Bulls And Bud Of The Week: Aleafia Health And Kikoko Tea

Welcome to the latest installment of "Bulls and Bud," a column where we take a look at some of the most promising stocks and brands in the legal cannabis industry.

Aleafia Health

Last week, shareholders of Emblem Corp EMMBF approved an all-share transaction with Aleafia Health ALEAF.

Valued at about $129 million, the deal will position Aleafia with the largest network of cannabis clinics in Canada, boasting 40 locations across the country serving about 60,000 patients. It catapults Aleafia to about the same size in cannabis production as Cronos Group CRON, but with a tenth of the market cap, a much broader product line and many more patients.

Aleafia has been a bit of a stealth stock in the cannabis space. It hasn’t landed a lot of media attention, but it’s a legitimate player in the industry.

As I wrote back in October, the Surruya family — one of the wealthiest families in Canada — ponied up $10 million in 2018 for a piece of this operation. Aleafia also landed a deal with Cronos, which has both companies moving forward on a joint medical cannabis study designed to improve the management and treatment of insomnia and daytime sleepiness.

Worth noting is that last week, Cronos closed a $1.8-billion investment from Altria Group MO that gives Altria 45-percent ownership of the company.

Aleafia is also working with Tilray Inc TLRY to study the effect on opioid use and quality of life in chronic pain patients when prescribed medical cannabis.

It was added to the Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences ETF last year, and just last week, Aleafia received conditional approval to uplist to the TSX. With the TSX listing, Aleafia will have the opportunity to reach a much wider investor audience.

Kikoko Tea

It’s easily one of the most delicious teas I’ve ever tasted.

It’s called, Sympa-Tea, and it’s made by a company called Kikoko.

Now to be honest, I drink the tea because it just tastes so damn good. With 3 mg of THC per serving, plus 20 mg of CBD, it’s not the type of thing that’s going to get me high. And honestly, I don’t need it to. Truth is, it’s not actually designed to get folks high, anyway. It’s designed to ease pain and anxiety. And it does just that.

In fact, a good friend of mine in California keeps a massive supply of this stuff in her house, because she and her wife swear by it as the most effective treatment for menstrual cramps.

Using cannabis to help alleviate the pain of menstrual cramps isn’t anything new. But a cannabis-infused product that’s clean, effective and doesn’t taste like weed is. This is why my friend in California has enough of this stuff in her pantry to treat a small village.

Make no mistake: An effective treatment for menstrual cramps that is natural, organic and tastes great is not only a virtual gold mine, but it’s a Godsend for millions of women around the world.

While I may not know what it’s like to have to deal with menstrual pain, I do know this — every woman with whom I’ve shared this tea has raved about it as an effective treatment for menstrual pain.

Of course, Kikoko doesn’t only make a tea that has helped women treat menstrual pain. The company also has three other products that will make you wonder how any edibles company can even get away will selling anything that doesn’t taste great.

Other offerings include teas designed for sexual arousal, relaxation and just basic mood and joy.

Kikoko Tea. Courtesy photo.

The folks at Kikoko are also champions at just being good people. The company’s founders co-founded a group called Cynthia’s Sisters, which raises money to put girls through law school in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This, dear reader, is the kind of company that we should applaud for being a leader in the industry.

Jeff Siegel is the co-founder and managing editor of Green Chip Stocks, a private investment community focused on socially-responsible investing. He is an expert in renewable energy and cannabis investing, has been a featured guest on Fox, CNBC and Bloomberg Asia, and is the author of the best-selling book, "Investing in Renewable Energy: Making Money on Green Chip Stocks."

Photo by Javier Hasse.