The cannabis industry is in its most unpredictable era. Marijuana stocks have been stuck in a malicious hangover of late. Investors’ interest in this space remains in high gear, driven by strong performances among some stocks in the sector. The group’s powerful projected long-term growth dynamics also remain a focus.

However, 2019 hasn’t been the best year for marijuana companies in the wake of rising losses, regulatory scandals and negative publicity. Therefore, a steep and fast drop in their share prices.

Though the legalization of recreational marijuana has made cannabis mainstream, still, the industry remains indecisive. And thus on one hand there are great pot stocks that the investors’ could be hopeful of. There are also some of the murkiest ones which would dig a hole in the pocket of those same investors.

Not only has legal weed failed to make marijuana companies profitable, but the rush to get legal weed to the market arguably has contributed to a handful of losers.

Marijuana Stocks To Watch #1: CannTrust (CTST)

CannTrust Holdings (TSX:TRST) (NYSE:CTST) has received the greatest amount of negative publicity in recent months. With a highly untrustworthy management team, CannTrust had been in the indeterminate state for months. It was awaiting what seemed like the inevitable: the suspension of its licenses.

Health Canada finally brought the hammer down when it confirmed CannTrust would be suspended. While the cannabis producer technically didn’t lose all of its licenses, the reality is that the company is in a dire situation. Without the reinstatement of its license, CannTrust could be seeing the beginning of the end.

The company has even been involved disgracefully in illicit cannabis growth in private. This has hurt the sentiment of investors who stood behind the company. Despite being one of the top pot stocks, the reputation of the company is at stake. With the stock getting the boot from the S&P/TSX Composite Index, few investors are likely to flock back. What does the future hold for CTST stock?

Marijuana Stocks To Watch #2: Tilray (TLRY)

Another weak stock in the category is Tilray (NASDAQ:TLRY). It has been one of the largest and most sophisticated producers of premium medical cannabis in the world. Despite having a very successful IPO rising 755% in just two months, TLRY stock has been stuck in a downtrend since. This is largely a result of an over-inflated stock price. At one point, this stock was trading at over 200-time sales–that’s sales, not earnings. Can Tilray recover or are new lows in the cards?

In September, Washington D.C. mayor Murial Bowser brought an end to months of anxious waiting on the part of city workers who lawfully consume cannabis. The new mayoral order clarified that the use of cannabis for any reason cannot prevent a person from getting or maintaining a government job. The order also blocked any city agencies from setting their own workplace marijuana policies. But even though most city employees were okayed to consume medical or recreational cannabis off the clock, Mayor Bowser’s order carved out a key exception: workers in “safety-sensitive” positions. Now, some city workers are fighting to overturn the ban. And one worker, Doretha Barber, is suing the city, alleging its workplace drug policies discriminate against medical cannabis patients.

Lawsuit Targets D.C. Ban on Cannabis Use by City Workers

Doretha Barber is a sanitation worker for Washington, D.C.’s Department of Public Works (DPW). For ten years, Barber has helped keep D.C. streets clean, mostly by raking and collecting trash and leaves. It’s a tough gig for Barber, who was born with scoliosis and diagnosed with a serious disease in her spine in 2014. Bending and raking, Barber believes, makes her back condition worse. And recently, the pain, spasms and migraines she gets are causing her to miss work.

To treat her back pain, Barber came to medical cannabis like many other patients. The prescription and over-the-counter medications she was taking weren’t cutting it. Plus, the side effects were sometimes as debilitating as the pain itself. So it was with her doctor’s recommendation that she became a registered patient with D.C.’s medical cannabis program in 2018.

Barber says cannabis was “life changing.” Her migraines were less intense, her spasms were less frequent and she was able to go to work more. Barber says she only took medical cannabis off the clock and never clocked in under the influence of THC.

But in May, Barber was among a number of DPW employees who received a memo ordering them to seek alternatives to medical cannabis treatments. The department, the memo explained, would begin testing workers in “safety-sensitive” positions. And anyone who failed the urine drug test would be at risk of losing their job or facing disciplinary measures.

Workplace Marijuana Policy Impacts Blue-Collar and Black Workers Most

All of a sudden, a mid-2018 reclassification of all DPW jobs as “safety sensitive” regardless of whether they involved operating heavy machinery or other dangerous tasks meant that workers like Barber could no longer use medical cannabis. When DPW started testing workers, Barber was up front about her enrollment in the District’s medical cannabis program. She was told to find a different medicine. Her lawsuit, filed with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, says DPW told Barber that she could not return to work unless she both passed a urine drug test and completed a substance abuse counseling program.

But Barber has run out of paid leave to use to complete the substance abuse counseling. And in a desperate effort to hang onto the manual labor job she’s had for a decade, she has stopped using medical cannabis to treat her migraines and back spasms. She’s even asked for a transfer to a desk job or other less physical role with DPW. But the agency has denied her requests, even though policies under the city’s official human resources manual obliges the agency to make reasonable accommodations for employees’ medical needs.

Barber’s ACLU lawyer, Michael Perloff, argues that DPW’s refusal to grant Barber an accommodation “constitutes a violation of the District’s anti-discrimination law, the D.C. Human Rights Act.”

Some D.C. city council members have also spoken out about the “safety-sensitive” exception. At-large Councilmember David Grosso, who introduced a bill in May to bar any city agency from discriminating against cannabis consumers, said the ban is effectively biased against blue collar and Black workers. “It’s interesting to me that they’ve put the effort into classifying positions and enforcing that mostly affect blue collar and African American workers in D.C.,” said Grosso.

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If you live in a coastal or large city in the U.S., fresh-pressed juices and related products are everywhere. In New York, we have a joke that a juice shop is the first sign of rent increases.

Taking things even further, juice shops now sell expensive waters to go with expensive juices, purporting health and beauty benefits. What some places are charging 10 percent of a Benjamin (US$100 bill) for, you could easily make at home for way, way less.

One of my favourite formulas is a water that is spiked with rose and some hair- and nail-boosting silica. It tastes like plain old water, with a whiff of flowers, but the mineral content is the real draw.

Though the idea is amazing, an US$8 water, even just a few times a week, could seriously cut into your bud budget, or your anything budget.

I like my beauty water on bath days to create a real spa experience, so I often whip up something cucumber based to sip while bathing, using face masks, etc. I also usually smoke during this time. Why not add the THC directly into the beauty water?

Spa Spritz

1 cucumber

Rosewater Honey Water

Cannabis infused glycerin tincture*

Optional additives:

Hyaluronic acid

Omega 7 sea buckthorn oil

Collagen

First, skin the cucumber, then blend into a juice using either a juicer, muddler or blonder. If you’re using a blender or muddler, add water to help get the nutrients (and liquid) out.

Add a splash of hot water to some honey to turn it into a quick syrup. Once dissolved, add cannabis tincture and mix well. Add cannabis honey syrup to a glass with ice. Pour cucumber juice over ice, add a splash of rosewater, close jar and shake. If you are adding other supplements, add before shaking phase.

Pour cold still or sparkling water over the mixture, garnish with strips you peeled off the cucumber and some slices with the skin on.

Consider adding a bit of smoke to your bath fun / Photo: Anneliese Gruenwald-Maerkl / iStock / Getty Images Plus Anneliese Gruenwald-Maerkl / iStock / Getty Images Plus

*Glycerin Cannabis tincture:

In an oven-safe container double sealed with foil, decarboxylate 3.5 grams finely ground cannabis at 225 Fahrenheit. Put cannabis in a Mason jar or vacuum sealed bag, pour over 2 oz vegetable Glycerin and seal tightly. Place in a water bath at just under boiling for one hour. Strain and keep contents in a sterilized container (stores indefinitely in freezer).

Try sipping this while holed up in the tub, it will change your experience dramatically. Now you can be high while you kick back and work on your face all in one simple drink. Not to mention it tastes light, fragrant and incredible.

A note on dosing: THC levels are estimates only. Optimal dosing of cannabis depends on both specific strains and the individual consuming them; questions should be directed to a healthcare professional. Any infused product should be handled with care, stored away from children and pets and clearly marked.