Posted on 01/11/2020 11:52:59 AM PST by NobleFree
Despite the drubbing that marijuana stocks took in 2019, it was still a year filled with cannabis firsts. We witnessed Canada become the first industrialized country to launch derivative pot products and watched Illinois do what New Jersey and New York failed to do -- legalize recreational weed while also passing an expungement clause for those people with previous cannabis possession or use convictions.
The current year also looks as if it'll be filled with marijuana milestones. For instance, Mexico should become the third country in the world to give adult-use cannabis the green light by no later than the end of April. But the single-biggest event in 2020 will likely be the November elections in the United States.
Just as we witnessed in 2016, when nine states voted on a marijuana initiative or amendment (eight of which passed), the current year should feature a number of state-level votes on recreational or medical cannabis. However, none of them will be as unique as what South Dakota is bringing to the voting booth.
The Mount Rushmore State is set to make history The Mount Rushmore State has two separate marijuana initiatives that'll be appearing on the ballot. The first is the South Dakota Marijuana and Hemp Initiative, which, if approved, would lead to amendments of the state's constitution. This ballot measure would allow persons aged 21 and over to possess, use, transport, and distribute cannabis, with possession and distribution limits set at one ounce. It would also authorize the State Department of Revenue to handle the issuance of marijuana-related licenses for growing, testing, retailers, and so on, with a 15% excise tax ultimately being slapped on adult-use weed sales. As is consistent with other recreationally legal states, the revenue raised from taxing pot would be used to supplement the in-state education budget.
Interestingly, this amendment doesn't legalize hemp. However, it would require the state's legislature to pass laws regarding the cultivation, processing, and sale of hemp by no later than April 1, 2022, as well as establish regulations regarding a medical cannabis program.
The other initiative, known as Measure 26, is a statutory measure designed to create a medical marijuana program in South Dakota for patients with a debilitating medical condition. As currently written, a "debilitating medical condition" would be one that leads to "cachexia or wasting syndrome, severe debilitating pain, severe nausea, seizures, or severe and persistent muscle spasms, including those characteristic of multiple sclerosis." The Department of Health would be free to add additional qualifying conditions, according to the measure.
In other words, South Dakota residents will be the first ever to vote on adult-use marijuana and medical marijuana in the same election. Ohio tinkered with the idea a few years back, but it never came to fruition.
South Dakota won't be alone come November Although South Dakota will offer the most original marijuana vote to date, it's certainly not going to be the only state with major cannabis implications.
New Jersey residents will absolutely be voting on a recreational cannabis measure come November. The Garden State looked to be on track to legalize adult-use pot at the legislative level in March of last year, but it all fell apart very quickly. Though Democrats in the state legislature are in favor of legalizing and taxing recreational pot, disagreements arose after some lawmakers wanted to see an expungement clause introduced for those folks with prior convictions for possession or use. This caused on-the-fence supporters to back away, ultimately killing momentum. However, support for adult-use weed looks strong among New Jersey residents, making it a good candidate to legalize in 2020.
Even though it's not even guaranteed to have a ballot measure as of yet -- signatures are currently being gathered -- Arizona is a fairly sure bet to legalize recreational pot in 2020. You see, states that fail to pass adult-use weed measures have resounding success on the second go-around. Following Arizona's Proposition 205 failing to pass in 2016 by a mere 2%, it looks highly likely that residents will have softened their stance on cannabis by November.
Even Nebraska, which is traditionally a Republican-led state, looks as if it'll be voting on a medical marijuana initiative in November, assuming residents can gather enough signatures. Though Republican support for recreational cannabis is hit or miss, the general consensus, regardless of party lines, is that medical marijuana being prescribed by a physician is A-OK.
It's possible that, by the beginning of 2021, there could be only 15 (or fewer) states that haven't legalized medical pot in some capacity.
Legalizations mean opportunity for MSOs It's no secret that the U.S. is already the largest marijuana market in the world by sales. If additional states join the ranks of those to have legalized, it's going to mean even more opportunity for vertically integrated multistate operators (MSO). After all, both New Jersey and Arizona are forecast to produce more than $1 billion in annual weed sales by 2024.
Obvious beneficiaries of a November "green sweep" would be those MSOs with the greatest number of licenses at their disposal: Curaleaf (OTC:CURLF) and Harvest Health & Recreation (OTC:HRVSF).
On a pro forma basis (i.e., if all pending acquisitions close), both Curaleaf and Harvest Health will each be able to open around 130 retail dispensaries in 19 and 18 states, respectively. Harvest Health has in the neighborhood of 210 total licenses, which includes cultivation farms and processing sites. Not surprisingly, Wall Street is counting on incredible growth from these MSOs in 2020, with Curaleaf having a shot at $1 billion in full-year sales and Harvest Health expected to top $660 million, making it one of the fastest-growing pot stocks.
We're still a couple of months away from knowing exactly how many states will be voting on cannabis come November, but MSOs appear set for a much better year than 2019.
No wonder Prince Harry wants to move to Canada.
Comparing law abiding people with stoners? Apples and oranges.
After legalization, one can be a both a user and a law-abiding person. The non-law-abiding were already using, and driving while stoned, before legalization - so also represent no increase in DUI after legalization.
Be happy the ER doc spoke English. The last time our kid was in the ER the doctor didn’t speak a word of English and did nothing for him. Of course, it was a several hour wait because two drunk illegals had a wreck which somehow took preference over a little kid with a huge inflamed knot as big as a fist on his neck.
My only experience with hash was in the Army in Panama. While Panama Red was common among the pot smokers, they were able to get their hands on hash bricks (is that what they're called?)
Just checking to see if you are reasonable on the subject.
Following the VA’s entirely irrational policy change, I expect to see a significant uptick in suicides.
One type is.
I’m only aware of two types, both were from Afghanistan. One was kind of rubbery and brown, generally in a ball, and the other was a brick or block, it was blonde in color, had the consistency of hard, thick butter, and had a circle stamp on it that indicated it was from Afghanistan, but for some reason, I can’t quite remember exactly what it said or how it was written.
Marijuana is harmful. It’s addictive. Legalization causes all kinds of societal problems.
Get the facts:
https://learnaboutsam.org/science/
https://learnaboutsam.org/sam-resources/one-pagers-fact-sheets-and-talking-points/
So now you know I am reasonable on the subject. Morphine not strong enough. In the past they used fentanyl on my kid. This time profopol (sp) to sedate.
Meet is the new hash. Hash is just jerk, heated and pressed. Meet is the loose trichomes, knocked off of the buds. I’ve seen people with grinders that sift the meet out and store it separately. Smoking weed was a lot less complicated when I was doing it.
It’s called “Honey oil”
“So give them the old roadside tests: walk a straight line, etc. It may not be enough for a conviction, but it will get them off the road that night”
No, it won’t get them off the road, because they will have no problem whatsoever passing those roadside tests.
Other things they would have no problem with (presuming they could do these things in the first place):
Performance on the LSAT.
Playing quarterback in an NFL game.
Dancing the lead in a ballet.
Archery.
Skeet.
Ping pong.
Playing musical instruments.
Driving the Indianapolis 500.
Japanese tongue-twisters (Tonari no kyaku wa yoku kaki kuu kyaku da.)
Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
How strong do you think THC is, anyway?
Draw a continuum running from caffeine on one end to fentanyl on the other. Marijuana would lie right up against Earl Grey.
Wow. Autocorrect really doesn’t like “keef.”
Propofol
In South Dakota my kid was pulled over for speeding.
The officer gave him a ticket and then noticed who was riding with.
The rider had been arrested before for possession of pot.
Just like that they transfered both to the police station and gave them both a blood test.
It came back positive for pot.
My kid was issued a ticket for ingesting pot
Frankly, worse than the respiratory effects are the mental-health effects of cannabis. In my town, San Francisco, this idiotic drug is legal, widely available and the drug of choice of our infamous, deplorable homeless/street population. If you want a bunch of crazies on your street crapping and ranting, please encourage the use of marijuana. Now, pot fans will point out that not all users end up psychotic, and that’s true. But nearly all of the folks who do end up psychotic are pot users. If you don’t believe me, come to S.F., and walk down the pot-scented streets.
“It’s addictive.”
Imagine how much better life would be if people just stopped lying.
Oh, I believe that you were told that by someone you regard as credible, but somewhere back in the chain leading to you was a malicious liar.
Shall we ban everything that's harmful? Alcohol? Tobacco? Fast food?
It’s addictive.
So are alcohol and tobacco.
https://learnaboutsam.org/science/
Quoting Tobacco Nazi sites on FR? For shame.
Most pot users like that also consume a lot of alcohol.
The dose makes the intoxicant - it's certainly possible to take enough THC to hamper one's driving ability.
“In the past they used fentanyl on my kid. This time profopol (sp) to sedate.”
I recently had a surgical procedure for which they gave me fentanyl and profopol. The hour or two after I woke up was the first time in years I have been without pain.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.