Misinformation is one of the defining aspects of the emerging cannabis industry. Much of the material online about the plant’s medical benefits, for example, is propaganda with only a tangential connection to legitimate science. Here are some sources for accurate, credible information:
News
Marijuana Business Daily features original reporting and analysis on industry developments . The outlet also hosts MJBizCon, a November conference in Las Vegas, the largest event on the very busy cannabis networking circuit.
The Boston Globe is one of the few large newspapers with dedicated cannabis coverage. Reporter Dan Adams writes “This Week in Weed,” a newsletter focused on the Massachusetts market.
Most mainstream Canadian news outlets cover the industry locally. Postmedia, one of Canada’s major media companies, publishes The Growth Op, which covers the developments nationwide. Cannabis Wire publishes original dispatches from around North America, and has developed a specialty in campaign finance reporting.
While much of the pro-cannabis media operates on a pay-for-play basis, Leafly features some interesting reporting on cannabis developments around the world, and some fun service pieces.
Blogs
Canna Law Blog, published by the law firm Harris Bricken, has well-written articles on the finer points of cannabis law, everything from intellectual property and labor issues to how to avoid common scams. It focuses on the western US.
Started by Wall Street veteran Alan Brochstein, New Cannabis Ventures posts press releases about the latest industry deals, as well as reporting and analysis. Brochstein also runs the paid service 420 Investor.
Newsletters
Journalist Alex Halperin (me) writes WeedWeek, a newsletter aggregating the latest developments in politics, business, health and science, law and justice and culture. We now also publish newsletters focussed on California and Canada, and a podcast.
The daily newsletter Word on the Tree, written by journalist Mona Zhang, aggregates the news with lots of updates on the individual state markets.
People
Cannabis journalist and legalization advocate Tom Angell closely follows developments in Washington D.C. He also edits the site Marijuana Moment, which specializes in political and health news.
Lawyers Deepak Anand and Trina Fraser follow regulatory developments in Canada very closely, as does analyst David Brown.