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Chart of the Day / Bill 420 Goes to Congress — Three Ways to Profit

Bill 420 Goes to Congress — Three Ways to Profit

January 14, 2019

Controversial or not, the marijuana boom is tough to ignore.

For one, lawmakers in Kentucky and West Virginia are now considering full marijuana legalization. Lawmakers in India, Missouri, Texas and Virginia could also soon vote on legalization bills that were recently introduced.

Two, considering the sizable growth there are plenty of reasons to get excited.

According to analysts at Cowen, U.S. cannabis sales alone could reach $80 billion by 2030 – an increase of $5 billion from earlier estimates, and a 4% compound annual growth rate.  Even Piper Jaffray believes the market for legal cannabis could be worth $15 billion to $50 billion a year, with global sales growing to $250 billion to $500 billion.

Three, we’re seeing considerable interest from corporate America.

Constellation Brands invested $4 billion in Canopy Growth. Molson Coors even listed legal cannabis among the biggest possible risks to its business in its annual shareholder report.  Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) looks to be jumping on the bandwagon, too.

And four, stocks like Tilray Inc. (TLRY) fail to disappoint investors.

In fact, shares of TLRY were up as much as $20 a share last Friday after its biggest shareholder said it would hold the stock until at least the second half of 2019.

“We do not have plans to register, sell or distribute the shares Privateer holds in Tilray during the first half of 2019,” Privateer Holdings’ Michael Blue noted. “When we decide to distribute shares, we will do so in an orderly and deliberate manner to maximize tax-efficiency considerations for Privateer investors, while also taking into consideration potential impacts on Tilray’s public float. And we will do it in a way that reflects our long-term confidence in Tilray’s business model and management team.”

Now comes news of H.R. 420 – a proposed bill that could regulate marijuana like alcohol.

Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) just introduced the bill, which is designed to remove marijuana from under the Controlled Substances Act and allow it to be taxed and regulated like alcohol at the federal level.  “Our federal marijuana laws are outdated, out of touch and have negatively impacted countless lives,” Blumenauer says, as quoted by USA Today. “Congress cannot continue to be out of touch with a movement that a growing majority of Americans support. It’s time to end this senseless prohibition.”

Hot Pot Stock No. 1 – Tilray Inc. (TLRY)

Stocks like Tilray Inc. skyrocketed last week after its biggest shareholder said it would hold the stock until at least the second half of 2019.

“We do not have plans to register, sell or distribute the shares Privateer holds in Tilray during the first half of 2019,” Privateer Holdings’ Michael Blue noted. “When we decide to distribute shares, we will do so in an orderly and deliberate manner to maximize tax-efficiency considerations for Privateer investors, while also taking into consideration potential impacts on Tilray’s public float. And we will do it in a way that reflects our long-term confidence in Tilray’s business model and management team.”

Hot Pot Stock No. 2 – Aurora Cannabis (ACB)

The company now anticipates revenue for the quarter ended in December 2018 of between $50 million and $55 million, compared to $11.7 million year over year.

That implies growth of nearly 330% in a single year.

“Revenue growth for the quarter was driven by the Company’s strong position in the adult consumer use market in Canada, continued shipments of medical cannabis to Aurora’s expanding base of approximately 71,000 patients in Canada, and relatively stable, supply restricted shipments, to its growing international markets,” according to the company.

Hot Pot Stock No. 3 –Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences Index ETF (HMLSF)

The Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences Index ETF seeks to replicate, to the extent possible, the performance of the North American Marijuana Index, net of expenses. The Index is designed to provide exposure to the performance of a basket of North American publicly listed life sciences companies with significant business activities in the marijuana industry. It has holdings in Aurora Cannabis, Canopy Growth, Aphria Inc. and Cronos Group, for example.