Are you ready? A new industry is on the cusp of significant expansion. This is according to a just-released report by the Brightfield Group. It has calculated that the hemp-CBD market alone could reach $22 billion by 2022. Even for 2018, we are looking at a $591 million industry.

CBD specifically is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in cannabis. This means that it only includes little to no levels of the chemical compound THC. Right now the current legal picture for CBD is murky, with the law varying widely from state to state. However, according to the report, the 2018 Farm Bill could amend the term “marihuana” to exempt hemp (i.e. less than .3 percent THC). This could open a huge new industry to farmers across the country.

So which stocks are competing for a slice of the action? We use TipRanks market data to pinpoint four top stocks you should be tracking now:

1. GW Pharma

UK-based medical cannabis developer GW Pharmaceuticals (GWPH) could be on the cusp of something huge. GWPH is about to launch a liquid formulation of purified cannabidiol (CBD), also known as Epidiolex, in the US, for severe childhood epilepsy.

The drug received regulatory approval back in June. “This approval has been a transformative event for GW, not only opening a new chapter as a commercial-stage company, but also validating and reinforcing our world leadership in cannabinoid science, and the potential of our product pipeline,” Justin Gover, GW’s Chief Executive Officer stated at the time.

And now, ahead of the Epidiolex launch, five-star Stifel Nicolaus analyst Paul Matteis (Track Record & Ratings) has initiated coverage of GWPH. This is with a Buy rating and $181 price target. He predicts a ‘strong launch’ and notes that there is already broad awareness among physicians and patients. In the near-term, Matteis says the 2019 consensus sales estimate of $115M “seems doable.” But longer term, the analyst sees Epidiolex hitting $1.5B in U.S. sales in 2023.

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