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Colorado this week began the country's first experiment with legal recreational marijuana.

(Associated Press)

The initial buzz on Wall Street over marijuana-related companies seems to be waning, USA Today reports.

Gary Strauss reports that shares in about 20 pot-related companies took off when Washington and Colorado legalized marijuana for recreational use.

But marijuana mania continues to fade as investors realize there's more smoke than fire at many companies, which show "pot-tential" but little actual revenue. CannaVest, which specializes in industrial hemp production, had climbed to $180 a share last month. After dropping 11% to to $61.45 Thursday, it's lost nearly two-thirds of its market value.

Earlier in the day the Las Vegas based company said it is "continuing its plans to be in the forefront of establishing a domestic industrial cultivation and production infrastructure" and that it is "partnering and collaborating on research and pilot projects in states where hemp has been legalized."

Vape Holdings, which markets marijuana vaporizers and e-cigarettes, dropped 9.3% to $29.01. It traded more than 40% higher earlier this month.

-- Noelle Crombie