Pot Stocks, ETFs, Top News And Data From The Cannabis Industry This Week

The cannabis industry coalesced in Las Vegas this week for MJBizCon. The largest cannabis business event in the world drew a crowd of about 25,000 people to Sin City this year, according to Benzinga's sources. 

Acreage Holdings, one of the largest marijuana companies in the U.S., started trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol ACRG.U; the "U" indicates shares trade in U.S. dollars.

Also debuting on the CSE were MJardin Group under the ticker MJAR, and Harvest Health & Recreation Inc., which chose HARV as its symbol.

Harvest announced the acquisition of CBx Enterprises, and MJardin reported the purchase of GrowForce in an all-stock deal valued at roughly $275 million Candian ($209 million). 

“We saw three multistate operators begin trading this week on the Canadian Securities Exchange and all three opened below the level that the shares were priced at,” Green Market Report CEO Debra Borchardt told Benzinga. “I believe the market may be getting saturated with this onslaught of cannabis companies and that investors have many choices. This growing selection of companies is allowing investors to be choosier.

Related Link: Cannabis Earnings Roundup: Record Sales, But Concerns Remain

“I also think that investors are questioning the valuations placed on these companies and effectively taking those valuations down a notch,” she added. 

Marijuana Indexes & ETFs

The United States Marijuana Index, which tracks most of the largest marijuana stocks in the U.S., lost 6.5 percent over the week, while the North American Marijuana Index, which also includes Canadian stocks, slipped 6.9 percent.

Over the last five trading days, the Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences Index ETF HMLSF HMMJ lost 5.75 percent, the same as ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF MJ. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY closed the week down 1.45 percent.

Stock Moves

The top marijuana stocks (market cap above $100 million) trading on U.S. exchanges performed as follows over the last five trading days: 

• 22nd Century Group Inc XXII: up 1.8 percent

• Aphria Inc APHA: down 20.9 percent

• Aurora Cannabis Inc ACB: down 12.2 percent

• CannTrust Holdings Inc CNTTF: down 4.5 percent

• Canopy Growth Corp CGC: down 10 percent

• Cronos Group Inc. CRON: up 0.1 percent

• Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd TGODF: down 17 percent

• Green Thumb Industries Inc GTBIF: down 2.1 percent

• GW Pharmaceuticals PLC- ADR GWPH: down 4 percent

• Hexo Corp HYYDF: down 1.2 percent

• iAnthus Capital Holdings Inc ITHUF: down 9.3 percent

• Medical Marijuana Inc MJNA: down 10.6 percent

• MedMen Enterprises Inc. MMNFF: down 16.1 percent

• Scotts Miracle-Gro Co SMG: down 6.4 percent

• THC Biomed Intl Ltd THCBF: down 13.35 percent

• Tilray Inc TLRY: up 1.4 percent

• Zynerba Pharmaceuticals Inc ZYNE: down 11.1 percent

In Other News

Cannabis media tech company AxisWire hosted its first “STAR Media Awards,” recognizing best-in-class cannabis journalism and reporting. The following prizes were awarded:

• Best Traditional Cannabis Publication: High Times

• Best Cannabis Culture Publication: Civilized

• Best New Cannabis Publication: Green Entrepreneur

• Best Cannabis Print Publication: DOPE

• Best Cannabis Digital Publication: The Fresh Toast

• Best Cannabis Cultivation Writer: Danny Danko of High Times

• Best Cannabis Business Writer: Javier Hasse of Benzinga and Entrepreneur Media

• Best Cannabis Mainstream Writer: Alex Halperin of The Guardian and WeedWeek

• Best Cannabis Freelance Writer: Sara Brittany Somerset of Forbes and Leafly

• Best Social Media Impact In Cannabis: Garyn Angel of Magical Butter

Eaze announced the launch of Eaze Wellness, a marketplace shipping hemp-derived products nationwide. This is a major expansion for Eaze and its first time serving customers outside of California.

“Eaze’s mission has always been to educate consumers and provide safe, legal access to cannabis. The launch of Eaze Wellness is a natural next step in our mission,” said CEO Jim Patterson. “Americans are curious about CBD and asking for high-quality CBD products, but until now, there’s been no singular destination where consumers with a variety of experience levels can find the products that are right for them. Eaze Wellness changes that.”

Green Thumb Industries announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Integral Associates. The acquisition includes Integral Associates’ retail brand Essence, which operates three high-traffic locations across the Las Vegas Valley; Desert Grown Farms, a 54,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art cultivation and processing facility with an award-winning genetics library of 100-plus strains; and Cannabiotix Nevada, a 41,000-square-foot cultivation and processing facility and High Times Cannabis Cup award-winner several times over. Integral Associates Founder and CEO Armen Yemenidjian will join the GTI leadership team and former MGM Resorts International MGM and Tropicana executive Alex Yemenidjian will join the GTI board.

“This partnership, the culmination of many years of hard work and dedication to the cannabis industry, is ideally positioned to bring our business to the next level,” Armen said. 

"I’m honored to join a GTI leadership team that aligns with the goals and objectives Essence Vegas has worked to achieve over the past several years. GTI is an industry leader that places a strong emphasis on brands, is a respected and award-winning employer and, most importantly, is committed to the evolution of the cannabis industry and its involvement communities around the United States. Today is a great day for the cannabis industry and the customers we serve.”     

Phoenix Life Sciences International Limited PLSI announced that it received an import certificate from the Republic of Vanuatu’s Minister of Health to bring its cannabis diabetes drug Phoenix Metabolic into the country for clinical trials.

“With this certificate, we look forward to helping decrease the size of the global diabetes epidemic,” said Phoenix Life Sciences International CEO Martin Tindall. "We see this market as a huge opportunity to showcase that our product could not only help diabetes patients in Vanuatu, but across the globe in nations large and small."

Grassroots Cannabis announced the opening a new Herbology medical cannabis dispensary location in historic Altoona, Pennsylvania.

“We are excited to continue expanding our reach in Pennsylvania through the opening of our Altoona Herbology dispensary,” said Mitch Kahn, CEO and Co-Founder of Grassroots Cannabis. “Our team has been working diligently to get our Pennsylvania dispensaries up and running in record time, and we are proud to now open our doors to serve the Altoona and surrounding community.”

LucidMood announced an exclusive agreement with Body and Mind Inc BMMJ to manufacture and distribute LucidMood cannabis vape pens throughout Nevada. Designed by a neuroscientist to deliver the desired effects with a minimum of side effects, LucidMood said its proprietary formulas are ideal for novice users and busy professionals. Their pens are set to arrive at  Nevada dispensaries in mid-December.

"Given the explosive growth of the Nevada cannabis market and the fact that LucidMood is an ideal product for tourists, we're extremely excited to be partnered with one of the top manufacturers in the Nevada market,” CEO Charles Jones told Benzinga.

Flowr Corp FLWR’s co-CEO Vinay Tolia appeared on BNN Bloomberg, discussing why the company has a leg up on other Canadian LPs, as it won’t need to irradiate its cannabis to pass Health Canada inspection. 

Irradiation, a process similar to pasteurization that can damage the cannabis flower, is expected to become a hot topic in the coming months. Tolia also discussed Flowr's alliance and new R&D facility with Scotts Miracle-Gro Co SMG subsidiary Hawthorne Gardening.

Cannabis-focused debit payment solutions provider CanPay and cannabis marketplace Jane Technologies announced a partnership to make online payments available to cannabis retailers and consumers nationwide. A first for the industry, this integration allows licensed dispensaries using Jane’s online menu and ordering platform to accept payments through their website from customers paying with CanPay.

“Jane has taken the idea of how consumers traditionally purchase cannabis products and turned it on its head through the creation of their online marketplace,” said CanPay CEO Dustin Eide. “Adding the convenience of online payments through this partnership, together we’re taking another big step in helping to normalize the cannabis retail experience for patients and consumers all across the country.”

“Our common goal in this partnership is to alleviate the hassles customers experience during the payment process,” said Jane CEO Socrates Rosenfeld. “Through this integration with CanPay, we’re excited to be able to offer a fully compliant, transparent payment solution that meets our customers’ evolving needs.”

Cannabis banking and payments tech company Hypur launched the Hypur Mobile Payment App on Apple Inc APPL’s App Store and Alphabet Inc GOOG GOOGL’s Play Store.

Marimed Inc MRMD announced a partnership and $30-million investment in GenCanna Global Inc. “The partnership expands MariMed’s robust product development capabilities and strengthens GenCanna’s position as a global leader in the hemp CBD industry,” a press release said.

Benzinga reached out to MariMed CEO Robert Fireman for more on the transaction.

“The demand for CBD products is sky-high and increasing, with no end in sight because consumers are seeing and experiencing the positive health benefits from oils, topicals, edibles, drinks and more. GenCanna is one of the very few hemp CBD companies that can produce to the GMP standards or food safety standards," the CEO said. 

"This partnership with GenCanna puts us in position to satisfy the demand, not only in the states where cannabis is legal, but across the U.S. with the anticipated passage of the Hemp Farming Act of 2018 that will enable hemp products to be transported across state lines."

That legislative development will ease the distribution of hemp CBD products and make economies of scale easier to achieve, as MariMed would no longer be required to have production facilities in each state, as is required with cannabis-derived CBD, Fireman said. 

Find out more about the news above and more on Paragon’s settlement with the SEC and earnings out of Canopy Growth, Tilray and Cronos with our friends at Marijuana Money, who make a weekly video summary of the top financial and business news in the cannabis industry.

More From Benzinga’s Cannabis Newsdesk

Over the week, Benzinga’s Cannabis Newsdesk also reported on:

Tim Seymour’s tips to invest in marijuana stocks and ETFs.

Aurora’s Q1 earnings, Cronos’ Q3 results, Canopy’s big miss and Tilray’s tumble following the Q3 print.

Todd Shriber’s take on traders remaining short the holdings of the ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF.

William Sumner’s view on Walmart Inc. WMT’s potential entry into the CBD market and his take on the likeliness of hemp being legalized.

Cannabiz Media’s report on the most popular point-of-sale systems in the cannabis industry.

Citron’s position on Tilray and Canopy.

The reaction of the cannabis finance community to Jeff Sessions’ ousting.

MediPharm’s new Canadian sales license.

Invictus MD Strategies Corp IVITF’s acquisition of GTEC Holdings Ltd GGTF.

Alex Oleinic’s list of “11 NYSE- And NASDAQ-Listed Stocks With Cannabis Exposure” and his summary of things you should know about Aurora Cannabis’ new chief science officer.

What CBD is and how investors can take advantage.

“4 Reasons Why Leerink Is Bullish On GW Pharma.”

“The 10 Most Actively Traded OTCQX And OTCQB Stocks In October.”

Experts’ reactions to state-by-state cannabis votes.

HC Wainwright's Oren Livnat’s Buy rating on Zynerba.

Interesting Data

Jessica Peter, terpene and cannabinoid specialist and Aunt Zelda's CEO Mara Gordon provide helpful tips below on how to get started using cannabis for arthritis, dosing protocols and what types of cannabis products to use.

Events Calendar

Nov. 17-18: Medical Marijuana, Inc. MJNA’s subsidiary Kannaway is holding its official European Grand Opening in Prague Nov. 17-18. "There is great opportunity for us to grow our company internationally in today's rapidly expanding European hemp CBD market," said Kannaway CEO Blake Schroeder. "Starting with this grand opening event, we are excited to bring Kannaway's products into this growing market and develop our team of brand ambassadors."

Nov. 26: Dustin Brandon is bringing together more than 35 farms for "Oregon Harvest," an Oregon industry event that celebrates "Croptober." Oregon farmers will have the opportunity to network and meet with Oregon oil processors representatives from over 180 Portland-registered dispensaries in an event space that allows cannabis consumption. 

Dec. 10-12: Five years after the approval of the first comprehensive cannabis regulation law in the world, Monitor Cannabis Uruguay and the School of Social Science of Universidad de la República are convening an academic discussion on the various aspects that arise from the passage of and results from a law of this kind.

The analysis of the Uruguayan case and the experience of other countries will allow attendees to draw lessons from the ongoing reform processes and their impacts on peoples’ welfare. With this congress, Monitor Cannabis Uruguay said intends to improve the flow of evidence-based information on cannabis regulation policy and to disseminate and facilitate scientific research linked to cannabis in Uruguay, the region and the world. The congress will be held at the School of Social Science of Universidad de la República in Montevideo.

Picture by Javier Hasse.