The Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference (OMMBC) kicks off today at the Hilton in Eugene Oregon. The entire lineup is great, but I’m really looking forward to former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, Oregon State Senator Floyd Prozanski and the media panel with The Oregonian’s Noelle Crombie, Russ Belville of […]

Once again Steve Cohen, US Congressman from Tennessee (TN-09), has shown great leadership in taking on the misguided and cruel drug war. He recently called out Attorney General Eric Holder to end the ludicrous Schedule I legal status for cannabis, just the latest of Cohen’s many courageous challenges to the […]

It is really remarkable the number of business avenues the cannabis industry unlocks. Of course, people know about growers, processors and retailers. However, these marijuana businesses need lawyers, accountants, security and maybe even consultants of various types. Additionally, enterprising entrepreneurs often see a niche to fill within the industry as […]

The evidence that marijuana has gone mainstream is everywhere: from politics to entertainment to culture to your personal discussions with friends and family. Poll after poll demonstrates majority support for cannabis legalization and super-majority support for medical access. Once the third-rail of politics, now it seems to be one of […]

The International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC) held in San Francisco last month, was a great event and a great success. While, like any business conference, entrepreneurs were there looking to network and learn important information that can help their businesses succeed, the ICBC stressed the importance of political activism and […]

Congressman Earl Blumenauer has been a longtime champion of sensible marijuana law reform. As a state legislator in Oregon, he voted to decriminalize personal amounts of marijuana all the way back in 1973. He has been at the forefront of cannabis law reform ever since, even when it wasn’t near […]

Yesterday, news hit that Senators Rand Paul, Kirsten Gillibrand and Cory Booker were to introduce a bipartisan medical marijuana bill in the United States Senate. Now, the qualifiers can be taken off, as the senators announced the bill this morning with a press conference. The marijuana law reform movement has […]

Republicans and Democrats have a hard time agreeing on much these days as gridlock dominates our political discourse. Cannabis law reform is one of the few areas that has some politicians looking to reach across the aisle. Once seen as a lefty-hippie position or an right-wing Ayn Randian libertarian stance, […]

As I have previously blogged, Wichita, Kansas, will be voting on a marijuana decriminalization measure on April 7th. Local cannabis law reforms can be a great way to move the marijuana movement forward as it is a relatively inexpensive way to educate voters and can be a great tool to […]

In the “Please Say It Ain’t So” category, President Obama increased 2016 funding for the drug war in his next budget. Wait, haven’t we determined, by all measures, that the War on Drugs has failed? And haven’t we realized that dismantling the drug war is a great place to save […]

I once heard a prominent member of the cannabis industry state that unless you have insurance and a bank account, than you aren’t a real business. Getting insurance is not always easy in the cannabis industry, but there are numerous companies that will provide insurance to marijuana businesses. Banking on the […]

I have met countless parents who have had to go through the heartache of having their child removed from their home due to cannabis alone. These people were good parents, and often were licensed medical marijuana patients. They worked hard and provided for their child or children. The only reason […]

For quite awhile Canada’s medical cannabis industry was built on a home-grow model. That changed last year when Canada’s government created a much more limited model that put the task of growing medical cannabis into the hands of corporations. There have been many issues as a result. Per Canada.Com: Almost […]

The leader of the anti-legalization group Project SAM, Kevin Sabet, sat down for an interview with the newly-confirmed head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (a.k.a. “the drug czar”), Michael Botticelli.  Yesterday, we looked at what the Drug Czar thinks of recent state legalization efforts (guess).  Today, we […]

Born into a working class family and still in a working class family, I understand how tight money can be, especially during tough economic times. The cannabis industry isn’t a get rich quick scheme for most people, but it is a growing industry that will only get bigger, certainly in […]