Cannabis is the most used drug worldwide: an estimated 219 million people consumed it in 2021. It is the drug with less perceived risk and, after its legalization for medical and recreational purposes in the greater part of the US, its use has significantly increased, with the proliferation of products with high THC contents. Nowadays, the cannabis market is constantly expanding, and gaining interest and inversions by multinationals. Hemp production and comercialization is a disruptive sector that involves several markets, such as textile, paper, construction, cosmetics, food, biomass and biofuels, wellbeing, and even the sin industry. The goal of this research project is to analyze the potential of cannabis in several industry sectors, the regulatory situation worldwide and its limits, the social and economic benefits of legalization both of medical and recreational use, the complementary policies that could be enforced to rein in demand and evict the black market, and to highlight the changes in tendencies and opinions in the last decades, with a special focus on the Spanish background.