Pot Stocks & ETFs: This Week's Top News In The Cannabis Industry

This has been a great week for marijuana stocks and cannabis in general.

The United States Marijuana Index, which tracks 15 of the largest marijuana stocks in the U.S., posted strong gains this week of 5.5 percent.

Source: United States Marijuana Index

The North American Marijuana Index, gained 3.2 percent, largely driven by the performance of U.S. stocks versus Canadian cannabis stocks.

The Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences Index ETF HMLSF lost 0.35 percent over the last five days, while the ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF MJX gained 3.15 percent.

Here are some of the top marijuana stocks in U.S. exchanges and how the performed this week:

• Aurora Cannabis Inc ACBFF rose 0.74 percent
• GW Pharmaceuticals PLC- ADR GWPH spiked 4.63 percent
• Cronos Group Inc PRMCF gained 1.87 percent
• Canopy Growth Corp TWMJF lost 5.35 percent
• Cannabis Sativa Inc CBDS surged 5.93 percent
• THC Biomed Intl Ltd THCBF, was pretty volatile, closing the week up 6.96 percent
• Aphria Inc APHQF lost 11.14 percent
• Scotts Miracle-Gro Co SMG rose 1.6 percent
• MedReleaf Corp MEDFF tumbled 1.53 percent
• CannTrust Holdings Inc CNTTF gained 1.47 percent

Top News This Week

One of the most relevant news items this week was related to GW Pharmaceuticals. The Lancet published results from the company and Greenwich Biosciences’ Phase 3 study of Epidiolex — an oral CBD solution — in patients with treatment-resistant Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, or LGS, a rare form of childhood-onset epilepsy. Why was this news relevant?

• Epidiolex’s potential to become the first in a new category of anti-epileptic drugs based on a pharmaceutical formulation of purified CBD, a non-psychoactive component present in marijuana, hemp and hops plants.
• The fact that widely respected, peer-reviewed medical journals are publishing cannabis-related articles.

Related Link: Why GW Pharma's Epidiolex Results Could Shape The Future Of Cannabis-Based Therapeutics

There was also a big announcement out of the National Association of Cannabis Businesses, the marijuana industry's self-regulatory organization. The organization has released the first national standards for cannabis products. The process started with the release of the NACB Packaging and Labeling National Standard for review.

CANNDESCENT, a private company out of California closed a $10 million Series B offering. The proceeds will be used to finance the launch of new products and the expansion of its production footprint to more than 100,000 square feet.

The hostile takeover saga involving Aurora Cannabis and CanniMed Therapeutics IncCMMDF finally came to an end. Aurora will acquire CanniMed in what they said are good terms, in a deal valued at C$1.1 billion ($852 million) or C$43 ($34.90) per CanniMed share. When finalized, the deal will give birth to the most valuable cannabis company in the world, displacing Canopy Growth from its front-runner spot.

Hightimes Holding Corp., publisher of High Times magazine and HighTimes.com, announced a raise of $5 million to $50 million at $11 per share. The stock currently trades under the  Origo Acquisition Corporation OACQ name at the Nasdaq, and closed the week at $10.55. As Debra Borchardt, CEO and Editor-In-Chief of Green Market Report explains, the company needs to raise more than $28 million to remain listed on the Nasdaq and meet debt payments.

True Leaf Medicine International Ltd TRLFF completed its crowdfunded, RegA+ C$10 million ($8.1 million) to expand its True Leaf Pet brand.

Privateer Holdings announced the completion of a $100 million raise.

Picture by Javier Hasse