Since weed became legal in Canada back in October 2018, Canadian border agents have confiscated way more weed lately but it's not for the reason you'd think. CBSA revealed recently that the number of weed confiscations at the border went up over 60% from 2017 to 2018. In fact, in just over one month after legalization, there were 329 cases where CBSA seized cannabis from travellers at the border. 

You might not think of Canopy Growth (NYSE:CGC) and Charlotte's Web Holdings (NASDAQOTH:CWBHF) as rivals. And they're not -- at least not yet.

Canopy Growth, of course, is the biggest marijuana grower in the world in terms of market cap. It's active in multiple countries but doesn't market any products in the U.S. at this point. Charlotte's Web is well known in the U.S. for its hemp products.

Having long been considered a taboo industry, cannabis is no longer. Last year, Canada became the first industrialized country in the world to legalize recreational weed, and just weeks later a handful of U.S. states gave the green light to medical or adult-use pot during midterm elections. Today, two-thirds of U.S. states have approved marijuana in some capacity, with 66% of respondents polled in Gallup's October 2018 survey favoring the idea of legalizing marijuana.

Canadian licensed cannabis producer Tilray has announced a planned acquisition of Winnipeg-based industrial hemp grower/processor Manitoba Harvest for $316 million. Manitoba Harvest does not currently produce cannabinoid-rich hemp or CBD oil, but its hemp-seed products such as hemp granola, protein powder, and hemp milk are currently sold at 13,000 stores including Walmart, Costco, Kroger, CVS, and Amazon. Under new ownership, Manitoba Harvest now intends to develop hemp-derived CBD product lines.

Cronos Group CRON missed earnings expectations by 50.0% in the third quarter of 2018. Let us see what is in store for the fourth quarter.

Factors in Focus

Cronos is a globally diversified and vertically integrated cannabis company. The company has footprint in four continents.

Cronos operates two wholly-owned Canadian licensed producers regulated under Health Canada’s Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations — Peace Naturals Project Inc., which was the first non-incumbent medical cannabis license granted by Health Canada, and Original BC Ltd., which is based in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia.

On Tuesday (February 26), the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) signed supply agreements with licensed producers (LPs) Organigram Holdings (TSXV:OGI,OTCQX:OGRMF) and Zenabis Global (TSXV:ZENA,OTC Pink:ZBISF) to add product to its lineup of recreational marijuana.

Both producers will have to wait for the public process of the SQDC to determine the exact start date and final agreement in terms of quantity sold to the province.

Zenabis informed shareholders it expects to supply product starting the second quarter of 2019.

It was recently announced that Dad & Dudes one of the pioneering companies manufacturing craft beer infused with CBD was acquired by the company specializing in cannabis brands Cannabiniers which is based in San Diego. Dad & Dudes was founded by Mason Hembree with his father Thomas in 2010.

Initially, the company was not dealing with any CBD products. It was mainly focusing on eight-inch pizzas and craft beer. The first CBD infused beer from the company had a rather unusual name, the Secret Stash of George Washington and was launched in the year 2015 at the Great American Beer Festival at Denver.

Canopy Growth Corp (NYSE:CGC) reported stellar third-quarter results on February 14, setting the hearts of cannabis bulls aflutter. Since then, the company has given marijuana investors ever more reason to cheer.

Canopy Growth announced that it will be working with Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc (OTCMKTS:ANCTF, TSE:ATD), which has a global footprint of 16,000 convenience stores (including 7,800 in the U.S.), to launch a premium cannabis brand. This new strategic partnership could open the door to global cannabis stores and be a massive first-to-market win for Canopy Growth.

Canopy Growth Corp. has announced that the Ontario cannabis producer is partnering with Martha Stewart in the development of their newest line of products. According to CTV News, the celebrity homemaker will be joining the cannabis company as a product advisor, lending her extensive knowledge of consumer products to the rapidly-expanding cannabis industry.

The partnership between Canopy Growth and Martha Stewart will be focused on hemp-derived CBD products for both human and animal consumer markets.

Organigram Holdings Inc.(TSXV:OGI), one of the Canadian cannabis stocks, Tuesday announced that it has signed a letter of intent with the Société Québécoise du Cannabis (SQDC) to supply recreational cannabis.

With this agreement in place, Organigram’s products will now be available in all 10 Canadian provinces.