The US cannabis market.
The World Health Organisation reports that cannabis is the most widely used psychoactive controlled substance across the world. Indeed, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that in 2014, 182.5 million working-age people used recreational marijuana. North America is the world's largest market for marijuana, cannabis's smoked herbal form, and legalisation for both medicinal and recreational use is building momentum, rapidly creating a massive new industry.
The share of the global population using cannabis is around 3.8%, translating into a North American market of at least 18 million users.
Canada is legalising cannabis next year while 29 US states and the District of Columbia have legalised medical or recreational use.
Full US legalisation remains uncertain as the federal prohibition remains in place.
