Cannabis has come a long way in a short time.

The sector has been through its first (but certainly not last) ultra-explosive growth phase. Then we saw it undergo an expected, healthy correction, where investors – and, to be sure, companies – worked out which ideas were worthwhile and which were better left behind.

That's the free market at its best.

What emerged was a cannabis sector that's stronger and more robust than it was barely four years ago.

Now legal marijuana is primed and ready for the next leg higher.

And make no mistake: The innovative, sophisticated technology I'm going to show you today – which is another of the most disruptive, innovative sectors ever – is going to help propel it higher.

What I mean is those cannabis companies that realize the critical importance of high tech will have the edge they need to crush the competition – and deliver extreme returns to their shareholders.

Here's how…

Two Massive Trends Are Converging

Taken together, the biggest tech segments should pull in $5.2 trillion in 2020 – coronavirus and all.

Meanwhile, global cannabis demand reached nearly $400 billion last year, by some estimates, making it one of the biggest markets to emerge in decades.

Tech is a little older, of course, but both these sectors are still incredibly young by business standards. They're not done making waves, not by a long shot.

And some of the best innovations happening in the cannabis industry right now are a result of the top companies utilizing exciting new technologies to get ahead of the competition.

As cannabis enters a hypercompetitive phase, tech is separating the winners from the wannabes. E-commerce, delivery services, inventory tracking, automation, plant genetics – tech is going to meet a lot of needs – and benefit shareholders in a big way…

According to Marijuana Business Daily, companies like Cresco Labs Inc. (OTC: CRLBF), Exactus Inc. (OTC: EXDI), and Bonsai Cultivation are implementing high-tech systems to automate and fine-tune their cannabis growing environments for maximum efficiency (read: maximum profitability).

I'm talking about technologies that will allow these firms to produce more and better cannabis with less expensive labor by carefully controlling environmental factors such as water, temperature, nutrient levels, and exposure to light.

Beyond that, high-tech approaches to protecting crops from diseases, and, as I said, even improving their genetics, can be applied to cannabis, as well.

Phylos Genetics, a crop science company, maintains a genetic database of cannabis strains and seeds; it can put growers light-years ahead of the competition when it comes to growing "better weed."

Companies are even using digital integration to keep all of these variables precisely balanced with no need for hands-on human intervention.

A lot of these technologies already existed in agriculture and are now being adapted for use in the cannabis industry – creating a synergistic relationship where both cannabis and conventional agriculture support each other technologically as they optimize their own processes.

Tech Is Pushing Cannabis into a Hypercompetitive, Hyper-lucrative Phase

The top cannabis executives understand that using technology to maximize efficiency and keep their own production as consistent as possible is not merely necessary to get ahead. Rather, it is absolutely critical for their businesses to survive.

Marijuana is entering a phase where companies will do whatever they can to edge each other out. And as has been the case hundreds of times in my three-plus decades in the tech sector, the win is going to go to whichever firm has the right tech in the right place.

This process happens with any novel industry or business sector. Cannabis is no exception.