We're now just over two weeks away from closing the door on 2018, and when we do, we'll likely look back on what was the biggest year ever for the marijuana industry.
In Canada, lawmakers passed the Cannabis Act in June, and officially ended nine decades of recreational weed prohibition on Oct. 17. As the first industrialized country to legalize recreational marijuana use, Canada has paved a path for other countries to follow, as well as given its legal weed companies an opportunity to generate billions of dollars in added sales.
Numerous legalizations occurred in the U.S., too, despite the fact that the federal government hasn't changed its tune on cannabis. During midterm elections, residents in Utah and Missouri voted to approve medical marijuana initiatives, bringing the number of states to have legalized pot in some capacity to 32. Vermont and Michigan also gave the green light to recreational marijuana during the year, increasing the number of adult-use states to 10.