Canadian CANNAINVESTOR Magazine November 2017 | Page 172

172

Companies that are included in an official exchange’s index (CSE25 for example) or an ETF (HMMJ) or a Mutual Fund (RAM420 for example) undergo further scrutiny as do those included in the CannaInvestor Magazine stock lists. Such third party validations and forecasts were not readily available during the dot-com era. Medical marijuana patient growth is expected to continue to grow in the double digits for a few years and all relevant sources continue to predict a supply shortage when the adult regulated recreational industry is legalized. Because of vault storage there may not be a supply shortage right out of the gate.

Unlike dot-com, the planned legal recreational market is primarily the conversion of an existing multi-billion dollar black market industry that will also grow because a majority of those that may want to use marijuana recreationally would likely choose to only do so from a legal distributor and legal producer. A review of Health Canada’s data paints a picture indeed. Alberta has over 74,000 medical patients second only to Ontario and British Columbia has just over 8,000 medical patients – where illegal dispensaries continue to operate.