Executive Summary

The legal cannabis industry in the US is rapidly expanding and is expected to grow even faster in the next few years as recreational use of marijuana becomes legal in more states. This report:

• Provides an overview of the size and growth of the legal cannabis industry in the US and highlights the threats to the industry’s growth due to legal ambiguities.
• Examines the impact of the legal cannabis industry on the economies of the states that have already legalized recreational marijuana, using Colorado as an example.
• Provides an overview of the competitive environment within the US legal cannabis industry, highlighting the opportunities and threats that companies operating in the sector might encounter, and lists examples of cannabis startups.