5 Pot Stocks to Watch Today

pot stocks to watchMarijuana remains legal in more than half of the U.S. states and the District of Columbia, and the top pot stocks to watch continue to soar in 2017.

While marijuana stocks are still a speculative investment, the future is incredibly promising for the legal cannabis industry...

Why You Want to Watch Pot Stocks

Marijuana has simply become too big to fail. Sales in North America for legal marijuana in 2016 topped $6.7 billion, and that number is expected to climb to $20 billion by 2020.

That's a 198% increase in sales in just four years.

The consensus is that legalized marijuana is here to stay and likely to continue expanding across the country.

Marijuana investors should still use caution, however. No one can predict with complete certainty what is going to happen with this industry. Many pot stocks also trade as penny stocks, which means that investors need to treat them as speculative investments.

With that in mind, here are five of the top pot stocks to watch in 2017...

Pot Stocks to Watch No. 5: Mountain High Acquisitions Corp.

Mountain High Acquisitions Corp. (OTCMKTS: MYHI) is an Arizona-based company that acquires and leases commercial properties to marijuana businesses.

BRILLIANT: Average Americans Are Becoming Marijuana Millionaires

Mountain High also diversifies its holdings with other purchases. For example, it now owns GreenLife BotaniX, which is a CBD hemp oil company. The company also owns a company out of Kentucky called "Freedom Seed and Feed," which specializes in industrial hemp cultivation and processing.

So far in 2017, the MYHI stock price has climbed 144.23%.

Pot Stocks to Watch No. 4: Innovative Industrial Properties Inc.

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Innovative Industrial Properties Inc. (NYSE: IIPR) is another real estate-focused company that is operating as an umbrella partnership real estate investment trust (UPREIT).

IIPR is looking to make money on the marijuana industry through the acquisition and leaseback of various cannabis facilities. For example, the company will purchase a property from a marijuana cultivator and then lease that same property back to the grower.

According to CNN, IIPR has plans to purchase a $30 million property for this purpose in New York. It also plans to use its $67 million IPO proceeds for additional purchases in states where marijuana cultivation is legal.

So far in 2017, the IIPR stock price is down 10.34%. But the stock price is expected to climb once Innovative Industrial closes more deals.

Pot Stocks to Watch No. 3: Marijuana Company of America

Marijuana Company of America (OTCMKTS: MCOA) is based in Southern California and is diversified in several areas of the cannabis business. It distributes marijuana and hemp-based products on a global scale.

The company's CEO, Donald Steinberg, was the founder of Medical Marijuana Inc. (OTCMKTS: MJNA).

The company has the hempSMART brand, which is supposed to promote brain function, and it's entering the cultivation business through a joint venture with Bougainville Ventures Inc.

Over the last 12 months, the MCOA stock price has climbed 1,251.35%.

Pot Stocks to Watch No. 2: Canopy Growth Corp.

Canopy Growth Corp. (OTCMKTS: TWMJF) is one of the top pot stocks to watch in 2017. The Canadian company is the world's largest legal greenhouse marijuana cultivator, with some plans for even more expansion.

Its operation is called "Tweed Farms" and currently has a capacity of 350,000 square feet.

Canopy Growth creates and markets marijuana products worldwide and has an online sales division. Its strains have become known as some of the best medical-grade marijuana products available.

So far in 2017, the TWMJF stock price has climbed 10.06%.

Pot Stocks to Watch No. 1: GW Pharmaceuticals Plc.

GW Pharmaceuticals Plc. (Nasdaq ADR: GWPH) has consistently been one of the best marijuana stocks to watch for several years running.

GW Pharmaceuticals has several important things going for it that make a top-quality pot stock. The first is that it is traded on a major index, which has stricter regulations in terms of being listed than over-the-counter markets.

The second reason that GW could be a good play is that it has several major marijuana-based drugs in development.

GW's drug Sativex is already out in approximately 30 countries (not the United States) for the treatment of spasticity related to multiple sclerosis (MS). It's continuing to expand the use of this drug to other conditions.

Its other drug, Epidiolex, is under development.

So far in 2017, the GWPH stock price is up 8.57%.

Marijuana Investing: What You Need to Know... The legal marijuana market is going ballistic. Right now marijuana stocks are on fire, with peak gains quadrupling in value. And these are mostly small companies trading for under $10. Click here to learn more...

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