The UK could soon be the first country in the world to licence e-cigarettes or vapes as a medicinal product available on prescription in an effort to help people stop smoking.The news from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority sent shares in medical cannabis firm Kanabo (KNB) soaring more than 6%, although the rest of the sector barely flickered and the large tobacco companies

Like all new investment themes, medicinal cannabis - which uses cannabidiol or CBD rather than the psychoactive THC component of the cannabis sativa plant - has had its highs and lows in the early stages of its development.Over the past five years, shares in CBD companies have been through two distinct waves of interest. Today, with consumers showing a more educated approach to CBD and high street

The UK's FTSE 100 gained strength through the afternoon session on Friday to end up on the day and finish the week around 1.7% higher.At the close, the UK benchmark index was 26.10 points, or 0.4% higher at 7,136.07, just below the day's peak of 7,139.08 and well above the session low of 7,109.79.On Wall Street around London's close, the Dow Jones Industrials Average was 234 points, or 0.7% higher

The UK's FTSE 100 managed to keep its head just above water in early afternoon trade on a typically dead Friday for corporate news. At 12.30pm, the benchmark index had clung on to single-digit gains - about 0.12% - to trade at 7,118.84, putting the blue-chips firmly on track to end the week around 1.5% ahead.Tantalising investors more is the expectation of an active session on Wall Street when the

London's FTSE 100 firmed 0.15% to 7,120.45 early on Friday, with energy stocks leading the way, following the announcement of US President Joe Biden's $952 billion bipartisan infrastructure agreement.Large government spending plans once again came to the rescue of the markets, with US stocks racing ahead last night, which drove gains across Asia on Friday.US banks also passed their stress tests, a

There are good reasons to be excited by the prospects for the global cannabis industry as more countries legalise recreational usage and a plethora of new medical applications are developed.In addition, an increasing number of cannabis-based consumer products are slated to enter the market over the next few years which should help to bring cannabis into the mainstream.According to consultancy Rese