Pick up this pure play, pronto
Eric Volkman (AdvisorShares Pure US Cannabis ETF): With legalization looming on the horizon -- either through federal legislation or on a continued state-by-state basis -- the U.S. will be home to the hottest marijuana market on the planet before long. One fine way to play this trend is by investing in a basket full of American weedies, and one of the best means of doing this is by grabbing shares of a specialty exchange-traded fund. I'm looking directly at you, AdvisorShares Pure US Cannabis ETF.
There is a clutch of marijuana ETFs on the market; what sets Pure US Cannabis apart is its laser-sharp focus on the Stars and Stripes. Most rivals have the usual Canadian suspects in their portfolio -- Canopy Growth is a popular title, as is the recently bulked-up Tilray.
But since our northern neighbor legalized recreational marijuana in 2018, it's a rapidly maturing market. What's more, it's got a host of challenges (federal/provincial bureaucracies, black market competition, oversupply, etc.). It's also small compared to the U.S., with a total population of just under 38 million next to our tally of almost 335 million souls. Finally, as long as weed remains a Schedule 1 drug on the federal level within our borders, Canadian cannabis product makers cannot directly sell their wares here.
So as the legalization momentum builds in this country, it's the top U.S. companies that are far better positioned to benefit, particularly if they are strong in the consumer-facing retail segment. Happily, Pure US Cannabis' four top holdings -- Green Thumb Industries, Curaleaf, Cresco Labs, and Trulieve -- fall into this category. Collectively, they form 46% of the ETF's portfolio.
Pure US Cannabis' holdings show some encouraging variety within that America-only box. Top marijuana real estate investment trust (REIT) Innovative Industrial Properties is in there, with an allocation of just over 6%, as is acquisitive hydroponics retailer GrowGeneration.
Canadian-inclusive weed ETFs got a nice boost earlier this year with the pop experienced by Tilray after the company fused with Aphria. As a result, Pure US Cannabis ETF has generally underperformed its rivals, and is currently well down in price at under $34 per share. But this makes it better poised for a serious rebound once our vastly higher-potential market really starts to blossom.