Why Marijuana Stocks Are Lighting Up the New Year
Marijuana stocks are entering 2021 on a high note, with shares of Aurora Cannabis (NYSE: ACB) leading the pack 12.5% higher as of 10:40 a.m. EST, Canopy Growth (NASDAQ: CGC) not far behind with a 7.5% gain, and Aphria (NASDAQ: APHA) up 5.2%.
There's no specific new news behind the momentum, but 2020 was a big year for the legal marijuana industry, with Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota all voting to legalize recreational marijuana use in their respective states through ballot initiatives. Mississippi voted to permit medical marijuana use and, according to a tally by CNN, this means that recreational use will soon be legal across 15 states, and medical marijuana in 36 states (once "regulatory structures" have been set up to permit this in the respective states.)
This will be the job of state legislatures in the newly "legal" states this year. Meanwhile, at the federal level, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 228-164 last month to decriminalize cannabis nationwide.
Source Fool.com
