Marijuana penny stocks are trending green again this morning, as we kick off the second week of the new year! Major Canadian and US cannabis stocks are also climbing. Today, we’ll take a closer look at two marijuana penny stocks that are trending on the TSXV.

Origin House shareholders to ward off hostile acquisition offers

After receiving unsolicited offers from several unnamed cannabis companies, about one-quarter of Origin House’s shareholders have bandied together in a "voluntary voting support agreement" that protects the cannabis company from hostile takeover offers. BNN Bloomberg reports that Origin House’s move comes amid a recent uptick in M&A activity in the sector and a rash of new listings from U.S. cannabis companies that have raised $1.5 billion in capital in the first 10 months of last year.

After a wild year for the cannabis sector, it’s appropriate that 2019 kicks off with a focus on Aphria Inc., the Canadian pot producer that was attacked by short sellers and is now the target of a hostile takeover bid.

Aphria reports results for the fiscal second quarter on Jan. 11, and there will undoubtedly be plenty of questions on the conference call about the allegations from short sellers that it overpaid for “worthless” assets in Latin America. Aphria called the claims by Quintessential Capital Management and Hindenburg Research “malicious and self-serving.”

The United States should take a look at some of the restrictions it places on marijuana, according to the country’s top doctor.

Speaking last month at a law enforcement conference at Harvard University in Boston, Surgeon General Jerome Adams was asked about his views on the scheduling system which classifies drugs in the U.S.

“We need to look at our health laws, rules and regulations, and that includes the scheduling system. I’ll take it somewhere else – marijuana,” he said.

“We need to look at the way we schedule different medications across the board. One of the concerns I have with marijuana is the difficulty folks have to do research on it because of the scheduling system.”

Last year, Transport Canada revealed that airplane travelers will be allowed to fly with cannabis in their cargo.

This, of course, included a few stipulations. Among them: carry-on rules still apply for liquids, Canadians must be traveling to a domestic destination, and they couldn’t exceed 30 grams of cannabis on their person, which is the legal amount for personal use in Canada anyways.

But now, WestJet is giving Twitter recommendations to its Canadian passengers on how to fly with weed. WestJet is the second-largest Canadian airline carrier with service also extending to the United States, Europe, Central America, and beyond. Still, it’s rather odd to witness a major airline instructing passengers how to pack their stash properly.

It's time to turn over a new leaf. And for marijuana stocks, 2019 should bring several new leaves to turn over.

The big stories last year for marijuana stocks included recreational marijuana markets opening for business in California and Canada. But what will the important developments impacting marijuana stocks be in the new year? Here are three critical things to watch with marijuana stocks in 2019 -- and the stocks that should be most likely to benefit.

It has been a wild ride for marijuana investors. The industry is still in its infancy, and as such, investors can expect continued volatility. Now well off their 52-week highs, it may be time to look at re-investing in the sector.

It’s important to note, however, that most are still not yet profitable. Likewise, despite the recent downtrend, many are still trading at sky-high valuations. When looking at what pot stocks to invest in, there are a few criteria investors should take into account.

Vancouver's first legal pot shops are open for business, more than two months after marijuana was legalized in Canada.

City Cannabis Co.'s Fraser Street location and Evergreen Cannabis Society in Kitsilano have opened their doors.

Both companies had to jump through extensive regulatory hoops, even as illegal retailers continue to operate across in the city.

British Columbia has lagged behind other provinces in issuing non-medical cannabis retail licences, which must first be approved by the province, then referred to local governments or Indigenous communities for approval.

The cannabis industry took off with explosive gains in 2018, and even a late-year slump wasn't enough to dampen enthusiasm in marijuana stocks. Among the relatively few stocks that trade directly on major stock exchanges in the U.S., Aphria (NYSE:APHA) and Canopy Growth (NYSE:CGC) have emerged as potentially large players in the cannabis space.

The marijuana industry had a deluge of good news at the end of 2018. The U.S. Congress passed a farm bill legalizing CBD, a form of cannabis; marijuana was made legal for medical use and research in Thailand, a region known for its strict drug laws; and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo released a plan to legalize recreational marijuana in 2019.

With sudden changes in regulatory conditions, most pot stocks have experienced plenty of volatility throughout the year. Hexo Corp(TSX:HEXO) is no exception. While the stock has tripled since debuting in 2017, there have been plenty of 50% swings along the way.