The numbers 11 and 33 come up quite often when the topic of marijuana legalization is discussed. Currently, 11 U.S. states allow the legal use of recreational marijuana, while 33 states have legalized medical cannabis. But those numbers could soon change.

Nine states could be on track to hold key votes on some form of marijuana legalization in 2020. Here are the states that could be next on the marijuana map -- and the stocks that could be poised to profit the most.

1. Arizona

Arizona is already one of the 33 states that allows the legal use of medical cannabis. An attempt to legalize recreational pot narrowly failed in 2016. At least one initiative to legalize recreational marijuana will again be on the state's ballot next year. The details in the proposals vary somewhat, but don't be surprised if one of them garners enough votes for Arizona to join its neighbors California, Colorado, and Nevada in allowing legal recreational pot.

2. Arkansas

It's a similar story in Arkansas, which has also already legalized medical cannabis. So far, two ballot initiatives have been filed with the Arkansas secretary of state's office with language proposing legalizing recreational marijuana. Whether or not either initiative can gain enough signatures to make the 2020 ballot in the conservative state remains to be seen.

3. Florida

The biggest pot legalization vote of all next year could come in the Sunshine State. Florida currently claims a fast-growing medical cannabis market, but efforts are underway to allow citizens to decide if they'd like to allow legal recreational marijuana as well. The chances of passage if the ballot includes at least one of the proposed amendments appear to be pretty good: A recent survey found that 67% of Floridians support legalizing recreational pot.

4. Idaho

Idaho doesn't allow the legal use of marijuana at all right now. But a petition has been filed with the Idaho secretary of state to put a proposal on the ballot in 2020 to legalize medical cannabis. Supporters of this initiative must collect 55,057 signatures from registered Idaho voters by April 30, 2020, to get the measure on next year's November general election ballot.

5. Mississippi

You know times are changing when one of the most conservative states in the Deep South could be on track to legalize medical cannabis. Mississippi appears likely to include an initiative to do just that in 2020 now that an advocacy group has gained the required number of signatures. While some state leaders oppose the effort, supporters think there's a pretty good chance that the measure will pass next year.

6. Nebraska

The Nebraska state legislature has voted down proposed bills to legalize medical cannabis three times. But it's possible that the matter could be decided by voters instead of legislators next year. Efforts are underway to gather enough signatures to include a proposal on the 2020 ballot for a constitutional amendment to allow the legal use and sale of medical cannabis.

7. New Jersey

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has tried -- and failed -- to fulfill his 2018 campaign promise to legalize recreational pot in the Garden State. But the state legislator could be ready to vote on the matter once again around the time of the November 2020 elections. However, it's also a possibility that the 2020 ballot could include a referendum for the state's voters to decide whether or not to legalize recreational marijuana. 

8. North Dakota

North Dakota currently allows the legal use and sale of medical cannabis. But previous efforts to legalize recreational marijuana have fizzled out. That could change in 2020, with two groups working to include an initiative on next year's ballot to legalize pot.

9. South Dakota

South Dakota hasn't legalized any form of marijuana yet. However, an advocacy group has until Nov. 4, 2019, to collect the required signatures to put language on the 2020 ballot for the state to legalize medical cannabis.

 

Stocks poised to profit

The three most important states for investors to watch are Arizona, Florida, and New Jersey, each of which could be on course to legalize recreational marijuana next year. Two marijuana stocks that appear to be in especially good shape to profit should these states legalize recreational pot are Cresco Labs (OTC:CRLBF) and Trulieve Cannabis (OTC:TCNNF).

Cresco ranks as one of the largest cannabis operators in the U.S. It already operates medical cannabis stores in Arizona and has a binding transaction pending in Florida. Cresco is close to completing its acquisition of Origin House, the largest cannabis distributor in California that also markets several of its own recreational cannabis brands. Should Arizona and Florida legalize recreational pot, Cresco would almost certainly expand its operations significantly in both states.

Trulieve Cannabis is currently the 800-pound gorilla in the Florida medical cannabis market. The company plans to increase its medical cannabis stores in the state to 44 by the end of this year. Medical cannabis alone presents a solid growth opportunity for Trulieve. Unsurprisingly, though, the company has contributed to efforts to put a constitutional amendment on Florida's 2020 ballot to legalize recreational pot. If the state's citizens have the opportunity to vote on the issue, Trulieve's potential market could increase dramatically in the not-too-distant future.

Maine marijuana enthusiasts will probably be able to purchase their preferred products in retail stores by March 2020 after years of waiting.

Voters approved legal adult-use marijuana at the polls in November 2016, and the road to legal sales has been long and bumpy.

But a key act passed by the Legislature is now in effect, and that means the Maine Office of Marijuana Policy is in a position to complete final adoption of marijuana rules, said David Heidrich, an office spokesman.

The act made tweaks to Maine's Marijuana Legalization Act that were necessary for the marijuana office to adopt the rules, which it is expected to do within two months. That means it will likely be able to accept applications for retail marijuana sales by the end of 2019, Heidrich said.

The state will need time to process the applications, and retailers will also need local approvals, but the state is projecting revenue from marijuana sales by March 15, Heidrich said. How swiftly the applications are approved might depend on how complete they are, he said.

"We won't know until we get applications. It's possible we get applications from someone who has all their ducks in a row and has a municipality lined up that's poised to give them local authorization," Heidrich said.

Maine's rollout of legal marijuana has been beset with hiccups, such as a squabble over the hiring of a key consultant, and was also slowed by former Gov. Paul LePage's opposition to legalization.

However, the result has been a process that will ultimately protect public health and safety, said Scott Gagnon, who led a drive against legalization and has since played a role on a state marijuana commission.

"From a public health perspective it has been a slower pace, a more deliberative pace than has happened in some states," Gagnon said. "I think that's been good."

David Boyer, an independent marijuana industry consultant in Maine, said that it's "disappointing that adults still don't have a place to purchase legal cannabis in Maine," but that the finish line is in sight.

CBD topicals are all the rage, and for good reason. They reduce inflammation, heal dry skin and soothe pain, among other things. But why do they work so well? We have answers.

While cannabis-infused salves, rubs, lotions and oils are still powerhouses when it comes to reducing inflammation, healing dry, patchy skin and going deep into tissue to soothe pain or irritations, a new batch of beauty products have also cropped up, most of them infused with CBD.

Why do they work so well on the skin?

Aside from most companies using high quality carrier oils to deliver the cannabinoids, the skin itself is riddled with our body’s endocannabinoid system, meaning that there are CB2 receptors all over our epidermis just waiting to be filled.

“Apparently most, if not all, skin functions are controlled to a certain extent by the local skin endocannabinoid system,” Tamás Bíró, PhD, said to Elle. Bíró is an adviser for Phytecs, a biotech company researching and developing products targeting the endocannabinoid system for medical, nutraceutical and cosmetic industries.

You put it directly where the pain is

Most people using topicals are using them for aches, pains, arthritis and other sore spots. The beauty of a topical is that you massage it into your skin right where the pain is affecting you most. Different carrier oils go deeper than others, but most topicals seem to have the miraculous property of getting in there and addressing what hurts.

Speaking of massage…

Take your massage to the next level by going to one of the many CBD-themed massage parlors cropping up. Or, if you’d rather be frugal, have a loved one give you one of the best rub downs of your life. The soothing cannabinoids don’t just alleviate sore muscles and stress, they also keep the masseuse’s hands from getting sore and keeps them well hydrated.

Topicals treat skin psoriasis

The itchy, irritated, red skin that happens with psoriasis is painful, as anyone with the disorder will tell you. Psoriasis affects 7.5 million Americans, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation, and the disease can be associated with more serious health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and depression. Topicals can help relieve the inflammation caused by psoriasis while the moisturizing properties can combat the scaly buildup.

How to tell if you’re getting the right rub…

To begin with, make sure that the ingredients are from sustainable sources and are of the highest quality. Companies that care about what they’re putting into their products care even more about the patients who are using them.

As stated earlier, having some activated THC in the lotion is most effective due to marijuana’s entourage effect. However, CBD topicals are little miracle workers, too, so don’t be down if you’re living in a THC-dry state.

CBD cosmetics are the big thing right now!

From Renew Pure Radiance Oil to Crème de la Mer facial moisturizing cream, a new, high-end market of CBD beauty products has hit the shelves and online stores. They absorb quickly and use concoctions that won’t clog pores and will keep skin tones even and soothed. Milk Makeup’s KUSH High Volume mascara is another recent and trendy addition to the CBD beauty world.

All the benefits add up

Topicals are a natural way to slow or halt the use of synthetic pain relievers, which wreak havoc on the liver and other organs.

Topicals of course address inflammation and the other previously mentioned afflictions and with so many applications, the vast appeal has not only provided relief to hundreds of thousands of patients, it’s further legitimized cannabis use among unlikely demographics. Lotions, balms, and rubs offer relief for the growing amount of seniors who want to mitigate aches and pains with weed.

Topicals are discrete and non-psychoactive

Even if other herbs or essences like menthol are being utilized in the cream, once it absorbs there is no visible or sensory giveaways that you’ve just used marijuana. Creams and such are perfect before or during work, especially if you’re on your feet all day, and they won’t show a positive result on a drug test or get you high, making topicals the work accessory that should always be at the ready. You can even use it on a paper cut. The possibilities are endless.

A new study from the Mayo Clinic weakened a popular theory about the cause of the vaping illness. Now what?

Ever since news broke of the vaping illness outbreak, scientists have rushed to solve what caused it. More than 800 cases have been reported with at least 12 people dying from vaping. Vitamin E acetate was an early culprit by the New York Department of Health, among others. Last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said their latest findings “suggest THC products play a role in the outbreak.”

While a number of the illnesses have been tied to the cannabis black market, “THC products” don’t provide specific answers to the cause. A group of Mayo Clinic researchers may provide a stronger suspect in the illness. In what these scientists have called a first, the Mayo Clinic analyzed 17 tissue samples from lungs of patients who suffered from the vaping illness, including two fatalities.

As published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the scientists said the samples compared to tissue damage following exposure to toxic chemicals. Previous studies suggested the vaping illness represented exogenous lipoid pneumonia, but none of the Mayo Clinic’s cases had such findings.

“What we see with these vaping cases is a kind of severe chemical injury that I’ve never seen before in a tobacco smoker or a traditional marijuana smoker,” study co-author Dr. Brandon Larsen said. “I think we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg.”

It’s important to note that analysis of 17 biopsies can’t stand in for more than 800 cases nationwide. While the study’s authors believe the illness is caused by “a form of airway-centered chemical pneumonitis from one or more inhaled toxic substances,” whatever “the agents responsible remain unknown.” The study remains significant because it poked holes in a popular theory that vaping fatty oils, including flavoring agents, was the cause behind the outbreak.

“Investigators believe, but have not yet confirmed, that one or more of the additives used in the underground manufacturing process has led to a toxic product when inhaled,” the Marijuana Policy Project wrote.

The lingering mystery behind the vaping illness has led some states to place a temporary ban on all vaping products. But this could cause more problems than it solves.

“Regulating cannabis use is effective public policy, and we strongly urge states to regulate — not ban — vapor products,” the MPP wrote.​ “Bans will simply make a difficult situation more dangerous by driving more consumers away from regulated businesses and toward illicit sources.”