Business

The Missouri health department announced Thursday afternoon that medical marijuana dispensary licenses will be awarded to would-be owners "approximately January 24, 2020," with most other types of marijuana business licenses being awarded more quickly.

Beginning in August, the state received more than 2,200 applications for just 348 marijuana business licenses, of which 192 will go out to retail marijuana dispensaries. They're expected to be operating in mid-2020.

(WAOW) -- Michigan is the first state in the Midwest to legalize recreational Marijuana. Law enforcement officials in neighboring counties are expressing concern about the impact legalization in Michigan could have on the Badger State.

"Once you cross the state line, it's a crime," said Vilas County Sheriff Joe Fath. "It's serious, it could create a criminal record for people."

Fath said deputies have already encountered people bringing the drug across state lines. One of his biggest concerns is an increase in driving while under the influence.

Will it be a story of harm reduction or business creation? The needs of a struggling industry will have to balanced with public health goals.

The criminalization of cannabis is now a thing of the past in Canada, but the legacy of legalization is far from clear. Legalization represents a major social and political shift, after years of work by activists successfully showed that criminalization was harmful and ineffective.

With the recreational market taking off, medical marijuana could take a backseat.

The medical market for pot could become a casualty of the growing movement to legalize recreational marijuana. With legalized recreational products commanding higher prices, the supply of medical marijuana could take a hit – and that could be bad news for investors banking on the segment's growth.

Marijuana is strictly prohibited in Virginia. All forms of marijuana are illegal in the state. Yet, recreational cannabis sales went live in Michigan on Sunday. To know more about this, read Recreational Marijuana Sales Go Live in Michigan. Furthermore, Illinois will legalize marijuana on January 1, 2020. While the other states are pushing for legalization, let’s see what steps Virginia is taking.

What actions is Virginia taking for legalization?

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Interest in medical marijuana use has far outpaced expectations only five months into Missouri’s new program.

Missouri issued close to 22,000 medical marijuana cards since July 4, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Researchers with the University of Missouri’s Economic and Policy Analysis Research Center previously estimated that the state wouldn’t reach that many patients until 2021.

Is Health Canada doing its job?

I’m not returning here to the topic of the vaping crisis. But looking ahead to legally-about-to-go-on-sale cannabis edibles.

Authored by: Sean Williams, The Motley Fool

When the year began, it appeared as if cannabis stocks could do no wrong. The first quarter featured over a dozen pot stocks that gained at least 70%, with the Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences ETF, the very first cannabis-focused exchange-traded fund, chugging higher by 50%. But ever since the first quarter ended, it's been a nightmare for pot stock investors.

Authored by: David Jagielski, The Motley Fool

Reading an earnings report is a great way to assess the health and performance of a company. Unfortunately, when it comes to marijuana producers, the process of analyzing the results is not as straightforward as it is with companies in other industries.

Authored by: Emily Price, Forbes

Lil Wayne just launched his own cannabis line: GKUA Ultra Premium. The line of high-potency cannabis products is “designed to provide consumers with the best high of their lives.”

Flower for the products is sourced from experienced growers, and the brand selects strands with the highest amount of THC available, allowing it to offer exceptionally potent products.