It's High Times For Marijuana Stocks Ahead Of Clinton White House

A few months ago, Benzinga shared a look at what the presidential candidates think about marijuana policy and legalization. As one might expect, fiscally conservative, socially liberal Libertarian Gary Johnson, who served as the president and CEO of Cannabis Sativa Inc CBDS until last January, came out as the most pot-friendly.

However, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton also seems to be quite lenient on the issue — even though her running mate Tim Kaine is publicly opposed to legalization and decriminalization. For starters, Clinton has repeatedly stated she would like to re-categorize weed from a Schedule 1 to Schedule 2 substance, so that researchers can better investigate its uses and limitations.

In addition, Clinton has said the government should “focus federal enforcement resources on violent crime, not simple marijuana possession.”

Given that most polls suggest Clinton’s chance of winning is much higher than Republican candidate Donald Trump’s chances, why not take a look into 10 marijuana stocks worth adding to an investor portfolio ahead of a Clinton White House?

An Expert's View

In order to find the best investment advice, Benzinga reached out to Alan Brochstein, founding partner at New Cannabis Ventures and founder at 420 Investor. In a recent newsletter, Brochstein highlighted the upcoming presidential election as a catalyst for cannabis stocks.

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However, in Brochstein’s view, “[T]his is just a trade… and not anything that will matter two or so months from now.” In addition, he emphasized that, following the most recent rally seen in marijuana stocks, he remains very cautious.

Assuming there is such a thing as an election trade, a new question arises: Which particular names should be considered?

Potential candidates for Brochstein’s election trade include:

1. American Cannabis Company Inc AMMJ, even though the low volume seen recently is a source of concern.
2. Cannabis Science Inc CBIS seems to be among the best positioned.
3. CV Sciences Inc CVSI is another great candidate, even though its stock has almost doubled in less than five months.
4. GW Pharmaceuticals PLC- ADR GWPH “is obviously a different kind of stock,” Brochstein said, but added, “[I] would suggest that it could benefit from all of the media, even if legalization and even MMJ have little or no bearing on the company (and perhaps, one could argue, at risk from more legalization).”
5. Hemp Inc HEMP is an interesting, yet risky play, given its SEC situation.
6. Kush Bottles Inc KSHB is another likely election play.
7. Medical Marijuana Inc MJNA looks like it could be part of an election trade as well, although investors should keep an eye for the pending sentencing of Michael Llamas.
8. Surna Inc SRNA seems like it could draw some traders too.
9. Terra Tech Corp TRTC could be the best play, given its exposure to California and Nevada markets.
10. VAPE HLDGS INC COM USD0.00001 VAPE could be a bounce play.

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Disclosure: Javier Hasse holds no interest in any of the securities or entities mentioned above.