• On February 7, Spectrum Global Solutions announced its entry into a definitive agreement of merger with WaveTech Global Inc.
• Upon completion of the merger, WaveTech will become the majority-controlling shareholder of Spectrum Global Solutions
• Representatives of the two companies announced that the merger will provide unique growth opportunities and tremendous value for shareholders

Spectrum Global Solutions Inc. (OTCQB: SGSI), a multi-national single-source provider of next-generation communications network professional services and software solutions to telecommunications and enterprise markets, recently announced its entry into a definitive agreement of merger with WaveTech Global Inc. Upon completion of the merger and acquisition, the consolidated merged entity will have an enterprise value of $130 million, according to a company press release issued on February 7 (http://ibn.fm/RbYGj).

WaveTech Global is a next-generation technology platform that specializes in the provision of mobile network microservices, critical power management, asset lifecycle extension, data analytics and intellectual property development, among other offerings.

The merger will be completed through a sale and exchange of shares and cash. Upon finalization of the transaction, WaveTech will become the majority-controlling shareholder of Spectrum Global Solutions.

According to the official announcement, Spectrum will rebrand itself under the WaveTech Global name. The company’s current leadership team will remain operational in the interim. Spectrum’s board is anticipated to expand and include three new members from WaveTech. Spectrum intends to file for a name change to WaveTech Global. It will also submit an application for uplisting to a Nasdaq exchange under the ticker ‘WAVE’.

“We believe the combination with WaveTech presents a unique growth opportunity for the Company and provides tremendous value for our shareholders,” Spectrum Global Solutions CEO Roger Ponder said in a news release.

“We are excited to join forces with Roger and his team to enable WaveTech and Spectrum to leap forward together. WaveTech is excited to harness the scale and expertise that Spectrum has developed, offering true synergy for Spectrum stakeholders and new WaveTech stakeholders alike. The opportunity ahead of us is massive, and together the new WaveTech team has dramatically improved its sustainable competitive advantage,” WaveTech’s Michael Kotlarz added.

WaveTech’s platform of products features a number of highlights. The company’s Power-Control network architecture is patent pending. It has AI capabilities for the creation of an automated intelligent network from a customer’s power storage and generation assets. The aim of the network is to complete a wide range of customer-specific goals. WaveTech is also known for its patented approach to crystal control, which can dramatically reduce the need for backup energy capital expenditure and the linked costs for environmental control and maintenance to protect critical energy assets.

Spectrum Global Solutions is a leading single-source provider of end-to-end, next generation wireless and wireline network infrastructure. The company offers professional solutions to the service provider and corporate enterprise markets across the U.S., Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean region.

The company provides services directly to carriers, aggregators, project management organizations, utilities, original equipment manufacturers (“OEMS”) and others. It operates through various subsidiaries, including AW Solutions, TNS Inc., ADEX Corp and Tropical Communications Inc.

Currently, the company lists approximately 200 clients that range from multinational telecommunications giants AT&T and Verizon to infrastructure aggregators like ExteNet and Crown Castle.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.SpectrumGlobalSolutions.com

• TransCanna Holdings has acquired an option to buy a Northern California site with a 196,000-square-foot facility and room for a potential 400,000-square-foot addition
• The existing facility has undergone $8 million in cannabis production-potential upgrades
• The company is contemplating the possibility of using the site for cannabis transportation, extraction, manufacturing, bottling, cultivation and nursery operations

Emerging cannabis branding, transportation and distribution company TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE: TCAN) (FSE: TH8) continues to actively develop its market profile for 2019 after recently accepting a Northern California real estate option agreement from the company’s CEO.

The 6.5-acre site has a 196,000-square-foot facility, as well as cannabis packaging and processing equipment and space for a potential 400,000-square-foot grow facility, according to a news release (http://ibn.fm/CKoCK). The seller is experienced in building commercial HVAC facilities to meet U.S. Department of Agriculture standards for safety and sanitation and has previously made a number of improvements to the site, many of which are to USDA standards, and TransCanna Holdings has reached an additional agreement with the seller to retain consultant services and management of the grow facility’s construction, if the company decides to proceed with that second building.

The existing facility is not currently licensed for cannabis, nor is the acquisition dependent on receiving those licenses, according to the company, but, if TransCanna exercises its option to buy the land, it intends to use the facility for transportation and distribution, extraction, manufacturing, bottling, nursery and growing operations. The company expects to lease space to a third-party laboratory testing company, as well.

“With the recent $8 million of tenant improvements performed, this is one of the largest cannabis focused, vertically integrated facilities in California,” TransCanna CEO Jim Pakulis stated in a news release. “The intended use of the facility will be to transfer branded companies that we acquire, or that we create, and bring them inhouse. This means we have complete control over our nursery, grow, manufacturing, extraction and distribution. We believe the consistency in our ecosystem that we can offer, and the scale that we can create, will result in TransCanna owning a portfolio of premium brands that will materially benefit the retailer and their customers.”

California remains the world’s largest marketplace for cannabis sales, despite Canada’s nationwide legalization of the plant last year (http://ibn.fm/NeKs6).

The land is in an area zoned for cannabis production, and the company intends to submit applications for all appropriate licenses this month. TransCanna Holdings has until March 15 to finalize the purchase if it chooses to continue forward. The company has already reimbursed Pakulis the non-refundable $250,000 he initially paid to acquire the sale option and expects to pay an additional fee to financial advisory company Haywood Securities Inc. if the deal closes, according to the news release.

The agreement marks the latest in a series of developments for TransCanna since the British Columbia, Canada-based company was incorporated about a year and a half ago. In January, the company announced its pending acquisition of Goodfellas Group, LLC, a full-service advertising and marketing agency for the cannabis industries (http://ibn.fm/zWO8u). The company also hired Purple Crown Communications Corp. of Vancouver as its investor relations consultant as part of its filing to list with the Canadian Securities Exchange (http://ibn.fm/FWapo). TransCanna also successfully completed an IPO on the Canadian Stock Exchange in January for total gross proceeds of C$2.2 million, and it gained approval to trade on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, as well.

TransCanna subsidiary TransCanna Management Inc., which manages affiliate TCMD, has focused on establishing its own place in the niche market for cannabis distribution and transportation companies operating in California. California is among nine states and the District of Columbia that have legalized recreational marijuana use in the United States, but transporting cannabis products in the state remains problematic because of decentralized local and state regulations, which create a disincentive for many potential players. The federal government’s continued prohibition of cannabis beyond approved pharmaceutical and agricultural hemp uses means that companies regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation are barred from transporting the material, further limiting the pool of potential competitors.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.TransCanna.com

• Cyberfort Software already owns Vivio and recently inked an LOI to acquire Just Content Software in its bid to be a content filtering industry leader
• The company is adding more capabilities to Vivio, strengthening its responsiveness in areas of cloud management, analytical tools and optimizable web browsing
• CYBF’s emphasis on internet safety for families and business enterprises comes amid a rising cyber threat trend driving the cybersecurity market with a 10.2 percent CAGR

The persistence of cybercrime is creating a measure of job security for the industries that care for individual home computers and large corporate networks, and some cybersecurity companies, such as Cyberfort Software Inc. (OTC: CYBF), are distinguishing themselves from the industry crowd through positive word of mouth.

A recent report on cybersecurity stocks to watch during the coming year noted that the computer protection market is growing rapidly because of the rising need for cloud-based solutions among small and medium-sized enterprises (“SMEs”). One of the vehicles driving the trend is innovative practices such as content filtering and ad-blocking capabilities, both of which are CYBF’s bread and butter (http://ibn.fm/mHW2X).

According to the report, the cybersecurity market is forecast to grow from $152.71 billion in 2018 to $248.26 billion by 2023, at a compound annual growth rate (“CAGR”) of 10.2 percent. Cyberfort Software’s acquisition of Vivio three years ago and its recent letter of intent to acquire Just Content Software demonstrate the company’s intentions to remain abreast of the growing industry and provide ad-blocking services that will improve end users’ computing experiences.

“CYBF aims to become a leader in developing cutting-edge ad-blocking protective software that keeps the Internet safe for families and business, which in our highly technological and immediate information-access society, is a significant concern,” Cyberfort CEO Daniel Cattlin stated in a news release.

Just Content is currently available on iTunes as an app that provides protections against unsafe links, adult content, phishing sites and inflammatory hate speech through the use of its proprietary Home Safe Filter and Business Filter products. Vivio serves over 10,000 users across Apple platforms by removing ads from Safari-browsed websites in order to make browsing faster while reducing data costs and battery output.

The company is adding capabilities to Vivio in the areas of cloud-based management, analytical tools, legacy system integration and optimizable web browsing. Cattlin told the Uptick Newswire Stock Day Podcast that CYBF plans to develop and implement an AI- and cloud-based management platform for its services, and that the goal of the company is to have one affordable app geared toward the consumer and another geared toward business enterprises (http://ibn.fm/a8Thf).

Industry insiders have expressed concerns over a “cyber security skills gap” because of a dearth of educational and employment candidates with the potential to combat rising cybercrime amid rapid technological innovations. The National Cyber Security Center (“NCSC”) is highlighting the depiction of hackers as reclusive computer geeks as an off-putting trend that needs to be changed in order to appeal to a new generation of security experts whose interests may not lie only in computer coding, according to an ITPro report (http://ibn.fm/3RgQy).

“What we need are cybersecurity professionals who can not only learn and adapt quickly but also build and apply a contextual understanding of the organisations they protect and work in, not just develop abstract technical skills and knowledge,” Matt Walmsley, director of Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) marketing at Vectra AI, stated in the report.

Cyberfort’s recognition of the societal factors involved in cybersecurity needs is helping it to lead in managing such a diverse array of end user requirements for the company’s products.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.CyberfortSoftware.com

• QMC Quantum Minerals Corp. continues to concentrate on developing significant resource properties
• The company’s projects include the Irgon Lithium Mine Project and the Namew Lake VMS Project
• Global demand for lithium is expected to rise significantly in the coming years

QMC Quantum Minerals Corp. (OTC: QMCQF) (TSX.V: QMC) (FSE: 3LQ) engages in the acquisition, exploration and development of lithium and other mineral resource properties. The company’s emphasis is currently focused on the development of the high-quality, lithium-bearing Irgon Lithium Mine project and two copper, nickel, zinc, palladium, platinum, silver and gold volcanic massive sulphide (“VMS”) prospects. QMC Quantum Minerals (“QMC”) is focused on becoming a leading international supplier of lithium to meet the increasing demand for power from electric vehicles (“EVs”), mobile phones and other electronic devices. The company’s experienced leadership team includes specialists in mineral exploration, geology, engineering, new business development and marketing. QMC has its corporate office based in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Currently, all of QMC’s properties are within the Province of Manitoba, one of Canada’s most productive, centrally-located mining regions. These properties include the Irgon lithium mine project and two VMS properties, the Rocky Lake and Rocky Namew Properties, which are collectively known as the Namew Lake District project. QMC’s goal for these properties is to identify economic mineral deposits for development and near-term production (http://ibn.fm/trCnU).

Mining.com (http://ibn.fm/KBBAf) recently highlighted a new study indicating that “The outlook for lithium continues to shine, with demand from companies that produce batteries to power electric cars, laptops and other high-tech devices, expected to increase 650 percent by 2027, with overall lithium demand forecast to rise more than threefold over that period.” It is projected that the worldwide lithium-ion battery market will grow at a 13.7 percent CAGR through 2022, increasing to more than $67.6 billion. Moreover, the projection extrapolates that the worldwide EV market will grow 28.3 percent through 2026 (http://ibn.fm/eeTpT).

QMC’s 100-percent-owned flagship project is the Irgon Lithium Mine. This project is only 20 km north of Tantalum Mining Corporation of Canada’s (“TANCO”) mine, which has been North America’s most successful lithium mine to date (http://ibn.fm/26pCT). It is projected that the Irgon Lithium Mine will be the company’s first project to reach production. The Irgon Mine project consists of the spodumene-bearing Irgon Dike and a number of other known spodumene-bearing pegmatite dikes located within 22 contiguous mineral claims covering 11,235 acres.

QMC is expected to commence preliminary testing of lithium recoveries from a sample of the Irgon mineralization. This is the company’s next step leading toward a positive production decision following its recent successes in exploring for spodumene-bearing pegmatite dikes on its Irgon property. In addition, the company will continue to assess the other, potentially mineralized targets, as defined by significant geochemical anomalies generated by the recent mobile metal ion (“MMI”) soil geochemical orientation survey that took place over the Irgon Dike (http://ibn.fm/BgB1g).

QMC is also the sole owner of the Namew Lake District project. Namew Lake has strong potential to host a major copper, nickel, gold, silver, palladium and platinum deposit. This project, in northern Manitoba, encompasses 57,000 acres. It is situated in the Flin Flon/Snow Lake VMS mining district, one of the world’s more productive base metal mining areas (http://ibn.fm/pY4k9).

QMC is scaling up as it endeavors to meet the increasing demand in the global lithium market. In addition to holding the historic lithium resource (1.2 million tons at 1.51 percent Li2O) at the Irgon Mine, it is also leveraging other opportunities by diversifying into the precious and base metal sector through its Namew Lake project. QMC offers investors the prospect of a healthy return on investment as a result of its commitment to efficiency and cost savings regarding the Irgon Mine Lithium project, plus the presence of many additional, untested, spodumene-bearing dikes and geochemically-anomalous targets known to exist on the property.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.QMCMinerals.com

• Green Hygienics Holdings is well-positioned to meet the growing global demand for both medical and recreational cannabis
• The company’s multi-pronged approach involves making strategic acquisitions, cultivating the highest quality product and creating trusted global brands
• By utilizing aeroponic technology, the company’s crop yields are maximized using 90-95 percent less energy than competitors

Green Hygienics Holdings Inc. (OTCQB: GRYN), a full-scope, premium cannabis cultivation company, is becoming an industry leader through its strategic development approach, which focuses on harvesting the highest quality product by using the latest advancements in agricultural science.

Green Hygienics Holdings, which targets the high-end medical and adult use recreational cannabis market, offers over 25 years of experience in agricultural science and innovation. The company continues to grow and deepen its roots in the industry through a multi-faceted approach: generating revenue from the growth and sale of the highest grade cannabis products to both the medical and recreational markets, developing and licensing valuable IP, making strategic acquisitions and cultivating trusted global consumer brands.

The first goal of the company, ensuring the highest quality product, is achieved through its hydroponic growth technique. When a plant is grown hydroponically, nutrients and moisture are fed to an already exposed root, as opposed to touching soil, rock or another material. Benefits of hydroponically grown plants abound, including higher yields, enhanced growing efficiency, better and more controlled quality and reduction in cost per unit. Specifically, Green Hygienics’ vertical farming utilizing aeroponic technology, which uses minimal water and instead applies nutrients directly to the root via a fine mist, uses 90-95 percent less water and energy. This strategy allows the company to dramatically improve its overall yield per square foot.

As the recreational and medical marijuana industries continue to blossom, creating a demand for product that has yet to see its peak, industry analysts have predicted that the most important factor of success for companies desiring to compete in the market will be a high yield to low cost ratio. In this respect, Green Hygienics is well-positioned to remain a powerhouse in the recreational and medical cannabis markets.

Another aspect of Green Hygienics’ ability to be extremely competitive against other like companies is its use of state-of-the-art, quality-controlled commercial cultivation equipment and software. The company uses scientific data to monitor and control the growth of its product, with the ability to spot any cultivation problems and solve them immediately, if necessary.

Legislation in both Canada and the United States has increased the demand for quality cannabis product. Green Hygienics’ forward-thinking management team has its pulse on the market, monitoring it for changes in customer demand, cultivation practices and the latest innovations. The company continues to expand globally as it actively pursues opportunities, creating trusted brands and making strategic acquisitions.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.GreenHygienicsHoldings.com

• February events have and will continue to provide the company with opportunities to increase its recognition amid Super Bowl and pre-Academy Awards gatherings
• Marijuana Company of America Inc. upgraded its market tier to the OTCQB Venture Exchange in December
• The company is aggressively pursuing a strategy of building a following for its hemp products by marketing to celebrities and pro athletes

Amid the rise of the cannabis industry and the high degree of attention that consumers and investors alike are paying to the varied applications of the plant and its derivatives, Marijuana Company of America Inc. (OTCQB: MCOA) is raising its profile as a provider of high-quality hemp and cannabidiol (CBD)-infused products. Following the company’s upgrading of its trading tier to the OTCQB Venture Exchange in December, MCOA began working to improve its brand presence through celebrity access.

MCOA’s wholly owned subsidiary, hempSMART, led the company’s offense at Super Bowl LIII promotional events earlier this month, presenting its CBD-infused product line to a number of professional athletes, NFL coaches, actors, musicians and other persons of interest at events such as Ray Lewis’ ‘Ray of Hope’ Foundation’s Gold Jacket for a Purpose gathering and activities at the Ice Box Club in Atlanta.

The hempSMART Brain and hempSMART Pain Cream products, particularly, were gifted to notable sports and entertainment industry attendees such as Ray Lewis, Deion Sanders, Andre Reed, Marshawn Lynch, Tyreek Hill, Larry Fitzgerald, Terrell Owens, Candace Parker, Jon Stewart, Quincy Jones, Malcolm Jenkins, Von Miller, Brandon Marshall, Eddie George, Adrian Peterson, Maroon 5 and the Backstreet Boys, according to a news release about the annual finale to the U.S. pro football season (http://ibn.fm/4uqug).

“Attending the Super Bowl LIII events this past weekend provided a great opportunity for well-known professional athletes and celebrities to discover how amazing and beneficial our products can be for them,” Marijuana Company of America CEO Donald Steinberg stated in the news release.

MCOA further intends to promote its brand to numerous Hollywood celebrities during giveaways at a pre-Academy Awards event later in the month as part of the strategy.

The company’s website notes that the wellness industry is growing rapidly and is now generating $1.9 trillion in sales per year. The hempSMART full-spectrum extracts utilize Mother Nature’s own elements to support the body’s endocannabinoid system in balancing every cell and system of the body (http://ibn.fm/4bIn9).

MCOA’s business model includes advancing a diverse portfolio of business segments that work together synergistically, and the hemp-related brands are positioning themselves to capture market share as a series of developments advance hemp’s potential.

Perhaps key among those developments in the United States has been the federal government’s recognition of potential benefits from cannabis products after decades of categorizing the plant as something with no established medical benefit. In December, a long-debated agricultural policy update to national legislation resulted in congressional and presidential approval of measures to make hemp a legal crop under strict regulations, thus opening the door to individual states interested in developing their own agricultural industries with large-scale production of the non-psychoactive cannabis variety (http://ibn.fm/z1rIk).

Grand View Research analysts have issued a forecast anticipating that the global industrial hemp market will grow from an estimated $3.9 billion in 2017 (http://ibn.fm/uOgag) to about $10.6 billion by 2024 (http://ibn.fm/Tf2Nd).

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.MarijuanaCompanyofAmerica.com

• Company announced 359 percent revenue increase for Q2 2019
• Supreme has expanded domestic distribution to eight Canadian provinces
• Company simplified trading in the U.S. with DTC eligibility

Now that The Supreme Cannabis Company Inc. (TSX: FIRE) (OTC: SPRWF) (FRA: 53S1) has released the results of its operations for the three months ended December 31, 2018 (Q2 2019), it’s apparent that there’s more than meets the eye with ticker symbol ‘FIRE’. With revenues for the quarter climbing to a fiery run rate of $20.6 million, the company is now one of the top-eight publicly traded Canadian licensed producers. Its Q2 2019 revenue was $7.72 million, marking a 359 percent increase over the $1.68 million of Q2 2018, and a 50 percent increase from Q1 2019 revenues of $5.14 million (http://ibn.fm/tyK3R). This top-of-the-line run rate is set to continue as Supreme Cannabis expands its domestic product delivery channels. In addition, the company recently announced that, after receiving approval from the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) of New York, its shares are now DTC eligible.

Supreme Cannabis has posted a string of achievements in the last calendar year, showing that it is aptly named. 7ACRES, its wholly owned subsidiary and multi-award winning brand, was named ‘Brand of the Year’ at the 2018 Canadian Cannabis Awards. The annual award show, presented by Lift & Co. (TSX.V: LIFT), celebrates and honors the movers, shakers and products that are leading the way in the Canadian cannabis space.

Supreme is collaborating with Wiz Khalifa’s Khalifa Kush Enterprises (“KKE”) to develop and launch a line of premium cannabis products in Canadian and international markets (excluding the United States) (http://ibn.fm/HqvWx). KKE’s quality strains, available in most states where cannabis has been legalized, are enjoying growing popularity in the U.S. Wiz Khalifa, a well-known activist in the cannabis community, is a Grammy Award-winning American rapper, singer, songwriter and actor, and he has developed a line of regulated marijuana strains, products and concentrates under the Khalifa Kush brand.

Supreme has widened its distribution reach with agreements to supply cannabis to retailers in the provinces of New Brunswick and Saskatchewan. In so doing, its subsidiary, 7ACRES, joins an exclusive group of licensed producers with recreational distribution rights in eight or more provinces (http://ibn.fm/Sx74U). Supreme already has distribution arrangements in place in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Prince Edward Island.

Supreme also plans to market a branded line of first-rate cannabis oil products, developed by MediPharm Labs Corp. (TSX.V: LABS), to the adult-use consumer market. 7ACRES has agreed to supply high-quality cannabis trim to MediPharm for the extraction and production of the products. Cannabis trim consists mostly of leaves cut from the plant during pruning. Containing substantial levels of cannabinoids, trim can be used to make edibles, hash and tinctures, as well as being processed for oils.

In October 2018, Supreme increased its armory of “dry powder” with a $100 million capital infusion. In a bought deal led by GMP Securities L.P. and BMO Capital Markets, the company issued six percent unsecured convertible debentures that are due in 2021. Additionally, trading in its shares outside Canada has been facilitated by DTC eligibility, after approval by the Depository Trust Company of New York (http://ibn.fm/hvleO). Eligibility allows a public company’s securities to be deposited and cleared electronically through DTC, which, with over $35 trillion worth of securities on deposit, is the largest securities depository in the world.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Supreme.ca

• ETST signs agreements for CannaBiz Deals and Desert Sun Distribution to sell its CBD line
• ETST expands sales team as it looks into product placement in health food stores, large chains and other establishments
• Company is launching a white-label initiative to enable other marketers to rebrand its full-spectrum cannabinoids line

Earth Science Tech Inc. (OTCQB: ETST), a biotech company focused on the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical fields, as well as medical devices and hemp CBD products, is working to expand its product distribution through agreements with CannaBiz Deals and Desert Sun Distribution. The agreements outline distribution rights for ETST to sell its CBD product line to chiropractors, dispensaries, pharmacies, athletic clubs and clinics in the United States (http://ibn.fm/Gdry6).

In a news release, ETST Chief Sales Officer David Barbash said, “We see tremendous synergy between our CBD line and the healthcare practitioner and pharmacy spaces.” Barbash has been growing the company’s sales force as the company plans to enlarge its target market to include health food stores, large chains and other establishments.

ETST is also seeking insular protection and loyalty within the cannabis market by collaborating with its manufacturing partner to launch a white-labeling program. This strategy will permit other marketers to rebrand ETST’s full-spectrum cannabinoids line.

ETST Chairman Nickolas S. Tabraue added, “We have also received countless white-labeling inquiries, and thanks to our reliable source and manufacturer, we are now able to fulfill these inquiries and capture even more market share.”

Based in Doral, Florida, ETST sees FY2019 as a pivotal expansion year. SeeThruEquity projects that ETST’s diverse activities will enable the company to reach revenues of $7.1 million by FY2020 (http://ibn.fm/Mwl0T).

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.EarthScienceTech.com

• Production of more than 3.2 million high-quality cannabis clones is expected once initial cultivation facility is complete
• Global cannabis market projected to reach nearly $155 billion by 2025
• Expanded sales license from Health Canada received, permitting sale of genetic material

The Flowr Corporation (TSX.V: FLWR) (OTC: FLWPF), a Canadian licensed producer of premium cannabis products, plans to expand its product line by selling a selection of its premium, high-quality cannabis in clone and seed form to customers both at home and abroad. Company Co-CEO Tom Flow announced the venture in a news release that highlights Flowr’s emphasis on growing only premium cannabis using non-irradiated production methods that generate high crop yields at low operating costs.

“This is an exciting and potentially very big market for Flowr that is a natural extension of our high-yield, high-quality approach to cultivation,” Flow stated in the release (http://ibn.fm/XNq09). “Growing great cannabis starts with great genetics and clean healthy plants, something few companies are able to provide. As we ramp up production, we believe Flowr will be able to offer the select cultivars we use to produce our premium cannabis to cultivators globally.”

Canada opened up recreational cannabis to adult users in October 2018 and has since released new regulations governing cannabis-infused edibles and beverages, along with cannabis concentrates. Those products are set to be legalized in mid-October 2019. Most Canadian provinces allow adults to grow up to four cannabis plants per household, which opens the door to yet another market, although many budding cannabis home cultivators are unsure where to begin. However, one man in Alberta, Canada, featured in a CBC article (http://ibn.fm/BMF87), has launched his own website offering tips and info for cannabis beginners, pointing out that “quality genetics” is “the secret to growing good cannabis.”

Flowr’s flagship facility, an approximately 85,000-square-foot campus on seven acres in Kelowna, British Columbia, is engineered to grow premium cannabis in rooms that meet pharmaceutical industry production standards for cleanliness. This, along with exacting protocols designed by the Flowr team, enables Flowr to grow cannabis that meets Health Canada’s stringent standards without treating it with the taste- and smell-killing gamma irradiation that most other producers use to clean their product. A majority of current Canadian cannabis consumers are willing to pay more for premium products that are grown and produced under the country’s federal regulations, according to Deloitte’s 2018 Cannabis Report (http://ibn.fm/jLPg3).

Flowr Corporation, which in December 2018 received an expanded sales license from Health Canada permitting it to sell genetic material, expects that its highly efficient cultivation process will allow it to produce more than 3.2 million high-quality clones on an annualized basis once its initial cultivation facility is completed by the end of the third quarter of 2019. These clones will be incremental to Flowr’s cultivation process, which means that this new revenue stream will be produced in addition to what the company actually needs for its retail and medical production.

Flow indicated that opportunities for Flowr exist in four key markets: Canadian license holders seeking high-quality genetics as they expand production; micro-cultivators, a new Health Canada license subclass that can operate small “craft” cultivation facilities; producers in international markets; and individuals purchasing through provincial or licensed private retailers for personal use (home growers). The recent addition of Deron Caplan, the first person in North America to earn a doctorate in philosophy with research focused on cannabis production, as Flowr’s director of plant science reinforces the company’s commitment to the pursuit of excellence in cannabis cultivation techniques and genetics (http://ibn.fm/v4AfG).

Flowr also announced that its premium cannabis products are now for sale through licensed private retailers in Manitoba, which expands the company’s reach to five provinces (http://ibn.fm/Rj61Z). Flowr previously announced supply agreements with provincial authorities in British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Ontario; sales through a private dispensary in Saskatchewan; and entry into a medical cannabis supply agreement with Shoppers Drug Mart (http://ibn.fm/YLoix).

According to Stratistics MRC, the global cannabis market accounted for $10.39 billion in 2017 sales and is expected to reach $154.82 billion by 2026, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 35 percent during the forecast period. Some of the key factors propelling the market growth are the medicinal properties of cannabis, increasing legalization of cannabis and advances in genetic development and intellectual property related to cannabis (http://ibn.fm/EmIQu).

Flowr’s purpose-built cultivation facilities, developed with proprietary, patent-pending systems, are designed to deliver yields targeted at 425 grams per square foot by the end of 2022, which is three-times more efficient than the industry average of approximately 150 grams per square foot. By optimizing yield, Flowr may produce significantly more cannabis flower on a smaller footprint than other producers, thus generating significantly higher revenue per square foot and keeping costs much lower, leading to greater margins.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Flowr.ca

• LXRP’s DehydraTECH research funded by a partner that will provide $1 million, with an option for millions more
• LXRP subsidiary Lexaria Nicotine LLC recently entered a definitive investment agreement to receive R&D funding in exchange for equity and licensing rights
• In exchange, partner received minority equity interest in the subsidiary

Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTCQX: LXRP) will conduct a comprehensive series of clinical studies on oral forms of nicotine delivery utilizing its DehydraTECH absorption platform. Under an investment agreement by its wholly owned subsidiary, Lexaria Nicotine LLC, a partner will provide $1 million toward research on nicotine consumer products that use DehydraTECH (http://ibn.fm/9JkL7).

Lexaria’s partner will receive certain licensing rights to commercialize these DehydraTECH products exclusively in the United States and non-exclusively on a global scale. The partner, which will have the option to provide up to $12 million in additional funding to underwrite LXRP’s R&D, will pay LXRP a royalty on sales. The partner company will receive minority equity in the subsidiary and future rights to purchase a 100 percent interest in Lexaria Nicotine LLC at then-current fair market value, but not in LXRP itself.

In a news release, LXRP CEO Chris Bunka said, “This partnership will provide significant benefits to Lexaria Bioscience and its shareholders with a world-class R&D program and regulatory compliance process.”

Based in British Columbia, Canada, LXRP is a biotechnology company and drug delivery platform innovator that out-licenses its disruptive delivery technology, which promotes healthier ingestion methods. DehydraTECH is its proprietary absorption technology platform. LXRP holds a patent for oral delivery of all cannabinoids and has a growing IP portfolio, which includes 10 patents granted in the United States and Australia and more than 50 patent applications worldwide across 10 patent families.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.LexariaBioscience.com