About a year ago, a client asked for my thoughts on marijuana.
I blushed. He was not asking me if I wanted to light up; he wanted to know if he should invest.
I pride myself on being abreast of current events in finance, but this question caught me flat-footed. So I decided to educate myself.
Marijuana popularity is growing like a weed (pun intended).
According to a
In 1969 when the poll was first conducted, the approval rating was just 12%.
If clients haven’t asked about investing in cannabis yet, they will very soon.
First, I looked at publicly traded companies, and I was underwhelmed with what I found. Most public companies that earn revenue from cannabis are micro-caps and penny stocks that trade over the counter.
The small sizes of these companies make the investment feel speculative. And as a practical matter, many advisor platforms don’t allow penny-stock investing.
Also, most of these companies are losing money. As a value investor, I find it hard to justify plowing investment dollars into companies that are bleeding money.
Third, there aren’t a lot of pure-play marijuana companies. Most of the companies I found had ancillary exposure to marijuana.
Despite these red flags, I made a very small investment at the client’s request in a biotechnology company that was developing cannabinoid-based medicines. We held onto the position for almost a year as I watched the investment lose money in the face of a smoking-hot equity market.
It was time for some tax-loss harvesting.
SET FOR EXPLOSIVE GROWTH
The North American marijuana market recorded over $6.7 billion in legal sales in 2016, after notching sales of more than $5 billion the prior year, according to Arcview Market Research.
A separate analysis by Cowen and Co. estimates the market for legal marijuana will grow 20% to 30% a year to $50 billion by 2026.
And despite this backdrop, I found myself losing money on marijuana.
There are a number of unique challenges to investing in legal marijuana companies.
First, one must understand that the federal government considers marijuana an illegal Schedule 1 drug alongside other substances with high potential for abuse such as ecstasy, heroin and LSD. Although 29 states and Washington D.C. have passed varying legalization measures, this federal restriction creates several issues.
For example, the product can’t be transported across state lines. As a result of its taboo status, the banking and insurance industries have shunned the marijuana market.
In 2016, just 301 of the nation’s 12,000 banks and credit unions worked with cannabis companies,
It is estimated that 70% of weed-based businesses don’t have bank accounts.
Additionally, insurance companies don’t insure the marijuana plant itself, which caused huge losses for some weedpreneurs affected by the California wildfires.
And then there are taxes.
Internal Revenue Service rule 280E prohibits companies that profit from Schedule 1 drugs from writing off operating expenses. That means a marijuana dispensary is effectively taxed on sales, because they can’t claim expenses such as rent and wages.
This proves to be a big disadvantage to the industry when compared with every other business.
The marginal tax rate for cannabis companies can be as high as 70%, as opposed to 30% for other types of businesses, according to Arcview.
So, should clients invest? As with most investments, the answer is: It depends.
The public equity market for marijuana is hit or miss. Perhaps the best opportunities in marijuana stocks will come from outside the United States.
Canada is taking steps to legalize recreational use nationwide by July, which could be a game changer.
Last month, Constellation Brands, the owner of Corona Beer, bought a 9.9% stake in Canopy Growth, a Canadian medical marijuana company. Perhaps other major beverage, tobacco and agricultural companies will soon jump into the fray.
With private companies, investors must apply the same process that they would in evaluating any venture capital deal. Look at the experience of the team.
“This is an industry that is run by former illegal drug dealers and users, so you have to be very careful,” says Jacob Bell, co-founder of Patient Relief of Ohio in Cleveland and an early marijuana investor in California.
Additionally, it is important to understand the licensure process for the state and the legal status of the business being evaluated. This is a highly regulated industry, and compliance is key.
Finally, make sure to understand the unique value proposition of the company.
“Marijuana users are developing very sophisticated palettes,” says Rob Kurz, co-founder of The Tribe Companies, which is pursuing cultivation and processing licenses in California. “They are beginning to acquire a taste for high-quality products and specific strains that they enjoy.”
In other words, weed is becoming the new wine.
Have fun conducting your research!
Allan Boomer is the managing partner and chief investment officer at Momentum Advisors in Lower Gwynedd, Pennsylvania.
This story is part of a 30-30 series on navigating the growing world of choices for clients. It was originally published on Nov. 1.
