If there is one issue that nearly every presidential candidate agrees on, it is the legalization of marijuana.
In fact, Sen. Cory Booker went as far as to introduce a bill that would legalize marijuana nationwide, expunge federal convictions, and allow those prosecuted for use to petition the courts for shorter sentences.
And he's doing this with four of his presidential rivals as co-sponsors.
As you can tell, the legalization of marijuana is inevitable.
The taboo is over and politicians are speaking out in favor of marijuana constantly. Legalization is being used as a litmus test by voters, and no candidate wants to lose votes because they couldn't keep their people happy.
Even conservative republican John Boehner recently reversed his stance on pot when he joined the board of a cannabis company called Acreage Holdings.
After claiming that he's unalterably opposed to the legalization of marijuana, he now says, "my thinking on cannabis has evolved. I'm convinced de-scheduling the drug is needed so we can do research and help our veterans."
It is no longer a question of 'if' it happens, it's simply a matter of when marijuana is legalized and the entire nation celebrates.
But there are some people who will be celebrating more than others.
And they're the same people who are banking on legalization today.
You see, billion-dollar companies and the top one-percenters are using this thin window to make their bets on legalization.
I'm talking about giant, name-brand companies like Coca-Cola, Heineken, and Marlboro.
These companies are pouring billions of dollars into marijuana because this $9.2 billion market is on track to explode into a massive $47.3 billion.
Marlboro owner Altria just invested $1.8 billion in Canadian cannabis company Cronos Group. The deal comes with warrants for Altria to provide an additional $1.05 billion for a 55% stake in Cronos.
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Tobacco use has been dropping sharply, and it's no coincidence that tobacco has been affected the most in Canada, California, and Colorado - places where marijuana is legal.
Big Tobacco is hoping that marijuana is going to bail it out, and it's been placing its bets accordingly.
All the beer and liquor money seems to be pouring into marijuana, too.
Sales have leveled off across the board, and major brands are looking to diversify and introduce new products.
As the CEO of Canopy Growth said recently: "It's a terrible job to be the CEO of a beer or spirits company without a cannabis strategy."
Heineken's craft beer label Lagunitas already makes a beer that's infused with THC - the active ingredient in marijuana.
It's selling well in cannabis dispensaries throughout California and making a fortune for the otherwise flatlined Heineken.
Constellation Brands, which makes Corona, is following the same path with a $4.2 billion stake in Canopy Growth.
Big tobacco and alcohol may be doing this to save themselves, but the list doesn't end there.
Bill Gates. Elon Musk. Peter Thiel.
They're all putting their money into cannabis companies that they think might explode next.
One cannabis insider, Jimmy Mengel, went the extra mile and used his contacts to do his own research.
He grilled the CEOs with a battery of tough questions and even visited the companies' facilities before investing any of his money.
And he recently made 3,220% on the buyout of a cannabis stock - the biggest win of his career yet.
These stocks could be looking at the same kind of cash infusion that Cronos Group got, and are likely headed for rapid growth over the next few weeks.
You can check out his report here.
To your wealth,
Nick Hodge
Nick is the founder and president of the Outsider Club, and the investment director of the thousands-strong stock advisories, Early Advantage and Wall Street's Underground Profits. He also heads Nick's Notebook, a private placement and alert service that has raised tens of millions of dollars of investment capital for resource, energy, cannabis, and medical technology companies. Co-author of two best-selling investment books, including Energy Investing for Dummies, his insights have been shared on news programs and in magazines and newspapers around the world. For more on Nick, take a look at his editor's page.