Why should investors like marijuana stocks? For some, the rationale might be the enormous market potential. For others, it could be simply that many marijuana stocks have soared over the last year or so.

There are plenty of reasons for investors to like three marijuana stocks in particular -- GW Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: GWPH), Insys Therapeutics (NASDAQ: INSY), and Aphria (NASDAQOTH: APHQF). In fact, there are at least 661 million reasons. That's the amount of cash in U.S. dollars that the three companies have combined. Here's why the cash stockpiles held by GW, Insys, and Apria are important.

Cronos Group Inc. (TSXV:MJN) ("Cronos" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the Company's wholly-owned licensed producer ("LP"), the Peace Naturals Project Inc. ("Peace"), breaks ground today on a 315,000 sq. ft. expansion.  The expansion includes a state-of-the-art 286,000 sq. ft. production facility (the "New Facility"), a 28,000 sq. ft. greenhouse (the "Greenhouse"), and an additional 1,200 sq. ft. extraction laboratory (the "Extraction Lab").  Upon completion, the New Facility is expected to be the largest purpose-built indoor cannabis production facility in the world. 

Signatures are being gathered to try and ask Missourians if medical and recreational marijuana should be legalized, regardless of age. Steve Leck of Springfield wants to get the issue on the November 2018 ballot. It also aims to allow people to drive under the influence of marijuana.

Efforts underway to legalize medical and recreational marijuana in Missouri

“We believe that it should be treated no differently than alcohol in terms of any adult should be able to consume whatever they want as long as they are not affecting anybody else or harming anyone else,” says Leck.

One of the biggest problems with consuming marijuana for many American’s is the disapproval of their employer to its use. Even in legal marijuana states, few if any protections exist for employees that consume cannabis in their off time. Since the metabolites remain in your system for weeks and not hours, a drug test can pick up traces of cannabis in your system. Even legal medical marijuana patients under state laws that are usiing cannabis are subject to discrimination practices by employers.

A new industry is about to take root in Kelowna. Valens Agritech has just received approval from the federal government to grow commercial quantities of medical marijuana at its 17,000 square foot facility.

The company expects to soon start growing about 4,800 plants to produce about 2,000 kilograms of pot annually.

“As soon as we can assure everyone we’re 100 per cent ready to go we’ll start,” said CEO Tyler Robson. “So it’s almost imminent at this point.”

The company will first produce medical marijuana products and then move into the recreational market when marijuana is legalized, likely later this year.

A drug addiction treatment centre claims to be helping patients give up heroin and cocaine with medical marijuana.

Cannabis is more frequently associated with getting high than getting sober – but the directors of one rehab facility in Los Angeles say it can reduce overall harm caused by drug use.

“Some say it's hypocritical because, you know, you're supposed to go to rehab to get off drugs,” Joe Schrank, founder of the High Sobriety clinic, told CNN.

The State Government will 'fast track' the availability of medicinal cannabis for people in pain, the terminally ill and those suffering a chronic condition.

Premier Mark McGowan and Health Minister Roger Cook will convene a meeting of medical leaders in June to discuss the best way forward to encourage doctors to prescribe the drug.

Students of Australia's first medicinal cannabis course will learn everything there is to know about the plant, short of ingesting the thing.

There won't be any visits to secret cultivation facilities, but architects of the new eight-week course at Deakin University will teach best-practice in growing, extracting and manufacturing medicinal cannabis in Australia.

Medical cannabis may be effective in managing chronic pain and inflammation and in treating neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s. It is also said to be a viable treatment for epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, for sleep disorders, and chronic cancer pain, among other maladies.

Although research is ongoing, marijuana reportedly works with the endocannabinoid system in the body to modulate levels of pain and anxiety, which gives it the ability to alleviate symptoms of a wide range of disorders.