Marijuana Industry Fears If Sessions Is Confirmed, Dispensaries Could Get Shut Down

[Katelyn Baker]

The marijuana industry will be listening intently to the confirmation hearings for Jeff Sessions for attorney general on Tuesday morning. While many people are focused on Sessions' past positions on civil rights, cannabis companies are very concerned that this marijuana critic could put the brakes on the legalization of marijuana.

Even though Sessions comes to the hearings with heavy baggage, the general consensus is that he will get confirmed. If he does get confirmed, then the industry will be watching to see whether President-elect Donald Trump, who is generally in favor of states rights, will convince Sessions to his way of thinking or Sessions will be given a green light to pursue his anti-marijuana agenda.

"The rumor I've heard is that they will be cracking down with DC first," said Adam Eidinger, cofounder of DCMJ, the group behind the legalization efforts in Washington DC. "[A] large number of dispensaries are going to get shut down straight up, shut down by the DEA six months from now." Eidinger added, "Then all the states that legalized are going to get letters saying 'No, don't do it.'"

Eidinger's plan to protest is by rallying his marijuana troops to hand out free marijuana joints at the inauguration, a move that he acknowledges has irritated some cannabis business leaders. "It's lawful to share marijuana in DC, but not sell it. It's also against the law to smoke in public, but we plan to force a tolerant position on the new administration."

Eidinger garnered a lot of attention last year by showing up to Sessions office with marijuana and DCMJ was pleased they weren't arrested. "Anyone who believes Jeff Sessions isn't messing around, that he's not going to crack down and turn down the whole medical marijuana industry, are missing the point. There's no reason to believe he won't do that."

Medical cannabis group Americans for Safe Access executive director Steph Sherer said, "Many medical cannabis patients and their families supported [Trump's] candidacy because they believed he would be better on this issue than his opponent. However, the nomination of Jeff Sessions as the next Attorney General of the United States is a tremendous cause for concern to medical cannabis patients and their families."

National Cannabis Industry Association executive director Aaron Smith seemed resigned to the confirmation. "Voters in 28 states have chosen programs that shift cannabis from the criminal market to highly regulated, tax-paying businesses," Smith says. "Senator Sessions has long advocated for state sovereignty, and we look forward to working with him to ensure that states' rights and voter choices on cannabis are respected."

Sessions submitted answers to the Senate Judiciary Questionnaire that are apparently lacking hundreds of entries. Senator Dianne Feinstein had urged that the hearing be delayed until the questionnaire was complete, but that didn't happen. For example, clips to speeches that are easily found online are not included. There are no records of speeches past June 2016 and there is no mention in the questionnaire that he was rejected for a judgeship in 1986.

The marijuana industry may be on pins and needles watching the hearing, but with civil rights leaders and sexual assault survivors equally concerned about Sessions, there may be little time to discuss cannabis issues. The nomination hearings begin at 9:30am eastern time at the Russell Senate Office Building 325.

News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana Industry Fears If Sessions Is Confirmed, Dispensaries Could Get Shut Down
Author: Debra Borchardt
Contact: Forbes
Photo Credit: Cliff Owen
Website: Forbes

 

[DanHassen]

Re: Marijuana Industry Fears If Sessions Is Confirmed, Dispensaries Could Get Shut Do

I don't think they will do any harm to Canna' Business, they needs votes and also need to get selected next time too. The large number of voters are either canna smokers or who seek medication with Cannabis or Hemp. So if there is any harm to Cannabis, people will come on roads against it and again they have to legalize it. Or if they dont take the decision back soon they would have to take tyhe decision back later, but they will have to.
And nobody wants to do anything which may harm the vote bank. So in my opinion, nothing will happen to the Canna dispensaries.


Just Hemp

 

[Icemud]

Re: Marijuana Industry Fears If Sessions Is Confirmed, Dispensaries Could Get Shut Do

It won't happen... another fear article proposed by today's media... who has no clue how to report actual news, and just creates fear and then reports on opinions for the following month.

MJ creates jobs,

MJ stimulates the economy

MJ helps reduce opiate deaths

MJ is a states right

MJ helps veterans

These are all things that Donald Trump was very strongly for in his campaign, and also strong standpoints of the republican party. I hate all this anti Trump, fear mongering that the media is so keen on. Give the guy a chance, he hasn't even stepped into office and all the snowflakes can do is spread fear, and then believe their own speculated fears...

 

[Medic1]

Re: Marijuana Industry Fears If Sessions Is Confirmed, Dispensaries Could Get Shut Do

As a senior citizen and disabled vet it is not surprising the confusion and media exacerbation of many things concerning the new president and his potential administration and the effect it could, might, speculated on, have on many issues. We all know how easily the young (35-) are influenced and the hysteria that can be created. I think Icemud has some valid points although help for vets is poorly lacking. I feel that some pressure on the MJ community is coming but I also think that the tipping point on it's benefits have clearly established themselves. Our war is not over, we have just won some battles. Change comes slowly and in some cases generations, but it will surely come.

 

[Icemud]

Re: Marijuana Industry Fears If Sessions Is Confirmed, Dispensaries Could Get Shut Do

Sessions was quoted just a day or 2 ago saying that “I won’t commit to never enforcing federal law, [Sen. Patrick Leahy], but absolutely it’s a problem of resources for the federal government,” Sessions said. “Good judgement on how to handle these cases will be a responsibility of mine, which won’t be an easy decision, but I will try to do my duty in a fair and just way.”

“It’s not so much the attorney general’s job to decide what laws to enforce. We should do our jobs and enforce laws effectively as we’re able,” Sessions said during his hearing. “The U.S. Congress made the possession of marijuana in every state — and the distribution — an illegal act. If that’s something that’s not desired any longer, Congress should pass a law to change the rule.”

Seems pretty open minded about it all. I find it extremely hard to believe any media anymore after the whole election coverage disaster of lies, fake stories and overly biased views. I look at all the facts and decide for myself, and it seems that Sessions is very open about change, but its up to us.

 

[Zymurgist]

Re: Marijuana Industry Fears If Sessions Is Confirmed, Dispensaries Could Get Shut Do

The old are just as easily influenced by hysterical media - ever hear of Fox News or Breitbart? As I have said before, time will tell if Sessions and his Obergropenführer use the current federal laws relating to cannabis as a way to retaliate and punish those who opposed them. Remember, it was Nixon's hatred of Hippies and African Americans that put Cannabis in Schedule 1.

 

[Sirrollalot]

Re: Marijuana Industry Fears If Sessions Is Confirmed, Dispensaries Could Get Shut Do

I live in Oregon and I can not see our law enforcement doing anything. Regardless of what Sessions says Oregonians will keep on rolling on. I'm a grower and my brother is a cop. He has made it clear Portland PD and surrounding precincts have no intention of turning back. The data is too powerful. DUII's down, crime down' opioid addiction down, heroin use down, domestic violence down, jails have beds, profits up, employment up. Fuck Sessions. POS. It's here to stay. If he pushes, the community will push back, and if politicians want the vote they will serve the people not some squirrely conservative. Toke, relax, and get those seeds planted.

 

[Zymurgist]

Re: Marijuana Industry Fears If Sessions Is Confirmed, Dispensaries Could Get Shut Do

I live in Oregon and I can not see our law enforcement doing anything. Regardless of what Sessions says Oregonians will keep on rolling on. I'm a grower and my brother is a cop. He has made it clear Portland PD and surrounding precincts have no intention of turning back. The data is too powerful. DUII's down, crime down' opioid addiction down, heroin use down, domestic violence down, jails have beds, profits up, employment up. Fuck Sessions. POS. It's here to stay. If he pushes, the community will push back, and if politicians want the vote they will serve the people not some squirrely conservative. Toke, relax, and get those seeds planted.

Yes, but Sessions could shut down the recreational shops and the medical dispensaries with a simple memorandum reversing this one: Justice Department Announces Update to Marijuana Enforcement Policy | OPA | Department of Justice

You could still grow your own 4 plants and hold your 8 oz. at home and not violate Oregon's laws, but we would be back to the black market for those who cannot or will not grow their own.

 

[Nightmask]

Re: Marijuana Industry Fears If Sessions Is Confirmed, Dispensaries Could Get Shut Do

I'm not saying if this Sessions guy will or won't make/keep weed illegal, but wow some of you peoples views are off, or lacking, or distorted, or whatever word it is.

Lets look at what Icemud said, cause although he made some excellent points, he's missing the point.

MJ creates jobs - It certainly does, but you're forgetting the jobs made by/for law enforcement, drug enforcement, and prisons that would be lost if weed were no longer illegal. I think it would be a wonderful thing if those positions were scaled way back, but those in positions of power or authority or who stand to lose their paycheck won't think it's a good idea. Not to mention the lobbying power of the prison industry and law enforcement to sway government opinion.

MJ stimulates the economy - It does, a lot, because lots of people like to smoke and we should be allowed to without government interference. However, the war on drugs has poured billions into the economy. Then there's the private for profit prison system that makes massive profits from keeping as many people in prison as possible, especially those who smoke a nasty joint. And lets not forget to mention the military industrial complex and all the military equipment that is being funneled to US police forces through the 1033 program, and that military equipment is increasingly being used for no-knock military style raids on homes because of suspected drug use/sales. So if you light up a joint you may get raided at 2am and woken up by a flashbang going off in the baby's crib and a gun pointed at your face after your dog has been shot (stuff like this has actually happened in America and sadly is not an exaggeration).

MJ helps reduce opiate deaths - Again you are correct, but weed doesn't line the pockets of the Pharmaceutical industry. Big Harma doesn't care about you or your health (or your life), they only care about money. And the powerful lobby group for Big Pharma will absolutely fight against weed because weed would interfere with their billions of dollars in profits from the sale of addictive and deadly opiates (not to mention all the other drugs, like anti-seizure medications). Big Pharma doesn't care about how much harm they cause or how many people they kill, all they care about is money, and the American political system has been for sale to the highest bidder for years.

MJ is a states right - Cannabis is a human right, not just the rights of the state. Yet our governments have horrendous histories of human rights abuses which are still going on today, like torture. Government doesn't do what's best for the people, they do what's best for government and their corporate masters, no matter how much damage it does to the people or the planet (fracking anyone?)

MJ helps veterans - You are right again, but again you're missing the mark. We the people may care about veterans and everyone in general, but the government does not. Just look at the many Veteran Affairs scandals where vets have been treated poorly at best and horribly at worst. Vets have died in the years it takes to process them.


Icemud you are correct in what you say, but you're missing the point. Your mistake is thinking the government is on the side of the people and cares about you and will do what's right. The government doesn't give a s**t about you. Even though weed being legal would be fantastic for (almost) everyone in so many different ways, the current status quo is power, profit, and control. So although we the people want the freedom to grow or smoke weed as we please without interference from government, those in power seek to profit from the control of weed (or anything else for that matter). Maybe they will legalize it, but if they do they will still seek to maintain the status quo where those in power profit from control. So the future may include legalized weed but with such heavy regulations that small growers cannot compete but big business thrives. Just think of a corporation like Facebook or Monsanto gaining corporate control over the weed market or weed genetics. I hope the entire human race fights back to prevent that from ever happening.

 

[Icemud]

Re: Marijuana Industry Fears If Sessions Is Confirmed, Dispensaries Could Get Shut Do

I'm not saying if this Sessions guy will or won't make/keep weed illegal, but wow some of you peoples views are off, or lacking, or distorted, or whatever word it is.

Lets look at what Icemud said, cause although he made some excellent points, he's missing the point.

MJ creates jobs - It certainly does, but you're forgetting the jobs made by/for law enforcement, drug enforcement, and prisons that would be lost if weed were no longer illegal. I think it would be a wonderful thing if those positions were scaled way back, but those in positions of power or authority or who stand to lose their paycheck won't think it's a good idea. Not to mention the lobbying power of the prison industry and law enforcement to sway government opinion.

MJ stimulates the economy - It does, a lot, because lots of people like to smoke and we should be allowed to without government interference. However, the war on drugs has poured billions into the economy. Then there's the private for profit prison system that makes massive profits from keeping as many people in prison as possible, especially those who smoke a nasty joint. And lets not forget to mention the military industrial complex and all the military equipment that is being funneled to US police forces through the 1033 program, and that military equipment is increasingly being used for no-knock military style raids on homes because of suspected drug use/sales. So if you light up a joint you may get raided at 2am and woken up by a flashbang going off in the baby's crib and a gun pointed at your face after your dog has been shot (stuff like this has actually happened in America and sadly is not an exaggeration).

MJ helps reduce opiate deaths - Again you are correct, but weed doesn't line the pockets of the Pharmaceutical industry. Big Harma doesn't care about you or your health (or your life), they only care about money. And the powerful lobby group for Big Pharma will absolutely fight against weed because weed would interfere with their billions of dollars in profits from the sale of addictive and deadly opiates (not to mention all the other drugs, like anti-seizure medications). Big Pharma doesn't care about how much harm they cause or how many people they kill, all they care about is money, and the American political system has been for sale to the highest bidder for years.

MJ is a states right - Cannabis is a human right, not just the rights of the state. Yet our governments have horrendous histories of human rights abuses which are still going on today, like torture. Government doesn't do what's best for the people, they do what's best for government and their corporate masters, no matter how much damage it does to the people or the planet (fracking anyone?)

MJ helps veterans - You are right again, but again you're missing the mark. We the people may care about veterans and everyone in general, but the government does not. Just look at the many Veteran Affairs scandals where vets have been treated poorly at best and horribly at worst. Vets have died in the years it takes to process them.


Icemud you are correct in what you say, but you're missing the point. Your mistake is thinking the government is on the side of the people and cares about you and will do what's right. The government doesn't give a s**t about you. Even though weed being legal would be fantastic for (almost) everyone in so many different ways, the current status quo is power, profit, and control. So although we the people want the freedom to grow or smoke weed as we please without interference from government, those in power seek to profit from the control of weed (or anything else for that matter). Maybe they will legalize it, but if they do they will still seek to maintain the status quo where those in power profit from control. So the future may include legalized weed but with such heavy regulations that small growers cannot compete but big business thrives. Just think of a corporation like Facebook or Monsanto gaining corporate control over the weed market or weed genetics. I hope the entire human race fights back to prevent that from ever happening.

That's actually not how I feel, its actually far from point I was making. I know the government is corrupt, and money drives movement. I don't believe that donald is superman and going to change the world, but when the same major factors driving the marijuana industry are also the very same keypoints that Pres Elect Trump wants to accomplish, we are in a much better situation than articles like this make people believe. That was my point. He is not going to ruin his reputation by not accomplishing those things he set out to do, especially when MJ brings it to him in an all in one package. He isn't a stupid man, he just talks like one.

Sessions already said that he will enforce the law... but unfortunately there are already things like the cole memo which lay out guidelines for legit MJ businesses to follow, with promise they won't be prosecuted or bothered. We have the Rohrbacker-Far amendment restricting law enforcement to use federal funding to enforce laws in legal mj states (which is up in May this year I believe and must be renewed). There is a banking memo, that gives guidelines to banks to do business with certain credentials and measures legally, even though its not playing out well due to federal regulations on banking... but its another protection... So Sessions is already stepping into an office with his hands tied by law. There isn't much he can do but enforce law against those operating outside the scope of the current laws. (could they be overturned, yes, but is it likely, absolutely not as now the money is already flowing into this industry, the protections are there, and more than half the states are decriminalized, legal or medically legal.)


Will it happen day 1 of office, no of course not.. and do I think that DT or Sessions will really have much say in it.. NO... but the money will...

A quick look at who is investing in MJ tells the whole future of the industry... look at ticker symbol GWPH:

PRUDENTIAL PLC 09/30/2016 1,166,106
BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON CORP 09/30/2016 761,172
BANK OF AMERICA CORP /DE/ 09/30/2016 712,767
MORGAN STANLEY 09/30/2016 237,156
DEUTSCHE BANK AG\ 09/30/2016 104,194
GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC 09/30/2016 87,384
ROTHSCHILD CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC 09/30/2016 23,560

**the last number is the amount of shares held by each investment bank/group, at approx $117/share currently. Just those couple up there is about a half a billion invested in just 1 MJ firm, and these banks actually have stock in many MJ companies... many are still pink sheet and penny stocks, many are private equity investments, which many can be found on sites like crunchbase. Billions are already being invested right now...

And you know what even is a bigger eye opener is that the company Bayer, is in exclusive marketing deals with GW Pharma...

Or we can look at Monsanto... and their brand marketing partner for roundup Scotts... well they bought out General Hydroponics, and just did a deal with Gavita...

Or look at Microsoft... who just invested heavily in a financial tracking software company Kind,

Or Peter Theil dumping millions into Pro legalization efforts, marijuana companies and even having a major share of Marley Brand Marijuana,

Or the handfuls of celebrities with their hands in the business including snoopdog with his VC fund Casa Verde, or Rosanne Barr buying dispensaries, or Whoopie Goldburg with her own line of products, or... the list goes on and on...

So those 1% are said to control and sway the government... so with many of their dollars already in the industry....why wouldn't they be pro marijuana for the money factor alone...

With this being the biggest economic black swan we have ever seen in any of our lifetimes, this is a horse of a different color when it comes to the government going back to business as usual.

The Prison for Profit system is also failing, with many private prisons being closed in August due to civil right movements, decriminalizing possession in more than half of the states with no jail time, with states removing asset forfeiture laws, the policing for profit is crumbling under its own lies as we now are more aware than ever that the war on drugs if a failed movement, and its time to recognize the reality of the MJ industry being a powerhouse that could very much shape our nation for decades to come. Even prisons are being sold because they are closing, towns are loosing tax dollars, jobs are being lost, and guess what... those prisons are being sold to marijuana growers for major commercial cultivation centers. Its already happening. Where are they turning for lost revenue... marijuana. Even a recent poll just out a few days ago shows 2/3 of law enforcement officers want to see change the laws relaxed.


I do see your perspective and see your perspective of the counterpoints or added points that you made, but I am definitely not naive about how things work at the government level. All I was saying is yes, many things that Donald trump has campaigned for, are also very true positive benefits of MJ. So someone that is a businessman, and not a political leech I can't believe that he will deny the reality of how big this industry has become, and I don't believe that he would allow for anti MJ actions to partake. He is very much a "show me the proof" person, and I believe that quality alone may open up fair discussions of the pros vs cons of legal marjijuana, and when he sees the facts, and sees that they meet his goals quickly..it would be a no brainier for him to push for.

I truly believe that he is wise enough to recognize something big...or in his words... "HUUUGE" and take advantage of it. He has already said he believes its up to the states to choose. Its now time for us to push, and get our legislators moving on new laws, spreading real information, facts, figures and whatever it takes to every person who is still of the reefer madness mindset... its up to us to push this thing forward... or you are right... the corporate world will take over as they already are...

Right now all the major cannabis brands are setting up, VC's are investing, foreign investors are salivating and jumping over the borders with suitcases of cash buying up as much as they can, while much of middle America thinks its just a grass roots movement... its already moving into corporate control here in California, and when California's 7-20 billion dollar industry thrives, the rest will join in if they haven't already.

Like Sessions latest quote said...
“It’s not so much the attorney general’s job to decide what laws to enforce. We should do our jobs and enforce laws effectively as we’re able,” Sessions said during his hearing. “The U.S. Congress made the possession of marijuana in every state — and the distribution — an illegal act. If that’s something that’s not desired any longer, Congress should pass a law to change the rule.”

Congress want this money too... and if Donald recognizes the opportunity, he will be a huge success. If the American people act and influence change, then we will all be a huge success. And with more and more organizations with millions of dollars of backing and very powerful lobbying groups for Pro MJ legislation, the tables will turn faster than people realize. And the major thing holding this industry back from lightspeed acceleration is banking.... once this is realized watch how fast laws are drafted to change it... its already happening too....



oh yea... a word to the wise... save your landrace seeds and genetics... as genetically altered cannabis is already a real thing over seas... and its already happening here. Well not actually GMO here in the US, but using genetic mapping and sequencing to select breeding is already happening, and that is just the start.


by the way.. I value your view, and this is just my perspective of what I believe will happen (as well as a slight defense of my view on reality as it was misunderstood I believe). I enjoy a good conversation and debate and I value your input so hopefully you understand now more of what I was trying to say.

I agree with you that most of what happens is out of our control, but I have also learned we are in more control than we believe, if you put the right minds, connections, ideas, and facts together... You can change a lot. And with that, and money, you can change even more! LOL

We do need to act on what Sessions said, and we need to force the laws to be changed and rewritten, and he will honor that. Hopefully these fear generating articles to sell CPM advertising will be seen by more and more people as what they are, pure propaganda.

 

[Nightmask]

Re: Marijuana Industry Fears If Sessions Is Confirmed, Dispensaries Could Get Shut Do

That's actually not how I feel, its actually far from point I was making. I know the government is corrupt, and money drives movement. I don't believe that donald is superman and going to change the world, but when the same major factors driving the marijuana industry are also the very same keypoints that Pres Elect Trump wants to accomplish, we are in a much better situation than articles like this make people believe. That was my point. He is not going to ruin his reputation by not accomplishing those things he set out to do, especially when MJ brings it to him in an all in one package. He isn't a stupid man, he just talks like one.

Sessions already said that he will enforce the law... but unfortunately there are already things like the cole memo which lay out guidelines for legit MJ businesses to follow, with promise they won't be prosecuted or bothered. We have the Rohrbacker-Far amendment restricting law enforcement to use federal funding to enforce laws in legal mj states (which is up in May this year I believe and must be renewed). There is a banking memo, that gives guidelines to banks to do business with certain credentials and measures legally, even though its not playing out well due to federal regulations on banking... but its another protection... So Sessions is already stepping into an office with his hands tied by law. There isn't much he can do but enforce law against those operating outside the scope of the current laws. (could they be overturned, yes, but is it likely, absolutely not as now the money is already flowing into this industry, the protections are there, and more than half the states are decriminalized, legal or medically legal.)


Will it happen day 1 of office, no of course not.. and do I think that DT or Sessions will really have much say in it.. NO... but the money will...

A quick look at who is investing in MJ tells the whole future of the industry... look at ticker symbol GWPH:

PRUDENTIAL PLC 09/30/2016 1,166,106
BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON CORP 09/30/2016 761,172
BANK OF AMERICA CORP /DE/ 09/30/2016 712,767
MORGAN STANLEY 09/30/2016 237,156
DEUTSCHE BANK AG\ 09/30/2016 104,194
GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC 09/30/2016 87,384
ROTHSCHILD CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC 09/30/2016 23,560

**the last number is the amount of shares held by each investment bank/group, at approx $117/share currently. Just those couple up there is about a half a billion invested in just 1 MJ firm, and these banks actually have stock in many MJ companies... many are still pink sheet and penny stocks, many are private equity investments, which many can be found on sites like crunchbase. Billions are already being invested right now...

And you know what even is a bigger eye opener is that the company Bayer, is in exclusive marketing deals with GW Pharma...

Or we can look at Monsanto... and their brand marketing partner for roundup Scotts... well they bought out General Hydroponics, and just did a deal with Gavita...

Or look at Microsoft... who just invested heavily in a financial tracking software company Kind,

Or Peter Theil dumping millions into Pro legalization efforts, marijuana companies and even having a major share of Marley Brand Marijuana,

Or the handfuls of celebrities with their hands in the business including snoopdog with his VC fund Casa Verde, or Rosanne Barr buying dispensaries, or Whoopie Goldburg with her own line of products, or... the list goes on and on...

So those 1% are said to control and sway the government... so with many of their dollars already in the industry....why wouldn't they be pro marijuana for the money factor alone...

With this being the biggest economic black swan we have ever seen in any of our lifetimes, this is a horse of a different color when it comes to the government going back to business as usual.

The Prison for Profit system is also failing, with many private prisons being closed in August due to civil right movements, decriminalizing possession in more than half of the states with no jail time, with states removing asset forfeiture laws, the policing for profit is crumbling under its own lies as we now are more aware than ever that the war on drugs if a failed movement, and its time to recognize the reality of the MJ industry being a powerhouse that could very much shape our nation for decades to come. Even prisons are being sold because they are closing, towns are loosing tax dollars, jobs are being lost, and guess what... those prisons are being sold to marijuana growers for major commercial cultivation centers. Its already happening. Where are they turning for lost revenue... marijuana. Even a recent poll just out a few days ago shows 2/3 of law enforcement officers want to see change the laws relaxed.


I do see your perspective and see your perspective of the counterpoints or added points that you made, but I am definitely not naive about how things work at the government level. All I was saying is yes, many things that Donald trump has campaigned for, are also very true positive benefits of MJ. So someone that is a businessman, and not a political leech I can't believe that he will deny the reality of how big this industry has become, and I don't believe that he would allow for anti MJ actions to partake. He is very much a "show me the proof" person, and I believe that quality alone may open up fair discussions of the pros vs cons of legal marjijuana, and when he sees the facts, and sees that they meet his goals quickly..it would be a no brainier for him to push for.

I truly believe that he is wise enough to recognize something big...or in his words... "HUUUGE" and take advantage of it. He has already said he believes its up to the states to choose. Its now time for us to push, and get our legislators moving on new laws, spreading real information, facts, figures and whatever it takes to every person who is still of the reefer madness mindset... its up to us to push this thing forward... or you are right... the corporate world will take over as they already are...

Right now all the major cannabis brands are setting up, VC's are investing, foreign investors are salivating and jumping over the borders with suitcases of cash buying up as much as they can, while much of middle America thinks its just a grass roots movement... its already moving into corporate control here in California, and when California's 7-20 billion dollar industry thrives, the rest will join in if they haven't already.

Like Sessions latest quote said...
“It’s not so much the attorney general’s job to decide what laws to enforce. We should do our jobs and enforce laws effectively as we’re able,” Sessions said during his hearing. “The U.S. Congress made the possession of marijuana in every state — and the distribution — an illegal act. If that’s something that’s not desired any longer, Congress should pass a law to change the rule.”

Congress want this money too... and if Donald recognizes the opportunity, he will be a huge success. If the American people act and influence change, then we will all be a huge success. And with more and more organizations with millions of dollars of backing and very powerful lobbying groups for Pro MJ legislation, the tables will turn faster than people realize. And the major thing holding this industry back from lightspeed acceleration is banking.... once this is realized watch how fast laws are drafted to change it... its already happening too....



oh yea... a word to the wise... save your landrace seeds and genetics... as genetically altered cannabis is already a real thing over seas... and its already happening here. Well not actually GMO here in the US, but using genetic mapping and sequencing to select breeding is already happening, and that is just the start.


by the way.. I value your view, and this is just my perspective of what I believe will happen (as well as a slight defense of my view on reality as it was misunderstood I believe). I enjoy a good conversation and debate and I value your input so hopefully you understand now more of what I was trying to say.

I agree with you that most of what happens is out of our control, but I have also learned we are in more control than we believe, if you put the right minds, connections, ideas, and facts together... You can change a lot. And with that, and money, you can change even more! LOL

We do need to act on what Sessions said, and we need to force the laws to be changed and rewritten, and he will honor that. Hopefully these fear generating articles to sell CPM advertising will be seen by more and more people as what they are, pure propaganda.

You have this massive pro-Trump viewpoint and you mention him repeatedly throughout your response, but I never once mentioned Trump because my point had nothing to do with him. You say you know the government is corrupt yet you see Trump as some savior that will bring about "Hope" and "Change". Oh wait, that was Obama, who people had the same high (no pun intended) hopes for when he got elected 8 years ago. Now I'm not saying that Trump is destined to fail. I'm certainly not pro-Trump (wasn't pro-Hillary either), but I'm not anti-Trump without seeing what he does. I'm Australian, so my views on American politics aren't tainted by the propaganda most Americans get from both sides. If he can change weed laws then fantastic. What I'm saying is that it doesn't matter which puppet sits on the thrown (be it a Clinton, a Bush, an Obama, or a Trump) the same hidden hands remain behind the scenes pulling the strings, such as Big Pharma, the military-industrial complex, prison complex, etc. The president is not the highest position of power and the president does not answer to the people, he answers to his corporate masters.

You seem to be very up to speed and have a lot of knowledge on what the government and big business are up to. Why would you just happen to know all this information, such as how many shares big banks have or which corporations have invested in weed?

And you kinda made my point on how scary it would be, or apparently already is if your information is accurate, when big globalist businesses and banks who seek to control as much as the market as possible get into the weed business. Big banks and corporations don't serve the people, they serve themselves by reaping as much profit as possible no matter what harm they cause to the people. And you think Bayer getting into an EXCLUSIVE marketing deal for weed is a good thing??? So we can only get our weed from Big Pharma who seek a monopoly? Personally I'd prefer to smoke my weed, but if you're happy for it in a non-psychoactive prescription only pill form then that's your preference. And you mention Monsanto getting into hydroponics when Monsanto already owns a vast majority of the food seed supply and already seek to own all food seed through patents and would undoubtedly also want to own the patent for weed, are responsible for such inventions as DDT (banned because it's so toxic), Agent Orange (which is also banned because of how toxic it is), aswell as other toxic substances like CFC's (also banned), not to mention Monsanto has repeatedly been voted the most evil corporation in the world and you're puffing up Monsatan like them getting into the weed business is a good thing. You also think Microsoft investing in tracking software to monitor everything from seed to harvest to sale with a tracking system is a good thing? You just made my point!!!! Those in power seek to profit from the control of weed (or anything else), and they seek absolute control where laws are being written that, like your praised tracking software, seeks to monitor everything about a plants growth and sale, from seed type, soil type, water, nutrients, growth period, harvest time, point of sale, and on and on to a point where small business cannot function but big business thrives.

Celebrities selling weed products is not in the slightest a cause for concern. They are offering a product through the market. There's a big difference between owning a dispensary and selling weed and seeking the absolute control over weed like Big Pharma (with EXCLUSIVE deals) or Monsanto (who patents to own/control seed). As for mapping genetics of weed that wouldn't be a bad thing, because there are different strains that have different effects. That could something very useful. The scary part is when companies like Monsanto want to own the patent for the plants' genetics for monopoly control.

Where are you getting your information from that the prison for profit system is failing? Because the last information I had, which would be at most 3-6 months old, is that the prison system is booming with more and more people being arrested for mere drug possession. Same with civil asset forfeiture laws, where is your information coming from that these laws are being removed because my information is again maybe 3-6 months old and does not agree with your claims. Maybe there's one or two states repealing such laws that I haven't heard about but it is certainly not anything resembling widespread change in policy. Also, you said prisons (plural) are being sold to growers, could you please provide some links to back up this claim because I have never heard of this happening for a single prison let alone more than one. I have however heard that large numbers of law enforcement want the laws relaxed which is awsome, but they are still currently enforcing them. If the cops themselves got together to protest and say they will no longer target or arrest people for weed possession/use we could change the laws overnight if the cops refused to enforce the laws.

You claim to not be naive about how the government works, but you actually do sound pretty naive (no offense intended). You know the government propaganda and public relations presented image of how things work but not how things actually work behind the scenes. I didn't know about all the behind the scenes stuff either (it's designed to work that way) but I have been looking into it for a few years now and have learned a lot about the invisible hands that control the world of politics. If Trump is the savior you hope he is, especially the weed savior, then fantastic. I really hope he does change the laws regarding weed, because if the entire U.S. made weed legal (for recreational and not just medicinal by prescription only) then hopefully other parts of the world will follow suit. If the entire world sat down together and got high we wouldn't have so many wars and conflicts, though our food supply might take a little hit from the munchies.

We do agree on many points, we just view the government and corporate takeover/control of the weed supply differently. You are right, the laws need to change. We the people have the numbers to bring about the change we want. We can also spend our money where we want to bring about change that way. Weed should be made legal, or decriminalized, for both recreational and medicinal use without needing a prescription (well, maybe for the medicinal type but certainly not the recreational type). I don't need my doctor to give me the okay to drink alcohol, we shouldn't need permission to smoke weed. I think it would be fantastic to have local growers that can grow various strains and provide it to the community. That would be amazing. My concern is that as with anything else that has the potential to make a lot of money government and big business want to get their greedy hands on the pie and prevent as many locally owned small to medium growers from getting into the business with excessive laws and regulations and permits and whatnot. Those in power will do everything they can to maximize their profits and maximize their control.

And you saying Trump isn't a stupid man but just talks like one for some reason brings the image of hurr durr Bush to mind. Bush was just plain stupid, but Trump is stupid and petty and thin skinned and has just inherited control over the biggest/most powerful military on Earth and the most vast and invasive intelligence-surveillance network on the planet. You better hope Trump is the good guy savior you think he is, because with the powers he has just been given we could have armageddon if Trump wakes up on the wrong side of the bed and someone insults him.

 

[Icemud]

Re: Marijuana Industry Fears If Sessions Is Confirmed, Dispensaries Could Get Shut Do

Please go back and re read my posts, as you are putting a lot of misconstrued spin on what I was saying, and reciting things that I flat out didn't say. I will respond more later when I have time, but riddle me this...

If the string pullers, 1%, banks and corporations are already heavily investing in the MJ market, why would they want to push back and shove us back into the black market where they can't profit? That makes absolutely no sense.

Also, how does one that is "stupid" make billions of dollars?

Where did I say that I was praising Monsanto, and pharma.... ? that is only facts of what is happening.

Prisons are being bought by cannabis cultivators... You can google this as I don't have time to research for you if you truly care to know.

Look, I understand what you are saying, sort of... I work in the industry alongside all the biggest players, the investors, the businessmen, the scientists, the lawyers, the lobbyists... I am very in tune with what is current in the market.

Where do you get I think trump is superman and going to swoop in and be a savior? I never said that, I only touched on reality, of what is currently going on, who is investing, where the money is, and that the prison for profit is a failure.... Trump isn't going to push back against a huge movement, he is a capitalist overall and understands business.... He is one to take advantage of situations, and he isn't "bought like most other past presidents... he isn't generationly connected like the Bush Family going back decades... He isn't the Clintons who will let anyone buy them out... News just the other day he turned down a multi billion dollar deal from the middle east because it would have been a conflict of interest and put question on his position... a person with integrity wouldn't do that... he isn't bought like most other people... Sessions has his hands tied, and can't write laws... so who would the lawmakers screw themselves out of profit by reversing the momentum? that makes no sense either.. .

My point overall is that the cannabis industry is too powerful, and too many big corporations, banks and investors are already involved, so why would all of a sudden the industry go backwards? that makes no damn sense.

 

[olderthandirt]

Re: Marijuana Industry Fears If Sessions Is Confirmed, Dispensaries Could Get Shut Do

...
My point overall is that the cannabis industry is too powerful, and too many big corporations, banks and investors are already involved, so why would all of a sudden the industry go backwards? that makes no damn sense.

Now that right there is pulling for the silver-lining. Good show!

 

[Nightmask]

Re: Marijuana Industry Fears If Sessions Is Confirmed, Dispensaries Could Get Shut Do

You are making a lot of assumptions that aren't what I said that again are misconstrued. Please go back and re-read what I wrote. I will respond more in depth later but please take the time to clear your preconceived notions of what you think my point was, and actually re read what I wrote.

I agree with you the system is driven by money, which is why I don't think Sessions will do anything, and Trump is a businessman that understand capitalism...why he would allow one of the largest economic upswings to fail because of ??? is beyond me. Please reread my post. There was no praise for corporate takeover, that is reality of what actually is happening.

1022 was severely limited by Obama and an executive order, and yes the for profit prisons are slowly closing their doors, and yes, actually being sold to cultivators, that is also a fact. Also in August 2016, many civil rights groups got together and pushed for prison for profit to be addressed and many are closing their doors because of this... and with many states now saying MJ is not a offense that receive jail time, fines being lowered or removed, and civil asset forfeiture being removed in many states, that is definitely NOT signs of a thriving military industrial for profit position that is doing well.

I work in the largest cannabis market alongside many of these powerhouses who are forming the new MJ market, the corporate guys, the investors, the scientists, the lobbyists... and most of them know that sessions and trump are not going to overturn our progress, It makes absolutely no logical sense. Nobody knows for sure, but nobody is really worried either who actually knows the inner workings of the industry. The cannabis industry is too powerful now to stop the momentum.

Here is some insight from some of the biggest movers in the actual current cannabis market in CA. Watch the 1st 10 minutes and you will see that yes, nobody knows what will happen, but to push the momentum backwards just doesn't make sense.
I get what you are saying that the president isn't the one pulling the strings and yes to some level I agree with you but I also know that the supposed 1% that is the string pullers, is also invested in the industry heavily and for them to reverse the progress and movement is ridiculous.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please go back and re read my posts, as you are putting a lot of misconstrued spin on what I was saying, and reciting things that I flat out didn't say. I will respond more later when I have time, but riddle me this...
If the string pullers, 1%, banks and corporations are already heavily investing in the MJ market, why would they want to push back and shove us back into the black market where they can't profit? That makes absolutely no sense.
Also, how does one that is "stupid" make billions of dollars?
Where did I say that I was praising Monsanto, and pharma.... ? that is only facts of what is happening.
Prisons are being bought by cannabis cultivators... You can google this as I don't have time to research for you if you truly care to know.
Look, I understand what you are saying, sort of... I work in the industry alongside all the biggest players, the investors, the businessmen, the scientists, the lawyers, the lobbyists... I am very in tune with what is current in the market.
Where do you get I think trump is superman and going to swoop in and be a savior? I never said that, I only touched on reality, of what is currently going on, who is investing, where the money is, and that the prison for profit is a failure.... Trump isn't going to push back against a huge movement, he is a capitalist overall and understands business.... He is one to take advantage of situations, and he isn't "bought like most other past presidents... he isn't generationly connected like the Bush Family going back decades... He isn't the Clintons who will let anyone buy them out... News just the other day he turned down a multi billion dollar deal from the middle east because it would have been a conflict of interest and put question on his position... a person with integrity wouldn't do that... he isn't bought like most other people... Sessions has his hands tied, and can't write laws... so who would the lawmakers screw themselves out of profit by reversing the momentum? that makes no sense either.. .
My point overall is that the cannabis industry is too powerful, and too many big corporations, banks and investors are already involved, so why would all of a sudden the industry go backwards? that makes no damn sense.

Okay I was in the process of responding to your previous post but you edited the heck out of it, so uhh, lemme try this again. I'll post your previous posts (the before and after edited one?) cause I didn't want to throw out half my response. Oh, and please note how little I mention Trump because he means almost nothing to my responses.

You're right, I and everyone else make assumptions, and I personally hate it when people do it to me. With that being said, I responded based on what you said. As for any preconceived notions about you or your point, I have none. Until yesterday I never knew of or about you and had never read anything you wrote or your views. So there were no 'preconcieved notions', just the notions I got from your writings in that single post I previously quoted.

Why would Trump "allow one of the largest economic upswings to fail"? I never said he would. Please reread my post. I said there are hidden hands behind the scenes that profit from weed currently being illegal and I also said that if it were to be made legal there would be those in power (corporate, banks, government, etc) that would seek to maintain the status quo of power, profit, and control, meaning those in power would seek to profit from control (of weed in this case).

What's 1022? I have never heard of nor know what 1022 is, so please explain. I mentioned 1033, not 1022. And I have not heard of any executive order to limit 1033 so if there is one please provide the name/number of this executive order. While we're on the subject of providing evidence, please provide evidence (news webpage link, youtube clip, whatever) that, and I quote from you directly, "Even prisons are being sold because they are closing... those prisons are being sold to marijuana growers for major commercial cultivation centers" and "yes the for profit prisons are slowly closing their doors, and yes, actually being sold to cultivators, that is also a fact." You have said twice now that prisons are closing and being sold to marijuana growers and that it is a 'fact' so please provide evidence/proof/facts to back up your claim because I call your bluff and say what you're saying regarding the closing down of prisons that are being sold to cannabis cultivators is bullshit. Seriously, provide evidence because I would honestly be happy for you to be right because prisons being sold off to grow weed would be glorious.

Also you said "civil asset forfeiture [is] being removed in many states" but again I have not read anything about this. Please provide evidence. Which states. Provide links to news reports or executive order numbers or youtube clips or twitter tweets or anything that supports your claim that "civil asset forfeiture [is] being removed in many states". As I said in my previous post, sure there might be one or two states that have removed civil asset forfeiture laws that got under my radar but it most certainly is not "being removed in many states" like you claim. Please provide a list of the "many" states that have removed civil asset forfeiture laws in say the past 3 years.

If you "work in the largest cannabis market alongside many of these powerhouses who are forming the new MJ market, the corporate guys, the investors, the scientists, the lobbyists" as you claim, then you sir are someone we should be wary of, not someone we should trust. Your views are clearly on the side of Big Business you work for, the 'powerhouses' as you put it, "the corporate guys, the investors, the scientists, the lobbyists" and these are the very interest groups (excluding scientists, supposedly) that we the people should be wary of. You serve the powerful interest groups who seek to maintain the status quo whereby those in power profit from control (of weed) no matter what damage is caused to the people because the people don't matter, only profits matter. You are working for the very interest groups that want weed legalized so they can gain absolute control over it.

You said that I should reread what you wrote, but I did, several times, as I wrote my previous response. It's atleast partly an obsession. Or call it OCD, or ADHD, or ACDC. You said "I get what you are saying that the president isn't the one pulling the strings and yes to some level I agree with you but I also know that the supposed 1% that is the string pullers, is also invested in the industry heavily and for them to reverse the progress and movement is ridiculous." Please reread my previous post because even though you're saying I didn't read your post you clearly didn't read or understand mine. I never said those in power who are invested in the industry would reverse the progress or movement. I said that those who currently profit from weed being illegal (big pharma, alcohol/tobacco companies, drug enforcement, prisons) would fight to prevent it becoming legal, because they've done so for years. I also very clearly said that if weed were made legal that those in power would seek to maintain the status quo of power, profit, and control (of weed). I never once said they would try to reverse the movement. I said they would try to profit from and control the movement. Yes there are some industries who oppose weed purely for profit reasons (I personally would prefer to smoke weed than drink alcohol for enjoyment or smoke weed to help with pain than take a pharmaceutical drug every day which would mean less moneys for those industries) but there are those who understand the market even if they don't understand the many benefits of weed. Yet most of those interest groups also do not care about the people and only care about the status quo of power, profit, and control. I never once suggested those in power would try to reverse the progress or movement surrounding weed (I said certain groups would to to to prevent it, not reverse it). I said that those in power (the 1% string pullers) would seek to maintain the status quo and profit from the control of weed, such as the "exclusive marketing deals" you said Bayer has, or Microsoft investing in controlling "tracking software" or Monsatan who OWNS THE PATENTS FOR MUCH OF THE WORLDS FOOD SUPPLY starting to invest in the weed market. Monsanto doesn't want to reverse weed laws regarding seed, growing, selling, or consuming, Monsanto wants to control laws regarding seed, growing, selling, or consuming weed.

"If the string pullers, 1%, banks and corporations are already heavily investing in the MJ market, why would they want to push back and shove us back into the black market where they can't profit? That makes absolutely no sense." It sure as hell does make sense, because it means if you don't buy from a corporate sponsor then what you are buying is on the 'black market' as you say, which is 'illegal', which means you can be thrown in jail and/or fined. If certain groups have a monopoly control over weed production/sales and another interest group has control over the prisons that punish people for not buying from government/corporate sponsored groups, then these special interest groups WORKING TOGETHER don't care about what you do because if you buy from them you are buying a corporate controlled product and if you don't buy from them (like how we used to in the stone ages like buying from your friendly neighbourhood dealer) then you can be locked up because you are buying an 'illegal' product. You said "My point overall is that the cannabis industry is too powerful, and too many big corporations, banks and investors are already involved, so why would all of a sudden the industry go backwards? that makes no damn sense. " I NEVER SAID THE INDUSTRY WOULD GO BACKWARDS!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry, angry mood, lots of exclamation marks (family stuff mostly, not you). I never said they'd go backwards. I said THEY'D SEEK TO CONTROL IT! And your many references (comments atleast) to various corporations who are known control freaks getting who are getting into the weed market proves that very point.

Let me once again try to explain things for you since you don't seem to get it. Those currently in power who profit from the control of weed (being illegal, which is law enforcement, DEA, prisons, alcohol and drug companies, etc) will fight to prevent weed becoming legal. Those interest groups are currently the biggest opponents of cannabis legalization. But there are other interest groups who are smart enough to realize the (profit) potential of weed, however these groups are purely interested in personal profit margins and not the many benefits to humanity that weed can provide. These particular interest groups will not try to reverse the progress or movement of weed and I never said they would. They know there is money in them thar hills, and they are investing as much as they can while digging for green gold. The problem is that big corporations that have lots of money are putting in massive claims that small businesess simply cannot compete with because of all the regulations.
You seem to have this idea that all groups that are 'pro-cannabis legalization' are exactly the same thing. You are lumping these peoples all together, but there is a vast difference between people who want weed legalized because they like to smoke a joint or two at night, and those who understand there is simply no logical scientific or social reason why it should be illegal (it's not harmful and is actually beneficial in many regards so why is it illegal? Unlike say alcohol which is extremely harmful yet perfectly legal), and those who want weed to be made legal so they can own the patent for the seeds genetics or own the patent for a pill or control the production or sale of weed.

You said "Also, how does one that is "stupid" make billions of dollars?" HAH! That's a joke right? How about YOU GET BORN INTO IT! Paris Hilton anyone? Kim Kardashian? ANY F**KING CHILD BORN INTO A RICH F**KING FAMILY? Isn't like that 2 or 3 year or prince for the British royal family worth like a billion dollars when all he can do is drool? Hello? Is this mic on?
You might wanna do a little research on the subject of psychopaths. I'm not saying Trump is a psychopath (narcissist maybe, though maybe less so than Obama), but it is fairly well understood in psychology that the current political/economic ssytem benefits people with psychopathic traits (because the system is built by psychopaths for psychopaths). So how does someone that is "stupid" make billions of dollars? Easy. By also being a psychopath. (Not saying Trump is, though many political figures are), but the current system is designed by and for psychopaths.

 

[Icemud]

Re: Marijuana Industry Fears If Sessions Is Confirmed, Dispensaries Could Get Shut Do

Here are just a few supporting facts about how I mentioned that the for Profit Prison model is failing....

Dated Aug 18th, 2016

The Justice Department plans to end its use of private prisons after officials concluded the facilities are both less safe and less effective at providing correctional services than those run by the government.

Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates announced the decision on Thursday in a memo that instructs officials to either decline to renew the contracts for private prison operators when they expire or “substantially reduce” the contracts’ scope. The goal, Yates wrote, is “reducing — and ultimately ending — our use of privately operated prisons.”

“They simply do not provide the same level of correctional services, programs, and resources; they do not save substantially on costs; and as noted in a recent report by the Department’s Office of Inspector General, they do not maintain the same level of safety and security,” Yates wrote.

In another article from Feb 2016

Until last fall, Adelanto was known, if at all, as a prison town.

Its first prison was built in 1991, as the city braced itself for the closure of nearby George Air Force Base.

That didn’t stop Adelanto’s long slide into high unemployment and depressed property values. More than a third of the city’s nearly 33,000 residents now live below the poverty line. So it kept welcoming more prisons, banking on the promise of jobs and steady revenue in the form of an annual bed tax.

There are now four prisons within city limits that house some 3,340 county, state and federal inmates. Another 1,000-bed prison is expected to come up for a vote March 1, city planner Mark de Manincor said. But Adelanto only takes in $160,000 each year from the prisons, which employ roughly 680 people combined.

When investors started talking to Adelanto about cultivation, nearly all of the City Council was against it. The exception was John “Bug” Woodard Jr.

“I had nothing to lose,” said Woodard, a real estate agent with flowing gray hair who hosts the Woodystock Blues Festival on his desert ranch. “The city could not get in any worse shape than it was. It was broke.”

After a year of heated meetings – featuring disapproving school district and public safety leaders – Woodard couldn’t persuade the City Council to approve dispensaries. But on Nov. 23, the council voted 4-1 to allow cultivation.

And here is another one: Dated July 2016

Claremont Custody Center in Coalinga, California is set to be repurposed as a medical marijuana production facility, after Coalinga city officials jointly agreed to sell the building to a local firm, Ocean Grown Extracts, to the tune of $4.1 million—conveniently covering the city’s $3.8 million debt.

Prior to closure, the prison had a capacity of more than 500 inmates though operations were put to an end when California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations decided to shut the facility down in 2011. Now, after lying empty for half a decade, the building will now become a high-security factory for cannabis oil extraction.

On Civil asset forfeiture: from 2 days ago..

It’s a little over a week into 2017 and Ohio is already leading the way on civil asset forfeiture reform. On January 4th, Ohio Governor John Kasich signed legislation that would require a criminal conviction before civil asset forfeiture laws could be used by law enforcement to confiscate the property of regular Americans. This makes Ohio the 12th state to adopt this type of legislation.

21 States that have decriminiliation laws allowing fines but no jail time:

Alaska *
California*
Colorado *
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia *
Illinois
Maine*
Maryland
Massachusetts*
Minnesota **
Mississippi
Missouri **
Nebraska
Nevada *
New York
North Carolina **
Ohio **
Oregon *
Rhode Island
Vermont

And on Obamas executive action on the 1033 program from whitehouse.gov

On January 16, 2015, President Barack Obama issued Executive Order 13688, “Federal Support
for Local Law Enforcement Equipment Acquisition” (EO), to identify actions that can improve
Federal support for the appropriate use, acquisition, and transfer of controlled equipment by
State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies (LEAs).- - The EO established a Federal
interagency Law Enforcement Equipment Working Group, which consulted with stakeholders
and deliberated to develop the recommendations described in this report.---
 Establishment of Federal Government‐wide Prohibited Equipment Lists.--The Prohibited
Equipment List identifies categories of equipment that LEAs will not be able to acquire via
transfer from Federal agencies or purchase using Federally‐provided funds (e.g., Tracked
Armored Vehicles, Bayonets, Grenade Launchers, Large Caliber Weapons and
Ammunition).--The Prohibited Equipment List will take effect upon transmission of the
recommendations to the President.--
 Establishment of Federal Government‐wide Controlled Equipment Lists.--The Controlled
Equipment List identifies categories of equipment (e.g., Wheeled Armored or Tactical
Vehicles, Specialized Firearms and Ammunition, Explosives and Pyrotechnics, Riot
Equipment) that LEAs, other than those solely serving schools with grades ranging from
kindergarten through grade 12, may acquire if they provide additional information,
certifications, and assurances.--While inclusion on these lists would not preclude an LEA
from using other funds for such acquisitions, the Working Group’s report urges LEAs to
give careful consideration to the appropriateness of acquiring such equipment for their
communities.
 Harmonization of Federal Acquisition Processes.- - All Federal equipment acquisition
programs must require LEAs that apply for controlled equipment to provide mandatory
information in their application, including a detailed justification with a clear and
persuasive explanation of the need for the controlled equipment, the availability of the
requested controlled equipment to LEA in its inventory or through other means,
certifications that appropriate protocols and training requirements have been adopted,
evidence of the civilian governing body’sreview and approval or concurrence of the LEA’s
acquisition of the requested controlled equipment, and whether the LEA has been or is in
violation of civil rights and other statutes, regulations, or programmatic terms.--Ongoing
coordination among the various Federal agencies will ensure that a uniform process is in
place to assess the adequacy of the justification in each application.
 Required Protocols and Training for LEAs that Acquire Controlled Equipment.--LEAs that
acquire controlled equipment through Federal resources must adopt General Policing
Standards, including community policing, constitutional policing, and community input
and impact principles.--LEAs also must adopt Specific Controlled Equipment Standards on
the appropriate use, supervision, evaluation, accountability, transparency, and operation
5
of controlled equipment.--LEAs must train its personnel on General Policing and Specific
Controlled Equipment Standards on an annual basis.
 Required Information Collection and Retention for Controlled Equipment Use in
Significant Incidents.--LEAs must collect and retain certain information when the LEA uses
controlled equipment in operations or actionsthat are deemed to be Significant Incidents.--
LEAs also must collect and retain information when allegations of unlawful or
inappropriate police actions involving the use of controlled equipment trigger a Federal
compliance review of the LEA.- - Upon request, the LEA must provide a copy of this
information to the Federal agency that supplied the equipment/funds.--This information
also should be made available to the community the LEA serves in accordance with the
LEAs applicable policies and protocols.
 Approval for Third‐Party Transfers or Sales.--LEAs must receive approval from the Federal
agency that supplied the funds or equipment before selling or transferring controlled
equipment.--Third‐party LEAs acquiring controlled equipment must provide to the Federal
Government the same information, certifications, and assurances that were required of
selling/transferring LEAs.--Sales or transfers to non‐LEAs are restricted to certain types of
controlled equipment that do not pose a great risk of danger or harm to the community
if acquired by non‐LEAs.
 Increase Federal Government Oversight and Compliance.--The Federal Government will
expand its monitoring and compliance capabilities to ensure that LEAs acquiring
controlled equipment adhere to protocols, training, information collection and retention,
and other requirements proposed by the recommendations this report.--Additionally, the
Federal Government will create a permanent interagency working group to, among other
things, evaluate the Controlled and Prohibited Equipment Lists for additions and
deletions, track controlled equipment purchased with Federal resources, develop
Government‐wide criteria for evaluating applications and conducting compliance
reviews, and sharing information on sanctions and violations by LEA applicants.- - The
United States Digital Service will assist Federal agencies in the creation of a database that
tracks information about controlled equipment acquired through Federal programs.-

To me, none of this above shows that the For Profit Prison model is working...

 

[Icemud]

Re: Marijuana Industry Fears If Sessions Is Confirmed, Dispensaries Could Get Shut Do

I can supply links but generally link posting is not allowed on 420, I'm sure you can find the exact articles by googling the first sentences". Please support your topics with supporting information as well. I see a lot of opinion and theorys, but most of what you are saying is slightly outdated.

All in all, I see what you were saying, and 5 years ago wouldn't even have debated the point you are making, but times have changed, money has shifted and there isn't a valid argument that the MJ industry is being suppressed by the elitists and 1%ers... they are all jumping aboard...

And back to the original topic... will Sessions end the industry and stop the acceleration... Its very very unlikely... and even if he tried, his arms are tied, his boss is a businessman, and what the Attorney General recommends still trickles down through district attorneys (we have 3 in California) who decide what is acted on, and what is not. So really the AG doesn't have as much power as these scare tactic article make it seem.

My apologies about the editing as typing my thoughts drinking my morning coffee I had to do a lot of editing to get my point across, and I didn't want to come off like a know it all or an arse I am very confident in what I know about the industry and what is happening as I live and breath it each day as I am a paid researcher for the company I work for, and have to know everything from legal dealings, where money is going, who is investing, what states are doing, what laws are changing, trends and products, building codes...etc... I even was the main researcher and writer of the argument and topical information that became the section of a bill which legalized extraction and changed health and safety code as of Nov 2016 in California. So I am very familiar with how a bill becomes law, as I actually have participated in changing law in California. I don't have corporate bias, and I personally don't like seeing what is happening to our industry, but the reality of it is already here, and its my choice to either jump aboard, or watch others get filthy rich while I sit and hope that things will stay grassroots.

All the corporate takeover you speak of as the future potential.... Is actually reality, and its happening now. The whole "legalization" passed in California in November, that I warned people over and over about and pushed people not to vote for is now pushing out small time growers, businesses and because of demand for land, costs of compliance, regulations and code conformity, only those with tens of millions of dollars can even get in right now. It sucks, I hate it, but its whats happening. Almost every venture capital investment made in the last year or 2 has ties to large corporations, pharma companies and large banking and financial institutions. So what you fear is already happening, Corporate weed is coming, and unless the citizens get together and make changes, give it 5 years and you will see this industry move just like the liquor industry... having a few major brands, and some lucky craft cultivators. The Kennedy fortune was generated by Joseph Kennedy because of investments that were made before alcohol was legal, and I know the government, the banks, big pharma knows already this is going to happen with weed, which is why billions are flowing in now....

My suggestion to you is do everything you can to prevent this coming to AU... I congratulate you guys on your step forward with medical, but make sure you don't see the same thing happen there as is happening here... or we all will be smoking marlboro weederettes...

 

[Icemud]

Re: Marijuana Industry Fears If Sessions Is Confirmed, Dispensaries Could Get Shut Do

Here are a few more supporting articles that back up what I was saying...

April 7, 2016

Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. spent about $130 million to buy California’s General Hydroponics Inc., Columbus Business First has confirmed, marking the company’s biggest acquisition since a European expansion push in the 1990s.

Marysville-based Scotts, through its new subsidiary Hawthorne Gardening Co., announced the acquisition of General Hydroponics last week but did not disclose the purchase price.

The General Hydroponics acquisition is noteworthy for the company’s prevalence among indoor marijuana growers, although officials from both companies downplay the ties and note that the products are mostly used for other plants. The company brings $40 million in annual sales to Scotts, which had revenue topping $2.8 billion last year.

April 7, 2016

Scotts Miracle-Gro is hiking its holdings in hydroponics.

The lawn-and-garden giant — helmed by a CEO who sees legal marijuana as a billion-dollar opportunity — shelled out $136 million for Gavita, a Dutch grow lighting and hardware company, and on Monday inked a deal to buy Arizona-based Botanicare, a plant nutrient and hydroponics products provider that notched about $40 million in sales, Scotts Miracle-Gro officials said Wednesday.

Aug 4th, 2016

Scotts Miracle-Gro CEO Jim Hagedorn has made good on an earlier promise to invest big money in ancillary cannabis companies.

Hagedorn announced in a conference call with investors that the lawn-care company signed a $40 million deal this week to acquire Botanicare, a marijuana nutrient and hydroponics products provider in Arizona.

The outspoken CEO previously said he wants to “invest, like, half a billion dollars” in the marijuana industry.

Earlier this year, Scotts bought Gavita, a European company that specializes in grow lighting and hardware, and has also invested in other cannabis-related companies.

From Monsanto's own website: May 20, 2015

Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) and The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE: SMG), the leading marketer of branded consumer lawn and garden products, today announced the two companies have extended their nearly two-decade long partnership in the lawn and garden consumer market.

Since 1999, Scotts Miracle-Gro, through one of its subsidiaries, has served as Monsanto's exclusive agent for the marketing and distribution of Roundup® non-selective herbicides in the consumer lawn and garden market within the United States and select international markets. Today’s agreement will unlock additional value in the Roundup brand in the lawn and garden segment by providing Scotts with an extended license to use the Roundup brand in new lawn and garden product categories and broaden their marketing rights into new geographies.

From NY Times: June 2016

“We do think there will be significant growth,” said Kimberly Nelson, the executive director of state and local government solutions at Microsoft. “As the industry is regulated, there will be more transactions, and we believe there will be more sophisticated requirements and tools down the road.”

Microsoft’s baby step into the business came through an announcement on Thursday that it was teaming up with a Los Angeles start-up, Kind, that built the software the tech giant will begin marketing. Kind — one of many small companies trying to take the marijuana business mainstream — offers a range of products, including A.T.M.-style kiosks that facilitate marijuana sales, working through some of the state-chartered banks that are comfortable with such customers.

Jan 2016, Fortune:

That explains why Kennedy looks at home wearing a grey suit (no tie) in the downtown Manhattan headquarters of Privateer's newest subsidiary, Marley Natural. The room is indistinguishable from the office of any other startup, with exposed brick walls and rows of uncluttered West Elm tables. I suppose I expected beaded curtains and five-foot bongs, but the only evidence that the space is occupied by a marijuana seller is a single portrait of Bob Marley, the company's namesake, in the entryway.

Today the company moves one step closer to legitimacy, securing a large round of institutional funding, a first for the industry.

Founders Fund, the investment firm created by Peter Thiel, has joined a Series B round of funding worth $75 million for Privateer Holdings. More than $50 million of the round has closed so far, including a $15 million convertible note from February of last year. The entire round will officially close in a few weeks, Kennedy says. Founder's Fund has not disclosed the exact amount of its investment beyond "multi-millions" of dollars.

Dec 2015 on Merril Lynch *** it states that none of the banks are allowing accounts from MJ, but they aren't afraid to use yours and others money to invest in Marijuana stocks... this can be found by looking at any publicly traded marijuana's profile and viewing their major holders. Yahoo finance and NASDAQ both have this feature..

A prospective investor who received the report last week recently shared it with Goldstein. It included information about various components of cannabis such as THC and CBD, state medical marijuana laws, medical conditions that marijuana has been shown to treat, public polling, and details about "publicly traded companies already operating in the sphere."

"The Merrill Lynch report did not in any way touch upon investing in any company that was directly in the business of growing, processing, or selling marijuana products for medical or personal use under state laws," Goldstein reports. "However, they did note that the cannabis market could be more than $7 billion annually already and could grow exponentially if legalization happened nationwide."

So far, Bank of America (and every other major financial institution in the U.S.) has refused to accept accounts from marijuana businesses in states where pot has been legalized for medical or recreational purposes. But if marijuana is legalized on a federal level, that could quickly change. The industry could grow to be worth $13 billion by 2020, and Wall Street is taking notice.

Rather than investing in the federally illegal industry directly, Merrill Lynch says it's looking at "Life Science Tools" associated with cannabis. That includes equipment used to test cannabis potency and quality, and the market for that equipment is expected to grow to between $50 million and $100 million by 2020.

Forbes Magazine Nov 9th, 2016

Parker, who was Facebook’s founding president, contributed $8.9 million to three committees supporting California's Proposition 64, according to campaign finance records. FORBES estimates that Parker, a philanthropist with homes in New York and Los Angeles, has a net worth of $2.4 billion. Billionaire Nicholas Pritzker II, an heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, also donated $900,000 to committees promoting the measure. Billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel, who cofounded PayPal and Palantir, chipped in another $300,000 one week before the election.

George Soros:

Soros has been an advocate for marijuana legalization, funding organizations such as the Drug Policy Alliance and supporting past measures, including California’s last recreational ballot effort.

In 2014, Forbes reported that Soros’ drug reform financial contributions totaled about $200 million:

“He’s played a historic role in the evolution of drug policy reform from a movement that was at the fringe of U.S. politics to one that is in the mainstream,” said Ethan Nadelmann, who runs the nonprofit Drug Policy Alliance.

The largest recipient of that $200 million is the Drug Policy Alliance. Nadelmann said his organization has worked with Soros for decades, and that the foundation now gives roughly $5 million a year to his nonprofit or one of its affiliates.

Nadelmann recalled his organization’s first success with Soros’s help: when they won key states for medical marijuana in the late 1990s.

Nov 9th, 2016 Business Insider

The former Facebook president and founder of Napster contributed $8.5 million to the effort to legalize recreational marijuana in California.

Parker has been radio silent regarding Proposition 64, though his dollars said otherwise.

"If you wanted to invent the perfect funder for a California ballot measure, it would be hard to dream up one better than Sean Parker," Jason Kinney, a spokesperson for the Proposition 64 campaign, told Business Insider. "He did this for social justice, not the personal spotlight."

Over the last year, Parker became the single biggest donor of the initiative, by far, according to The Los Angeles Times. Another $4 million came from a nonprofit called the Fund for Policy Reform, which is backed by New York hedge fund billionaire George Soros.

On Nicholas Prizker Aug 2016

Another contributor to the Proposition 64 campaign is Nicholas Pritzker of Tao Capital Partners, a firm that is a big investor in MJ Freeway, a leader in software and services helping legal cannabis businesses manage inventory.

Pritzker, an investor in Tesla, SpaceX and Uber, contributed $250,000 to committees supporting the pot campaign. His brother Joby is a board member of the Marijuana Policy Project, and the Pritzkers, heirs to the Hyatt Hotels family, have made considerable donations to Newsom’s campaign for governor.

Just 1 of many Genetic companies already making moves in the industry, Phylos Bioscience **check out their website as the tool they have "The galaxy" is actually quite bad a$$.

Newsweek profiled Mowgli Holmes, Chief Scientific Officer of Phylos Bioscience, an Oregon-based research and diagnostic company focused on cannabis genomics that he co-founded with CEO Nishan Karassik. Holmes received his PhD from the Columbia University Department of Microbiology and Immunology. He isn’t the only PhD either, as the team and the advisory board is highly credentialed.

The company is on a mission to sequence the DNA of cannabis. The article details his background, his initial efforts to enter the industry and the current operations of Phylos Bioscience, which operates in the federally-funded Oregon Health and Science University. Consequently, the lab handles DNA samples only and not cannabis itself.

The samples come from all over the world, via often fascinating treasure hunts conducted largely by word-of-mouth research. There are two or three other labs working on cannabis genome projects, but none have collected nearly as many specimens as Phylos, and most of their samples come from marijuana dispensaries, not from original landraces, Holmes says. He has collected nearly 2,000 specimens so far and entered 1,500 of them into a software program that organizes the DNA into clusters, outputting a visual representation that looks like a constellation of stars

On Banking and memo, June 2016

Among other arguments for changing federal law is that the marijuana business currently lacks access to banking facilities. Most banks, fearful of FDIC sanctions, won’t work with the $6.7 billion marijuana industry, leaving 70% of cannabis companies without bank accounts. That means billions of dollars are sitting around in cash, encouraging tax evasion and inviting theft, to which an estimated 10% of profits are lost. But that problem too could be remedied soon. On June 16, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved an amendment to prevent the Treasury Department from punishing banks that open accounts for state-legal marijuana businesses.

I actually wasn't aware GMO marijuana was already in the USA, and only heard about it overseas..but its already here too.

ASALT, CO—Four activists were apprehended in their Denver homes last night and charged with uprooting crops of genetically engineered cannabis during two late-night actions.

The crop destruction took place over the course of two separate nights in early January, when individuals pulled up 6,500 genetically engineered marijuana plants on a pair of privately-owned plots of land leased and managed by Syngenta.


The United States has recently has seen a widespread cultural and legal shift in favor of medical marijuana, and the states of Washington, Colorado, Oregon and Alaska are the first to have legalized the plant for recreational use. This is a huge win for those who previously didn’t have access to the medicine they needed, and will also keep future pot smokers out of prison. However, many stoners’ have feared that the plant’s shove into the spotlight will result in increased scale of production, widespread use of industrial techniques, and genetic tampering—a fear that’s been actualized with Syngenta’s first plots of test crops. Fortunately, this recent case of GMO cannabis sabotage demonstrates that activists concerned about the integrity of the natural world, including the drugs we grow, are willing to risk their freedom to take action.

“Our Skywalker OG could maintain dense buds with dank crystals at temperatures far below what non-GMO crops can handle,” added Guy Fontaine, manager of Syngenta’s Colorado plots. “To say this is a bummer would be an understatement.”

And if we look just a little into Sygenta and who they are:

BASEL, Switzerland, and WILMINGTON, Del. – Syngenta and DuPont Crop Protection (DuPont) announced today the publication of a joint patent, focused on the development of a new herbicide chemistry class. Collaboration on the project started in 2015 and has resulted in the joint patent entitled "Substituted cyclic amides and their use as herbicides." The new herbicide has entered into the pre-development stage and is expected to be launched in 2023.

"We are very pleased that our collaboration with Syngenta has extended into a joint research project for a new herbicide chemistry class," said Timothy P. Glenn, president, DuPont Crop Protection. "Partnerships for the advancement of crop science and development of crop protection solutions help growers realize the potential in their fields."

Jon Parr, president for Crop Protection at Syngenta, said "We are excited to be working again with DuPont on this herbicide research and development project. Success in this field will bring much needed new technology to farmers in the increasingly challenging area of weed management, including resistance."

So DuPont is teamed with Sygenta...interesting.... but who has invested in Sygenta.... lets take a look at their investor page at yahoo finance...

Top Institutional Holders
Shares Date Reported % Out Value
Capital World Investors 5,600,000 Sep 29, 2016 1.21% 490,559,988
Arrowgrass Capital Partners (US) LP 2,886,140 Sep 29, 2016 0.62% 252,825,858
Jet Capital Investors, L.P. 1,810,221 Sep 29, 2016 0.39% 158,575,355
Cowen Group, Inc. 1,350,661 Sep 29, 2016 0.29% 118,317,900
Bank of America Corporation 1,253,040 Sep 29, 2016 0.27% 109,766,301
Macquarie Group Limited 1,166,662 Sep 29, 2016 0.25% 102,199,588
Alpine Associates Management Inc. 1,053,066 Sep 29, 2016 0.23% 92,248,579
Westchester Capital Management, LLC 994,583 Sep 29, 2016 0.21% 87,125,468
Morgan Stanley 863,133 Sep 29, 2016 0.19% 75,610,449
Van Eck Associates Corporation 778,862 Sep 29, 2016 0.17% 68,228,309

Top Mutual Fund Holders
Holder Shares Date Reported % Out Value
American Funds Insurance Ser-Asset Allocation Fund 1,800,000 Sep 29, 2016 0.39% 157,679,996
Merger Fund, The 819,701 Sep 29, 2016 0.18% 71,805,805
VanEck Vectors ETF Tr-Agribusiness ETF 778,862 Sep 29, 2016 0.17% 68,228,309
Pioneer Equity Income Fund 394,532 Sep 29, 2016 0.08% 34,561,002
Arbitrage Fund 209,253 Aug 30, 2016 0.05% 18,257,324
DFA International Core Equity Portfolio 186,904 Jul 30, 2016 0.04% 14,694,393
GMO Implementation Fund 200,725 Aug 30, 2016 0.04% 17,513,256
Motley Fool Fds Tr-Motley Fool Independence Fd 77,101 Jul 30, 2016 0.02% 6,061,680
Pioneer Equity-Income VCT Portfolio 72,069 Jun 29, 2016 0.02% 5,534,178
Driehaus Active Income Fund 68,215 Sep 29, 2016 0.01% 5,975,633

Again, many of the same banking and financial institutions that "run" politics internally... what is even more interesting, is if you look into these mutual fund holders, large portions of the holders of the mutual funds, are US Treasury Notes.... yep...

Plant patents for genetics are already starting to happen as well: What is even more interesting about the History of ownership of this company, Cannabis Sativa, Inc. and you will see the name Gary Johnson... yep its the same one that just was running for president.

Dec 2016, Nasdaq
"MESQUITE, NV / ACCESSWIRE / December 21, 2016 /Cannabis Sativa, Inc. (OTCQB:CBDS) announced that on December 20, 2016, the company's subsidiary was awarded Patent PP27,475 for a Cannabis Plant named "Ecuadorian Sativa".Equadorian Sativa" has been shown in laboratory testing by Steephill Labs to have a Limonene level that is extraordinarily high at a level of 4.53, 10 to 20 times the usual range. This sets "Equadorian Sativa" apart from other varieties in its odor, the effects on mood and mentation and its medical qualities.

The objective of the breeding, which produced this novel plant strain nicknamed "CTA", was primarily to develop a plant having the following characteristics: (a) medicinal properties that included hypotensive activity; (b) psychoactive properties that motivated and energized, rather than creating lethargy, sleepiness, and (c) increased food consumption

and about Gary Johnson relations to this company:Cbs news, 2014

Johnson, the former Republican governor of New Mexico and the 2012 presidential nominee for the Libertarian Party, has long been an advocate for legalizing marijuana. But now, as the head of a company that plans to market and sell recreational marijuana products, he's quite literally putting his money where his mouth is.

Though not that much money, at least not at first.

"I'm getting paid $1 a year to be president and CEO of this company, but I am getting stock so the only way I make money is if shareholders make money," Johnson said.

The top shareholding Institutions in GW Pharma stock, copied and pasted directly from the "Instutional Holdings" tab, on GWPH's ticker summery page from Nasdaq

CAPITAL RESEARCH GLOBAL INVESTORS 09/30/2016 3,017,604
SCOPIA CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LP 09/30/2016 1,885,167
FMR LLC 09/30/2016 1,754,858
PRUDENTIAL PLC 09/30/2016 1,166,106
DEERFIELD MANAGEMENT CO 09/30/2016 1,008,475
VIKING GLOBAL INVESTORS LP 09/30/2016 982,655
JANUS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC 09/30/2016 774,753
BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON CORP 09/30/2016 761,172
CAPITAL WORLD INVESTORS 09/30/2016 760,800
BANK OF AMERICA CORP /DE/ 09/30/2016 712,767
REDMILE GROUP, LLC 09/30/2016 545,922
PRICE T ROWE ASSOCIATES INC /MD/ 09/30/2016 541,614
FRANKLIN RESOURCES INC 09/30/2016 424,170
ROCK SPRINGS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LP 09/30/2016 325,000
FEDERATED INVESTORS INC /PA/ 09/30/2016 287,680
ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN L.P. 09/30/2016 253,367
MORGAN STANLEY 09/30/2016 237,156
VICTORY CAPITAL MANAGEMENT INC 09/30/2016 227,237
BLACKROCK FUND ADVISORS 09/30/2016 207,274
POINT72 ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P. 09/30/2016 152,663
JENNISON ASSOCIATES LLC 09/30/2016 148,958
LORD, ABBETT & CO. LLC 09/30/2016 143,758
MILLENNIUM MANAGEMENT LLC 09/30/2016 138,338
VENBIO SELECT ADVISOR LLC 09/30/2016 133,600
DEUTSCHE BANK AG\ 09/30/2016 104,194
OPPENHEIMERFUNDS, INC. 09/30/2016 100,000
JANE STREET GROUP, LLC 09/30/2016 97,700
SUSQUEHANNA INTERNATIONAL GROUP, LLP 09/30/2016 90,108
GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC 09/30/2016 87,384
EVENTIDE ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC 09/30/2016 63,500

Here is the same for INSYS Therapeutics INSY

SCOPIA CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LP 09/30/2016 9,129,013
ORBIMED ADVISORS LLC 09/30/2016 5,502,240
VANGUARD GROUP INC 09/30/2016 2,382,704
BLACKROCK FUND ADVISORS 09/30/2016 1,552,250
FOLGER HILL ASSET MANAGEMENT LP 09/30/2016 1,422,067
STATE STREET CORP 09/30/2016 1,233,320
FMR LLC 09/30/2016 722,755
BLACKROCK INSTITUTIONAL TRUST COMPANY, N.A. 09/30/2016 671,449
DIMENSIONAL FUND ADVISORS LP 09/30/2016 577,955
BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON CORP 09/30/2016 556,310
INVESCO LTD. 09/30/2016 457,739
CITADEL ADVISORS LLC 09/30/2016 387,683
FRESHFORD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC 09/30/2016 382,283
POINT72 ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P. 09/30/2016 367,143
BLACKROCK ADVISORS LLC 09/30/2016 341,389
GOTHAM ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC 09/30/2016 327,060
AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL INC 09/30/2016 308,958
SKANDINAVISKA ENSKILDA BANKEN AB (PUBL) 09/30/2016 307,700
NORTHERN TRUST CORP 09/30/2016 292,719
RENAISSANCE TECHNOLOGIES LLC 09/30/2016 264,500
MILLENNIUM MANAGEMENT LLC 09/30/2016 222,205
MAVERICK CAPITAL LTD 09/30/2016 203,860
CREDIT AGRICOLE S A 09/30/2016 192,000
DEUTSCHE BANK AG\ 09/30/2016 188,106
GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC 09/30/2016 187,260
GEODE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC 09/30/2016 182,840
QS INVESTORS, LLC 09/30/2016 182,135
ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN L.P. 09/30/2016 157,550
MORGAN STANLEY 09/30/2016 156,892
TWO SIGMA INVESTMENTS, LP 09/30/2016 154,814

So I could keep going on and on but this is the proof that supports a majority of what I said in my previous posts that you requested....

Like I said all this is actually happening now... and all the 1%ers are already flocking to the industry with Green Rush dollar signs in their eyes. This industry is about to go corporate.... and many are going to get left behind... its sad.. but true.. and with this much money flooding in, there isn't much that Sessions can do... as all these billionaires are influences to the government officials for donations and other probably private contributions. I wouldn't be surprised if many government officials don't start filling their portfolios with stock if they already aren't.. they all know its coming, and once enough investment money gets in the industry, the dam will break and the floodgates will open wide...

Also, I do want to respond to this response... you said "

You said “Also, how does one that is "stupid" make billions of dollars?” HAH! That’s a joke right? How about YOU GET BORN INTO IT! Paris Hilton anyone? Kim Kardashian? ANY F**KING CHILD BORN INTO A RICH F**KING FAMILY? Isn’t like that 2 or 3 year or prince for the British royal family worth like a billion dollars when all he can do is drool? Hello? Is this mic on?

I said "MAKE", not get born into it... Donald Trumps fathers net worth wasn't close to billions of dollars, his Net Worth is around $250-300 million. Yes, Donald Grew up much more fortunate than any of us probably, and was given a loan of like $16 million to start his business from his father. Yes that is a significant amount of money to start with, but its not uncommon for start up companies seeking private investments to also start with capital like that... how many of them become billion dollar companies?

What is impressive is turning $16 million into a international brand worth billions just in real estate investments alone. Yes some even will say, well he went bankrupt..which is a popular claim, but when you are the majority holder of over 500 companies... 8 going bankrupt is less than 1.6%.... Thats a great success record.

Most smart people couldn't and don't do that... a stupid person making that kind of money... illogical.

And the mic was on, but the headphones weren't plugged in.

 

[Nightmask]

Re: Marijuana Industry Fears If Sessions Is Confirmed, Dispensaries Could Get Shut Do

Thanks for the many quotes from assorted articles on various topics, but that much information wasn't necessary since there were only a few things I wanted to learn more about, but the information is still appreciated. And what information would you like references/quotes for that I posted? We both know civil asset forfeiture laws are in place, why would you need references to what you already know? Claiming those laws are being repealed means something has changed which requires supporting information. Or saying prisons being sold to growers, that's a pretty big claim (awsome too, thanks for the info on that). As for the editing, I do that a lot myself but I tend to reread my own post like a dozen times while I'm writing to make changes before posting, but I still miss things and gotta make post-post edits.

Fantastic news on prisons being sold to growers, although 2 isn't exactly an impressive figure it does meet the definition of pluralistic prisons. Hope that trend can keep going cause that's a brilliant and much better use for prisons.

Your civil asset forfeiture quote didn't make much sense though.
It's a little over a week into 2017 and Ohio is already leading the way on civil asset forfeiture reform.... This makes Ohio the 12th state to adopt this type of legislation.
How can Ohio be leading the way on reform if it's the 12 state to do so? I really do hope those laws will be repealed because civil asset forfeiture is Orwellian speak for legalized government theft.

Your post on Obama supposedly limiting the 1033 program was a lot of legalese that basically said you gotta fill out some more paperwork and should think long and hard about if they need the equipment but they can still get it.
Establishment of Federal Government‐wide Controlled Equipment Lists.--The Controlled Equipment List identifies categories of equipment (e.g., Wheeled Armored or Tactical Vehicles, Specialized Firearms and Ammunition, Explosives and Pyrotechnics, Riot Equipment) that LEAs, other than those solely serving schools with grades ranging from kindergarten through grade 12, may acquire if they provide additional information, certifications, and assurances.--While inclusion on these lists would not preclude an LEA from using other funds for such acquisitions, the Working Group's report urges LEAs to give careful consideration to the appropriateness of acquiring such equipment for their communities.
It specifically says that law enforcement (LEAs) "may acquire [military equipment] if they provide additional information, certifications, and assurances" and "give careful consideration to the appropriateness of acquiring such equipment for their communities." So yep, they can still get all that military equipment so long as they think about it beforehand and fill out the right forms. That's not limiting the 1033 program, that's exactly the same program but with pandering so people who don't understand legalese will think he's limiting the program when he really isn't.

You said "times have changed, money has shifted and there isn't a valid argument that the MJ industry is being suppressed by the elitists and 1%ers... they are all jumping aboard..." Wow. Just wow. You really aren't reading my responses are you. I NEVER said the 1% would suppress MJ, I said, and I quote, "there are hidden hands behind the scenes that profit from weed currently being illegal and I also said that if it were to be made legal there would be those in power (corporate, banks, government, etc) that would seek to maintain the status quo of power, profit, and control, meaning those in power would seek to profit from control (of weed in this case)." and then there's this quote from me "I NEVER SAID THE INDUSTRY WOULD GO BACKWARDS!!!!!!!!!!! I said THEY'D SEEK TO CONTROL IT!" I never said the elite would suppress weed. I said they would CONTROL IT! Please do try to read. And then you made all these comments and posted quotes from articles basically showing that those in power want to maximize their profit from the control of weed. YOU PROVED MY POINT!

All the corporate takeover you speak of as the future potential.... Is actually reality, and its happening now. The whole "legalization" passed in California in November, that I warned people over and over about and pushed people not to vote for is now pushing out small time growers, businesses and because of demand for land, costs of compliance, regulations and code conformity, only those with tens of millions of dollars can even get in right now. It sucks, I hate it, but its whats happening. Almost every venture capital investment made in the last year or 2 has ties to large corporations, pharma companies and large banking and financial institutions. So what you fear is already happening
Again you proved my point that those in power would seek to maximize their profits from the control of weed, I never said anything about suppressing it. I also said those in power would seek to pass laws that make it difficult/impossible for small growers to survive but only big business survives, and again you proved my exact point. You say you don't like what's happening yet you still jumped on board to fill your own wallet. You are contributing to the corporate takeover/control of cannabis (but I do commend you on speaking up and trying to get people not to pass California's version of legalization). You are part of the problem. It's like saying "Oh, coal is bad for the environment, and I tried to tell people not to approve that coal mine, but now I'm working there cause I want the money." If MJ were being legalized for everyone to use freely and you were on board you'd be doing a great job, but you're on the side of big business, not on the side of the people. You post all this information about big corporations and banks getting into the weed market like it's a good thing because it means there's money and power behind the push for legalization and "legalization good", but legalization is BAD if big corporations are the sole groups that control the weed supply. But aslong as you get your piece of the pie you keep chumming it up with, as you say, the "powerhouses who are forming the new MJ market, the corporate guys, the investors, the scientists, the lobbyists."

 

[Medic1]

Re: Marijuana Industry Fears If Sessions Is Confirmed, Dispensaries Could Get Shut Do

There are valid arguments on both sides of this issue and I thank everyone for their input. The way I see it is no matter what happens or who is AG the movement will continue forward or it will revert back to what it has been for the past 50++ years (underground), although I don't see that happening. The one thing I hope for the most is that big business doesn't push the little guys out of the market. Icemuds suggestion "oh yea... a word to the wise... save your landrace seeds and genetics" is especially pertinent to the future of the industry. IMHO

 

[g041579]

Re: Marijuana Industry Fears If Sessions Is Confirmed, Dispensaries Could Get Shut Do

Weed use, used to be legal, until it wasn't. With fascism on the raise who knows what will happen in the future with weed. Cannabis has enemies in corporations that will try to do whatever will work to slow legalization or promote its downfall. Just look at global warming and the industries that denies it, like Exxon that knew about it in the 70's and covered it up. Only time will tell and nothing surprises me anymore in this world.