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Legalization at the federal level could come as soon as 2021 if Joe Biden wins the election and Democrats take control of the Senate

The U.S. could legalize marijuana at the federal level as soon as 2021 if Joe Biden is able to win the presidential election and Democrats take control of the Senate.

It’s a dramatic change in expectations from three months ago when it appeared Donald Trump would most likely win re-election, and CIBC analysts had put the odds of meaningful reform at “near-zero” for 2020 and “unlikely” for 2021.

Whether you agree with the sentiment or not, financial institutions mostly still view the cannabis market via the prism of too much risk. But the banking industry is changing.

The gears of automated delivery management were in motion long before the arrival of Uber and other sharing services. Tech behemoths like Amazon had already shattered the glass ceiling on next-day delivery, but their buffet of consumer products was missing many of the smaller markets. 

While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration just unveiled new draft guidelines to encourage cannabis-related clinical research, the CBD industry continues to wait in limbo for federal regulations on hemp-based products.

On Tuesday, the FDA released a seven-page draft that describes the agency’s “current thinking” on several topics surrounding the science of developing drugs containing cannabis and hemp-derived compounds.

During the last month, we have seen a substantial increase in interest in cannabis companies that are levered to the US and stock prices have been trending to the upside.

We attribute the increase in interest as a response to a series of prominent polls showing that Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden is leading Donald Trump by a wide margin. From social justice issues to the handling of the COVID outbreak, President Trump has had a challenging few weeks and voters seem to favor a Biden presidency.

The FDA has opened public comments for new preliminary guidance from the agency for cannabis pharmaceutical research.

These marijuana stocks may be small, but they pack quite a punch, especially in the 'new normal'

Ever since the bubble burst on marijuana stocks, the green sector has witnessed plenty of red. To add cruelty to this malaise, the novel coronavirus came along, sending the market deeper into the doldrums. Plus, with unprecedented governmental responses leading to quarantines and stay-at-home orders, cannabis retail sales took a hit — and not the good kind.

Real reviews enable new users to make informed decisions, and they provide cannabis brands with objective measures of their impact.

I was reviewing cannabis brand data recently— a chart that compares price against quantity sold. In a traditional industry, it would resemble a downward-sloping demand curve.

But cannabis is not a traditional industry.

Instead of finding a simple graph, I found a hodge-podge of plot points, almost randomized, with little rhyme or reason: young brands, old brands, successful brands, struggling brands—all thrown into the messy mix.

Last week, rumors surfaced about Aurora Cannabis Inc. (ACB.TO) (ACB) and its plan to merge with a leading Canadian cannabis producer. The market initially responded favorably to the rumors and we were not surprised by this. If the transaction is completed, the combined company would rival Canopy Growth Corporation (WEED.TO) (CGC) and would have a more than 30% market share in Canada.

A highly regarded British think tank focused on reforming drug laws thinks Canada’s legalization and regulation of cannabis has gone well.

This is the definitive, continually updated map of where states are in the process of going green. Whether it’s legalizing full recreational use or just medical marijuana, this map will show updates to marijuana legalization as they happen.

How to read this map: