Last week, I needed a few last-minute Christmas gifts. Against my better judgment, I drove to the local bricks-and-mortar shopping mall. The jarring experience underscored for me the ruthless economic changes wrought by the coronavirus pandemic.

Once a bustling retail center, the mall resembled a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Most of the store windows were boarded up with plywood. A handful of dispirited, mask-wearing shoppers ambulated like zombies. I’m convinced the mall will never bounce back.

COVID-19 has spawned a set of economic winners and losers. The pandemic-caused economic crisis has generated concentration within industries that’s Darwinian.

What’s a big economic winner of the pandemic? This might surprise you, but the answer is, marijuana. Below, I’ll explain in greater detail and show you how to profit.

The pervasiveness of the digital work-at-home economy during COVID-19 benefits Big Tech and a certain well-educated stratum of society. This trend will sustain its momentum in the post-pandemic world. In the words of futurist Alvin Toffler: “Technology feeds on itself. Technology makes more technology possible.”

However, the growth of technology isn’t enough to sop up the massive unemployment within sectors that have undergone accelerated obsolescence during the pandemic.

We’re witnessing “creative destruction,” with the emergence of a two-tier economy. In addition to marijuana, the winners include technology, health services, e-commerce, and renewable energy.

Meanwhile some sectors, notably hospitality, travel, fossil fuels, and bricks-and-mortar retailing, are taking it on the chin. It will take many months for the worst hit industries to recover, even after the virus is contained. Many companies and entities (e.g., the aforementioned shopping mall) will go bankrupt and disappear forever.

The economic transformation goes deeper than you probably imagined. For example, it’s common knowledge that robots are replacing low-wage assembly line workers. But thanks to artificial intelligence, robots are also becoming our bosses. Well-paid human managers in factories, warehouses, call centers, and other operations are getting the boot in favor of intelligent machines.

The trick for investors, of course, is to migrate away from the losers in the new economy and toward the winners.

Cannabis: a household necessity…

In a clear sign that marijuana is a winner, several states and localities have deemed recreational and medical pot as “essential,” amid a coronavirus pandemic that’s hurting the retail industry as a whole. Accordingly, pot sales this year have surged to record highs.

As the pandemic hobbles social and economic life in the U.S., consumers are flocking to marijuana to treat their ailments or to relieve the stress of quarantine.

Read This Story: Reefer Madness: COVID Fuels Pot Hoarding

The pandemic’s boost to the sales and earnings of marijuana companies has resulted in rising stock prices for publicly traded canna-businesses. This upward swing of pot stocks should continue into 2021 and beyond. A wave of corporate consolidation in the marijuana sector also is benefiting investors, as weed companies get into fitter financial shape.

The following chart, compiled with data from research firm New Frontier, depicts marijuana’s projected growth:

A report released in November by New Frontier Data asserts:

“In several ways, the legal cannabis industry was better prepared for COVID-19 than were many other market sectors. Given cannabis’s federally prohibited status, operators nationwide were already used to working in cash-constrained environments.

Demand for cannabis is often localized, meaning that supply chain disruptions tend to be less prevalent or impactful than among other industries. Consumption of cannabis also conforms well to social distancing, as even preceding the pandemic more than half of consumers (65%) reported always or primarily consuming cannabis alone.”

Read This Story: Marijuana, The New Consumer Staple

Marijuana equities sold off in late 2019, due to overvaluation and unfulfilled promises. But pot stocks have bounced back in recent months, especially as states and localities deem marijuana a vital consumer staple during the pandemic.

Increasing legalization of marijuana at the state level is another tailwind for weed. (My millennial daughter recently joked to me that marijuana legalization is a plot fomented by the snack food industry.)

A winning investment…

The excitement over medical marijuana is picking up steam again, as new research confirms its efficacy as a treatment for a wide range of diseases and illnesses. The lucrative “green rush” isn’t over. Not by a long shot.

Cannabis investments confer market-beating potential and they’re a must for your portfolio. But the key is finding the right pot stocks. You need to conduct due diligence.

We’ve done the in-depth research for you. Our team has unearthed a hidden gem in the medical marijuana field that most investors don’t even know about.

This trailblazing marijuana biotech is on the verge of becoming “The Pfizer of Pot.” The time to act is now, before this little-known company becomes a household name and its stock price goes ballistic. Click here for details.

John Persinos is the editor-in-chief of Marijuana Investing Daily. You can reach him at: mailbag@investingdaily.com. To subscribe to his video channel, follow this link.