Investing in Cannabis

Learn how to get in on the ground floor of the booming cannabis industry with this comprehensive guide

Investing in Cannabis: The Next Great Investment Opportunity examines the rapidly expanding world of cannabis investment. Written by a renowned expert in "vice investing," Investing in Cannabis takes an in-depth look at all aspects of publicly traded stocks in the cannabis industry for medical or recreational use, including:

• CBD / hemp companies
• Cannabis oil extraction
• Cannabis cultivation / agriculture companies
• Biotech / pharmaceutical companies

This book focuses on the status and history of cannabis legalization plus concrete examples that every day investors can use to make intelligent and informed investments in any sector of the modern, legal cannabis industry. With an emphasis on good lists and data, the author guides readers through the ins and outs of the booming cannabis industry and attempts to distinguish between future breakout success stories and future busts.

Investing in Cannabis is perfect for any person or institutional investor seeking to diversify their portfolio to include investments in this up-and-coming industry.

A Note to Readers vii

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xi

Chapter 1: Like Investing in Alcohol at the End of Prohibition 1

Chapter 2: The Feds, the DEA, and the War on Drugs 13

Chapter 3: The Cannabis Investment Opportunity 21

Chapter 4: Buy Low, Sell High? 29

Chapter 5: The Movement Toward Legality 45

Chapter 6: Canada Versus the United States 65

Chapter 7: The State of the States 75

Chapter 8: The Worldwide Opportunity 95

Chapter 9: Canadian Licensed Producers 97

Chapter 10: US Multi-state Operators 117

Chapter 11: Extraction and Concentrates 135

Chapter 12: Hemp and CBD Focused 141

Chapter 13: Pharmaceutical and Biotech 149

Chapter 14: Suppliers and Everyone Else 159

Chapter 15: Mergers and Acquisitions 169

Chapter 16: Don’t Get Burned 175

Appendix I: Portfolio Manager Dan Ahrens’ Cannabis Exchange-traded Fund Holdings on June 30, 2020 183

Appendix II: Portfolio Manager Dan Ahrens’ US Cannabis Exchange-traded Fund Planned Holdings in August 2020 185

Appendix III: Constituents of the North American Marijuana Index as of June 30, 2020 187

About the Author 189

Index 191

DAN AHRENS is Chief Operating Officer of AdvisorShares Investments, LLC and portfolio manager of the AdvisorShares Pure Cannabis ETF (NYSE: YOLO) and AdvisorShares Pure US Cannabis ETF (NYSE: MSOS). He is the author of Investing in Vice and has over two decades of financial industry experience.

PRAISE FOR INVESTING IN CANNABIS

“Dan Ahrens brings his years of invaluable insight and experience to this thoughtful, fascinating exploration of the cannabis industry. A must-read for anyone interested in this exciting new industry.”
—PHILIPPE COUSTEAU, Co-Founder, SeaWeed Naturals

“Investing in Cannabis is a fantastic and timely roadmap for current and would-be investors in the space. It uniquely draws parallels with the end of Prohibition, arming readers with an understanding of the critical political and market forces at work today.”
—RUSSELL STANLEY, Managing Director, Equity Research, Beacon Securities Limited

“Dan Ahrens’ Investing in Cannabis is a must-read for anyone interested in the emerging field of legal cannabis. The rules have changed, and Dan takes you step-by-step through all the aspects of this new world for investors: legal, financial, regulatory. There won’t be a second chance to get in on the ground floor of legal weed.”
—EDDY ELFENBEIN, Editor, Crossing Wall Street

“Dan has done a terrific job helping investors navigate the new exciting world of cannabis investing. His experience as a cannabis investor provides the reader with valuable insights that can save time and money. Investing in Cannabis is a must-read for every investor who wants to participate in the cannabis industry.”
—MARTIN A. SUMICHRAST, Chairman and Co-CEO, cbdMD, Inc.

“I cannot think of anyone better to teach people how to invest in cannabis than an ETF manager who focuses his every day to a field few are experts in. From the local legal framework to global opportunities, this book goes into the major topics any aspiring cannabis investor needs to understand.”
—JAVIER HASSE, Managing Director, Benzinga Cannabis; CEO and Co-Founder, El Planteo; author, Start Your Own Cannabis Business