Drjules63: Marijuana Shares & Crypto-Currency Update

Marijuana; It's considered to be the largest cash crop in the United States. It is enjoying a growth rate of 77% from 2013 to 2014 and an estimated 700% growth rate by 2018, it's bigger than corn, bigger than cotton, and bigger than wheat.

According to UN data, the marijuana market is valued at about $142 billion. To put that in perspective, the global coffee market — one of the most valuable commodities on the planet — is valued at about $80 billion per year.

As marijuana approaches full legalisation across Canada and the USA, the pundits like Casey, Wall Street, WealthDaily and Private Investor groups are encouraging the average person on the street to invest in marijuana stock and shares. We are told we are in for the ride of a life time, with projected profits running into 9000% and above - way above the first marijuana explosion a few years ago.

Investing in marijuana stocks seems practically stuffy in comparison with buying bitcoin and crypto currencies. But at least with some marijuana stocks, your investment buys part of a business that is growing, both plants and sales, and isn't at serious risk of losing half of its value overnight.

Which marijuana stocks are the best on the market? In my view, Canopy Growth (NASDAQOTH:TWMJF), MedReleaf (NASDAQOTH:MEDFF), and Aurora Cannabis (NASDAQOTH:ACBFF) look like the best marijuana stocks to buy in 2018.

Other companies who supply goods and services are the ones to invest in - NOT the growers as agriculture comes will all sorts of issues that may wipe out an entire crop.

Look at Marijuana Packaging, and subsidary of AA, Cannpack, GW Pharmaceuticals(GWPH), Pure Agro Hydroponics, and GrowX. Aurora (ACBFF) also has competitors, so you might want to hedge your bets and back these companies to - Canopy Growth TSX:WEED) and Aptia (TSX:APH)

Quite frankly, I expect most Canadian and US marijuana stocks to surge in 2018. That includes Aphria, even though the company is scrambling to leave the U.S. medical-marijuana market under threat of potential delisting from the Toronto Stock Exchange.

What about marijuana-focused biotech stocks? I think GW Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:GWPH) could have a big year as well. My bet is that the company's cannabidiol product, Epidiolex, wins FDA approval in 2018. I also think Insys Pharmaceuticals could enjoy a nice rebound next year. But the prospects in Canada are simply too great for either of these biotechs to take a spot in the top three marijuana stocks for next year.

There are risks for the stocks mentioned, of course. Should Canada's efforts to legalize recreational marijuana be delayed or derailed, it's a totally different ballgame. Investors could also begin to be wary of some of these stocks' valuations.

However, I think Canada and the USA will move along as planned with its legalization efforts. And if the premium prices for Canopy Growth, MedReleaf, and Aurora Cannabis haven't scared away investors yet, I don't see it happening in 2018. Should the Canadian marijuana market explode like some think it will, some of these marijuana stocks' current prices might even be viewed as bargains at some point.

One company I am backing has its own cryptocoin in the market place - KushCoin(KUSH). Kush is the leading bespoke packaging company in the US. They are based in Denver, Colarado. And they are tipped as one of the biggest growth companies for 2018 and beyond as the market for marijuana powers away. It is a speculative investment, but lets see if the link to Kush Packaging sees this crypto coin climb rapidly with the stock and shares of the main company.

Other marijuana coins

A cannabis-specific cryptocurrency known as $Weed was recently purchased (http://nnw.fm/M9vYG) by SinglePoint from First Bitcoin Capital Corp (BITCF) and will also be incorporated into SinglePoint's cryptocurrency solution, enabling marijuana dispensaries and customers to complete transactions using either bitcoin or $Weed. A recent initial coin offering (ICO) for $Weed resulted in an impressive yet illiquid market cap of nearly $60 million.

The new bitcoin exchange being pioneered by SinglePoint (OTC: SING) aims to provide cannabis merchants with a means of processing debit and credit card transactions independent of banks and the FDIC (http://nnw.fm/Ln5ot). This will not only allow marijuana businesses to begin conducting non-cash transactions (cash currently being the only option for most), but it will also allow customers to purchase cannabis products with their debit and credit cards, just as they would purchase any other type of merchandise at any other type of store.

SinglePoint is developing an in-house solution that would allow cannabis consumers to obtain bitcoin at any point of sale and instantly make bitcoin-powered purchases using their debit and credit cards. Users will be able to sign up prior to visiting a vendor or sign up quickly right at the point of sale. A beta version of SinglePoint's bitcoin solution is set to debut in November at the Las Vegas Marijuana Business MJBIZCON event.

A recent poll suggests these marijuana coins are the most popular.

THC - The Hemp Coin 6.3%
CANN - Cannabis Coin 31.6%
POT - Pot Coin - 16.0%
MARYJ- MaryJane Coin 12.6%
DOPE - Dope Coin 10.2%
WETK - Weed Tokens 6.8%
CCN - CannaCoin 6.8%
BGR - Bongger 5.8%
STV - Sativa Coin 2.4%
GROW - Grow Coin 1.5%

Please note this is not investment advice. This is the opinion of drjules63. All investment types have a risk associated with them, and you must do your own due diligence before making any decision based on this and other articles. This article has used a number of sources from the www. References on application