Quick updates and happenings (POLITICS)

Yesterday Florida's supreme court gave the OK on a ballot initiative that legalized marijuana for medical use via a 4-3 decision.  It is set to be put to a vote in November, where if over 60% of state voters approve, the measure will be put into law.  Governor Rick Scott is opposed to the measure, but he has no veto power if the public votes the measure into effect.

Further, NJ Governor Chris Christie spoke on the drug war, saying that it is "a failure".  Christie has been tipped as a potential 2016 presidential candidate for the Republicans; a sign that those on both sides of the spectrum have realized that the issue of medical marijuana is a big issue now and citizens across the nation are putting pressure on their representatives both in the state capitals and in Washington.

The news sent the industry-related stocks into a high, with most crashing back down today.

In the next post, I'll start going in depth on some of the firms I've mentioned in previous posts.  I'm going to start with Medical Marijuana Incorporated.  I've also reached out to the group who will be running the grow lab for the dispensaries here in southern CT - Advanced Grow Labs, Inc.  I'm hoping to be able to go talk with them once they start getting their operation off the ground.

Quick updates (POLITICS)

Today President Obama spoke about marijuana reform in a New York Times article.  He spoke of the need to change laws to highlight how the number of arrests due to the plant are hurting more young people in society.


Now, this (nor the news that the two teams contesting the Super Bowl are representing the largest cities in the only two states that have fully legalized the plant) piece of news shouldn't move/affect the market.  In fact, most of the marijuana related stocks took a large hit today (no pun intended).

What will move markets is this:
http://somd.com/news/headlines/2014/17671.shtml

Maryland Democrats have introduced legislation, dubbed the Marijuana Control Act of 2014 in the race to become the third state to completely legalize the plant.

New Hampshire's House of Representatives votes 170-162 to legalize Marijuana (POLITICS)

While this referendum will need to be voted on again next month, and the Governor has said she'd veto it (despite being one of the biggest proponents of the state's successful medical legalization efforts in 2009), this is a huge step.  If you are reading this from New Hampshire or beyond, here's the contact information for the Governor, so you can send her an email or call her office to try and pursuade her to change her mind.

Office of the Governor State House

107 North Main Street

Concord, NH 03301

 (603)271-2121

(603)271-7640 (fax)

E-mail address


And in other news, while the market is down, Medical Marijuana, Inc. (MJNA) is up almost 2% so far today.

Another disclaimer. (INVESTING)

Just a quick note, I'm not Series 7/64 licensed, so my views on investing are meant to be taken as advice from someone who has invested on his own and is talking about what he's learned, so as to help others who find themselves in a similar position.  I am not a professional money manager or investor.  I am not qualified to give professional investment advice.


Just in case the SEC decides to come after me.  

Next states to consider pro-marijuana (POLITICS)

Following on yesterday's bit on investments and how the stocks follow trends in the news (i.e recreational or legalization measures or initiatives are made public), I decided it'd be best to get a list going and update it regularly.  I'll put the names of the acts, a link to their websites and whatnot when I update this post after work.

Another post will be made with regards to Hemp, as although it comes from the same plant (well, the male gender of the plant), it is completely different for a legalistic and legislative purpose.

States who are putting recreational legalization on their ballots in 2014 OR states without direct democracy who have petitioned their lawmakers to propose a bill:
(in no particular order)

~Oregon
~California
~Alaska
~New Hampshire
~Maryland

States who have passed previous legislation regarding medicinal use, and are opening dispensaries in 2014:

~New Jersey
~Connecticut

States which are considering putting medical usage on their ballots in 2014:

~Texas
~Pennsylvania
~ Alabama
~Florida

New York has recently passed, via executive order from the governor, a pilot program across 20 hospitals in the state to allow access to medical marijuana for gravely ill patients who qualify.



I'll update this list on a regular basis as to show when the due dates for ballot initiatives or petitions are, so as to better understand when the stocks will fluctuate or move.

On investing in this industry. (INVESTING)

As this industry gains new ground day by day, naturally, people might desire to invest in its growth.  Being a bit of an investor myself, I wanted to tell readers of my experiences, and talk a little about what investing in this industry is all about.  I've developed a few rules and while they might seem fairly obvious to anyone who has invested in stocks before, they are important nonetheless.

First off, TRADE AROUND AND BEFORE NEWS.  This one is important.  Due to the slow nature of illegal marijuana gaining legality, publicly traded equities will shoot up whenever positive news comes about via the media.  News of impending recreational or medical legalization will cause the stock to (generally) move.  If you source news frequently and are politically savvy, you'll be able to generate some nice returns.

Secondly, THESE EQUITIES WILL DROP QUICKLY AFTER A SPIKE.  Can't say it enough.  HEMP was up something like 700% in the past few weeks, only to peak after a gain of 89% on January 9th.  It dropped some 40% the next day and another 20-odd percent the next.  They will continue to drop or fluctuate until another important piece of news is published.  This happens with practically all marijuana and hemp related equities.

Third, and most importantly, THESE ARE PENNY STOCKS (with the exception of Medbox (MDBX)).  Don't invest too much into these (although the rate of return is considerably high).  I cannot stress this enough.

It's also worth noting that like with recreational marijuana prices in Colorado, the market is so young, it hasn't fully developed yet and prices have yet to normalize.  This is vital.

I'll continue in the next post tagged "INVESTING" detailing the operations of the 5 major firms who operate in this space - Cannabis Science, Inc. (CBIS); Medical Marijuana, Inc. (MJNA), Growlife Technologies, Inc. (PHOT), Hemp, Inc. (HEMP), and Medbox, Inc. (MDBX).  

Intro and disclaimer

DISCLAIMER: THE AUTHOR'S  OPINIONS OR VIEWS AS EXPRESSED IN ALL POSTS ARE STRICTLY HIS OWN.  THE AUTHOR DOES NOT CONDONE, ADVOCATE, OR OTHERWISE PROMOTE THE USAGE OF, PURCHASE OF, SALE OF OR SIMILAR INVOLVEMENT WITH, FEDERALLY ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES.  

With that being said, this blog is dedicated to monitoring the development of the Marijuana and Hemp industries within the United States.  This blog will cover everything from the state-by-state recreational and medical legalization of Marijuana to the industries that arise from said legalization, to the development of the Hemp industry, and everything in between.  This blog will be updated daily, and cover all angles - the political, financial, social and medical.

More to come...