It has been rumored for years that Monsanto plans to take over the cannabis industry with genetic engineering just as they’ve taken over the corn and soy industries.

Although they have always denied having any intentions to do so, at this point it is unlikely that anybody really believes them. In contrast, many in the cannabis sphere are prepared to resist any kind of GMO takeover of marijuana by Monsanto or any of their cohorts.

Evidence is mounting, though, which points strongly to the notion that Monsanto does indeed plan to take control of the cannabis plant, and it doesn’t look good for medical users, or anyone planning on getting into the industry.

A California proposal that would prohibit pot-branded merchandise used to advertise the products of marijuana growers, producers and dispensaries has caused concern in the cannabis industry.

Senate Bill 162 by state Sen. Ben Allen of Santa Monica would "prohibit medical cannabis and nonmedical marijuana licensees from advertising [or] using branded merchandise," according to the bill. "A licensee shall not advertise medical cannabis or medical cannabis products through the use of branded merchandise, including, but not limited to, clothing, hats, or other merchandise with the name or logo of the product."

Last week, a graphic designer shared a link to a post titled “How Sophisticated Branding Aims to Make You Rethink Cannabis” with Benzinga. The article, published on Adobe Systems Incorporated’s creative community/blog "99U" explained how distinct branding was key for brand building as the cannabis industrycontinues to mature.

“The hand-painted signs, bad puns, and Rastafarian flags that once defined the industry are giving way to sophisticated design that abandons aging stoners in favor of more upscale clientele,” author Scott Kirkwood wrote.

There are as many canna-biz employees as there are dental hygienists.

The cannabis industry has been one of the fastest-growing industries in the country, and as it grows, it has been employing more and more Americans. The industry now employs between 165,000 and 230,000 full- and part-time workers, according to estimates published in the Marijuana Business Factbook 2017. By comparison, there are around 201,000 dental hygienists working in the U.S., about 238,000 telemarketers, and 169,000 massage therapists.

As Nevada prepares to roll out its recreational marijuana program at midnight on July 1, local dispensaries and producers are working overtime to prepare for the anticipated demand.

Evergreen Organix, one of the state's largest marijuana edible producers that's carried by most of the state's dispensaries, has anticipated the surge in demand for their products.

Gourmet Infused Confections

According to company officials, Evergreen Organix staff has been working extended hours with additional personnel for the past ten days.  They will continue production through the end of this week to prepare for the launch of Nevada's recreational cannabis program on July 1st.

As cannabis policies in the U.S. change, what was once a strictly underground business is now becoming increasingly legitimate and mainstream—and the industry is absolutely booming as a result.

In North America, marijuana sales totaled almost $7 billion in 2016, with an astonishing 30% growth rate. And that growth is not set to slow down any time soon. By 2021, North American sales are projected to top $20.2 billion.

I’m an hour and one tequila into a cocktail party in San Juan when I meet the duo who call themselves the “canna-hoods” of Puerto Rico.

This is technically a business party, a reception for press and presenters attending tomorrow’s AgroHack conference (a tech-agriculture-sustainability mashup), so they’re introduced to me simply by their names: Carmen Portela and Gaby Pagan. They’re the co-founders of Growth Leaders, a consulting company they created to shape the island’s nascent medical cannabis industry.

LGC Capital Ltd. (CVE:QBA), a marijuana stock, moved sharply higher after announcing a new 50/50 Joint Venture to grow cannabis in southern Africa.

LGC Capital Ltd. (TSXV: QBA), a new marijuana stock, surged 57% to $0.055 on Monday after announcing that it has entered into a strategic alliance with AfriAg (Pty) Ltd to create a new 50/50 Joint Venture to grow and distribute medical and recreational cannabis products in the southern African region for export to regulated and certified end users around the world.

Former provincial chief of staff makes predictions on the legal recreational marijuana industry.

Omar Khan sat down with Matt Galloway on Metro Morning to discuss big questions that have yet to be answered in the federal government's push to develop a legal framework for recreational marijuana sales by July 2018.

Khan is former chief of staff to the Ontario health minister and he now works with the marijuana industry as vice president, public affairs of Hill + Knowlton strategies.

Questions and answers have been condensed.

Matt Galloway: How prepared is this country for legal weed?

Coffee shops have baristas. Bars have bartenders. And marijuana retailers have "budtenders."

An estimated 30,000 Americans work in legal marijuana dispensaries, with a significant portion of those retail employees assisting customers at point of sale. Budtenders have an intimate knowledge of the products sold and can make recommendations based on customer preferences — whether they prefer smoking or vaping, for example, or whether they want to get high while partying or binge-watching TV.