Replies to post #15257 on SLEEKSCAPE'S 2022 CANNABIS & MARIJUANA MANIA GRAND

[bears3434]

Thanx for your update & assessment Sleek..

$sipc & $ vate Will March onwards AGAIN very soon !

[SILVER HARVEST]

Nice write up Sleek and agree there will be many industry catalyst this year from NJ, Canada, and now the 2018 midterm. Any chance you will do Canadian Salami picks in June/July?

[Taky]

In addition, I will provide some new commentary on why VATE & SIPC being members of the Hemp and CBD subsectors continues to place them in position to handily outperform the rest of the MJ sector

Ok I missed this. Yes, this would clear things up for me. I agree with your entire MJ thesis...and then there appears this massive disconnect for me to VATE & SIPC.

[badguy3101]

SLEEK, as usual you put out another great piece!

My order for Monday is loading more SIPC and VATE.

You'll all see very soon why I loaded every red day after Sessions opened his filthy, disgusting political mouth.

VATE is going to multi-DOLLAR! SIPC too!

2018 is the year for cannabis!

I ALWAYS load GRAND SALAMIS!

SIPC and VATE!


The Badguy

[captainscotty]

#Grand Salami: Check this out Sleek...:-}--->

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/pot-showdown-congress-uniting-to-stop-sessions-war-on-drugs-w515595


Pot Showdown: How Congress Is Uniting to Stop Jeff Sessions' War on Drugs





Pro-pot lawmakers in the nation's capital spent much of last year fighting behind the scenes to protect their state's legal marijuana industries, but now the cannabis fight is out in the open after Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced he's unwinding the Obama-era guidance that directed U.S. Attorneys to not go after marijuana businesses in states that legalized it.


It was a surprise," Representative Jared Polis (D-CO) tells Rolling Stone. "It leaves the liberty of consumers up to 93 U.S. Attorneys who on a whim could engage in enforcement action against activities that are legal and regulated by states."

Lawmakers of all stripes are now searching for their best outlets to combat the actions of the attorney general who they see as rogue on this issue – just two years ago, then-candidate Donald Trump said marijuana laws should be left to the states. With nearly 29 states and the District of Columbia having legalized some form of marijuana, one would think there would be enough bipartisan consensus to pass a federal bill to tie Sessions' hands, but, according to Polis, "the legislative process is very slow, so we need to do something sooner."

The hangup is that marijuana remains a Schedule I narcotic at the federal level, which puts it in the same category as heroin and LSD. If Congress doesn't change the law, Sessions has a federal statute at his disposal that lawmakers fear he'll wield in a variety of ways. That's why many lawmakers are attempting to undercut the attorney general by penning letters directly to the president that gently urge him to remember his campaign pledge, while they're also working on numerous other legislative fronts to forestall any federal intrusion in state-sanctioned marijuana businesses.

But it's not just Democrats leading the charge. Republicans have historically placed states' rights above encroachment by the federal government. So a handful of Republicans have been left scratching their heads now that a Republican administration is attempting to clamp down on their local, legal industries.

"That's what we just don't understand. That's what I think the ambiguity is right now that we need some clarification on," Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) tells Rolling Stone. The lawmaker is furious with Sessions because during his confirmation Gardner was assured by his former Senate colleague from Alabama "that marijuana would not be a priority for this administration," according to Gardner.

After the announcement from Sessions, Gardner vowed to use any procedural tool at his disposal to block Department of Justice nominees until the attorney general stands by his commitment to not prioritize marijuana prosecutions. Last week Gardner sat down with Sessions to reiterate his demands face to face, but he says more meeting are needed and he hopes to have other lawmakers with him next time in order to get Sessions to see the scope of opposition to his prohibitionist stance.

"I don't think his position has changed. My position hasn't changed at this point," Gardner tells Rolling Stone. "I look forward to a resolution."

Some on Capitol Hill are now arguing that Sessions' unilateral action may have actually driven a stake through the heart of his cause, because federal lawmakers who had been relatively quiet on marijuana are now speaking out because they fear the federal government is encroaching on their constituents.

"It's a big plus for our efforts that the federal government is now aware that our constituents have been alerted," Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) told reporters earlier this month. "We can be confident we can win this fight, because this is a freedom issue."


Now other lawmakers are coming out of the woodwork and voicing their anger at the attorney general. On Wednesday evening, a bipartisan group of lawmakers took to the floor of the House of Representatives to both air their anger at Sessions while also calling for Congress to pass marijuana-related bills, like one that would allow marijuana businesses to access tax credits and deductions.

"We must work to afford all businesses selling legal products the opportunity to make appropriate deductions and contribute to our economy and create jobs," Representative Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) said on the floor. "The best ally that those who are operating illegally, the drug cartels, the drug traffickers – who do not pay any taxes, who target children – the best ally they have are the policies that the attorney general has embraced."

This week, marijuana advocates were able to score a win by keeping an amendment in the short-term spending bill that forbids the Department of Justice or the Drug Enforcement Administration from using federal funds to go after locally legal medical marijuana shops and growers, but that language still doesn't extend to the eight states and the District of Columbia that have legalized recreational marijuana. Representative Don Young (R-AK) and Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) have teamed up to introduce a bill that extends those protections beyond just the medicinal marijuana industry.

The attorney general has vowed to uphold federal law, so some of his allies are wondering if he's pointing out the hypocrisy of lawmakers in both parties who have failed to take up marijuana legislation even as the states have revealed a groundswell of support for cannabis.

"I'll contemplate the possibility that he's crazy like a fox," Representative Tom Garrett (R-VA), who served as a prosecutor for nearly a decade, tells Rolling Stone. "We've got laws on the books and this is certainly the case here, but we've got others, where we just won't enforce them uniformly. And that's a miscarriage of justice on its face. Justice is blind or else it's not justice."

Garrett's quietly pressuring party leaders to bring marijuana legislation to the floor as a standalone bill. While there are many options he could likely support, he's sponsoring a bill that's also endorsed by Independent Senator Bernie Sanders that would remove marijuana from the list of controlled substances. That would end the prohibition on pot and put it in the same category as the likes of alcohol and tobacco. Garrett says their bill is in line with what Sessions has said should happen.

"On the front end he said, 'If you don't like the law change it,'" Garrett says. "We've looked the other way on enforcement for a decade. And that's because there's no public will to enforce this law, which should hasten action from Congress. Why aren't we acting? We lack political courage?"

Sessions' action does seem to have awoken a sleeping giant on Capitol Hill: The growing number of Democrats and Republicans who represent states whose voters have approved weed in one form or another. That's why these pro-pot lawmakers think Sessions may have overplayed his hand.

"I'm hopeful that this action is going to have a powerful reaction," Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) tells Rolling Stone. "This is a movement that's going to happen, and I'm glad to see I've got partners on the Republican side of the aisle that are very animated on this issue."

[recinvestor]

Well reasoned points Sleek :)

[skyhawk66]

Excellent breakdown Sleek, its just a matter of time before our Gems
SIPC and VATE Blast off and don't look back.

[captainscotty]

#SALAMI: "VATE & SIPC being members of the Hemp and CBD subsectors continues to place them in position to handily outperform the rest of the MJ sector".

Another great "SLEEK MEMO"...:-] Thanks

[sleekscape]

Here is a blast from the past that is very relevant to what we have all witnessed occurring during the past week, when the Republican Party has dramatically signaled their softened stance on MJ in this election year in a highly visible and coordinated way

Saturday, 01/20/18 12:33:09 PM
sleekscape
Re: None
Post # 15257 of 17048


THIS IS A PAUSE -- NOT A FULL STOP -- IN THE 2018 MJ MANIA


This administration's viewpoint on MJ -- currently driven by the Department of Justice and Jeff Sessions -- is laughably out of touch with American voters

We have an analogous setup here with New Jersey under Chris Christie, whose political position on medical and recreational marijuana was also comically diametrically opposed to the voting public

And now NJ is on track to legalize MJ under newly elected Governor Phil Murphy within the next few months, which many believe is 18-24 months earlier than would have transpired had New Jersey's previous Governor been more MJ-friendly.
So instead of legalizing recreational marijuana in 2020, NJ is slated to legalize in March/April/May of 2018

When leadership is out of touch with voters, the result is rebellion, upheaval and rapid change -- the status quo cannot hold

There are a few key differences between the NJ situation and what we are dealing with now under Sessions

Christie was the Governor in NJ, the head honcho 100% in charge of all MJ policy

Sessions is the Attorney General, not the President -- Trump doesn't seem to have a strong position on MJ one way or the other; instead, he seems ambivalent -- he is a chatterbox on issues in general but he never even mentions MJ.
Not only is Sessions not in charge of determining MJ policy, but the man who is can be swayed on the status quo

Christie was serving out his 2nd guaranteed term, with nothing to lose by maintaining his anti-MJ stance through the entirety of his tenure -- it's not like he could be removed from office simply because his political sensibility on MJ was such an abject failure

Sessions has no guarantees on the completion of his term as AG.
On the contrary, he has been under various threats of termination from several different angles.
Trump, because he recused himself from the Russia investigation...
Congressional Republicans, because of Trump's dissatisfaction, media leaks, courts continually rejecting the DOJ's new policies on immigration, chaotic disorganization of the DOJ, etc...
Democrats, because of lying under oath and his ass backwards policies...

Christie had historically horrible approval ratings of less than 20% stemming from issues that had nothing to do with MJ, namely Bridgegate and the associated charges of corruption.
This meant that the chances of a Republican Governor succeeding him were near zero, so there was no motivation to change his stance on MJ

In contrast, the 2018 midterm elections are rapidly approaching, and based on many current governors, senators and Congresspeople from a slew of states -- NY, CT, PA, IL, RI, MD, DE, FL, etc -- along with newly announced candidates for these respective positions -- the tide has conclusively turned on recreational MJ and it is going to be a crucial 2018 voting issue

Therefore, Republican governors, senators and house representatives have a lot to lose if they do not soften their stances on recreational MJ this year -- they will be voted out of office and the Democrats will wind up with control of both houses of Congress

Independent voters will be the determining factor in many elections this year and thanks to all of the recent and ongoing media attention, recreational MJ and states' rights to determine their own MJ laws is now a big enough issue to sway at least a few percentile of their votes, which is enough to determine the victor in many elections

The polls are very clear about how independents view MJ and preventing federal interference of MJ in all MJ-legal states, whether those states have legalized medical, recreational or both

Medical marijuana, recreational marijuana and states' rights to determine their own policies on both are not 50/50 issues.
The generic Congressional ballots across the nation currently are plus 8%-12% in favor of Democrats.
The only way for Republicans to maintain control of both Houses will be to sway the Independent voters

So if Trump wants to keep Republicans in charge of both houses and Republican Congresspeople want to be reelected, than all of them collectively must soften their stance on MJ, because the candidates that current senators and House Representatives are running against have postions on MJ that reflect the latest polls -- 60%-65% approval for Rec MJ, 80%-90% percent approval for Med MJ and 70% approval for states

The bottom line is that the further away an administration is from elections that can change the power dynamic of a Congress, the less politically correct they can be in their political positions.
But in the even election years, there is a strong tendency to let polling guide stances on issues, particularly in the very favorable current situation Republicans find themselves where they scored the rare trifecta with President, Senate, and House under their control

Politicians hold two different types of positions on issues -- ideological and "I wanna get elected"
There are also two different groups of politicians.
Those who are looking to hold onto their power and get re-elected and those seeking to be newly elected.
Both groups are subject to the same political forces and pressures that determine who will win

Whenever a politician's ideological stance matches up with the voting public, the politician's position on that issue never changes

However, when there is a difference between personal ideology and the voting public, there is an obvious and logical tendency for the politician's position to drift towards that of the voting public.
In election years like 2018, if there is a mismatch, the desire to win elections always causes a strong shifting away from ideological stances towards those which are more consistent with the voting public.
The desire to win elections and maintain their amazing jobs is the most dominant force on the political stances that politicians in power take in voting years

In those who seek to be newly elected, the desire to win necessitates that the political positions they carve out on issues closely matches that of their prospective voters

This dance between current governors, senators and house representatives, their opponents running for office, and the voting public is just starting to play out

The media's increased attention on recreational marijuana and states' rights to determine their own laws has now moved MJ from a peripheral to a more central issue in the 2018 elections

Though there is a certain complexity inherent in predicting the ultimate federal progress on marijuana that occurs in 2018, there is also a concomitant simplicity carved out by the brutally efficient logic that drives politician's stances in a directionally consistent manner to match those of the voting public

---

Over the weekend, I am working on a new comprehensive writeup of the current political situation and its effects on both the MJ sector as a whole, as well as the Hemp and CBD subsectors

In addition, I will provide some new commentary on why VATE & SIPC being members of the Hemp and CBD subsectors continues to place them in position to handily outperform the rest of the MJ sector


Sleek