FLORIDA:  The hemp, cannabis and marijuana industry is booming while more and more retail investors are really taking notice. According to Cowen & Co., legal marijuana sales in the U.S. have the opportunity to reach $50 billion annually by 2026, with cannabis research firm ArcView projecting compound annual growth of 26% in North America through 2021.

The cannabidiol (CBD) market alone is estimated to grow by 700% by 2020, according to Forbes. A new report by market intelligence firm Hemp Business Journal projects that the CBD market will grow to $2.1 billion by 2020, an astronomical jump in value compared to last year’s CBD market of $202 million. Plenty of market professionals firmly believe not many other industries and sectors are growing as quickly as legal marijuana heading into the new year.