Nothing about my experience matched my expectations.

I opened the street door and walked into a bright, upscale foyer. A young woman greeted me, took my driver’s license and issued me a badge.

Then I walked into a cross between an Apple Store and a jewelry store. The space was large, with high ceilings. It was well-lit, with seating areas, display cases, fresh flowers and plants.

The staff was young, smartly dressed and intelligent. They eagerly answered all my questions. They handed me samples, showed me how different things worked and even explained technical language to me.

This was Farma, Portland’s award-winning cannabis dispensary. It is one of the vanguard of the next big wave in commodity investments — marijuana.

The Future of Marijuana

I went to Oregon to do some field research. I approached this space the same way I approach oil and mining.

I met with experts from across the space — in growing, retail sales and marketing. The numbers are staggering. And with looming federal approval, this is a sector poised to make investors a lot of money.

Now before you scoff and stop reading, remember this: Most people laughed at Starbucks when it began.

The refrain then was: “Nobody will pay that much money for a cup of coffee…”

Here’s what the last 25 years look like for Starbucks Corp. (Nasdaq: SBUX) stock:

Starbucks Graph

That’s over 10,000% gains from selling coffee.

I went to Farma to see what the future of cannabis looked like. Because the sector will spawn the next Starbucks.

What I found was not what I expected.

This isn’t a pack of stoners sitting around smoking stinky cigarettes. It’s the exact opposite. It’s clean and bright. It’s presented as alternative medicine.

Aching back? They can help. Can’t sleep? They’ve got you covered. Need relief from chemo therapy? They have something for that too. Their mission is to improve people’s lives by reframing their relationship with cannabis.

This is the future of marijuana.

A Brand-New Sector

So far, 29 states approved marijuana use in some form. Sales in 2017 exceeded $6 billion and could break $9 billion in 2018.

The growth rate is astonishing. Sales could break $22 billion by 2020.

This is an emerging market that will be enormous.

Some investors will find it distasteful thanks to its decades of stigma. For those investors with a more objective view, there will be huge gains.

The next Starbucks won’t sell coffee. It will sell cannabis.

Good investing,

Matt Badiali

Editor, Real Wealth Strategist