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  • 5 Words That Could Mean Billions of Dollars for Marijuana Stocks

    5 Words That Could Mean Billions of Dollars for Marijuana Stocks

    You've heard the old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. But what's a word worth? In the case of five words spoken by Canada's public safety minister, Ralph Goodale, the answer just might be at least $1 billion each, according to the Motley Fool.

    Goodale stated this past week that Canada is "on track and on time" for legalization of recreational marijuana in July.

    There had been some concerns that the country wouldn't be able to pull off legalization on such a quick time table, but Goodale's message could alleviate some of those concerns. And, assuming he's right, those five words could mean billions of dollars for marijuana stocks.

    Read the full story.

  • Fourth Canadian Marijuana ETF to Begin Trading This Week

    Fourth Canadian Marijuana ETF to Begin Trading This Week

    The marijuana sector continues to expand in the ETF market, with the country's fourth cannabis-focused exchange-traded fund set to begin trading this week, according to The Globe and Mail.

    Evolve Funds Group Inc. received regulatory approval late this week to launch the Evolve Marijuana ETF, a fund that will invest in its own actively managed portfolio comprising companies listed domestically and globally with business activities in the recreational and/or medical marijuana industry.

    With the ticker SEED, the fund is expected to begin trading on Monday on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

    "We believe the international cannabis industry is poised to exceed $30-billion by 2021, which would be a 60-per-cent compounded annual growth rate in the next few years," Raj Lala, president and CEO of Evolve ETFs, said in a statement.

    Read the full story.

  • Canadian Brewer Files Patent for Cannabis Beer

    Canadian Brewer Files Patent for Cannabis Beer

    A Canadian company has filed a technology patent for the production of beer brewed from cannabis, using a method that sees the grains traditionally used to make beer completely replaced with marijuana, according to The Drinks Business.

    Province Brands filed the provisional patent for the “world’s first beers brewed from the cannabis plant” in July 2017, further stoking interest from the drinks industry in the burgeoning cannabis industry since Constellation bought a 10% stake in Canadian marijuana company Canopy Growth Corp for £141 million with plans to make cannabis-infused drinks.

    Chief executive Rob Sands believes cannabis will eventually be made legal for recreational use in all American states, with the company, like Province Brands, looking to get a head start on the competition.

    Read the full story.

  • Can a Breath Test Smoke Out Stoned Drivers?

    In a sparely furnished, exceptionally clutter-free office in Oakland, California, Mike Lynn is blowing into a black plastic box the size of a rat trap. 

    “It takes a certain amount of breath,” he says after around eight seconds. “I can do it in one breath, some people take two.”

    Lynn, whose career has taken him from emergency medicine doctor to venture capitalist, is now the co-founder and CEO of Hound Labs, according to the Guardian.

    While alcohol breathalyzers are standard, so far there is no such equivalent for marijuana. And that’s because it is a tough problem: unlike alcohol, breath levels of THC – the psychoactive chemical in cannabis that makes people high – are much lower. Up until now it has taken large, costly instruments to detect.

    “The analogy is taking 20 Olympic swimming pools and finding one drop of water,” says Lynn. “But that is what we are so excited about – because we figured it out.”

    Read the full story.

  • Ontario Proposal to Allow Cannabis in Hotel Rooms Could Jump-Start Pot Tourism

    Ontario’s proposal to allow people to consume marijuana in hotel rooms opens the door to a boom in cannabis tourism, says lawyer Matt Maurer.

    Maurer heads the cannabis law group at Minden Gross in Toronto, and says he knows businesspeople who are interested in opening cannabis-friendly hotels and resorts, according to the Ottawa Citizen.

    Maurer says he was surprised by the province’s proposal to loosen up the ban on consuming cannabis anywhere other than private homes. The government has also asked for public comments on whether to allow cannabis lounges.

    Read the full story.

  • Woman Claims She Beat Cervical Cancer with Cannabis

    A woman claims she has cured her stage two cervical cancer with cannabis, according to the New Zealand Herald.

    Queensland woman Shona Leigh was advised by her doctors to undergo chemotherapy, the most common treatment for cancer.

    However, she dismissed her doctors' advice and took to the internet for alternative treatments.

    She discovered cannabis oil and was soon approached by someone who supplied her with the drug.

    Read the full story.

  • Mondo Cannabis Powder Is Weed Made for Taking at Work

    Mondo is marketed as an anti-anxiety supplement that you can take during work hours. Its website promises “anxiety relief without intoxication,” and the small, attractive glass jar is shown resting on a laptop, according to Bon Appetit.

    The powder contains coconut oil, cacao butter, and three parts of the cannabis plant: THC (the compound in cannabis that has psychoactive properties and is still illegal in many states) as well as CBD and CBN (compounds that don't have psychoactive properties but are used to treat pain and stress).

    The folks at Mondo start by extracting the cannabis compounds by simmering the cannabis in coconut oil, which gives the product a warm, pleasant aroma and taste. How they make it into a dissolvable powder is a trade secret.

    Read the full story.

  • Developing a Roadside Test for Marijuana Intoxication Isn’t as Easy as It Sounds

    As the movement to legalize marijuana in the United States gains momentum, researchers worry about keeping the public safe, particularly on the roads.

    Recent studies in which marijuana users took controlled doses of cannabis in the lab have identified new biomarkers that can be used to estimate a person's recent cannabinoid intake, according to Science Daily. But, using those markers to judge cognitive and behavioral impairment is complex, say toxicologists in a commentary published on January 25 in a special issue of the journal Trends in Molecular Medicine on biomarkers of substance abuse.

    "There is no one blood or oral fluid concentration that can differentiate impaired and not impaired," says Marilyn Huestis, who spent over 20 years leading cannabinoid-related research projects at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "It's not like we need to say, 'Oh, let's do some more research and give you an answer.' We already know. We've done the research."

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  • Las Vegas Marijuana Dispensaries Offer Valentine’s Day Deals

    Two Las Vegas Valley marijuana dispensaries will welcome one of the country’s most romantic days of the year with discounts on pot.

    The+Source will offer store points for those who refer a new customer from Feb. 13 to Feb. 15, according to the Las Vegas Sun.

    Five pairs of customers and those who referred them will be selected for a free candle-lit dinner at pot-themed Cheba Hut, which is located two doors down from the Las Vegas location. Flowers of the Field will also gift a $75 bouquet to the five winning couples.

    “Valentine’s Day is a social holiday and marijuana is something that’s best enjoyed with other people,” said The+ Source spokesman Dan Zarrella. “We want to celebrate this thing together.”

    Read the full story.

  • Fish Waste Used to Grow Marijuana in Former Pulp Mill

    A Nova Scotia company will soon begin growing cannabis in a former pulp and paper mill in Queens County, and hopes the buy-local ethos extends to marijuana.

    Health Canada granted Aqualitas Inc.'s cultivation licence Jan. 19, making it the third Nova Scotia company to get the approval — joining Breathing Green Solutions Inc., which has a production facility in the Wentworth Valley, and THC Dispensaries Inc. of Antigonish, according to CBC.

    Myrna Gillis, co-founder and CEO, said Aqualitas plans to start growing its first crop in February and then it will test it and apply for a sales licence, with the hope of selling cannabis this summer. So far, none of the three Nova Scotia companies are licensed to sell.

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