Welcome to my latest Weed Report video presentation. Below is a condensed transcript; my video contains charts and additional details.

As Gordon Gekko famously said in the movie Wall Street: “Money never sleeps.” The same is true of the marijuana industry. As cannabis-related companies grow, they must adapt to a fast-changing, complex legal landscape.

Is marijuana still a vast and growing sector? Without a doubt. According to the latest statistics from research firm BDSA, global cannabis sales are projected to grow from $14.5 billion in 2019 to $47.2 billion in 2025.

Throughout 2023 and beyond, marijuana will provide proactive investors with huge gains. But before you put your money into pot stocks, you need to be informed.

Let’s take a look at the major stories that unfolded over the past week in marijuana and its ancillary industry of psychedelics.

Public health research. Teen marijuana use fell from 2019 to 2021, and reached a record low since 2011, according to a federal biennial report that was released February 13.

The declines in marijuana consumption by young people occurred as an increasing number of states are legalizing it for adults. The report contradicts the myth propagated by pot-prohibitionists that legalization spurs greater pot use among youngsters.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Youth Risk Behavior Survey revealed that 16% of high school students reported past 30-day cannabis use in 2021, compared to 22% in 2019.

The White House. President Biden signed an executive order February 16 that promotes his administration’s measures to mitigate the “failed approach” on federal marijuana policy. The executive order strives to expedite social equity within federal agencies and the White House.

Biden’s order instructs federal agencies to create a yearly Equity Action Plan to study impediments that neglected communities encounter in accessing and benefiting from programs.

In his remarks at the signing, Biden drew a connection between the new executive order and his past efforts at marijuana legal normalization.

Biden in October 2022 announced a pardon for thousands of Americans convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana under federal law. The move addressed policing practices that disproportionately hurt minorities and renewed momentum for legalizing weed on the national level.

In December 2022, Biden signed the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act, an historic first for federal marijuana law reform. The law gives the U.S. attorney general 60 days to either approve a given application or request supplemental information from the marijuana research applicant. The new law also creates a more streamlined process for researchers who request large quantities of marijuana.

The States

Colorado. Gov. Jared Polis (D) is touting the nation’s first-ever marijuana vending machine, which can package, label and dispense cannabis products to adult consumers. Transactions take as little as 50 seconds.

The Automated Cannabis Experience (ACE) recently launched at one of Terrapin Care Station’s retailers in Aurora. Gov. Polis stated in a Twitter post that it’s the “first fully automated cannabis kiosk on the market.”

Florida. According to Florida’s medical marijuana program, the number of active patients has jumped 71% over the past two years.

The state Office of Medical Marijuana Use reported February 15 that applications submitted by health professionals to access medical marijuana for their clients has climbed over the past two calendar years by 46%. Overall, the number of applications has averaged an additional 100,000 applications each year.

Hawaii. On February 16, two bills to legalize marijuana were approved in Hawaii Senate committees. On February 15, a House panel separately passed legislation to promote research into psilocybin, as well as MDMA (aka Ecstasy). Psilocybin is the psychoactive ingredient in “magic mushrooms.”

Both marijuana measures would lift prohibition and establish a system of regulated cannabis commerce for adults 21 and older.

The psychedelics-focused bill would create a “Beneficial Treatments Advisory Council” that would be responsible for exploring state and federal regulations on certain psychedelics.

The bill’s language requires the advisory council to develop a “long-term strategic plan to ensure the availability of therapeutic psilocybin, psilocybin-based products, and [MDMA] that are safe, accessible, and affordable for adults twenty-one years of age or older.”

Oklahoma. State lawmakers on February 15 approved legislation in committee to encourage and support research into the medicinal potential of psilocybin while providing legal protections against prosecution for people with eligible health ailments who possess the drug.

The Oklahoma House Alcohol, Tobacco and Controlled Substances Committee passed the legislation in a 6-1 vote. The bill calls for the creation of a pilot program that would allow universities and research entities that contract with Oklahoma institutions of higher education to carry out studies into psilocybin, for the treatment of PTSD, chronic depression, anxiety, and other conditions.

Editor’s Note: As I’ve just made clear, the marijuana industry is dynamic and rapidly expanding. Every portfolio should have exposure to cannabis-related companies. That’s why I’ve launched a service detailing how you can financially benefit from the consumer mainstreaming of weed.

Called Marijuana Profit Alert, my publication is your guide to reaping profits from the marijuana bonanza. Click here to learn more.

John Persinos is the editorial director of Investing Daily.

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