Smoke more, drink less.

That appeared to be the trend among Canadians in the first full year of legal cannabis, when beer volumes fell by three per cent through November, according to data from Beer Canada.

“This is far worse than the trends seen between 2014-2018, where beer industry volumes fell an average 0.3 per cent,” and appears to be related to Canada’s legalization of pot in late 2018, said Cowen analyst Vivien Azer.

Domestic beer volumes slid 3.9 per cent through November, while imported beer volumes grew 1.4 per cent. Cannabis consumers appear to prefer mainstream beer “as they pursue better ‘buzz for your buck,”’ Azer said in a note published Tuesday.

If you read enough cannabis-related articles online, you will eventually come across the “talking to your kids about pot” guide. They have been written by many people and contain various nuggets of advice, but what most of them have in common is trying to communicate ways to parents to communicate to their children that marijuana is something they should stay away from.

There’s obviously nothing wrong with that, but there are a couple risks parents run: 1) lying to your children can erode their trust in other things you have told them and 2) lying to your children about marijuana could inadvertently drive them to experiment with some other, more dangerous behavior.

ZYUS Life Sciences is partnering with the University of Saskatchewan to take a closer look at how cannabis derivatives can improve mental health.

The pre-clinical study, called Cannabis Derivatives: Therapeutic Potential in Animal Models of Brain Disorders, will be led by Yanbo Zhang, a psychiatrist and associate professor at the university.

It would appear to be too little, too late.

Sales of recreational cannabis in New Brunswick are surging as the provincial government pushes forward with its plans to privatize the rights to operate recreational cannabis retail, wholesale/distribution and e-commerce.

Nova Scotians can finally buy edibles and other cannabis 2.0 products online.

On January 6, the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (NSLC) began sales on its website — two weeks after the province introduced edibles to its 12 stores on December 23.

“The gummies and chocolate squares are by far our best-selling products,” said NSLC spokesperson Beverley Ware. “We have already had to re-stock twice and we’re expecting a third shipment by the end of the week.”

Here’s what’s in store.

The menu

Some products currently available online through the NSLC’s website or in-store are chocolate squares, soft chews and vape pens.

Other products available for sale are cannabis infused teas and mints.

There's no denying that marijuana stock investors were thrilled to see 2019 come to a close. After beginning with epic first-quarter gains, which saw more than a dozen pot stocks rise by at least 70%, cannabis stocks have since been stuck in a nine-month freefall.

What's to blame? Look no further than supply issues in Canada that have kept product from reaching consumers, and high tax rates in select U.S. states (ahem, California), which have made it extremely difficult for legal cannabis to compete with black market producers. Throughout North America, illicit producers reigned in 2019.

Pot stocks are on the rebound. Since the start of the year, many marijuana stocks are up by more than 10%. That’s not a huge bump, but it’s a welcome event following a disastrous 2019. Last year, the cannabis market at large was down by more than 50%.

As with any emerging market, volatility should have been expected. Yet last year’s downturn has turned off thousands of potential investors. This is your chance to capitalize.

The cannabis industry was supposed to be unstoppable in 2019, with Canada launching derivatives and a number of U.S. states delivering strong organic growth. But reality hadn't come close to matching the perception by the time the curtain finally closed.

Following a red-hot first quarter that saw more than a dozen pot stocks gain at least 70%, cannabis companies finished the remainder of the year in a steep nine-month downtrend. Persistent supply issues in Canada, exorbitant tax rates on cannabis in select U.S. states, and a huge black market presence have all made life difficult for North American pot stocks.

For Aurora Cannabis (NYSE:ACB), 2019 was a horrible, rotten, no-good, very bad year. The Canadian marijuana stock plunged more than 56%, much worse than most of its top rivals. 

But at least one analyst thinks that Aurora could potentially have a "fantastic 2020." Pablo Zuanic with Cantor Fitzgerald even projects a one-year price target for Aurora that's double the stock's current level. Here's why Zuanic believes this beaten-down pot stock could see better days ahead.

Two ingredients for Aurora's success

Zuanic suggests that Aurora could do two things that would cause the stock to skyrocket.