While countries such as Jamaica and other Caribbean countries continue pussyfooting around the marijuana industry, Canada has jumped ahead to become the first industrialized nation to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.

By legalizing marijuana, Canada has positioned itself to capitalize on the huge market potential of the marijuana plant and its by-products.

The global legal marijuana market is expected to reach the U.S. $146.4 billion by the end of 2025.

According to press reports, many cannabis companies have already started to go public with IPOs, thus providing investors with new opportunities.

Major retailers such as Walmart Canada as well as several beverage companies are also seeking to cash in on the act by making marijuana by-products part of their market offering.

Shopify Inc. reportedly said the Canadian online cannabis stores powered by its e-commerce software are seeing more than 100 orders per minute.

Readers Bureau

Edited by Jesus Chan

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