You don't need me to tell you that we're in the middle of a huge and growing opioid crisis.
I'm almost certain you've seen the statistics - and you've likely seen the evidence yourself.
Perhaps you live in a region that's been devastated by heroin and prescription opioids.
Or maybe you've seen an addict collapse in public.
Odds suggest many of you have friends and loved ones who have seen their lives destroyed by this epidemic.
But if you haven't seen the numbers - or if you're lucky enough to live in one of the few places that this crisis hasn't touched - let me show a few to you...
Overdose deaths involving prescription opioids have quadrupled since 1999. In 2015, opioids were involved in the deaths of 33,091 people in the United States. Most of these deaths - more than 22,000 (about 62 people per day) - involved prescription opioids, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data.
And a 2016 study from the American Society of Addiction Medicine found that prescription pain relievers - almost entirely opioid-based ones - are the cause of roughly 40% of all drug overdoses. That makes them by far the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. The study also found that four of every five new heroin users started out misusing prescription painkillers.
I'm sharing these numbers here today for a reason.
The opioid crisis stems from the very real problem of chronic pain.
Doctors prescribe opioids to treat chronic pain.
Trouble is, these drugs are extremely addictive - and can lead to patients finding their fix in heroin.
I think there is a solution to this epidemic, however.
And we're perfectly positioned to profit from it, because one of our favorite marijuana biotechs - a true pioneer in this field - is poised to disrupt it in a big way.
I'll show you how and why in just a minute...
This Crisis Is Front-Page News All Over America
The opioid crisis has reached such high levels that it's showing up in prime time.
When NBC wanted to make a big splash with the debut of its "Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly" TV news magazine in early June, a story about the dangers of opioid-based drugs was one of the top stories, right alongside an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
So it's no surprise that the powers-that-be in the United States are taking notice.
In fact, they've declared war...
The state of Ohio recently sued five global biopharmaceutical companies, saying that their opioids fueled a surge in addiction to not only prescription drugs but also street-level ones.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has warned that opioid-based scripts should be written far less often than has been happening in recent years. In a May 23 open memo, he cited some distributing statistics in painting the opioid issues as a top priority for all staff going forward.
But of course we know that pain isn't going to magically go away, so something will have to take opioids' place.
And reap all that market share - and all those profits...
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Like I said, you're already well positioned there.
Here's the Real Game Changer
In late May, in an effort to fight the opioid epidemic, a bipartisan group of senators led by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced a bill that would eviscerate obstacles to research and approve cannabinol-based (CBD-based) medicines. Grassley's bill would allow CBD research to be conducted at a Schedule II distinction.
This is far less stringent than Schedule I, which is where marijuana currently falls in the eyes of federal drug enforcement agencies.
The developers of cannabis-based medicines are already positioning themselves to replace opioids.
And, like I said, it's one we've owned for a few years now, since 2013. It's given us more than 1,200% in profits already, too, and this could unlock a whole new round.
A cannabis-based drug from GW Pharmaceuticals Plc. (Nasdaq ADR: GWPH) could be approved by the FDA this summer. This is real CBD - and I think it's going to break through the feds' reluctance to approve marijuana-based drugs.
Epidiolex will be aimed at patients with childhood epilepsy and Dravet syndrome, though it will likely end up having a much wider range of uses, or "indications," in biotech-speak.
Given its strong testing and its fast-track status with the FDA, a summer final approval seems all but guaranteed. And that had a lot of people excited at the recent Marijuana Business Conference & Expo near Washington, D.C.
"The trials have been good - I think it's the real deal," United Natural Products Alliance President Loren Isrealsen told my team in an interview at the conference. "I believe there is a lot of regulatory incentive to grant an approval to a CBD. It solves a lot of problems, including for the FDA. It creates a regulatory compliance pathway. It changes the map for others.
"Once you have the product approved, it's been done. You've now broken the sound barrier."
Children won't end up being Epidiolex's only focus. After all, chronic pain affects everyone, especially seniors - the drug industry's most important market.
One particularly poignant example came at the expo when the clean-cut operator of a New York medical marijuana dispensary took the microphone to tell the story of how she changed her career path because of opioid-based medication.
She shared the story of her grandmother, who died after a painful battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). That battle was exacerbated by problems with more than a dozen types of opioid-based medications prescribed by her doctor over a two- to three-year period.
Eventually, the doctor told the grandmother that she would likely do better on a cannabis-based medicine - but New York did not go legal in time for the woman to benefit from it.
That story is an emotional one - and there are tens of thousands more just like it all over the country.
Perhaps you're in the middle of one yourself.
We're at the beginning of a sea change in how we treat chronic pain, shifting from opioid-based medications to cannabis-based ones.
And with first-mover advantage, we're in the perfect spot to profit.
Right now Michael is recommending more than 30 stocks in the booming cannabis sector, and he's put them all together into a "weed investors' bible," The Roadmap to Marijuana Millions. Every subscriber to his monthly Nova-X Report research service gets a copy - free. Click here to learn how to get yours...
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About the Author
Michael A. Robinson is a 36-year Silicon Valley veteran and one of the top tech and biotech financial analysts working today. That's because, as a consultant, senior adviser, and board member for Silicon Valley venture capital firms, Michael enjoys privileged access to pioneering CEOs, scientists, and high-profile players. And he brings this entire world of Silicon Valley "insiders" right to you...
- He was one of five people involved in early meetings for the $160 billion "cloud" computing phenomenon.
- He was there as Lee Iacocca and Roger Smith, the CEOs of Chrysler and GM, led the robotics revolution that saved the U.S. automotive industry.
- As cyber-security was becoming a focus of national security, Michael was with Dave DeWalt, the CEO of McAfee, right before Intel acquired his company for $7.8 billion.
This all means the entire world is constantly seeking Michael's insight.
In addition to being a regular guest and panelist on CNBC and Fox Business, he is also a Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer and reporter. His first book Overdrawn: The Bailout of American Savings warned people about the coming financial collapse - years before the word "bailout" became a household word.
Silicon Valley defense publications vie for his analysis. He's worked for Defense Media Network and Signal Magazine, as well as The New York Times, American Enterprise, and The Wall Street Journal.
And even with decades of experience, Michael believes there has never been a moment in time quite like this.
Right now, medical breakthroughs that once took years to develop are moving at a record speed. And that means we are going to see highly lucrative biotech investment opportunities come in fast and furious.
To help you navigate the historic opportunity in biotech, Michael launched the Bio-Tech Profit Alliance.
His other publications include: Strategic Tech Investor, The Nova-X Report, Bio-Technology Profit Alliance and Nexus-9 Network.