Canopy Growth (NYSE:CGC) shares skyrocketed following news that it plans on entering the U.S. hemp market, and that has investors scrambling to figure out which pot stock could be next to deliver marketing-beating returns. The marijuana market is worth $150 billion annually, according to the United Nations, so the top cannabis companies could enjoy remarkable growth as marijuana prohibition lessens worldwide.

Cannabidiol, or CBD, has become a household name. On many social media sites, people suggest “but have you tried CBD oil?” on posts pertaining to any health-related issue.

CBD, a minor constituent of marijuana, is widely touted as nature’s miracle by CBD enthusiasts. It does not get people high, unlike marijuana’s main constituent, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). However, given the recent surge in its popularity, you’d think the molecule is magic.

How time flies. It’s only February, and it’s almost been four months since cannabis was legalized nationwide. Since October 17, we’ve already seen one marijuana producer release earnings that included months of legal cannabis sales. But so far, the big players, Canopy Growth Corp (TSX:WEED)(NYSE:CGC) and Aurora Cannabis Inc (TSX:ACB)(NYSE:ACB) have yet to do so.

That all changes next week.

Marijuana stocks as a group might have performed poorly in 2018, but 2019 is a totally different story.

Many of these stocks stormed out of the gate in January and haven't looked back.

We asked three Motley Fool contributors who closely monitor the cannabis industry to identify their top marijuana stocks to watch in February.

Here's why they chose Aphria(NYSE:APHA), Origin House (NASDAQOTH:ORHOF), and Tilray (NASDAQ:TLRY).

Paid my first visit to a cannabis dispensary the other day. Say what?

That’s right, storefront weed dispensaries are supposed to be illegal in Ontario. But a few former grey-market shops that were forced to shut their doors on legalization day or risk massive fines are taking their chances.

Doug “Ontario is open for business” Ford reneged on his deal to allow them to apply for retail licences – so WTF, right?

As long as the neighbours aren’t complaining, or so I’m told by the budtender in a too-big toque behind the counter, the cops seem to be cool with it. This one re-opened just before Christmas and hasn’t felt any heat yet.

Eleven Canadian penny stocks hoped a name change would propel them into the next investor frenzy.

Last year, these stocks, hovering around US$1 changed their name to include "cannabis" in the hopes that their share price would get a lift from the pot investing craze. But they weren’t so lucky. Since each changed their name, the penny stocks dropped an average of 30.2 per cent through Feb. 6 and only one -- Trulieve Cannabis Corp. -- rose through yesterday’s close.

Prior to the name change, more than half of these penny stocks were involved in the precious metals business. For example, SpeakEasy Cannabis Club used to be called Hadley Mining and Integrated Cannabis Co. bore the name CNRP Mining Inc.

The national statistics offices says legalizing cannabis doesn't seem to have much changed how many people use the drug.

Figures released this morning from Statistics Canada show about 4.6 million people, or 15 per cent of Canadians over age 15, reported using cannabis in the last three months.

Statistics Canada says that nearly one in five Canadians, or 19 per cent, believe they will use cannabis in the next three months -- a higher figure than those who reported current use.

Nearly half of Canadian who reported using cannabis said they did so for non-medical reasons, while one-quarter say they used it for medicinal purposes.

Millennial investors can't get enough of cannabis stocks, according to data from financial-service providers.

On Robinhood, a free-trading app popular among younger traders, three of the four most-added stocks over the past week were marijuana producers, including Aurora Cannabis (+25,051 shareholders), Cronos (+18,148 shareholders) and Aphria (+9,101 shareholders).

People who drink alcohol typically learn the hard way how much is too much-usually in their teens or early 20s. As adults, they're not interested in learning the same hard-knocks lesson about cannabis.

This is the challenge for an industry seeking to win over new or inexperienced users as legalization spreads through North America and around the world. It's a particularly daunting one for makers of cannabis-infused beverages, which are keen to participate in a category that researcher Canaccord Genuity Group expects will be worth $600 million in the U.S. by 2022.

Cannabis stocks were mixed on Thursday after the Canadian government released statistics that showed the number of users of weed has barely changed since full legalization last October.