Cannabis entrepreneurs, celebrity investors light up as legalization blooms

The website for Harborside is shown on a screen at the dispensary in San Leandro, California, U.S. February 26, 2021. [Reuters/Nathan Frandino]

Driven by a surge in cannabis use during the COVID-19 pandemic, industry entrepreneurs and investors are gearing up for even greater growth as legalization spreads and the economy reopens.

So far, 36 states and the District of Columbia have approved the medical use of marijuana, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Of them,15 states and D.C. have approved the recreational use of pot.