Marijuana News Today: Pot Stocks Set to Rebound After Vape Health Scare

Marijuana News Today

The marijuana news today has us looking at the recent vape health scare and its cooling effect on marijuana sales (and therefore, marijuana stocks), and how that it’s likely to not produce too much lasting damage.

Vape sales were among the fastest-growing segments in the marijuana industry in 2018 and much of 2019.  (Source: “Chart: Marijuana vape sales rebounding in some key markets – for now,” Marijuana Business Daily, October 1, 2019.)

That has since come to a halt, following a number of health concerns that has led some states to institute vape sale bans, as well as the negative PR that has consumers steering away from marijuana vaping.

Across the U.S., several major marijuana markets have seen a steady decline in vape sales since the first health issues were reported, according to Headset Inc., a data and analytics company focused on the cannabis industry.

This cooling effect on one of the fastest-growing segments of the marijuana trade is never welcome, and it came at the worst time for the industry. Right now, marijuana stocks are still recovering from the fallout of a correction that took place over the summer, wiping away many of the gains in 2019 that were, up to that point, very strong.

While this is obviously not great news for pot stocks (you never want to see your product getting people sick), on the flip side, it does appear that the worst is behind us.

Headset found that the vape sector’s share of recreational cannabis sales in California, Nevada, and Washington state is beginning to slowly tick back up following the health concerns subsiding.

Furthermore, it appears that the vaping issue may actually turn out to be a win for legal pot companies. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, many of the vaping products that got people sick were sold via the illicit market, not by licensed businesses.

Marijuana stocks are now selling for bargain prices, but they may soon be on the rise. In fact, I’m very confident that pot stocks will be see massive gains in the beginning of 2020.

Between the legalization of edibles in Canada by 2020 and a general uptick in the pot stock market, we’re likely to see some strong gains in the marijuana industry as 2019 comes to a close.

Furthermore, pot stocks may gain steam as we near the presidential election in the U.S., with many of the viable candidates having pledged to work on marijuana reform.

If, in early 2020, a front runner begins to emerge from the crowded pack with a coherent and comprehensive marijuana legalization plan, that could dramatically alter the course of pot stocks for months—and potentially years. If a pro-legalization candidate wins, we can expect to see an explosion in cannabis stock prices.

All that is possible within the next 18 months or so, making now an especially great time to consider playing the market, with its reduced prices.

CURLF Stock

While the marijuana news today has us focused on the future, the present in the stock market is looking a little bleak, but not without its potential.

Curaleaf Holdings Inc (OTCMKTS:CURLF, CNSX:CURA) is one of the most exciting marijuana stocks around, even if the recent past has been unkind to the company.

CURLF stock gained nearly three percent in early-morning trading today, but has collapsed by about 20% over the past five days.

Curaleaf stock’s struggles have to do with the overall decline in the market, precipitated by the vape health scare and the marijuana stock market correction.

Both of those factors, luckily, are temporary, and overall they don’t dampen my optimism about the future of CURLF stock.

You see, this company, one of the few pot companies operating across the U.S., has a ton of potential locked away within it. Curaleaf sells marijuana in many states and is continually expanding.

The backslide that its stock underwent is concerning, no doubt, but my long-term projection for the company remains strong. CURLF stock, in fact, is a bargain at its current price and I anticipate it rising again to double-digit value before long.

OGI Stock

Another pot stock that I’m bullish on, despite recent disappointment, is OrganiGram Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:OGI). OrganiGram stock gained two points in early-morning trading today, but dropped by about 10% over the past five days.

OGI stock, I’ll admit, has fallen further than I thought it would. My belief was that the stock would hit its nadir at $4.00 a share. It has since fallen to about $3.50 a share and is unsteady.

At this point, I’m not sure just how far OrganiGram stock will go. Having said that, I’m quite confident in the company’s outlook. Within a year or so, I firmly believe that the stock will have at least doubled its current share price.

My thinking behind that projection is that this company was largely undervalued when it was at its peak. Not a whole lot has changed between then and now, other than the overall market forces going against the marijuana industry.

Which is to say that OGI stock has not faced any significant, directed backlash. As such, I believe it has a strong ability to recover in the coming months.

While I don’t want to get in the game of day-to-day or week-to-week predictions, in the long view of the industry, this stock has a lot of potential.

I’d firmly place OrganiGram stock as a prime candidate for 100% gains by mid-2020. In fact, I could see the company tripling its share price between now and 2021.

CURLF and OGI Stock Performances

The performances of CURLF stock (black line) and OGI stock (blue line) over the past week are seen in the chart below:

Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com

Analyst Take

The marijuana news today has us hopeful for the future. Sure, things are bleak right now, but we’ve been here before many times.

The fact is, the marijuana stock market is volatile and it’s in a downswing right now. But, as we’ve seen countless times before, these falls always precede prolonged periods of gains.

While it’s hard to nail down exactly when we can expect these recoveries take place, I’m fairly confident that, by mid-2020, we’ll see many pot stocks regain their former highs—with many them exceeding those highs.