I'm interested in their long term profit potential.
They're essentially taking over the weed business from drug cartels and organized crime in regions where legalization occurs. Its been estimated the US black market for weed is worth in excess of $50 billion. That could represent an upper tier for earnings growth over the next few decades if it gradually becomes more regulated.
that shouldn't be the ceiling, because prohibition has been capping demand for a long time. a lot of people who refused to buy on the street are now buying in the shops.
There is also the potential for legal weed to takeover some of the markets enjoyed by big pharma. Things like aspirin and pharmaceutical remedies for many varying medical conditions would eventually be taken over by legalized marijuana.
unfortunately, the opiate lobby and others have been fighting medical weed at every turn. the medical cannabis industry is somewhat of a misnomer---the doctors and prescriptions are legitimate, but it's completely separate from conventional medicine and pharmacies and there's no health coverage that covers it. it's pretty upsetting to think about the fact that the obamacare mandate forces people to buy health insurance even though it specifically doesn't cover their medicine.
things like CBD extracts are really powerful medicine for lots of serious medical problems, but predictably, not everyone who needs it can pay the 1000x markups that these weed companies are charging now.