With Canadian cannabis legalization slated to commence this summer, Ontario has been proactive in its preparations, being the first province to issue its market regulations and now announcing a partnership with a popular ecommerce platform based in Ottawa to run mobile and online cannabis sales in the province.
Technology
How a Cannabis Tech Platform Will Make Things Easier for Marijuana Dispensaries
A slew of cannabis software services has cropped up with the advent of marijuana legalization, from point-of-sale systems to advertising networks to product-review platforms. As businesses angle for a piece of the cannabis-tech pie, retailers have a lot of options to choose from.
IBM Touts Blockchain to Track Pot Industry From ‘Seed to Sale’
IBM Corp., one of the bluest of U.S. blue-chip companies, is touting blockchain as the supply-management tool of choice for an unusual industry — cannabis.
Tech Company Looks to Make Marijuana Dispensaries Safer
A new tech company has set it sight on making the growing marijuana industry safer. The main goal is to reduce the amount of cash transactions.
Drones and Self-Driving Cars Can’t Legally Deliver Marijuana in This State
When retail outlets in California finally get permission to start selling recreational marijuana at the start of 2018, thanks to a vote last year, there’s one notable way they won’t be able to deliver the drug—by drone.
Marijuana Traceability: Washington Eyes METRC to Replace BioTrackTHC
On May 31, 2017, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board announced that it had chosen Franwell as the Apparent Successful Vendor to replace BiotrackTHC, the state’s current marijuana traceability contractor. With Franwell scoring the highest out of the seven bids submitted, the state will now proceed by negotiating the contract with the company.
Daily Vice: This App Will Test What’s in Your Weed
Vice sits down with Daniel Yazbeck, CEO and founder of CDx (OTCQB:MYDX), who created a pocket-sized laboratory app that allows cannabis users to know exactly what they are consuming and find the strain of weed that’s right for them.
Marijuana Locating App Wants to Hire Massachusetts College Students
Weedmaps has placed 80 billboards throughout Massachusetts, and is also hiring at several Massachusetts colleges and universities.
Startups Focused on Growing Cannabis Industry
These people quit their day jobs to capitalize on the growing marijuana industry by building their own cannabis related business
Marijuana’s Patent Spree Puts the ‘High’ In High Tech
These filings cover everything from proprietary hybrid strains of cannabis, to “clean and efficient growing systems, software-based analytics and monitoring, and packaging and distribution infrastructure.”
How Cannabis Ecommerce Challenges Are Driving Web Innovation
Cannabis and ecommerce would complement one another like seed and soil, if only federal law would allow it.
Nevada State Medical Marijuana Portal Compromised in Cyber Attack
On Wednesday, the Nevada State Medical Marijuana Program became aware that application information about individuals with medical marijuana agent cards, such as employees and owners of medical marijuana establishments, has been disclosed.
It Just Became Easy To Grow Marijuana At Home. Meet LEAF.
LEAF, a smart, self-contained, single-purpose grow-chamber that enables anyone to grow cannabis (or food and herbs) in their own home.
Teva Pharma to Market Syqe Medical’s Cannabis Inhaler in Israel
On Nov. 28, 2016, Teva Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:TEVA) announced that it had entered into an agreement with Syqe Medical to market and distribute Syqe’s medical cannabis inhaler in Israel for pain management, signifying the first time a medical cannabis product will be marketed by an international pharmaceutical company.
UMass Professor Designs App to Test Marijuana Impairment
While the prospect of an accurate marijuana breathalyzer is still far off in the distance, one of the most pressing issues facing lawmakers in states where recreational marijuana is now legal is how to test for marijuana impairment. A professor from the University of Massachusetts Boston thinks he has the answer.
Canadian Dispensary’s Website Hit by Potential Security Breach
On Oct. 5, 2016, Vancouver Pain Management Society in Vancouver, B.C., notified patients of a potential security breach that may have made the medical data of some patients publicly available on the dispensary’s website.
This NASA Researcher Is Now Using His Skills to Grow Marijuana
Neil Yorio, formerly a researcher at NASA, has taken his expertise preparing for space flight and applied it the craft of growing cannabis and other plants. Yorio. who used to work in NASA’s Bio Regenerative Life Support Systems program, is now the vice president of LED agricultural lighting at BIOS, a company that custom engineers LED lights for both human and plant use.
Stanford Researchers Develop Roadside THC Detecting Device
On Sept. 8, 2016, researchers at Stanford announced that they have developed a device that they believe can quickly measure marijuana intoxication in drivers.
Northeast Ohio Company Wants to Make Marijuana Patches
Brunswick-based Sextant Development wants to make medical marijuana patches under Ohio’s new medical marijuana law. The company already manufactures transdermal patches for vitamin and supplement companies.
Why Microsoft Wants in on the Marijuana Business and Why the DEA Won’t Stop It
Redmond’s partnership with ‘seed-to-sales’ software purveyor Kind is bound to bring more legitimacy to an already-thriving business.
Washington’s Medical Marijuana Database May Miss Operational Deadline
On June 28, 2016, the Washington State Department of Health announced that it may miss the operational deadline for launching the state’s medical marijuana authorization database, a voluntary registration system for medical marijuana patients, due to “software challenges.”
Maryland Issues RFP for Medical Cannabis Seed-To-Sale Tracking
On June 24, 2016, Maryland’s Department of Information Technology issued a Request for Proposals for a medical cannabis seed-to-sale tracking system on behalf of the Natalie M. LaPrade Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission.
The First Big Company to Say It’s Serving the Legal Marijuana Trade? Microsoft.
As state after state has legalized marijuana in one way or another, big names in corporate America have stayed away entirely. Marijuana, after all, is still illegal, according to the federal government.
Scientists Develop Method to Accurately Measure Cannabinoids in Edibles
On March 15, 2016, the American Chemical Society announced that scientists have developed a new technique to more accurately measure cannabinoids in cannabis-infused edibles, including gummy bears, brownies and cookies, as well as certain topical lotions. “Producers of cannabis edibles complain that if they send off their product to three different labs for analysis, they get three different…
MyDx Knows How Cannabis Makes You Feel
The “pot makes me paranoid” statement may cease to exist in the future of legal cannabis because technology is already helping consumers make informed decisions.
Marijuana Questions? There’s an App for That.
There have been numerous regulations preventing marijuana-centric apps from making their way onto your smartphones. Now though, there is no shortage of convenient digital tools for informing purchases, finding a local shop or even growing your own digital garden.
MyDx’s Users Can Transform an Anecdotal Industry into Scientific Cannabis Data
MyDx offers a comprehensive digital ecosystem of hardware and software that enables users to track, self-quantify and record what is happening to them on a strain-by-strain basis. While such data empowers an individual cannabis consumer’s path to finding the right strain for a specific condition, MyDx believes this data can serve the greater good of the industry.
Botany & Marijuana: Shedding Some White Light
Nick Brumm is the founder of NextLight, a company created to reflect his conviction that, as his website puts it, the quest for a “perfect spectrum” by the makers of purple light emitting diodes is a “gimmick rather than a scientific dispute.”
What’s Next for Green Bits?
Green Bits, the San Francisco TechCrunch Disrupt first runner up, brings point-of-sale software services to the world of legal retail marijuana.
Snoop Dog Announces Merry Jane at TechCrunch Disrupt
At TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco on Sept. 21, 2015, Snoop defied expectations once again by announcing the launch of his marijuana website Merry Jane.
Knowing the Dark Side: Hoffman-La Roche and DATIA
Advocates of freedom for adult marijuana use, sales, production, and investment should know their foes, and should know for example that DATIA was the motivating force behind passage of the Drug Testing Integrity Act of 2008.
New Frontier Embraces Data Visualization with Equio
Data is redefining what is possible in our personal and professional lives. Within that, the advent of legal medical and recreational cannabis is redefining what the legal industry’s stakeholders need from data providers.
MJ Freeway Continues to Manage Rapid Growth
MJ Freeway is no longer exclusively drawing comparisons to other cannabis companies. After growing at a rate of 205% over the past three years, the company was listed among companies such as Microsoft, GoPro, and Yelp, on the 2015 Inc. 5000.
BlazeNow App Approved for Apple’s App Store
In what is surely a sign of a white flag of defeat in the world of weed-tech, BlazeNow, an app that allows its users to connect via online interface with legal medical and recreational dispensaries globally, has now obtained access to the Apple App store.
GreenRush Disrupts the ‘Uber for Pot’ Delivery Business
It’s no secret that the on-demand cannabis marketplace is helping dispensaries expand their clientele, fueling competition among legal cannabis delivery providers eager to dominate the market.
Tracking Cannabis Social Media Trends
When MassRoots was asked by the SEC for proof that the business was indeed a leading social media app within the legal cannabis industry, investor Jerome Dewald spotted a market opportunity.
Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, How Does Your Printed Marijuana Garden Grow?
3Dponics has launched a new entrant to the rapidly growing, no pun intended, array of 3D printed devices used by marijuana consumers.
HerbFront Grows: Business Model Evolves
The marijuana industry has arisen through evolution, that is, it has taken shape through a series of ad hoc adaptations allowing for survival in often difficult circumstances—as, presumably, has the underlying botany.
BankingTHC Addresses Cannabis Business Dilemma
When banks close the accounts of legal marijuana businesses, they frequently cite the prohibitive cost of following Department of Justice and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network guidance about complying with the Bank Secrecy Act.
Invest In Cannabis Brings Technology to the Weed Industry
Eddie Miller, the 30-year-old founder of a budding pot empire, doesn’t come off as your typical weed advocate.
Entrepreneurs Enter the Green Rush with Technology
If most of the money during the Gold Rush was made from ancillary businesses, then technology is one of the most important ancillary sectors to look at in the Green Rush. The technology panelists at the Marijuana Investor Summit in Denver had plenty of experience among them.
The First Weed Tech IPO
This week, Mass Roots—a sort-of Facebook for weed lovers—will be one of the first canna-businesses to go public.
Machine-to-Consumer Vending in Cannabis Industry
What value do vending machines offer dispensaries? And how important are they to the cannabis industry as a whole?
Cannabis Delivery Apps Spark Niche Market
Utilizing the power of the internet and the precision of pizza delivery, some herbal entrepreneurs are carving out a niche in the app-based marijuana delivery service.
Weed’s Worldwide Web
It seems that since the start of the information age, which also roughly coincides with the release of Dr. Dre’s “The Chronic” album, marijuana has been inching towards acceptance and legalization. The cultural acceptance of the plant is moving faster than legalization, but unless there is an unprecedented federal backlash, laws will further relax and legalization will become more widespread.
