To a number of Wall Street pundits, the marijuana industry is the greatest thing since sliced bread. After delivering $10.9 billion in legal worldwide sales in 2018, the global pot industry could see sales soar to $200 billion in a decade. For those curious, that's a cool compound annual growth rate of 34%, which is something investors are used to seeing with the rise of cutting-edge technology, and not the legalization of a plant.

It’s already time to start thinking about portfolio investment options for the next year, and among the various asset class options available are some yester-year millionaire-maker growth options still available for Canadian investors in 2020. Cannabis stocks and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have made big headlines over the past three years. Which among the two “industries” could be the best place for capital growth next year?

Cannabis stocks remain under considerable pressure. Regulatory investigations, poor financial results, and slower-than-anticipated market growth have been weighing on the industry. Leading cultivator Aphria(TSX:APHA)(NYSE:APHA) was the target of a scathing research report released towards the end of 2018, which claimed that the company was essentially a fraud.

Yes, you read the title correctly, and no, I am not trying to pull your leg. This cannabis stock is truly that good.

I know what you’re thinking: How can a stock possibly be recession-proof?

To answer this question, let me ask you a question: If you buy something on sale, are you still getting a good deal if the sale is steeper the next day?

For some of you, buying an item and not paying the full price is good enough, but we are only human, and humans are greedy, so most of you would say you would prefer the steeper sale.

Truth be told, this stock is meant for greedy investors — the ones that won’t buy an item unless it is on the top-shelf of the clearance rack.

Less than two months out from the legalization of edible and infused cannabis products in Canada, the BC-based company has signed an agreement with an undisclosed Canadian beverage technologycompany. This partner will supply Zenabis with plain water-soluble cannabis-infused inputs.

The announcement, sent out after trading hours on Monday (August 26), confirms that the company plans to develop its own drinks with an onset time of less than five minutes. Onset time refers to how long it takes for a beverage to affect the user.

Cannabis stocks inched higher Wednesday after a tough few days for investors.  

The North American Marijuana Index, which tracks the top cannabis stocks in the US and Canada, nudged up 0.3% at 176 points. Elsewhere, the Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences Index ETF was up 0.8% at C$14.04, while the OTCQX Cannabis Index gained 2.6% at 634 points.

Thomas Clark, PhD, has always specialized in mosquitoes, but now he's being distracted by marijuana. Outside of his regular job as professor and chief of biological sciences at Indiana University, South Bend, he is increasingly called upon to lecture about the benefits of cannabis in humans — especially the potential for weed as a weight loss aid.

If the scandals and controversies in the marijuana industry aren’t enough, the shares of the two largest cannabis companies are plummeting. If the downtrend continues, will the entire industry collapse?

In the last two months, Canopy (TSX:WEED)(NYSE:CGC) has fallen by 38%. Aurora (TSX:ACB)(NYSE:ACB) has dropped by 24%. The industry giants are losing steam, while investors’ interest is clearly fading.

The last month has been incredibly interesting for cannabis investors, to say the least. While some pot producers out there were able to actually post a profit for once, others were still swamped with debt, with seemingly no end in sight.

As the cannabis industry is still in its infancy, there are some coming out ahead in the short term, but over the long haul there are certainly going to be fewer that will come out on top. I still believe one of those latter companies will be Aurora Cannabis (TSX:ACB)(NYSE:ACB).

Two Canadians have been given lifetime entry bans to the United States after they attempted to enter the country carrying cannabidiol oil or CBD, a popular cannabis extract legal in Canada that's often used to treat pain and anxiety.

Blaine, Washington-based immigration lawyer Len Saunders, who represents both travellers, told CTV News during both encounters, which took place over the last month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents found the CBD oil during secondary inspections.

“It’s as bad as having marijuana itself, or cocaine, or any controlled substance,” Saunders said.

In early August, Saunders said his client, Brett Heuchert, who's a Canadian citizen living in Japan, landed at Seattle's SeaTac International Airport from Tokyo.