Federal employers urged to remove marijuana prohibition policies in states where marijuana has been legalized

​Key bipartisan lawmakers say they are confident Congress will move on legislation designed to free cannabis businesses from the risk of breaking federal laws.

Cannabis stocks finished Friday with gains almost across the board. The biggest players in the sector—including Tilray (NASDAQ:TLRY), Canopy Growth (NYSE:CGC), (TSX:WEED) and Aphria (NYSE:APHA), (TSX:APHA)—showed increases from roughly 1.5 to just over 8.5%.

​The rising tide of history seems to be carrying a raft of legal marijuana to America’s shores.

Douglas Pertz, CEO of Brinks tells CNBC that he sees the cannabis sector as “a beautiful opportunity” and (globally) a $160 billion industry

Among other advantages, legalizing pot would would eliminate the strain on public lands resulting from its clandestine cultivation as well as meet higher standards for the use and disposal of toxic substances

States around the country — 29 of them, plus Washington DC — have legalized medical marijuana.

Although the Presidential election drew most of the attention in November of 2016, there were several other important decisions made at the polls as well: notably, several states held votes to determine the future of the legal cannabis industry in one form or another.

In the runup in marijuana stocks earlier this year, many less-informed investors aggressively bought marijuana stocks near their highs.

​Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) unveiled her plan to legalize marijuana Wednesday, saying that ending the federal prohibition on the drug would be “a top priority of my presidency.”