• Mobile hemp and CBD extraction labs anticipated to deploy later this month
• Green continues to update to FinCEN-compliance in real-time, providing dispensaries with options previously unavailable
• Local news station in Grand Junction, Colorado, featured company’s efforts in CBD extraction and provided tour of facility

Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions (OTC: REFG), known for its state-of-the-art Green FinCEN-compliant processing system, is working from the ground up to serve the cannabis industry. The company has expanded its services to participate within the hemp and cannabis industries at strategic levels. This includes providing a proprietary, organic soil nutrient and mobile CBD extraction labs to hemp farms owned and operated by the company, as well as continuing to strengthen the Green platform, providing dispensaries with cash-free options. By managing supply and demand from seed to sale, REFG is gaining a competitive edge in the industry.

In May the company acquired SpeedyGrow, a Wyoming corporation licensed to grow and process hemp in the state of Colorado, and SpeedyVeg, a proprietary, organic soil nutrient with specific benefit to growing healthy plants and maximizing yield. KREX, a CBS-affiliated television station in Grand Junction, Colorado, ran a story that featured SpeedyGrow’s efforts in CBD extraction. The news segment provided a small tour of the Colorado facility (http://ibn.fm/PkW6P).

Though REFG was not initially looking to this space, CEO Jeremy Roberts stated in a news release (http://ibn.fm/dNOhG), “After careful consideration, the opportunity to expand our footprint in the state-sanctioned cannabis space was too good of an opportunity for our shareholders to pass up.” REFG is also applying for state licenses to grow industrial hemp in Utah and Vermont and has reached an agreement with a subsidiary of Paper Lantern, LLC to acquire rights to operate mobile hemp and CBD extraction labs. REFG anticipates deploying the units later this month for the October 2018 harvest.

REFG strives to create industry awareness and to develop a business that increases shareholder value while being economically sustainable and environmentally friendly.

At its core the company is focused on Green, the first and only comprehensive card processing operation of its kind. Merchant clients can now sign-up at Take.Green for this comprehensive card processing payment and client/transaction management solution. The platform allows dispensaries to take electronic payments and deposit cash securely while remaining FinCEN compliant in real-time.

Green empowers businesses by tracking sales and tax collection, provides cash alternative options for consumers and retailers and is compatible with most existing merchant accounts and point of sale systems. The company works with its clients to quickly and efficiently integrate Green into the existing systems. New customer set up is quick and easy, and branded REFG cards are available at no extra cost. Customers can use these cards at any dispensary that accepts Green but will have a customized reminder of their local dispensary.

REFG is strategically placed throughout the cannabis industry, from seed to sale, to capitalize on the widespread legalization of cannabis. The company is well-positioned to be an industry leader in this rapidly-growing market.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Take.Green

• NUGL’s cannabis search app exceeding expectations for user sign-ups and mobile app downloads, outperforming industry standards
• NUGL mobile app downloads increased by approximately 280 percent, with follower increase nearing 400 percent
• Expansion of NUGL’s development team will boost software development features inspired by 420 community feedback

NUGL Inc. (OTC: NUGL), the cannabis industry’s new standard of technology, is poised to deliver even more options to the 420 community with a major update to its popular iOS app, available on the Apple Store, and its Android app, available on Google Play. True to the company’s word, the update reflects the wants, needs and desires of the cannabis community that it seeks to serve, as Ryan Bartlette, CMO of NUGL, stated in a news release (http://ibn.fm/nCJCe).

“We have received a substantive amount of feedback from our user base and we listen to it. Then we act on it. A large portion of our user base lives an on-the-go mobile lifestyle, and they want all the functionality and features we offer to be accessible on their phones,” Bartlette continued. “When you are building a software application that is this massive and has an abundance of features, it is not an easy task. Even companies like Instagram and LinkedIn do not offer all of their desktop features on their mobile versions.”

NUGL responded to its user base in the best way it knew how – by shoring up its development team, putting a major focus on the functionality of the NUGL mobile app and making certain that an open dialogue with its users was not only encouraged, but generated action within the company, NUGL CEO Brandon Vargas said. In fact, after listening to users, the company plans to offer every feature available on its web application through the NUGL mobile application as well.

“Industry standards for Fortune 500 technology companies generally do not allow a lot of the backend administrative functionality to be included in the mobile versions of software,” Vargas noted. “The reason for this is certain functions are done more easily on a larger computer screen. It is much more difficult to create a good user experience on a smaller platform such as a phone. Our community is heavily based on their phones, so we will make NUGL as mobile and app friendly as possible.”

This approach by NUGL – of listening and responding to its user base – is paying off for everyone involved, according to a NUGL marketing report (http://ibn.fm/naTnD). Marketing growth for user sign-ups and mobile app downloads has beaten expectations and outperformed industry standards for similarly situated technology start-ups, Bartlette stated in the report announcing a surge in followers and mobile app downloads. Since the start of its new growth model and social media marketing campaign in early September, NUGL has seen a follower increase of approximately 400 percent and a mobile app download increase of approximately 280 percent. According to InfluencerDB.com, an average follower growth rate on Instagram is between five and 7.5 percent each month.

“By focusing our upcoming feature launches based on the demands of our community, we are confident our software will continue to satisfy the needs of our growing client and user base and keep them excited about the content that we offer,” said Bob Waters, who recently joined the NUGL team as VP of sales.

Several new features were recently launched, including a new category system allowing 30 percent more business types to join the NUGL community, a “Beta Partnership” with key players in the cannabis community and a highly anticipated menu sharing feature. All are expected to contribute to NUGL’s steady upward momentum as “the world’s first cannabis search app built for the people, by the people.”

NUGL offers the first app and online directory offering cannabis metasearch with equal and unbiased search results, eschewing paid placement listing or preferential outside reviews. NUGL’s growth is organic and complements cannabis companies, services and users. NUGL’s Brand-to-Shop connections offer a simple way to verify cannabis brand retailers providing brands, strains, shops and services closest to the consumer, whether nearby or across the globe.

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://ibn.fm/NUGL

• Green Hygienics’ emphasis is on providing medical and recreational cannabis consumers with the industry’s best products
• The company has extensive expertise in indoor horticulture and vertical farming
• Green Hygienics recently announced the acquisition of the Canna Brands portfolio

Green Hygienics Holdings Inc. (OTC: GRYN), based in Nevada, is establishing itself as a leader in the advancement of science-driven cannabis cultivation systems. The company’s aim is to provide medical and recreational consumers with the best possible product and experience. A full-scope, premium cannabis cultivation company, Green Hygienics is focusing on the high-end medical and adult-use recreational markets.

The company’s business model focuses on organic growth through the generation of revenues from the sale of premium-grade cannabis products. Forbes notes (http://ibn.fm/ddaAo) that, “Spending on legal cannabis worldwide is expected to hit $57 billion by 2027. The adult-use (recreational) market will cover 67 percent of the spending; medical marijuana will take up the remaining 33 percent.”

Green Hygienics also focuses on developing and licensing valuable intellectual property, pursuing strategic acquisitions and creating trusted global consumer brands. Green Hygienics’ brands include The Bridge Coffee House, The Bridge Lounge, Vital Health & Wellness, Green Hygienics, Cannagram Services, Myijuana and CoursePro Academy.

Green Hygienics has wide-ranging expertise in indoor horticulture and vertical farming. Its vertical farming, employing aeroponic technology, uses 90-95 percent less water, less energy and considerably improves yield per square foot. The system requires no natural sunlight or soil, and it mists water and nutrients directly onto the roots in a controlled environment. The system significantly lessens spoilage, while also keeping the farm bug-free and 100 percent organic. Moreover, the system does not necessitate the use of expensive pesticides and fungicides.

Green Hygienics’ state-of-the-art engineered, controlled environments include electrical, mechanical and HVAC designs. These designs meet mandatory fire and energy codes. The company continues to develop software and engineer hardware to provide more control over the commercial cultivation methods. Its emphasis is on quality-controlled commercial cultivation methodology to ensure the production of pharmaceutical-grade cannabis at substantially higher yields and significantly reduced costs.

Recently, Green Hygienics Holdings announced its strategic acquisition of the Canna Brands Portfolio. This acquisition focuses on three core brands – the above-mentioned Cannagram, Myijuana and CoursePro Academy. Cannagram, rebranded Cannagram Services, is a flagship platform. The online and mobile application platforms bring together advanced communications and financial services to meet the fast-developing needs of the cannabis industry.

Myijuana is a destination website consisting of news, reviews, e-commerce and vibrant content curation. The CoursePro Academy is an asset that Green Hygienics views as an opportunity to create an educational destination for the cannabis industry. Furthermore, CoursePro is a way for the company to further introduce its own technologies and brands to the market.

Green Hygienics Holdings is setting the pace for innovation of products and services for the high-end medical and adult-use recreational markets. With greater than 25 years of experience in agricultural science and innovation, its mission is to provide vital efficiencies in a commercially controlled cultivation environment. The result is value for its shareholders and consumers, as well as enhanced operations for the business customers it serves.

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

• November debut of ‘HempFX Hydration – Pure’ and ‘HempFX Hydration – Sleep’ is part of YGYI’s focus on growing its non-THC-based CBD business
• YGYI is a top omni-direct lifestyle company that in August introduced three new proprietary blends of hemp-derived cannabinoid products which sold out at the corporate convention
• In its September 2018 investor presentation, YGYI explains the importance of vertical integration in its hemp-based non-THC CBD business using a “field-to-finish” strategy

Youngevity International, Inc. (NASDAQ: YGYI) continues to grow its HempFX line with the scheduled November introduction of two new products: ‘HempFX Hydration – Pure’ and ‘HempFX Hydration – Sleep’. These are tablet-based products that utilize the company’s Y-DR8+ proprietary technology (http://ibn.fm/I69VR).

The ‘HempFX – Pure’ product will be available in tablet form and can be added to water and dissolved as it is consumed. It is designed to offer 25mg of organic, full spectrum and hemp-derived cannabidiol per tablet. Its goal is to offer, in conjunction with its own portable water bottle system, great tasting and reduced-chemicals tap water. It uses the Y-DR8 filter’s activated carbon cloth (ACC) and its portability is designed to fit the “on-the-go” lifestyle.

‘HempFX – Sleep’ is also a tablet-based product in the line designed to offer a restful night’s sleep with the health benefits of CBD. It combines melatonin with hemp-derived cannabidiol oil in a proprietary beverage enhancement tablet.

YGYI is an omni-direct lifestyle company that uses a hybrid of the direct selling model. It also uses e-commerce and social selling. According to its corporate presentation, its significant market segments include skin care, anti-aging, weight loss, brain health and coffee. It is now entering the cannabis market with its HempFX line. YGYI is also planning for global expansion, focusing primarily on Latin American and Asian markets, with its international revenues already growing significantly this year.

Earlier, YGYI debuted three hemp-based products in the line, which sold out pre-production quantities at ETST’s corporate convention last August. The three blends of cannabinoid will be available to consumers in October, including Soothe, Relax and Uplift (http://ibn.fm/8D5wx).

YGYI’s September 2018 Investor Presentation described its strategy of vertically integrating the hemp-based non-THC CBD industry. It stressed the importance of its “field-to-finish” focus, which maximizes its long term goals of achieving top quality control standards and attaining revenue opportunities across the vertical (http://ibn.fm/R1kl7).

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

• Promotes women’s health with strategically branded personal feminine health test that is simple and discreet
• Updates shareholders on CBD patents for two CBD-based nutraceutical formulas
• Reacts to DEA’s shift on CBD

Earth Science Tech, Inc. (OTCQB: ETST), a biotech company focused on the cannabinoid nutraceutical and pharmaceutical fields, medical devices and research and development, recently announced a detailed marketing strategy for Hygee, issued an update on CBD patents and reacted to the DEA’s shifted stance toward CBD.

The new logo and a detailed marketing strategy for ETST’s self-sampling medical device for women to discretely identify sexually transmitted infections was announced on October 9, 2018 (http://ibn.fm/1AVhy). The brand’s name, Hygee, is a play on the Greek word for hygiene. Special care was put into making sure that the logo was memorable, simplistic and clear in identifying the product as a personal feminine health test. The tagline communicates the personal nature of this self-test as accurate, simple and discreet. The product itself looks and is worn like a standard panty liner.

“Hygee is designed to preserve women’s health,” Dr. Michel Aubé, CEO and chief science officer of ETST, stated in a news release. “The best way to fight STIs is prevention, and the only way for women to avoid the dangerous results of untreated STI is early treatment. This means that women need to know if they are infected. We believe that Hygee will be the best tool to provide that information. ETST will target specific populations of women globally to better counter the STI epidemic.”

ETST has plans to market Hygee on five continents. Around the world, there are an estimated 100 million tests for chlamydia trachomatis alone, but none offer the discreet technology of ETST’s Hygee.

In addition to marketing advancements with Hygee, ETST is developing a new brand for the launch of two CBD-based nutraceutical formulas, a neuron protector and a breast protector, under a provisory patent (http://ibn.fm/So0Di). Quebec Agrifood Innovation Center is finishing the standardization of the formulas and, by the end of October, TransBiotech is expected to conduct in vitro testing. The testing will compare the level of protection provided by ETST’s hemp oil alone versus its hemp oil with other natural ingredients.

In a news release, Nickolas Tabraue, ETST’s president and CEO, stated, “The results obtained from TransBiotech will help us understand the mechanism of action of CBD and will open the doors for the research needed to develop revolutionary CDB-based pharmaceutical drugs.”

The DEA recently decided to reclassify FDA-approved drugs that contain cannabis-derived CBD and less than 0.1 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as schedule V, the lowest restriction classification. This is good news for ETST and will open doors to further develop treatments for other illnesses, make CBD clinical tests easier to plan and provide potential for a worldwide market.

Regarding this new classification, Aubé added, “We are pleased to see that the DEA has shifted its stance amid conclusive evidence that CBD is not addictive but has both anti-psychotic properties and the opposite effect of THC.”

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

• If successful, acquisition of two profitable hydroponic cultivation supply companies will boost Sugarmade’s 2019 revenue guidance to $75 million
• Global hydroponics market expected to be worth more than $10 billion by 2023
• Expansion into hemp market includes significant investment into hemp cultivation
• Hemp-derived cannabidiol market worth $591 million, expected to hit $22 billion in under five years

Sugarmade, Inc. (OTCQB: SGMD), one of the largest publicly traded hydroponics supply companies moving into the industrial hemp space, is seeking to expand its portfolio with the acquisition of two hydroponic cultivation companies working in the lucrative cannabis space. Bringing the two companies into the Sugarmade fold “will not only significantly boost our top line revenue growth, but will expand our distribution across the most important sectors of the fast-growing cannabis marketplace,” Jimmy Chan, Sugarmade’s CEO, said in a news release (http://ibn.fm/iguce).

The company’s formal acquisition proposals target a profitable and cash-flow positive Southern California-based major supplier of hydroponic cultivation supplies to the wholesale sector and to large commercial cultivators. Under the terms of the proposal, Sugarmade would acquire the organization, which is producing in excess of $40 million of revenue per year, for a combination of cash and Sugarmade common stock. The second target is a Washington state-based retailer, which is also profitable and cash flow positive, producing approximately $5 million of revenue per year. Under the terms of the proposal, Sugarmade would issue common stock to acquire the retailer.

“In addition to the revenue growth opportunities, we will also be afforded very meaningful cost savings across many operational functions,” Chan stated in the release. “In particular, we believe there are strong cost synergies relative to manufacturing, purchasing, international transport, warehousing, and shipment to customers. Perhaps most exciting, however, is that these acquisitions will place us among the largest public companies in the booming cannabis sector.”

The global hydroponic market is expected to flourish over the next five years, reaching a valuation of more than $10 billion by the end of 2023, according to a report issued by KD Market Insights (http://ibn.fm/j3Suf). Rising consumer demand for locally produced food and specialty crops such as cannabis and related cannabidiol (CBD) products, including those produced with industrial hemp, are expected to bolster profits. Regulatory changes in the United States, Canada and parts of Europe that favor the legalization of some form of cannabis are expected to provide significant opportunities for cannabis retailers and companies such as Sugarmade that provide essential supplies and services to the industry.

Sugarmade’s recent commitment of an investment of $1 million in capital over the coming year into Hempistry, Inc.’s ultra-high CBD industrial hemp cultivation project in Kentucky is seen as another strategic move, Chan said when announcing the project (http://ibn.fm/3NbXG). An agreement to provide hemp cultivation supplies is expected to add additional revenues.

“Demand for industrial hemp and products derived from hemp is soaring, with no let-up in sight. We expect our direct investment into Hempistry to be accretive to common shareholders and our supply agreement to be lucrative. All of us at Sugarmade see a tremendous opportunity to become a supplier to this fast-growing sector,” Chan stated in the news release.

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

• Patient dosing has commenced in a combination study of Bria-IMT with KEYTRUDA or YERVOY in advanced breast cancer
• Company recently announced positive proof of concept data in the Phase I/IIa study of Bria-IMT in advanced breast cancer patients, which indicated excellent targeted anti-tumor activity and outstanding safety and tolerability
• KEYTRUDA and YERVOY are highly recognized for their potent immune boosting properties, which validates BriaCell’s strategy to use these therapeutics in its combination study

BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. (OTCQB: BCTXF) (TSX.V: BCT), an immuno-oncology-focused biotechnology company engaged in developing targeted and safe approaches for cancer management, recently announced (http://ibn.fm/Hej9T) that it has initiated patient dosing in a Phase I/IIa study of Bria-IMT, its lead clinical candidate, in combination with pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA, which is manufactured by Merck & Co., Inc. [NYSE: MRK]) or ipilimumab (YERVOY, which is manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company [NYSE: BMY]). This combination study is listed on ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT03328026.

BriaCell continues its commitment to exploring new methods of addressing the advanced breast cancer community’s unmet medical needs, and the company is eager to test this novel combination treatment approach and believes that it will offer significant clinical benefits to patients who have advanced breast cancer.

Bria-IMT is essentially a breast cancer cell line that has been engineered to produce an immune-activating factor (GM-CSF) and has been shown to stimulate T-cells, which are vital cells within the immune system. Earlier this year, BriaCell published these findings in a leading immunology journal (http://ibn.fm/XicgM). Based on Bria-IMT’s published, proposed mechanism of action, BriaCell anticipates that Bria-IMT, combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors, can exert additive or synergistic tumor-directed effects resulting in even more potent anti-cancer immune responses and leading to the company’s strategy of combination studies of Bria-IMT with KEYTRUDA or YERVOY. It is important to note that pembrolizumab and ipilimumab have not been shown to work independently in breast cancer but are each approved for other indications.

On September 26, BriaCell announced positive proof of concept data in a phase I/IIa study of Bria-IMT in advanced breast cancer, which resulted in outstanding safety and efficacy in patients with HLA matches with Bria-IMT. An impressive point to note is that the safety and efficacy data appeared superior to that of other advanced or approved drugs for breast cancer when they were at a similar clinical development stage.

Analysis of blood samples collected in the phase I/IIa study showed that circulating tumor-associated cells expressed the immune checkpoint molecule programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1). PD-L1 molecules block immune cells from attacking cancer cells. KEYTRUDA neutralizes the blocking mechanism of PD-L1, while YERVOY blocks other aspects of immune suppression and, therefore, may also activate the immune system to destroy cancer cells.

Bria-IMT with KEYTRUDA or YERVOY Combination Study Details

• KEYTRUDA Combination: Patients with expression of PD-L1 or PD-L2 on their cancer will be treated with the combination of Bria-IMT and the anti-PD-1 antibody KEYTRUDA.
• YERVOY Combination: Patients without expression of PD-L1 or PD-L2 on their cancer will be treated with the combination of Bria-IMT and YERVOY, which is also expected to enhance the immune response induced by Bria- IMT.

It is hypothesized by the BriaCell team that patients in the combination therapy trial may receive particular benefit from these combinations with Bria-IMT.

Bria-IMT with KEYTRUDA or YERVOY Combination Study Rationale

Immune checkpoint inhibitors like pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA; anti-PD-1) and ipilimumab (YERVOY; anti-CTLA-4), which are designed to overcome immune suppression in cancer patients, have become forerunners in the fight against cancer, offering substantial benefits for certain patients. The significance of immune checkpoint inhibitors was most recently recognized by the Nobel committee in awarding the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Dr. Tasuku Honjo (PD-1) and Dr. James P. Allison (CTLA-4) (http://ibn.fm/pZKh4). This greatly validated BriaCell’s decision to launch a combination therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

An important preclinical study conducted in 2010 by Dr. Allison’s group showed that combination with anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 antibodies potentiated the tumor-rejection effect of irradiated melanoma cells engineered to produce immune-activating factors.

BriaCell envisions that Bria-IMT and immune checkpoint inhibitors can exert additive or synergistic tumor-directed effects. In a recent interview, company CEO Dr. William Williams discussed the company’s immunotherapies in detail, and how the company is building offerings for the $30 billion immunotherapy market (http://ibn.fm/9D4Wk).

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

• Revenue from CBD-infused beverages could become a $260 million market in the U.S. by 2022 with THC-infused beverages raking in about $340 million
• Rising global trend in popularity of wellness beverages includes CBD-infused drinks
• Investor interest in CBD increasing following U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance for first cannabis-derived drug to be sold in U.S.

American Premium Water Corp. (OTC: HIPH), headquartered in Playa Vista, California, is a diversified holding company, manufacturer, distributor and marketer of branded consumer products. HIPH, the acronym for “Hi-Power of Hydro,” maintains a portfolio of subsidiaries catering to the health-conscious consumer and luxury fashion brand connoisseur. The company’s two main pillars focus on the development of health and beauty biotech, dedicated to unlocking the power of hydrogen and nanotechnologies. Paired with cannabidiol or “CBD” in a unique beverage, the technology is proving to be a significant health and wellness option for astute consumers.

Among the company’s holdings are:

• LALPINA Hydro beverages mix hydrogen with nanotechnology into consumer beverages that combine the best of health, nutrition and fitness to deliver short and long-term therapeutic health benefits. LALPINA Hydro utilizes atomic molecular hydrogen, or diatomic hydrogen, which converts antioxidants in the body to H2O to further enhance hydration, which helps increase endurance, reduce lactic acid and melt away fatigue. Over 500 peer-reviewed articles demonstrate hydrogen to have therapeutic potential in essentially every organ of the human body and in 150 different human disease models.
• LALPINA Hydro CBD is a technically superior CBD-infused beverage. Using hydro and nanotechnology, LALPINA Hydro CBD encapsulates water molecules with cannabidiol molecules, making them infinitely more bioavailable and accelerating delivery to the body’s cells and tissues. Each bottle of LALPINA Hydro CBD contains 3 million nanograms of CBD free from the psychoactive compound THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). HIPH is the first to introduce a hydro-nano CBD-infused beverage on the market, which is a more effective delivery mechanism for administering CBD into the blood stream than traditional beverages or oils, with up to a 90 percent higher absorption rates.

The company recently signed a distribution agreement for its subsidiary, LALPINA Hydro CBD, to sell its beverages to two SinglePoint, Inc. (OTCQB: SING) e-commerce channels: SingleSeed.com and DIGSHydro.com. SING is a technology and investment company with a portfolio that includes mobile payments, blockchain solutions and ancillary cannabis services. HIPH will drop ship its product to the customers.

HIPH CEO Ryan Fishoff said the e-commerce arrangements “could bring in excess of a million of revenue over the life of the agreement.” The agreement serves as a pillar of the company’s e-commerce distribution strategy, driving awareness and impressions for the LALPINA brand.

In addition, HIPH seeks to market emerging fashion brands and leverage its relationship with classic retail partners while incorporating disruptive blockchain technologies to expand its retail footprint with the following:

• Gents, a producer of luxury hats and other fine accessories and apparel, was acquired in September 2017. Gents is distributed across many luxury retail outlets including Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, and other high-end channels. The company added the Worthy streetwear brand to its portfolio in June 2018.
• HIPH also acquired the license to operate the FashionCoinX exchange, a blockchain exchange focused on creating utility tokens for the fashion industry, and created THRD Coin, a multi-branded utility rewards token that is also the first token to be traded on the exchange. The company is leveraging its retail footprint and expertise in the fashion and apparel space with the burgeoning blockchain sector.

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

• Advancing technologies and market adoption of electric vehicles expected to fuel lithium-ion battery market growth to $93.1 billion by 2025
• QMC has initiated planning of a geochemical survey over select areas of its Irgon Lithium Mine Project
• The company has several advantages expected to reduce the time required for exploration and to bring the Irgon Lithium Mine Project online

A positive market outlook and advantages enjoyed by Vancouver-based QMC Quantum Minerals Corp. (OTC: QMCQF) (TSX.V: QMC) (FSE: 3LQ) have placed the exploration company in a favorable position to benefit from projected higher global demand for lithium. The metal is needed as a key raw material in the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries, which are used to power electric vehicles, consumer electronics and energy grid power storage systems.

The global lithium-ion battery market is expected to reach $93.1 billion by 2025, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17 percent, according to a report by Grand View Research, Inc. (http://ibn.fm/gnwXH). Advancing technologies that reduce the cost and weight of batteries while boosting power output, in addition to a worldwide boom in market adoption of electric vehicles, are expected to continue fueling demand growth.

QMC is currently working to confirm the historic 1950s resource estimate (1.2 MT at 1.51 percent Li2O) for its 100-percent-owned Irgon Lithium Mine Project, located in southern Manitoba’s bountiful Cat Lake-Winnipeg River Pegmatite Field (http://ibn.fm/AVzce). This area is prime lithium prospecting country because of the abundance of large, rare-element pegmatites containing spodumene mineralization, a lithium aluminum inosilicate which can contain up to eight percent Li2O. As part of the ongoing exploration program, QMC has initiated planning of a Mobile Metal Ion (“MMI”) geochemical survey over select targeted areas within the Irgon Mine Project property.

The company has invested two years in the exploration of the Irgon Lithium Project. While a typical hard rock mining project takes three to five years to reach this stage, QMC has several advantages that are expected to reduce the time needed to bring the project into production. The property was previously developed during the 1950s, and, by the time QMC acquired it, it already contained a published historical resource detailing exactly where to start extracting the lithium-bearing spodumene mineralization.

The Irgon Mine Property lies only 150 km (93 miles) from Winnipeg (http://ibn.fm/griZ0) and is 20 km north of Cabot Corporation’s TANCO mine, a world-class pegmatite deposit. A provincial highway crosses the QMC property, and rail transportation and hydroelectric power are located nearby. In addition to a road leading from the highway directly into the mine, a mineshaft and underground drifting was created decades earlier during previous development at the site. These advantages are expected to drastically cut costs and give QMC access to a trained labor force.

QMC is a Vancouver-based company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of lithium and other resource properties. Its objective is to locate and develop economic precious, base, rare-metal and resource properties of merit. Currently, all of the company’s properties are located in Manitoba, including the Irgon Lithium Mine Project and two VMS properties, the Rocky Lake and Rocky Namew, which are collectively known as the Namew Lake District Project.

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

• Blockchain-based B2B/B2C e-commerce platform currently under development
• Agri-Blockchain solutions will initially focus on the agricultural supply chain between China and Brazil
• Internet of Things integration will allow enhanced product tracking, as well as safety and management of complex supply chains

An emerging development technology corporation and master licensor of Hyperledger blockchain-based systems, Pacific Software, Inc. (OTC: PFSF) is currently working on a proprietary e-commerce trade platform targeting both the business-to-business and business-to-consumer sectors. The platform, set to launch in November of this year, will initially focus on the agricultural supply chain between China and Brazil, which primarily facilitates beef trade between the two countries, and integrating with international distribution channels (http://ibn.fm/NTjEo).

By integrating the company’s Agri-Blockchain technology, the platform will offer increased transparency and trust regarding origin, quality and safety of products in the supply chain. This will also help speed up removal of contaminated food, making it easier to trace the source of contamination, thus reducing costs exponentially. Using IBM’s Hyperledger Blockchain “Backend as a Service” infrastructure, Pacific Software’s platform will be able to store, record and track digital product information from farm to fare, including batch identification numbers, expiration dates, factory and processing information, shipping details and more.

To further enhance transparency of supply chains, Pacific Software is working on integrating Internet of Things capabilities into the platform – more specifically the ability to incorporate data from Internet-connected devices such as RFID or barcode readers. By linking to the Internet of Things, the platform will be able to gather valuable product data and make complex supply chains more manageable and overall safer.

The blockchain-platform could be used successfully to track supply chains in any field of agriculture, as a growing number of agricultural sectors are already beginning to consider the benefits of blockchain applications for enhanced transparency and increased customer trust. The U.S. Dairy Farmers of America, a farmer-owned cooperative with more than 14,500 members, announced recently (http://ibn.fm/cQwZw) that it would be using a blockchain platform to track milk products so as to give “consumers real-time data, which can really help increase trust and confidence about food production from start to finish.”

Pacific Software’s multilingual platform is developed by Cobalt 47 Technologies Ltd., a spin-off of leading Chinese Microsoft distributor KBQuest Group, Inc., under an agreement signed in August of this year. While the primary focus remains trade and supply chains between Brazil and China, the technology could have a much wider application in industries where effective product tracking methods and supply chain management are required, such as the cannabis market – to improve seed-to-sale supply chain traceability and management – and opioid/controlled substance management – to create a verifiable and trusted ledger between manufacturers and consumers.

With the drug supply chain in particular, the Pacific Software platform could prove to be a valuable tool in combating the current opioid epidemic, which is estimated to have cost the U.S. more than a trillion dollars since 2001 (http://ibn.fm/m2OWH). The Hyperledger blockchain system would allow for better bookkeeping, which would help track drugs from production to final use, helping identify pill mills that overprescribe painkillers or cases of double doctoring where patients take out prescription from different doctors.

Pacific Software is already considering the potential impact of blockchain technology in this field by assessing how its platform could help struggling African countries deal with counterfeit drugs and medications. The issue was discussed during a recent meeting between company officials and representatives of the African Chamber of Commerce focused on building a partnership for trade.

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