash we have on hand is kept in the safe with the medicine [cannabis] and when you get it to the bank, it smells of that so the bank becomes very suspicious.”

Oregon’s recreational marijuana industry hit a milestone this month.

About 90 days into the legal sale of recreational marijuana, Jan. 4 marked the first time people could officially apply for licenses to operate recreational businesses in Oregon. And more changes are on the way.

By the end of the year, Oregon’s cannabis industry will look a lot different from what we currently have.

When will new recreational retail marijuana stores be open?

Although the state is accepting business license applications, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission — which will oversee the state’s recreational marijuana business solely starting in January 2017 — doesn’t plan to approve any of the retail store applications until at least the fourth quarter of 2016.

The opioid painkiller and heroin epidemic has led to a record number of deadly drug overdoses, with the US recording an all-time high of 47,000 overdose deaths — two-thirds of which were opioid-related — in 2014. In states like New Hampshire, the crisis is so bad that it's overtaken the economy and national security as voters' top concern.

But as awareness of the crisis grows, one of the more exotic policy ideas for dealing with the epidemic has gotten relatively little attention: legalizing medical marijuana.

What led a former Honolulu mayor and city prosecuting attorney to enter Hawaii’s burgeoning medical marijuana industry?

“It's odd for me to be a believer in [marijuana] because of my law enforcement background,” admits Peter Carlisle, just seconds after sitting down for an interview at PBN’s office. “I originally approached it with that attitude, but it doesn't take long to immediately understand that this has very significant ramifications for a whole variety of ailments as well as helping people with pain.”

A Hobart native has seen first hand the economic potential of the marijuana industry and wants to spark interest among Northwest Indiana investors.

The Kingery Group Chief Executive Officer Dawn Marie will prepare Region businesses for marijuana legalization and tell about opportunities at Northwest Indiana's first Cannabis Business Workshop at 10 a.m., March 5, at Ambassador Banquets in Hobart.

Medical marijuana is now legal just across the border in Illinois and Michigan. States like Colorado, Oregon and Washington have approved its recreational use. A Gallup poll in October found 58 percent of Americans supported legalizing it nationally.

An upcoming marijuana business conference will, to NBA fans, feature a very familiar face.

The 2016 Cannabis Collaborative Conference, which takes place Feb. 3 and Feb. 4 at the Portland Expo Center, will host former Blazers great Cliff Robinson. The former NBA All-Star has become a cannabis advocate and will address the expected crowd of 2,500 attendees.