Citron Research Sour on Cronos Group
In our view Andrew Left from Citron knows how to make a flashy entrance into the market, but though he is always yelling about smoke he never actually finds a fire (Shopify is a case in point).
All Citron did is give cannabis investors a cheaper entry point leading up to legalization day.
BuzzFeed Details a Secret Gov’t Committee Focused on Fighting Legalization
The Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee is set up to spread negative information about cannabis and to identify problems with state level legalization.
This news demonstrates that legalization will have to come from grassroots voters, not from a change in government ideology.
Colorado Charges $100 per week to Test One Strain
The Colorado Government is charging growers $100 a week for six weeks then $100 every month thereafter to test each strain they’re cultivating. On a yearly basis these costs add up to $1,750 per strain.
It will be interesting to see how high testing costs in Canada will be. Costs that are too high could stifle demand for micro growing licenses.
Study Finds Possible Link Between Cannabis and Schizophrenia
Looking at 180,000 people the study found that cannabis users are more likely to have schizophrenia and vice versa. The study did not prove that cannabis use makes one more likely to developing schizophrenia, only that there is a causal relationship.
Israel Moves into Europe, Challenging Canada for Dominance
After the Israeli government effectively shut down cannabis exports for the foreseeable future we are not surprised local growers are building greenhouses outside the country.
Israel will be Canada’s fiercest competitor in Europe and can stand toe to toe when it comes to medical research, growing expertise, and understanding the varied effects of the cannabis plant.
Nevada Sells $425 million of Cannabis in First Year
Per capita sales in Nevada were $142 per person, compared to $128, $70 and $36 for Colorado, Oregon, and Washington in the first year of legalization.
Nevada made sure to keep taxes low and benefited from being a tourist hub. Other states should use Nevada as a model of how to regulate marijuana successfully.
City in B.C. Charging $5k a year for Cannabis License
Kamloops Town Council voted to charge cannabis retail license holders $5,000 a year, compared to only $200 a year for beer and wine license holders.
The freedom cities and town have to set their own cannabis rules and licensing fees will be one of the hurdles licensed producers and retailers will have to navigate in the early days of legalization.
Marijuana Stock Performance for the Week
Global marijuana stocks moderated their gains this week up 3% and are now up 33% in the last 3 weeks. Canadian stocks were up 8% as a whole with large cap stocks under-performing small caps by 4%, a rare occurrence.
There is a significant M&A premium built into most of the large cap stocks as investors expect large corporations to enter the market through licensed producer buyouts. If these deals don’t occur soon stocks could retrace recent highs.
Market Outlook
Stocks are now back above the yearly low they reached on April 9. The Canopy Constellation deal gave the market some new momentum which could potentially carry stocks higher into the October 17 legalization date.
Once the market opens we expect retail and wholesale price compression from a legal oversupply. Falling cannabis prices will pressure producer stocks in 2019.
New Cannabis Ventures
READ LEGALIZATION IS INEVITABLE IN AMERICA FOR AN IN-DEPTH REPORT ON WHY FEDERAL LEGALIZATION COULD BE A REALITY IN LESS THAN 3 YEARS
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