** Shares of cannabis firms rise in afternoon trade
** Shares of Tilray Brands TLRY.O gain as much as 4.1%
** Trulieve Cannabis TRUL.CD , Canopy Growth WEED.TO ,
Curaleaf Holdings CURA.TO , Organigram OGI.TO rise between
1.6% and 9.1%
** ETF AdvisorShares Pure US Cannabis MSOS.P gains 5.8%
** "Cannabis investors have been focused on regulatory
reform, specifically rescheduling, which is seen as the most
important near-term catalyst for the sector" - Frederico Gomes,
director of institutional research in life sciences at ATB
Capital Markets
** The U.S. Justice Department moved to make marijuana use a
less serious federal crime in April, taking a step to remove the
drug from schedule one to schedule three, easing penalties for
possession and use along with enabling more medical research
** "Both President (Joe) Biden and Vice President (Kamala)
Harris have publicly expressed support for this change.
Consequently, the potential continuation of this approach may be
a positive signal for further cannabis reform, driving optimism
in the market" - Gomes
** Public comment portal to close at Monday midnight for
public to provide feedback on rescheduling
(Reporting by Seher Dareen in Bengaluru)
((Seher.Dareen@thomsonreuters.com;))