The transition to a global digital economy in 2014 was sporadic – brisk in some countries, choppy in others. By year’s end, the seven biggest emerging markets were larger than the G7, in purchasing power parity terms. Plus, consumers in the Asia-Pacific region were expected to spend more online last year than consumers in North America. The opportunities to serve the e-consumer were growing – if you knew where to look.

In the nine months leading up to their peak in March 2014, marijuana stocks rose over 6 fold in value, fueled by the speculative frenzy that followed marijuana’s legalization in Colorado and Washington and the promises of high returns from a nascent industry that is predicted to grow by the most conservative estimates to a $10 billion plus market in the next 4 years and experience an astonishing compounded annual growth rate of 40%.

At Apple's Spring Forward, Tim Cook just announced additional details on the company's newest product line: The Apple Watch. Here are the details:

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you have a cookie on your computer or your smartphone that says how much you like weed—or at least how you feel about the idea of weed being legalized.

• CANL's StrainData platform furthers the narrative that CANL is so much more than an analytics company.
• CANL is now positioned to force at least some participation with it on the testing side with what should be quickly growing StrainData key metrics.
• Acting as the "Google" of its space with StrainData CANL now has a completely vertical operation - something that historically has meant huge power across industries.
• I continue to be bullish CANL on all durations.

CannLabs Inc.'s (OTCQB:CANL) StrainData platform is yet another reason to be bullish this under the radar company.

Leslie Bosckor, co-founder of Nevada Cannabis Industry Association, is creating a similar association in New York.

As far as college-rooted practical jokes go, the on-campus digital traffic sign reading "SMOKE WEED EVERYDAY" at the University of Montana is right up there with the time a Los Angeles art student made the Hollywood sign read "Hollyweed." If you drove by the corner of Sixth and Arthur streets in Missoula on Monday morning you might have seen the prankster's handiwork, undoubtedly a shout-out to one of Dr. Dre's most memorable kiss-offs.

A new study published by the National Institute of Health has found that cannabinoid receptor activation – something done naturally by cannabis – may provide a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term disease that causes inflammation of the joints and tissues.

“Recent studies have suggested immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects of cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2R) activation”, states the study’s abstract.  Despite these recent studies, researchers say that the connection between these cannabinoid receptors and rheumatoid arthritis has been much less observed, leading them to conduct this study.  According to their researchers, data suggests that “CB2R may be a potential therapeutic target of RA [rheumatoid arthritis].”

Syracuse, N.Y. - The first U.S. public company allowed to raise money on the stock market to produce and sell medical marijuana wants to grow pot in Central New York.

Terra Tech Corp., of Irvine, Calif., plans to apply for a state license to cultivate and dispense medical marijuana in New York, said Derek Peterson, the company's CEO.

"We're looking at Central New York for cultivation," Peterson said. "If you want a retail footprint around the state, you want cultivation and production centrally located adjacent to major arteries to provide access to all the retail locations."

The company has not picked a Central New York location yet, he said. Peterson said dispensaries would be scattered around the state in places such as Ithaca, Albany, Manhattan and Brooklyn.

WASHINGTON — Now that marijuana is legal in the nation’s capital, prospective pot entrepreneurs gathered in a daylong conference Saturday to learn about the business of pot.

“We teach people how to grow, we teach regular citizens and potential dispensary owners and current dispensary owners on how to grow their own cannabis,” says David DeGraff, CEO of the Denver-based “Grow School.”

Business-minded people swarmed exhibitors’ tables like that of the Grow School and Montgomery Hydroponics.

“We have everything you would need for indoor gardening, HPS, high pressure sodium, hydroponic soil, whatever you wish,” says Daniel Sims, the owner of the Montgomery County based firm, Montgomery Hydroponics.

Some of Sims’ LED grow lights sell for $349 each.