Last year, the marijuana industry broke so many barriers that it was easy to lose count. Aside from just ending nine decades of recreational marijuana prohibition in Canada, we also saw the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approve its very first cannabis-derived drug, witnessed the first cannabis initial public offering on the Nasdaq in July, and had Vermont legalize recreational weed entirely through the legislative process. All told, there were well over a dozen marijuana milestones in 2018.

As consumer awareness around CBD continues to grow, cannabis companies are beginning to allocate an inordinate amount of investment capital into the development of CBD-infused beverages.

In this report, we explore some of the largest and most active companies preparing to make their mark on the dawning CBD-infused beverage market.

The Alkaline Water Company

The Alkaline Water Company (NASDAQ: WTER) (TSX-V: WTER), a leading producer of premium bottled alkaline drinking water sold under the brand name Alkaline88®, continues to gain momentum as it achieves record Q3 sales, boasting a 102% increase in revenue in comparison to last year.

The hopeful operator of a legal marijuana retail outlet is poised to open in an east Hamilton shopping plaza.

Canna Cabana Hamilton has reached the 15-day public comment period to open a government-approved pot shop at the Centre on Barton.

Its roughly 2,400-square-foot space at the east side of the plaza is undergoing renovations to be ready for the province's deadline.

"I'm working diligently to meet the April 1 deadline," business owner Steven Fry said Monday morning.

The provincial government aims to have Ontario's first legal cannabis retailers open for business by April. It's limited the number to 25 initially, citing a short supply of legal weed.

Marijuana penny stocks are rebounding this morning, as most saw share losses towards the end of last week.

Today, we’ll be checking in on The Green Organic Dutchman (TSX:TGOD) (OTCQX:TGODF) and Lotus Ventures (CSE:J) (OTC:LTTSF).

WorkplaceNL is aware of action in other provinces that could allow injured workers more access to medical-use cannabis, but there is no significant movement in that direction at this point in Newfoundland and Labrador.

"It is an area where we've had some internal discussions, but we haven't yet seen, I guess, any substantive increase in requests of this nature in this area for medical-use marijuana and cannabis," WorkplaceNL CEO Dennis Hogan said in an interview.

"So we're continuing to watch that situation."

Last year, New Brunswick was the first province to introduce cannabis guidelines for workers' compensation claims. P.E.I. and Ontario followed. Nova Scotia is expected to release its guidelines in early April.

Big things are happening in the marijuana industry. Last October, Canada became the first industrialized country in the world, and only the second overall behind Uruguay, to legalize recreational weed. Now, it looks as if Mexico might become the third country to do so before the year is over. We're also seeing strong sales growth in legal U.S. states.

This year, according to a research report issued by Arcview Market Research and BDS Analytics, global cannabis sales are expected to grow by 38% to $16.9 billion. This continued rapid sales growth is why some top marijuana stocks, such as Canopy Growth, have managed to reach large-cap status.

Annette Balkam isn't sure whether she would be alive today if she hadn't discovered medical cannabis.

The Moncton woman said she slipped and fell on the job as a security guard in 2011, severing two ligaments and developing a neurological disorder that's left her in "constant pain."

Six years ago, she decided to try medical cannabis. Balkam said she was taking too many pills, including addictive opioids, and nothing seemed to help.

Now, Balkam said, she has stopped taking opioids. She feels more alert and is able to function better.

But she said it took months to persuade WorkSafeNB back in 2014 to cover the costs of her medical cannabis.

"We're not drug addicts," Balkam said. "We're not looking to get high. We're looking to relieve our pain."

TSX index investors looking for high-growth stocks to buy now for capital gains are still eyeing Canadian cannabis stocks as well as those tangentially connected with them.

But do these stocks still offer high growth or is the industry holding its breath? Let’s take a look at four of the most popular pure-play and cannabis-related stocks, starting with an industry outsider that joined the party last year to great fanfare.

A growing list of Democratic presidential contenders want the U.S. government to legalize marijuana, reflecting a nationwide shift as more Americans look favourably on cannabis.

Making marijuana legal at the federal level is the "smart thing to do," says California Sen. Kamala Harris, a former prosecutor whose home state is the nation's largest legal pot shop. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, a prominent legalization advocate on Capitol Hill, says the war on drugs has been a "war on people."

Former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke, who appears poised to join the 2020 Democratic field, has written a book arguing marijuana legalization would hobble drug cartels. In an email to supporters this week, he called again to end the federal prohibition on marijuana.

A medical cannabis advocacy organization’s Facebook ad account was disabled in error and will be reinstated, the platform tells Global News.

Earlier this year, Canadians for Fair Access to Medical Marijuana (CFAMM) was ramping up a campaign to eliminate taxes on medical cannabis, which included social media.