It’s a historic day for the City of Hamilton, as the first legal marijuana store opened its doors this morning.

Hundreds waited in line around the building throughout the day to get their cannabis products just in time for 4-20 celebrations.

As the weed ribbon was cut, customers who were lining up in the rain, poured into Canna Cabana on Barton Street this morning.

It’s a bright, open concept store, with locked glass displays filled with government approved cannabis products. Consultants were on hand to help. There are glass canisters on display so that customers can see the plant, and smell it.

Canadian retailer Compass Lifestyle Clinic has opened up a dispensary in Sydney in a bid to capitalize on the underserved Australian patient demand for medicinal marijuana.

Compass was only founded last year, but it has already opened two clinics in British Columbia and six in Alberta. Another six Alberta clinics are coming soon, which will significantly boost its presence in Calgary and Edmonton.

The sound of drums was steady and a "skunky" odour hung in the air Saturday afternoon at the Alberta Legislature.

Medicinal and recreational users alike marked the day popularized by cannabis enthusiasts. Around 400 people gathered for the yearly rally outside of the Alberta Legislature, much less than the crowd of more than 1,000 at last year's festivities.

Marijuana legalization may have happened in October but that didn't stop the annual 420 rally at the legislature because some say the fight is not over yet.

Kenneth Kirk, the leader of the Alberta Marijauna Party, says parties like his are more relevant than ever despite legalization as the laws are disjointed across Canada.

The first privately-owned cannabis retail store in the North opened on Thursday morning in downtown Whitehorse.

Triple J's Canna Space received its licence from Yukon's Cannabis Licensing Board on Wednesday, the day owners Jordi Mikeli-Jones and Jeremy Jones originally hoped to open.

But they were all smiles on Wednesday as they received a copy of their licence, and added some finishing touches to their Wood Street store.

Their goal was to open in time for Saturday, which is 4/20 — a day that's become associated with celebrations of cannabis culture. 

Organigram Holdings (NASDAQOTH:OGRMF) and Aphria (NYSE:APHA) recently reported quarterly results that did not meet expectations.

Both stocks fell after analysts revised their forward outlook downward, but some intrepid investors are convinced they can bounce back once Health Canada hammers out a few kinks in the cannabis supply chain. Which marijuana stock has a better chance to provide shareholders with market-beating gains over the long run? Let's find out.

Global cannabis suppliers struggled to keep up with demand on Saturday, the biggest ever 4/20 Day, an annual celebration of marijuana on 20 April, which in the US calendar is referred to as 4/20.

Suppliers in the US, where recreational cannabis is legal in 10 states, and Canada, where the drug was decriminalised for recreational use last year, reported difficulties fulfilling orders on what has been called the industry’s Black Friday.

Don't blink, because if you do, you might miss big news in the rapidly evolving marijuana industry. Since the beginning of 2018, it's been something of an escalation war between pot stocks in North America following the legalization of recreational weed in Canada and the ongoing state-level legalization of cannabis in the United States.

Debt simply hasn't been a major issue for many companies in the marijuana industry. There's a simple reason for that: Banks wouldn't loan them any money. 

But it's becoming easier for marijuana businesses to obtain loans. And some companies with core businesses outside of the cannabis industry have taken on debt to make acquisitions to jump on board the marijuana bandwagon.

Which marijuana stocks have the most debt? And should investors be worried about any of them?

The biggest debtors

The five companies that operate in the marijuana industry with the highest total long-term debt levels right now are:

According to the Federal Government’s 2019 Budget, the next round of Canadian cannabis products will be taxed based on THC-content. Effective May 1, edibles, extracts, and topicals will be subject to excise tax at a rate of one cent per milligram of THC. This is in addition to the already imposed sales tax.

This week, Aphria (TSX:APHA)(NYSE:APHA) reported its earnings and analysts were more than shocked at the results.

It was a massive letdown for shareholders who had high hopes for the cannabis company. Aphria remains in third place among Canadian marijuana companies, but now some are worrying that it won’t keep that spot for long.

Then we have Aurora Cannabis (TSX:ACB)(NYSE:ACB). This company has remained in the second spot for quite some time and has made some major announcements lately that have investors excited.