** Weed-related stocks surged premarket after drug developer
Jazz Pharmaceuticals Plc JAZZ.O pays large premium to buy
cannabis-based drugmaker GW Pharmaceuticals Plc GWPH.O
** Shares of Tilray Inc TLRY.O and Sundial Growers Inc
SNDL.O up double digit percentages; U.S.-listed shares of Hexo
Corp HEXO.TO , Aurora Cannabis ACB.TO , Aphria Inc APHA.TO ,
Cronos Group CRON.TO up between 4% and 8%
** Jazz Pharma will pay $220 per ADS for GWPH in cash and
stock, an over 50% premium to GWPH's Tuesday close, valuing the
company at $7.2 bln urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2K93IM
** GWPH's crown jewel Epidiolex, a cannabis-based epilepsy
treatment, brought in sales of $132 mln in latest reported qtr
** Shares of GWPH rival Zynerba Pharmaceuticals ZYNE.O
rose ~21% premarket
** ZYNE is developing a cannabis-based gel for treatment of
a neurological disorder
** Pot stocks have also got a boost from U.S. Senate
majority leader Chuck Schumer's statement https://bit.ly/3oQKuWQ
on Feb. 1 promising marijuana reform will be lawmakers'
priority this year
** Schumer said various marijuana reform bills will be
merged through the early part of this year and lawmakers will
release a unified discussion draft
** Some pot stocks had already doubled in January on hopes
that U.S. President Joe Biden's administration will pass
favorable laws for the industry
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Cannabis stocks rally to new highs https://tmsnrt.rs/2Yje6B2
Jazz it up: GW Pharma shares surge on Jazz Pharma takeover
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2K93PH
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(Reporting by Shariq Khan in Bengaluru)
((Shariq.Khan@thomsonreuters.com; Twitter: @shariqrtrs))