Legal Weed: Cannabis Dispensaries, Marijuana Stocks, and How It All Works

From Natán Ponieman via El Planteo.

Shops Selling Weed On The Street? Cannabis stocks? What are you talking about?

Depending on which country you are in, progress in legalizing cannabis is at very different stages. Hence, some readers may be stunned by the headlines on our website.

Here’s what it’s all about.

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Legal cannabis: a reality

While in some countries cannabis legalization is still a battle to be won, in others it is widespread. Canada, for example, fully legalized the plant and its consumption in October 2018. That means anyone over the age of 18 can buy, grow, consume, and transport marijuana in moderate amounts (yes, even with THC) in a completely legal manner. Uruguay was the first country in the world to legalize cannabis a few years before Canada.

Only these two nations currently have fully legal cannabis, but many other countries have come a long way in developing regulations that allow for different levels of legalization. These include Spain, Colombia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Israel, and the United States.

The latter is a particular example as many of its states already allow the cultivation and sale of legal marijuana to adults and medical patients due to its federal system.

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What are pharmacies?

A pharmacy is basically a legitimate business that sells marijuana.

In countries where cannabis is legal, consumers don’t have to buy their weed from a shady looking guy in a dark corner or stealthily plant it in the closet, away from the eyes of their neighbors.

RELATED: 4 Things You Must Know Before Visiting a Marijuana Pharmacy

Pharmacies are completely legal stores where you can get information about cannabis strains, try different products (from flowers or buds to concentrates, creams, oils and supplies), and buy the cannabis product that best suits your needs.

In fact, in Canada and several places in the United States – like California and Colorado – you can even order marijuana online and have it delivered to your home, and it’s all 100% legal.

OK, so what are cannabis stocks?

In countries where it can be legally bought and consumed, weed has become a multi-billion dollar business. This means that those who grow cannabis aren’t just amateurs gardening on their balconies, patios, and closets. There are huge companies devoted to the cultivation, production, distribution and sale of marijuana products.

Some of these companies have thousands of employees and are valued in the billions. Among them, we can name Canopy Growth Corporation, Aurora Cannabis, Cronos Group, Aphria, Hexo, and Tilray.

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Several of these companies have become so important that their stocks are listed on major world exchanges such as NYSE and NASDAQ. Just as investors can buy shares in Apple, Amazon, Disney or PepsiCo, they can also buy shares and own a piece of these cannabis giants. Hey, even you can do it if you have some extra cash lying around!

RELATED: Why Canadian Cannabis Companies With U.S. Businesses Can Still List On NYSE & NASDAQ

In Canada and the United States, cannabis has become such an important business that by 2021, more than 320,000 people will earn their salaries selling marijuana and related services.

This branch does not only concern producers and sellers. In addition to the production and sale of cannabis, an entire industry has developed that offers specialized marketing services, legal advice, laboratory testing and the development of custom software solutions.