• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Erin Brockovich, the activist who defeated a utility giant and inspired a Julia Roberts film, is pushing data centers to be more transparent

2

Social Security unraveling: 7,100 workers sacked, performance metrics retired, disability claims falling

3

The Iran conflict has disrupted oil supply. Gulf states are now looking to multi-billion-dollar investments in renewables 

1

Erin Brockovich, the activist who defeated a utility giant and inspired a Julia Roberts film, is pushing data centers to be more transparent

2

Social Security unraveling: 7,100 workers sacked, performance metrics retired, disability claims falling

3

The Iran conflict has disrupted oil supply. Gulf states are now looking to multi-billion-dollar investments in renewables 
Finance

Why Shares of Cannabis Producer Tilray Have Gotten Very, Very High—and Why Investors Think They Could Crash

By
Grace Dobush
Grace Dobush
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Grace Dobush
Grace Dobush
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 20, 2018, 6:41 AM ET

The stock of cannabis producer Tilray skyrocketed Wednesday, after the founder’s appearance on Jim Cramer’s Mad Money and news of a U.S. clinical trial. How high? Very, very high.

Tilray’s stock briefly touched $300 yesterday, with its market cap at $14.4 billion. Trading had to be halted five times throughout the day because it was so volatile. The company had announced Tuesday it got the green light from the Drug Enforcement Agency to import medical marijuana for testing in California, and CEO Brendan Kennedy told Jim Cramer he thought his company could be worth $100 billion some day.

Tilray started trading on the Nasdaq in July, becoming the first cannabis producer to complete an IPO on a U.S. stock exchange, raising $153 million at $17 per share. In the last six months, the company reported sales of $17 million, and losses of $18 million.

The three founders of cannabis investment fund Privateer Holdings, which has a 76% stake in Tilray, are now billionaires. Is this a sustainable upswing or just reefer madness?

Dan McCrum called Tilray “wildly overhyped” in the Financial Times. “Any attempt to sell all the shares, or even to dump large amounts of them, we suspect, would cause the valuation to collapse,” he wrote. Short seller Citron Research called the stock’s surge “beyond comprehension.”

Bloomberg compared the frenzy to last year’s cryptocurrency rallies. “Crypto traders I know are getting into pot stocks,” said Jeffrey Van de Leemput, founder of investing-education platform Cryptocampus. “But I don’t know if that’s a pattern or just coincidence.”

Seattle-based Privateer has investments in other cannabis-related companies as well: Leafly, Marley Natural and The Goodship. Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund became the first institutional cannabis investor through Privateer’s $75 million Series B financing round in 2014, Bloomberg said.

It’s not the only public marijuana company, but the pool is small. Canada’s Cronos Group is also on the Nasdaq, and Canopy Growth, of which Corona beer parent Constellation Brands is an investor, is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and worth $12 billion. Coca-Cola was said to be interested in a cannabis soft drink, spirits giant Diageo is talking with Canadian producers and scientists have brewed beer with marijuana.

But as marijuana is going mainstream—64% of Americans support legalizing it—the future for cannabis companies remains hazy.

Canada has legalized recreational marijuana use, with sales to start Oct. 17, but it is still illegal under U.S. federal law, despite California, Colorado and Washington and other states loosening restrictions. Weed entrepreneurs from the Great White North are likely to face scrutiny from border agents if they visit the United States.

About the Author
By Grace Dobush
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

Southwest exec says the free bag and assigned seating overhaul is already paying off
Travel & LeisureCOO Summit
Southwest exec says the free bag and assigned seating overhaul is already paying off
By Preston ForeJune 2, 2026
8 hours ago
Young man looks sadly at computer at home
Future of Workremote work
Mounting evidence suggests remote work is behind the Gen Z hiring nightmare. Even the New York Fed thinks so
By Tristan BoveJune 2, 2026
12 hours ago
Mark Cuban put $500K into a stranger’s rocket company over email. It’s now a SpaceX competitor worth $4 billion
Startups & VentureMark Cuban
Mark Cuban put $500K into a stranger’s rocket company over email. It’s now a SpaceX competitor worth $4 billion
By Sydney LakeJune 2, 2026
13 hours ago
Canada is asking to renew the U.S. and Mexico free-trade agreement for another 16 years
North AmericaCanada
Canada is asking to renew the U.S. and Mexico free-trade agreement for another 16 years
By The Associated Press and Rob GilliesJune 2, 2026
13 hours ago
‘This administration cooked up a sham deal’: New York sues Trump administration for refunding foreign company $1 billion to end offshore wind project
EnvironmentNew York
‘This administration cooked up a sham deal’: New York sues Trump administration for refunding foreign company $1 billion to end offshore wind project
By The Associated Press and Jennifer McDermottJune 2, 2026
15 hours ago
New jobs report shows 7.6 million job openings added in April as layoffs and people quitting their jobs both fell
EconomyU.S. jobs report
New jobs report shows 7.6 million job openings added in April as layoffs and people quitting their jobs both fell
By The Associated Press and Paul WisemanJune 2, 2026
15 hours ago

Most Popular

Erin Brockovich, the activist who defeated a utility giant and inspired a Julia Roberts film, is pushing data centers to be more transparent
Environment
Erin Brockovich, the activist who defeated a utility giant and inspired a Julia Roberts film, is pushing data centers to be more transparent
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJune 1, 2026
2 days ago
Social Security unraveling: 7,100 workers sacked, performance metrics retired, disability claims falling
North America
Social Security unraveling: 7,100 workers sacked, performance metrics retired, disability claims falling
By Katie Savin, Callie Freitag, Matthew Borus and The ConversationJune 2, 2026
17 hours ago
The Iran conflict has disrupted oil supply. Gulf states are now looking to multi-billion-dollar investments in renewables 
Energy
The Iran conflict has disrupted oil supply. Gulf states are now looking to multi-billion-dollar investments in renewables 
By Melissa HancockJune 1, 2026
2 days ago
'Where we are today is frightening': a Pulitzer-winning historian sees a doomsday scenario involving China and the national debt
Banking
'Where we are today is frightening': a Pulitzer-winning historian sees a doomsday scenario involving China and the national debt
By Nick LichtenbergJune 2, 2026
20 hours ago
Cognizant CEO is swimming against the tide on AI: he's hiring over 20,000 graduates this year and says AI tokenmaxxing is a 'vanity metric'
Conferences
Cognizant CEO is swimming against the tide on AI: he's hiring over 20,000 graduates this year and says AI tokenmaxxing is a 'vanity metric'
By Preston ForeJune 1, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of June 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 1, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.