At the edge of an industrial park in this suburb south of Boston, past a used-car auction lot and a defunct cheese factory, is an unmarked warehouse bristling with security cameras and bustling with activity. Until recently, the cinder-block structure was home to a wholesale florist, a granite cutter and a screen printer. Today, it is home to just one tenant: a medical marijuana operation called Ermont.

Legalized marijuana has already upset societal norms, created a large legal gray area and generated a lucrative source of tax revenue. Now it is upending the real estate market, too.

The opening of a vast, albeit disjointed, North American cannabis market is driving investment in R&D and production.

Attitudes and laws are changing in drastic ways these days. One area where this is particularly evident is in North America’s growing acceptance of the use of medicinal and recreational marijuana.

​California native Malcolm Mirage's dream was to own a legal cannabis dispensary. For years, he had grown marijuana and sold it on the black market, while working a day job as a personal trainer. But in his late 20s, Mirage decided it was time to jump into the growing legal industry — before it got too crowded — and build his expertise into a sustainable, above-board business.

In order to open up that business, which he calls Mirage Medicinal, he needed to come up with $500,000 in startup capital, so Mirage began to scale up his operation, expanding into lucrative markets in other states.

Like many states, Illinois is in deep financial trouble. Looking at the latest audit,  its black hole has deepened to $9.6bn (£7.6bn) and, according to the state’s financial comptroller, the books are “abysmal”.

But there could be salvation at hand if it becomes the first state in the midwest to legalise and tax the recreational use of marijuana. Two Democrats in the state legislature have introduced a bill to change the law, arguing this could raise as much as $700m a year.

Should the bill go through, it would bring the number of states where recreational pot is legal up to nine. If you throw in Washington DC, then more than 80m Americans would be free to enjoy cannabis.

This week on The Plus Factor, we’re talking about an herbal ingredient earning a blazing reputation in the wellness world: marijuana.

Remember when cannabis had a not-so-healthy image? (Think red eyes and munchies.) Well, those days are fading fast, as the potent plant’s healing powers have started to attract some serious interest from wellness brands in all categories—food, beverage, beauty, and beyond.

A slew of bills modifying the state’s nascent medical marijuana program have been signed into law by Gov. Asa Hutchinson over the past two weeks.

One dozen marijuana-related bills recently saw the governor’s pen, and five more currently await his signature. Any bill modifying the voter-approved Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment must be approved two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of the Representatives before it can be signed into law by the governor.

The biotech sector will be one of the greatest beneficiaries of the global cannabis movement and investors can find a lot of opportunities within this industry.

Although firms focused on developing cannabis-based treatments are some of the highest quality opportunities, several have recently been under pressure.

Israeli Biotech Firm Falls from Highs

In late March, Therapix Biosciences Ltd. (TRPX: Nasdaq) commenced trading on the Nasdaq exchange and the shares rallied almost 50% during its first day of trading. Since then, the shares have fallen more than 20% and we think this is a stock investors should be watching.

Jones also wants the league to ease up on investigating off-field conduct.

Jerry Jones isn’t one to shy away from controversial topics. During an owners-only session at the NFL’s owners’ meetings in Phoenix last week, he said he’d like the league to reconsider its stance on marijuana use by players, and he wishes the NFL would ease up on its approach to investigating off-field incidents.

During the owners-only meeting — which is unusual during this event, but not completely unheard of — Jones addressed the group and said that he wants the league to stop disciplining players who test positive for marijuana, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.

California-based company Beboe has launched a new range of high-end marijuana products for the sophisticated cannabis consumer.

Founded by celebrity tattoo artist Scott Campbell and fashion veteran Clement Kwan, Beboe offers a rose gold, pre-loaded single-use vaporiser "intentionally engineered for social consumption", as well as low-dose cannabis pastilles.