There's no question that this is going to be a big decade for the technology sector. We're liable to see a demand explosion for cloud computing, cybersecurity, and Internet of Things devices. But don't sleep on the marijuana industry.

Although Wall Street estimates vary wildly, as we'd expect from an industry with no modern-day precedent, global sales could hit anywhere from $50 billion to $200 billion a year by 2030. For some context here, worldwide legal weed sales didn't even hit $11 billion in 2018.

But every fast-growing industry encounters growing pains. In Canada, regulatory issues have constrained supply. Meanwhile, in the U.S., high tax rates on legal weed have made it difficult for licensed producers to compete with the black market.

Weed-related subscriptions have jumped by an eye-popping 550% on the subscription box service Cratejoy during the pandemic, and box companies like Hemp Crate Co., Cure Crate, and The Stoney Babe Box are at the forefront of this surging popularity. Cratejoy offers subscription boxes for any enthusiasm, need, or DIY endeavor (current picks include lesson planning boxes to make in-home schooling less onerous and multiple iterations of the “date night” theme). Covid-19 has been a major driver of the subscription box boom, allowing Cratejoy and the weed companies it features to cash in on cannabis in a big way.

Some of the most active companies traded Tuesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: 

Toronto Stock Exchange (16,142.89, up 161.12 points.)

Canadian Natural Resources (TSX:CNQ). Up 51 cents, or 2.31 per cent, to $22.60 on 13.3 million shares.

Suncor Energy Inc. (TSX:SU). Energy. Up three cents, or 0.18 per cent, to $16.92 on 9.1 million shares.  

Bombardier Inc. (TSX:BBD.B). Industrials. Down two cents, or 5.06 per cent, to 37.5 cents on 7.4 million shares.

Aurora Cannabis. Inc. (TSX:ACB). Health care. Up $1.28, or 15.15 per cent, to $9.73 on 6.1 million shares.

Bank of Nova Scotia. (TSX:BNS). Financials. Down 27 cents, or 0.49 per cent, to $54.31 on 5.4 million shares..

Miguel Martin has his work cut out for him just weeks into his new job as Aurora Cannabis Inc.'s chief executive.

The Edmonton-based cannabis company reported Tuesday that it incurred $3.3 billion in losses in its 2020 fiscal year, including $1.86 billion in its latest quarter due to large impairment charges.

Martin, who was named CEO on Sept. 8, conceded that the company had slipped from its top position in the Canadian consumer cannabis market.

The fall is forcing him to stage an immediate overhaul even after Aurora laid off thousands of workers this year.

"The company really was distracted in a lot of ways by the reset both on the people side and on the production side," Martin told analysts. 

New cannabis users account for one-quarter of all legal Canadian consumers, but many appear to be eschewing infused products originally aimed at drawing them into the market, according to a survey released Tuesday. 

The survey conducted by Chicago-based Brightfield Group found that "newbies," or those who have only consumed cannabis since the drug was legalized in late 2018, made up 25 per cent of legal pot purchases in the second quarter of the year, a sign that the regulated market is garnering increased consumer interest in Canada. 

In case you didn’t know, CBD is now legal in 33 states, and medical marijuana in the remaining 17. That means that you can grow your own marijuana and make a living out of it. However, making a killing off the trade isn’t as easy as throwing marijuana seeds on the ground and harvesting liters of CBD oil.

Any serious marijuana grower knows that growing marijuana is incredibly difficult. Growing quality marijuana takes lots of diligence, commitment, and resources.  With the right marijuana growing tips; however, growing your own marijuana will be a piece of cake.

Even the most seasoned marijuana growers sometimes have a hard time getting a good yield. However, here is a couple of invaluable marijuana growing tips for both newbies and experienced growers.

Can These Pot Stocks Continue to Compete Amidst the Cannabis Industry Competition?

CMHC report

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. will release its third-quarter housing market assessment report on Monday. The housing market in Canada has been hot in recent months after freezing up in the spring during the pandemic. The report evaluates the extent to which there are signs of problematic housing market conditions in select cities.

Aurora Cannabis results

Aurora Cannabis will release its fourth-quarter and full-year results and hold a conference call with financial analysts after the close of markets on Tuesday. The company announced earlier this month that it expected to take a goodwill impairment charge of up to $1.8 billion in the quarter.

Carbon tax fight

What comes to mind when you think of plant nutrition and fertilizers? For most people, the first thoughts are something along the lines of “NPK,” “CalMag,” or “micronutrients” — but these elements collectively make up less than 10% of the composition of most plants. Whether they know it or not, all cannabis growers strive to sink as much carbon into their plants as possible.

Carbon plays a key role in determining yield and quality, but it has been largely overlooked in conventional and mainstream agricultural fertility programs.

Cannabis legalization advocates often tout the plant's potential to boost state coffers.