• 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

• Smartmax offers customers the best in energy efficiency technology and is designed to lower energy costs and increase savings
• The company was recently named the seventh-fastest growing startup in Canada by Canadian Business and Maclean’s
• Kontrol has partnered with licensed producers in the cannabis industry to provide assistance with energy efficiency

Kontrol Energy Corp. (CSE: KNR) (OTC: KNRLF) (FSE: 1K8), a leader in the energy efficiency sector, has joined the global marketplace with its latest Internet of Things (“IoT”) technology, aptly named Smartmax Energy Gateway. This intuitive technology will allow Kontrol Energy to meet demands for commercial, multi-residential and hospitality real estate markets around the world, creating abundant new growth opportunities.

SmartMax (http://ibn.fm/DrSDh), an intelligent energy technology, communicates with “building automation systems and HVAC equipment… immediately export[ing] data to Kontrol’s cloud-based energy management software platform.” This product is the most recent offering in Kontrol’s line of energy innovation technologies, which have historically integrated “smart energy devices, software and retrofits” to support companies as they seek to lower their energy costs, increase their net operating income and raise the value of their properties. The third IoT product in Kontrol’s technology suite, Smartmax “is an evolution of [Kontrol’s] original DiMax technology currently operating in more than 200 buildings across North America,” as noted by Forbes Silverthorne, vice president of building performance at Kontrol Energy.

SmartMax offers the following capabilities:

• Quick installation (typically one hour or less)
• Immediate access to energy data
• Safe export of data to Kontrol’s energy management system in the cloud
• Interoperability across building automation systems and HVAC equipment
• Immediate visibility of energy demand and consumption

All of the IoT technology offered by Kontrol offers efficiency and adaptability, being able to gather and process data related to heating, cooling and electricity in real time. The system, capable of analyzing 15 billion data points, can quickly isolate incongruencies, as well as opportunities to enhance energy efficiency, making adjustments as needed. Additionally, the system features an “ongoing cycle of review, analysis and adjustment” that’s clearly transparent to building owners and managers, who can view their energy savings in real time. The system itself is able to improve its accuracy and abilities over time through machine learning, enhancing the entire process as it is used.

Recently, Canadian Business and Maclean’s named Kontrol Energy the seventh-fastest growing startup in Canada. Since its inception, the company has provided energy solution services to customers looking to reduce their overall energy cost while also reducing their companies’ greenhouse gas emissions. Recently, the company has made inroads into the cannabis vertical sector, partnering with licensed producers (LPs) with the goal of providing energy efficiency assistance. Kontrol also aids these clients in meeting emissions compliance regulations. These services are essential to LPs’ continued success in the competitive cannabis market.

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

• Kelowna 1 facility on track to complete total of 20 grow rooms by end of Q3 2019
• Canada-wide shortage of premium adult-use cannabis products underscores need for immediate expansion
• Multiyear deal to supply medical cannabis for Shoppers Drug Mart will provide Canadian patients with highest quality medicinal cannabis
• Worldwide consumer cannabis spending expected to accelerate to nearly $17 billion at a CAGR of 38 percent in 2019, reaching $31.3 billion in 2022

Canadian cannabis product manufacturer The Flowr Corporation (TSX.V: FLWR) (OTC: FLWPF) is riding a bright green wave as the cannabis industry continues to make history in Canada and throughout the world. The cannabis industry had much to cheer about in 2018, as Canada became the first industrialized country in the world to greenlight recreational cannabis for adult use and the United States legalized hemp and hemp-based cannabidiol products by signing the Farm Bill into law. Global sales of cannabis are expected to grow 38 percent in 2019 to nearly $17 billion, with sales projected to surpass $31 billion by 2022, according to Arcview Market Research (http://ibn.fm/qlmJ6).

The Flowr Corporation joined in that global celebration with its own good news after receiving approval from Health Canada to open additional grow rooms at the company’s Kelowna 1 cultivation facility. The additions will raise the total number of premium cannabis flower rooms to 10, which are expected to more than double current capacity, according to a company news release (http://ibn.fm/kWAGX). Kelowna 1 is Flowr’s initial cultivation facility, which is under construction in the world-famous Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. Flowr expects to have the facility complete with a total of 20 grow rooms prior to the end of the third quarter of this year. When complete, Flowr expects the approximately 85,000 square foot facility to produce at a capacity of approximately 10,000 kilograms of premium cannabis flower on an annualized basis.

The buildout is strategically planned to accommodate the growing demand for Flowr’s products from its provincial partners and to meet its new medical cannabis supply agreement with Shoppers Drug Mart, as noted in a news release by Tom Flow, co-CEO of Flowr Corporation. Shoppers Drug Mart is Canada’s largest retail pharmacy chain, with 1,300 locations from coast to coast (http://ibn.fm/N6n2f).

“The shortage of premium adult-use cannabis we predicted has become a reality since last October and ramping up our facilities will provide much-needed, high-quality product to the market,” Flow stated in the news release.

Shortages in the Canadian cannabis supply line became apparent almost immediately after recreational adult-use sales become legal in October 2018, with some stores opening on a limited basis and provincial sales licenses placed on hold or restricted for a time as supply and demand forces worked to catch up to each other (http://ibn.fm/m2269). Recently released Health Canada cannabis inventory and sales data reveal a complicated shortage versus rebound supply problem as producers, government regulators and consumers try to settle on a workable solution (http://ibn.fm/AJkYv).

Supply and demand may be an even more difficult balancing act when it comes to premium, high-quality cannabis products, which many cannabis users tell market researchers they prefer. According to Deloitte’s 2018 cannabis report, a majority of current cannabis users expect to pay more and are willing to pay a premium for products that are grown and processed under Canada’s new regulatory guidelines and sold through legal channels (http://ibn.fm/GeuUQ).

Flowr Corporation is once again proving to be an industry leader, as the company recently announced the hiring of Deron Caplan, North America’s first PhD whose research focused on cannabis production. Caplan joins Flowr as director of plant science, a role that will prove symbiotic to each as the company grows its brand and continues to emphasize the wisdom of generating premium, non-irradiated cannabis at high yields.

Caplan earned his doctorate at the University of Guelph in August 2018 and was the primary author of the first peer-reviewed paper on indoor cannabis production published in North America. He has written numerous articles on cannabis published in scientific journals, is a sought-after cannabis expert by media outlets and has testified on cannabis production before the Canadian Senate’s Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry (http://ibn.fm/j0Pnc). Caplan is an expert on growing substrates, fertilization protocols, propagation techniques and irrigation management protocols for cannabis production under a controlled environment. While earning his doctorate, he, along with his academic advisors, invented four growing substrates specifically formulated and tested for cannabis production.

“Flowr is focused on producing premium quality cannabis at scale with industry-leading efficiency and that requires remaining a leader in both cultivation techniques and genetics,” Flow said in announcing Caplan’s new role at Flowr Corporation. “We believe that adding Deron to our existing team and alliance with Hawthorne Canada strengthens our position at the forefront of understanding the tools and techniques needed to grow great cannabis.”

This commitment to producing a premium, ultra-high-grade cannabis product led to a research and development partnership with Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE: SMG) subsidiary Hawthorne Gardening. In October 2018, the two companies broke ground on North America’s first research and development facility dedicated to advancing cannabis cultivation techniques (http://ibn.fm/QQLFk).

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

• Sharing Services is pioneering its own unique brand of home-based entrepreneurial success in the direct sales industry under the Elepreneur banner
• The company reported record revenues at the end of October 2018, while expanding the company and reporting sales of more than $39 million during the year since its products launched
• As Sharing Services’ global reach continues to expand in 2019, it is introducing a new chief marketing officer who’s experienced in international business

Sharing Services Inc. (OTCQB: SHRV) is building on the successes of a blockbuster year as it looks ahead to 2019’s blue horizons for the entrepreneurship that keeps global commerce vibrant.

The diversified holdings company and the energetic “Elepreneurs” who are elevating the realm of home-based business gathered in revenues of more than $39 million during the first year since the December 2017 launch of the company’s products under its subsidiaries. Sharing Services’ direct-selling protocol is delivering a growing selection of health and wellness products to the world with a focus on promoting the well-being of all people, as well as insurance coverage for auto, home, health and life concerns and health benefit discounts to families that share the company’s goal of elevating life.

Sharing Services is also invested in soon delivering wholesale travel and payment programs that empower families to go on vacation, along with live seminars and training events to “elevate the skills and knowledge of entrepreneurs around the world.”

“Since our launch into the marketplace almost a year ago, product sales for our incredible health and wellness division of Elevacity Global have dramatically increased and continue to grow,” CEO John “JT” Thatch stated in December in announcing record revenues of $17.9 million for the company’s fiscal second quarter. “Our second-quarter results represent yet another significant milestone as we exceed our goals at a record-breaking pace and execute our mission to change the direct-selling industry with best-in-class products and services under our unique ‘Blue Ocean Strategy.’”

Blue Ocean Strategy and its Red Ocean corollary are marketing theory terms that address self-directed companies’ efforts to create their own market spaces where they can capture and control revenues in “blue oceans” that are free of the competition bloodying the “red oceans” of more defined industries and their market parameters (http://ibn.fm/efGIU).

Sharing Services’ strategy involves creating its own market universe by melding key components of its subsidiaries. To bolster its direct sales mission, the company held its first “Elepreneur Happiness Convention” last year, with its sales representatives gathered from around the world, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Singapore and Hong Kong, to network and elevate their capacity for success.

As part of its effort to elevate its successes on a corporate level for the coming year, Sharing Services announced on January 9 that it has named Clare Holbrook, a direct sales industry veteran, to the role of chief marketing officer for its Elepreneur, LLC subsidiary (http://ibn.fm/K5cB4). The decision reflects Sharing Services’ expanding international reach; Holbrook is an “international polyglot” who is able to communicate effectively in five languages and has worked and lived throughout the United States, United Kingdom and the European Union, fulfilling responsibilities on four continents in more than 20 countries.

“Since its launch in December 2017, Elepreneur has quickly established itself in the direct-selling industry and continues to elevate the home-based entrepreneur experience. We continue to grow at a rapid pace, and we are pleased to have Mrs. Holbrook’s experience in marketing and branding the company’s future growth,” Thatch stated in a news release.

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

• License revocation and production cuts involving world’s largest iron ore producer have already contributed to upward price trends in the iron ore market
• Existing shortage in pellet production feed expected to worsen as a result of recent events in Brazil
• These latest market developments are creating positive conditions and opportunities for industry representatives like Black Iron that already benefit from strategic advantages

The world is anticipating an annual iron ore production loss of 70 million metric tons after Brazilian state regulators revoked the license for the second-largest iron ore mine owned by Vale (NYSE: VALE) – the world’s largest iron ore miner – on February 5, Bloomberg reported (http://ibn.fm/qnD6o). The 30 million metric tons of production lost at this mine are in addition to Vale’s earlier announcement that it is taking 10 of its mines with upstream tailings dams out of production, representing 40 million metric tons of production. The license revocation is providing strong indications that company operations are not going to return to normal in the near future. Vale SA came under strict government scrutiny after a fatal accident caused the death of over 150 people and halted mining operations on January 25, 2019.

As a result of the license revocation and suspension of operations, Vale declared force majeure on some of its contracts.

Analysts are already noticing market dynamics resulting from the announced cuts and the revocation of Vale’s mining license. The benchmark price of 62 percent iron content ore went up more than $15 per metric ton since January 25 to the current $90 per metric ton. Iron ore mining companies noted a corresponding significant increase in share prices, with Ukraine-based Ferrexpo up 32 percent, Australia’s Fortescue Metals up 27 percent and Canada’s Champion Iron up 37 percent, while Vale’s share prices have dropped about 24 percent since January 24, a day before the accident.

The latest market dynamics will undoubtedly impact industry representatives like Black Iron Inc. (TSX: BKI) (OTC: BKIRF) (GR: BIN). Black Iron is a Canadian iron ore exploration and development company that’s working on advancing production at its wholly owned Shymanivske Iron Ore Project. The site is located in central Ukraine and is surrounded by five operating iron ore mines owned by majors including ArcelorMittal and Metinvest.

The Shymanivske project holds a mining allotment permit for a large iron ore deposit. It is estimated to contain approximately 646 million tons (Mt) measured and indicated mineral resources that consist of 355Mt measured mineral resource grading 31.6 percent total iron and 18.8 percent magnetic iron. There’s also a 290Mt indicated mineral resource grading 31.1 percent total iron and 17.9 percent magnetic iron. Finally, the project features 188Mt of inferred mineral resource grading 30.1 percent total iron and 18.4 percent magnetic iron.

This highly developed mining region already features all of the costly major infrastructure required to advance iron ore mining projects. There is a rail line with confirmed surplus capacity within one mile, electrical power tie-in only 20 miles away and several sea ports located 150 to 260 miles from the mine site. In addition, the district is known for the highly skilled labor force coming from the city of Kryvyi Rih, with its population of 650,000 people located only six miles from site.

At its Shymanivske Iron Ore Project, Black Iron aims to produce high grade 68 percent iron ore concentrate with few impurities at a very low cost, which it expects to sell for a premium price once in production.

Iron ore concentrate is one of the key resources required by the steel industry. Black Iron’s concentrate can be used both in sinter and highly valued pellet production. Prior to the latest Brazilian development, there was already a shortage of pellet feed. The supply/demand gap is set at 133Mt against the current base of approximately 400Mt consumed by 2035. According to Zion Market Research, the global iron ore pellet market was valued at $25.22 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach $50.12 billion by 2024 (http://ibn.fm/u3Fkn).

Black Iron is working on advancing its project on several fronts, including off-take agreements and construction funding. In addition, Back Iron is negotiating with Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense on the transfer of a land parcel required for the company’s processing plant. The project has already attracted the interest of multiple steel mills and international traders willing to make a significant equity investment in return for long-term purchase contracts.

The technical and scientific contents of this article have been reviewed and approved by Matt Simpson, P.Eng., CEO of Black Iron, who is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.

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

• The Green Organic Dutchman is a producer of first-rate organic cannabis
• The company recently provided a construction update on its Valleyfield and Hamilton operations
• TGOD and the Greek government have had discussions concerning the nature of proposed operational plans in the country

Established in 2012, The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (TSX: TGOD) (OTCQX: TGODF) focuses on the production of premium certified organic cannabis. The company’s organic process includes living soil, sustainable energy and laboratory certification and testing. Its organic processes are certified by Ecocert, one of the most astute organic certification organizations. The company’s operational emphasis is on medical cannabis markets in Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as the Canadian adult-use market. Headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, The Green Organic Dutchman is working on becoming the largest organic cannabis enterprise in the world.

TGOD is one of the lowest cost, highest quality producers in Canada and has one of the most diverse, experienced and proven management teams in Canada (http://ibn.fm/ZZX7E). The company produces farm grown, high quality organic medical cannabis in small batches. It does so employing organic craft growing principles. Its organic products are free from pesticides, herbicides and synthetic nutrients. Fundamentally, TGOD’s processes produce 100 percent non-irradiated premier organic cannabis grown in living soil.

Recently, TGOD provided a comprehensive construction update on its domestic Valleyfield, Quebec, and Hamilton, Ontario, operations. Major progress has been made toward the completion of both facilities. In January 2018, construction started on the 2,700 sq. ft. breeding facility in Valleyfield. In April 2018, the facility was completed. Moreover, in June 2018, it received a cultivation license (http://ibn.fm/jF5zC).

The engineering design improvements optimize facility throughput. This, in tandem with organic specific modifications, provides a forecast domestic productive capacity boost from 156,000 kg to 202,500 kg.

Regarding the Hamilton operations, TGOD has modified major systems from the original design. Furthermore, the company has re-engineered the whole harvesting process to enhance production uptime and facility throughput. Therefore, this has resulted in increased productive capacity from 14,000 kg to 17,500 kg. TGOD has grown and successfully harvested numerous crops in the pilot facility. It has also stored product for its forthcoming medical pilot launch.

In a news release, Brian Athaide, TGOD’s chief executive officer, said, “Not only have we addressed the important redesign requirements, we have also made significant improvements to the operating capacity and capital timing of our facilities, resulting in an additional 46,500 kgs of productive capacity.”

In addition, TGOD recently commented on the Greek Ministry of Agriculture’s press release and CNN’s (Greece) coverage (dated January 25, 2019) related to TGOD’s proposed Greece operations (http://ibn.fm/zNtfS). TGOD and the Greek government have had advanced talks regarding the nature of the proposed plans. Since early 2018, TGOD has been in communication with different Greek Ministries, including the Ministry of Rural Development and Food. The company is waiting on a license for the production of medicinal cannabis. TGOD has confirmed plans to build and commission a multi-phased facility, subject to licensing from the Greek government.

With a funded capacity of 219,000 kg, TGOD offers a compelling opportunity for perceptive investors. TGOD is constructing 1.64 million sq. ft. of facilities across Ontario, Quebec, Denmark and Jamaica. The company, with its global initiatives, is at the frontline of production of premium certified organic cannabis.

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