It was another quiet session for the stock market today. U.S. equities hovered close to break-even, while volatility remains low. To put it simply, investors aren’t willing to part ways with their stocks, even as they sit around all-time highs.

However, that didn’t mean Thursday went by without drama. Much of it was seen in the cannabis space.

Cannabis Goes Up in Smoke

Cheesy pun aside, the cannabis space took a beating on Thursday. Leading the decline was Canopy Growth (NYSE:CGC), which fell more than 14% at one point and hit new 52-week lows.

More than 70 million dogs in America are currently diagnosed with osteoarthritis. It’s a painful condition, especially for dogs in their senior years. 

Cannabis isn’t just for humans. The active compounds in the plant are also showing promise in the lab when it comes to treating the pain associated with certain types of canine arthritis.

Although typically referred to as a single condition, arthritis is actually a category of more than 100 diseases and conditions that affect joints and their surrounding tissue. Pain and swelling, stiffness, and aching joints are common symptoms. There is no known cure, and it is not just something that affects humans.

Only a year ago, we saw the majority of pot stocks in the industry rise alongside the whole of the market. It seems as though the most recent volatility has all but shifted that notion. The current state of pot stocks seems to remain highly volatile, but it does look like the industry is on its way to maturing. Currently, pot stocks are still very much in their infancy. This means that the rampant price swings are quite common amongst the whole of the market.

On the tail-end of what turned out to be an extremely risky year for cannabis companies, one must wonder what 2020 has in store for a quasi-legal industry that is contending with a vaping crisis, contentious politics at all levels of government and ongoing financial concerns.

Rocco Petrilli, chief operating officer and board chair of the National Cannabis Risk Management Association, a Pittsburgh, Pa.-based nonprofit, says the top risk worries for the group’s 2,000-plus members may not be what you’d expect

Slip-and-falls at a growing number of marijuana dispensaries? Finding affordable product liability insurance? An unusually cold winter ruining crops? Adequate quality control?

Whether it’s after a long workout or a moving injury, soreness and stiffness can complicate anyone’s life, but they don’t have to. With the rise of opioid addiction, is it possible that marijuana and CBD can alleviate some of the symptoms of sports and back injuries?

A study published in 2017 in Health Affairs found that this is precisely what’s happening in states with medical cannabis laws: Prescriptions for opioid painkillers in these states dropped by 1,826 per doctor as patients found their alternatives.

The expectation has long been that marijuana would be among the fastest-growing industries in the world over the next decade. We've already witnessed global cannabis sales more than triple over the past four years, and know that tens of billions of dollars in sales are undertaken annually in the black market. The demand is there -- it's simply a matter of continuing to legalize in new markets, and coercing consumers to purchase via legal channels.

It goes without saying that you want to get as many new customers into your dispensary as possible. But with the cannabis retail space becoming more and more competitive every day, you can't just expect a flood of new customers to rush in the second you open your doors. You need the right marketing strategy to break through the clutter, grab your ideal customers' attention, and drive new business for your dispensary. 

October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you’re reading this, chances are you, a loved one, or someone you know, is living with a breast cancer diagnosis. 

A few years ago, edibles started showing up in the last place anyone wanted to see them. The obituaries. 

First, 19-year-old student Levy Thamba Pongi visited Denver during spring break of 2014 and jumped off a motel balcony after eating a marijuana cookie. Less than a year later, also in Colorado, a seemingly happy 23-year-old named Luke Goodman died by suicide on a ski vacation in Keystone -- a tragedy his family blames on cannabis candy. Earlier that day, he’d tried a couple of pieces, and when he didn’t feel anything, popped a few more -- four peach tarts and one red velvet in all, five times the recommended dose.