The marijuana producer Cronos Group on Monday announced that it has sold all its entire 19% stake in Whistler Medical Marijuana to rival Aurora Cannabis. 

Aurora issued shares to pay approximately 175 million Canadian dollars ($131.4 million) for the stake, which is subject to certain working capital adjustments and holdbacks. Cronos has received about 2.5 million Aurora shares worth about 24.6 million Canadian dollars and will receive another 7.6 million Canadian dollars upon reaching certain milestones, according to a statement.

"We'd like to thank and congratulate Whistler for their partnership over the past two years," Mike Gorenstein, CEO of Cronos Group, said in the statement.

"Whistler’s commitment to creating high-quality products and establishing a premium brand has generated value for consumers and investors alike. We are proud to have been part of their growth and look forward to their progress through this venture."

A wave of recreational-marijuana legalization last year  — including in Canada and the state of Michigan, and the US Congress passing the Farm Bill, which legalized hemp, a key source of the ingredient cannabidiol — has sparked consolidation in the industry and triggered companies in other fields, such as beverages and tobacco, to enter the space. 

In November, Constellation Brands, the beverage maker behind Corona beer and Svedka vodka, closed a 5 billion Canadian dollars ($4 billion) investment in the Canadian cannabis producer Canopy Growth, giving it a 37% stake.

Then, in December, Altria, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes announced it intends to invest 2.4 billion Canadian dollars ($1.8 billion) into Cronos.

And in January, Tilray said it planned to acquire the cultivator Natura Naturals. The company in February  announced that it will acquire Manitoba Harvest, the world's largest hemp food company.

Early Monday, Cronos was trading up 1.54% and Aurora was higher by 0.33%.