Customers lined up to purchase pot at Ontario's first brick-and-mortar cannabis stores on Monday, but fewer than half of the province's government-licensed outlets were ready to open.

The Progressive Conservative government had planned to have 25 stores launch on April 1, but some were still working through a lengthy approval process.

The province's Alcohol and Gaming Commission, which is overseeing the store vetting process, said 10 stores were given the green light to open Monday, though the shop operators can determine their own opening day and business hours.

Three stores were authorized to open in Ottawa, two in Kingston and one each in Toronto, Brampton, Burlington, London, and St. Catharines.

A C$1.1 billion cannabis deal announced Monday helped to spark a broad rally in the broader marijuana sector to start the second quarter, even if shares of Origin House fell Monday as news broke of its acquisition by Chicago-based Cresco Labs Inc.

The ETFMG Alternative Harvest exchange-traded fund MJ, +0.71%  rose 0.9% in afternoon trade, with 24 of 34 components trading higher. The ETF had soared 46% in the first quarter, the largest quarterly gain since inception in December 2015.

The cannabis industry is breaking out, but if market estimates are accurate, there will be plenty of growth for years to come.

Last year, five million Canadians purchased more than $6 billion in cannabis, equating to an annual spend of more than $1,000 per person. Emerging legalization across the U.S. is providing a long-term growth driver to this impressive start.

The U.S. market is expected to hit $80 billion by 2030. Adding international opportunities magnifies the market size even further.

One stock that we have continued to cheer on through corrections and ranges, with a firm belief in eventual leadership status and success, is OrganiGram Holdings Inc (OTCMKTS:OGRMF). This is the next logical choice behind APHA, ACB, and CGC when it comes to the big Canadian production plays in the cannabis patch. Shares of OGRMF just broke out to new all-time once again in March, and now we face the question of whether that breakout will hold. Our bias on this one remains intact. To further flesh out the story, the company just announced an update on its previously announced mandatory conversion of the Company’s 6.0% convertible unsecured debentures due January 31, 2020.

As the legalization of cannabis in Nova Scotia nears its six-month anniversary, it appears sales are still “smoking hot” across the province, including Cape Breton.

“While we aren’t experiencing the lineups in our stores that we saw in the early days, we are seeing a consistent pattern in sales with our stores in metro Halifax and Sydney River doing the greatest volume of business,” said Beverly Ware, spokeswoman with the Nova Scotia Liquor Corp.

“The growth of local product sales continues to be strong as Nova Scotians appreciate the quality of local product offerings and show their support for innovative local business that provide local jobs and invest in their communities.”

Cannabis-focused biotechs and Canadian marijuana producers ranked as the top performers among marijuana stocks in February. But it was a much different story in March. This month, U.S.-focused companies took center stage.

The three best marijuana stocks in March were Charlotte's Web Holdings (NASDAQOTH: CWBHF) , Origin House(NASDAQOTH: ORHOF) , and CV Sciences (NASDAQOTH: CVSI) . Here's why these stocks generated sizzling gains and whether or not any of the stocks are smart picks to buy now.

Alberta Gaming Liquor and Cannabis put a moratorium on cannabis store applications in November due to nationwide supply shortages of cannabis a little over a month after recreational pot became legal in October.

Applicants need a city-approved change of land use development permit before applying for a provincial licence, but those development permits also require a retailer to open for business within a year of approval.

The Canadian cannabis market is starting to take shape, and so far, a pyramid of sorts has formed. At the top of the pyramid reside Canopy Growth and Aurora Cannabis. The two juggernauts share about 50% of the domestic market and are numbers two and one (respectively) in production capacity.

Lower on the pyramid, Hexo, Cronos Group, and Aphria are battling each other, and Hexo recently got a boost with its acquisition of Newstrike Brands.

The people of Ontario are bound to feel delighted with the inauguration of the very first outdoor pot smoking area at the “POTio” festival. People can readily broaden their knowledge about the world of cannabis by paying a visit and learning about its means of safe consumption. POTio is the very first festival which is expected to be followed by an array of other organisers for coming up with events and festivals all across Ontario.

Two thousand percent. That's what your return would have been if you bought Canopy Growth(NYSE:CGC) shares three years ago and held on to them. So far this year, the stock is up by 61%. With this kind of sizzling performance, it's no wonder that investors have taken quite an interest in Canopy Growth.

But there's more to the story for this Canadian marijuana producer than just its previous stock gains. If you're looking to buy shares of Canopy Growth now, here are five things you should know first.