Business

Marijuana users can go online and see what kind of bargain they’re getting from their marijuana dealer. The site, which has been online since September, compiles averages of marijuana prices for each state. A representative from the website says that the goal of www.priceofweed.com is simply to give marijuana users tools for assessing prices.

In the last nine months, Eric Engstrom has been criss-crossing California as president and co-founder of Union Local 13, whose motto, “Don't Leaf Us Out,” describes the efforts to unionize marijuana cultivators, processors and distributors. Unionization of marijuana workers already is under way elsewhere. Members of Teamsters Local 70 in Oakland added nearly 40 new members in September when they organized the nation's first group of unionized marijuana growers — vowing to raise their wages from $18 per hour to $25.75 an hour within 15 months.

CVS, the nation's largest drug-store chain, is paying what’s considered the largest civil penalty ever — $75 million — assessed under the Controlled Substances Act as well as forfeiting $2.6 million in profits from the sales of medicines that contain pseudoephedrine — a key ingredient to making meth.

Marijuana in Montana isn't just for legal medicinal or unlawful recreational purposes - it's also a booming business. That message was loud and clear among caregivers and others who attended the Medical Marijuana Growers Association gathering in Helena this week.