When the California gold rush began in the 1800s, it's said the real money wasn't in panning for gold but selling the picks, axes and pans to the potential prospectors looking to get rich.

Fast forward to the 21st century. Marijuana is the new hot thing in the them thar hills. With the growing public acceptance of the medical and casual use of marijuana, contradictory laws and the federal government trying desperately to plug a gaping hole in drug policy, many feel the time is ripe to get in on the ground floor of the new "green rush."

Despite federal crackdowns and municipalities attempting to ban collectives from their city limits, WeGrow is positioning itself as the WalMart of pot, reports CBS. However, it does not sell the drug, edibles or seeds — what it does sell is everything else the budding (pun intended) entrepreneur looking to get started in the marijuana business.

WeGrow has stores in Sacramento and Phoenix, with additional franchises in New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania. New locations in San Jose and Flagstaff, Arizona are planned, with expansion into Oregon, Washington state and Michigan.

Its first shop on the East Coast opened up in Washington D.C., in the shadow of many of the federal agencies attempting to put an end to marijuana consumption.

"The more that businesses start to push the envelope by showing that this is a legitimate industry, the further we're going to be able to go in changing people's minds,"  weGrow founder Dhar Mann told CBS.

Though San Francisco's known for being a tolerant sort of town, recent moves by its district attorney, George Gascón, points to a citywide crackdown on its dispensaries.

A woman making a delivery for a collective and the buyer were arrested and charged by the DA. Both were patients of the collective and the woman was working on its behalf at the time of the arrest.

“While California’s medical marijuana laws may be complex, the law is clear that all sales of medical marijuana are illegal,” The San Francisco Examiner quotes Gascón as writing. “The ... shell game that continues to be played with medical marijuana immunities does not change that conclusion.”

Gascón takes the position that all patients of a collective must have an active role in the cultivation of its marijuana. However, the DA's office later stated that its position was originally taken by Kamala Harris, who is now California's Attorney General.

One of the compelling arguments for legalization of marijuana is the new revenue of taxes for governments on the local, state and federal level. New projections done by the state of Washington seem to confirm that belief.

If recreational marijuana becomes the law in Washington, the state's government projects revenues two times proponents predicted, The Seattle Post reports. State estimates put the total at more than $500 million the first year, with its total take at three quarters of a billion by 2014. Marijuana would also bring in $130 million more than alcohol taxes.

The study does not take into account taxes on growers and savings on law enforcement and incarceration costs, though a more complete study is on the way.

State lawmakers also point out, however, that the projections are based on guesses and  does not take into account the impact the federal government will have if it cracks down on pot if Washington does legalize recreational use.

Police in Bellingham, Wash. launched raids on three of the town's collectives, claiming the businesses had too much marijuana on hand and too many members.

Washington law allows collectives up to 10 members and to only have an inventory, at most, of 4.5 pounds of marijuana. However, there was confusion about the regulations pertaining to the amount of pot they could stock, with one owner claiming the law was 1.5 pounds per member.

The raids follow an attempt by Bellingham to revoke the business licenses of the medical marijuana co-ops in its city limits. Bellingham police told The Bellingham Herald that the raids have nothing to do with the license revocations. Collective owners said the city has not been clear about the law regarding medical marijuana, leaving them unclear as to their legal status.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell chimed in as to his reason for not backing medical marijuana — because people die from marijuana. (Luckily, no asked about his thoughts as to masturbation, as it leads to hairy palms and blindness.)

According to The Huffington Post, McConnell was answering a letter from a constituent who questioned the senator about medical marijuana. He not only voiced his concern about medical marijuana legislation introduced by Rep. Barney Frank because pot kills but that one of the ingredients of pot, tetrahydrocannabinol, is available in pill form for the treatment of some illnesses.

"Because of the harm that substances like marijuana and other narcotics pose to our society, I have concerns about this legislation. The detrimental effects of drugs have been well documented: short-term memory loss, loss of core motor functions, heightened risk of lung disease, and even death," he stated.

So not only does McConnell believe that marijuana could kill, no doubt "Reefer Madness"-style, but that you should also take a pill instead of growing your own. Interesting, to say the least.

In contrast to Washington state's well-organized initiative to legalize pot, California's efforts are split between four potential proposals.

Pro-pot groups in the Golden State felt emboldened by the 42 percent of voters who supported legalization the last time it was on the ballot in 2010. However, their efforts have split into four factions, whose stand on the issue range from codifying and setting up an enforcement agency for existing medical marijuana laws to outright legalization of cannabis for recreational use.

Less than 10 percent of the medical marijuana industry is contributing to the causes, the Los Angeles Times reports. Speculation for the reasons behind the lack of support include apathy, the fear of more competition with downward pressure on prices and ongoing federal raids against the businesses.

Monied backers who supported California's legalization efforts are also less likely to back the new efforts. Instead, they're more likely to put their cash behind the initiative in Washington because its already been OK'd to appear on the state's ballot.

In contrast to Washington state's well-organized initiative to legalize pot, California's efforts are split between four potential proposals.

Pro-pot groups in the Golden State felt emboldened by the 42 percent of voters who supported legalization the last time it was on the ballot in 2010. However, their efforts have split into four factions, whose stand on the issue range from codifying and setting up an enforcement agency for existing medical marijuana laws to outright legalization of cannabis for recreational use.

Less than 10 percent of the medical marijuana industry is contributing to the causes, the Los Angeles Times reports. Speculation for the reasons behind the lack of support include apathy, the fear of more competition with downward pressure on prices and ongoing federal raids against the businesses.

Monied backers who supported California's legalization efforts are also less likely to back the new efforts. Instead, they're more likely to put their cash behind the initiative in Washington because its already been OK'd to appear on the state's ballot.

Televangelist and Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson has a history of saying a lot of kooky things on TV. Hurricane Katrina was an act of God against America's sins and claimed that Haiti's earthquake was related to the country's supposed pact with the devil, just for starters.

However, Robertson raised even more eyebrows for saying something sensible for once — marijuana should be legalized and that federal and state anti-drug laws are draining billions of dollars from the nation's coffers.

"Folks, we've gotta do something about this. We've just got to change the laws. We cannot allow this to continue. It is sapping our vitality. Think of this great land of freedom," he said.

Predictably, anti-drug advocates were not swayed by Robertson's appeal.

"Clearly he is ill-informed about the drug war," Calvina Fay, executive director of the Drug Free America Foundation, told The Christian Science Monitor.

Never the less, Robertson's comments have left many agreeing with the "700 Club" host for the first time.

Marijuana legalization proponents are at odds with each other over the issue of driving — driving under the influence, that is.

Washington state's current proposal to legalize marijuana would set the threshold for driving under the influence of pot at five nanograms of THC per millimeter of blood. However, many medical marijuana patients and stoners are finding their blood levels are normally at least twice the legal threshold.

Proponents of the initiative believe the historic nature of the Washington being the first state to legalize marijuana outweighs the details regarding the DUI issue.

"It's just not reality that officers will start pulling over people randomly, illegally arresting them, and taking them in to get blood draws," Alison Holcomb, campaign director for New Approach Washington, the political action committee behind the initiative, told the Seattle Weekly.

But marijuana users face the possibility of never getting their THC under the proposed law's threshold, even after staying away from weed for extended periods. Research shows that THC levels go up to over 50 nanograms with one hit of pot, with detectable levels of the chemical lingering in the blood long after that.

On first glance, Pullman, Wash.'s medical marijuana regulations seem reasonable. The location of where medical marijuana is being grown needs to be be registered with the city, in addition to anyone using the plants.

However, further down the ordinance it's revealed that the registration is contingent on a written letter from the DEA stating that the operation is in compliance with federal law.

The DEA, of course, has no plans to authorize medical marijuana growers in Pullman, or anywhere for that matter.

Why the impossible requirement? A classic case of bureaucratic CYA. Federal officials have threatened to prosecute anyone — including state officials — who sanction medical marijuana.

"Once the federal government and state governments resolve their conflict, now the city has a system in place for licensing and registration," City Attorney Laura McAloon told the Standard-Examiner. "And it still protects the city from any federal issues."