The Globe and Mail attempts to identify cannabis stocks with the financial strength to survive COVID-19 in its Friday edition. The Globe's guest columnist Scott Clayton writes in the Number Cruncher column that the outlook for top cannabis growers, processors and retailers is appealing. The best weed picks have rising sales to sustain growth, but also cash on hand and manageable debt. Well-heeled partners are a big added plus. After screening for various investing criteria, Mr. Clayton came up with five weed stocks, none of which pay a dividend. Canadian leader Canopy Growth has a deep-pocketed partner in Constellation Brands. It also holds cash of about $2.3-billion. Cronos Group has Altria Group in its corner -- plus $1.5-billion in cash. Vivo Cannabis grows premium weed at greenhouses in Ontario and British Columbia, while Valens GroWorks in B.C. extracts cannabis oils for many large marijuana and hemp growers. Both have sound balance sheets. Finally, Fire & Flower Holdings is a licensed cannabis and accessories retailer with stores in a number of provinces. Convenience-store leader Alimentation Couche-Tard made a big investment in that company last year and has an option to take a majority interest.