Over the past several years, the medical marijuana industry has experienced significant growth rates, making it a multi-billion dollar industry in certain regions. According to an analysis by Grand View Research, the global medical marijuana market is expected to reach $55.8 billion by 2025. This rapid market growth stems from a combination of factors, including increased public awareness of medical marijuana’s potential benefits, advances in cultivation and processing technology, and changing legislation in many countries.
In this post, we will examine the key drivers behind this burgeoning industry and provide an overview of the current market players and opportunities for investors.
Key Drivers of Growth:
1) Changing Legislation:
The most important factor contributing to the growth of the medical marijuana industry is changing legislation. Many countries have now legalized medical cannabis to some extent. These changes in legislation not only create new markets but also help facilitate research on the potential benefits of medical cannabis for a wide range of conditions.
2) Growing Patient Numbers:
With each passing year, more and more patients are turning towards medical marijuana as an alternative treatment option for various ailments. Medical marijuana is now commonly prescribed for conditions such as cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis (MS), chronic pain, AIDS/HIV, and mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
3) Improved Cultivation & Processing Technologies:
As demand for medical marijuana continues to rise across the globe, significant improvements have been made in both cultivation and processing technologies. Innovations in artificial intelligence (AI), indoor farming methods and efficiency improvements have allowed for increased production without compromising quality.
4) Increased Acceptance & Awareness:
Public perception regarding marijuana usage has shifted significantly over the past two decades. Today there is greater acceptance of marijuana as an alternative treatment method and widespread acknowledgment of its therapeutic potential.
Leading Market Players:
The global market of medical marijuana continues to be heavily fragmented with a mixture of large multinational companies and smaller regional players.
Some of the leading market players include GW Pharmaceuticals (Epidiolex), AbbVie Inc (Marinol), Canopy Growth Corporation (Spectrum Therapeutics), Aurora Cannabis Inc., Tilray Inc., Aphria Inc., MedReleaf Corp., and HEXO Corp.
Investment Opportunities:
Investments in public stocks related to medical cannabis have been on a roller coaster ride over the past few years with periods of rapid growth followed by slumps. In early 2021, shares related to cannabis companies soared on talks about potential U.S federal legalization under the new administration.
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) can provide an accessible way for investors to diversify their exposure to this rapidly growing market across different geographies and sectors linked to it including cultivation, pharmaceuticals, real estate and retail.
With increasing momentum behind research indicating possible positive results from using cannabis-based therapies for a wide range of issues like PTSD in veterans or easing symptoms like chemotherapy-induced nausea or epileptic seizures – it seems inevitable that we will only continue to see significant growth in this progressive industry.
While challenges remain – mainly restrictive regulations allowing cannabis use only as last-resort treatments or potential pushback from conservative forces against wider adoption – there’s no denying that it’s truly an exciting time for stakeholders involved in the burgeoning medical marijuana business.
