• Spectrum Global Solutions recently announced the acquisition of Telnet Solutions, which increases the range of clients, capabilities and solutions in the company’s portfolio
• Company President Keith Hayter details anticipated growth this year, with 5G transition, internet of things opportunities and first responder networks among key drivers of growth
• As the telecommunications market continues expanding, Spectrum Global expects a growing number of clients to seek partnerships with a reliable, single-source provider

Leading telecommunications engineering and infrastructure services provider Spectrum Global Solutions, Inc. (OTC: SGSI) recently announced the acquisition of Telnet Solutions Inc. (TNS), a telecom service company that offers design, installation and maintenance of structured cabling system solutions to the enterprise market.

Based in Des Plaines, Illinois, Telnet Solutions operates both nationally and abroad, and it has over 16 years of experience in the field. As of 2018, the company’s annual revenue was over $6 million, producing more than $1 million of adjusted EBITDA, according to a Spectrum Global Solutions news release (http://ibn.fm/Wfre6).

The acquisition is expected to increase Spectrum Global’s portfolio of clients and solutions, company CEO Roger Ponder said in a news release. “We are very excited to bring this established, reputable and proven entity into our fold. Its focus on the enterprise market will drive higher margin, relationship-driven business to our Company,” he noted. “TNS adds new clients and capabilities, as well as provides us with a wide range of design, installation and maintenance solutions that will enhance our existing portfolio.”

The Telnet Solutions acquisition is yet another step in the Spectrum Global Solutions strategy for expanding operations. Spectrum Global’s president, Keith Hayter, spoke more about the future of the company in an interview aired on The RedChip Money Report (http://ibn.fm/LUyLM). Hayter provided an overview of the company’s expanding operations and listed key revenue drivers such as 5G transition, internet of things opportunities and first responder networks.

The interview opened with a look at the rapid growth that Spectrum Global Solutions experienced in 2018. One of the biggest milestones mentioned was the 300 percent Q3 growth on an annual basis. According to Hayter, an equally impressive Q3 result is the 200 percent increase in net income that Spectrum Global Solutions registered.

As of mid-January 2019, Spectrum Global Solutions has close to 200 clients ranging from national carriers (AT&T, Verizon) to smaller businesses, OEMs like Nokia, utility companies, enterprise clients and infrastructure aggregators.

Hayter said that the market opportunity in the realm of telecommunications is immense, providing sustainable chances for growth. Over $1.5 trillion is expected to be spent on telecommunications and, as far as deployment – the niche from which Spectrum Global Solutions garners its revenue streams – the expenditure is forecast to total $50 billion to $200 billion over the next couple of years.

According to Hayter, the main advantages for investors stem from several market specifics and aspects of the Spectrum Global Solutions work.

Telecommunications will continue being a high growth market, and the demand for full-service providers will be high. In addition, Spectrum Global Solutions has a large and well-known customer base, an experienced managerial team and a long service lifecycle.

Spectrum Global Solutions operates through its subsidiaries – AW Solutions, ADEX and Telnet Solutions. It is a leading telecommunications engineering, infrastructure deployment and professional services provider in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Caribbean region.

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

• Global acceptance of cannabis and related CBD products continues to increase
• Worldwide legal cannabis market projected to reach $146 billion by end of 2025
• Consumer demand for CBD products expected to explode with U.S. legalization of hemp
• New software division, Greener Grows, joins Where’s Weed and upcoming Where’s CBD

As an emerging leader in ancillary software and the cannabidiol (CBD) products marketplace, Golden Developing Solutions, Inc. (OTC: DVLP) provides business services and/or products supporting the cannabis industry, including an online retail business for CBD, hemp oil and health/wellness-related products. The company recently launched its new software division, called ‘Greener Grows’, at MJBizCon 2018 in Las Vegas, the nation’s largest cannabis trade show that, in November, attracted over 1,000 participants and exhibitors (http://ibn.fm/LSco7).

Golden Developing Solutions CEO Stavros Triant said in a news release that the Greener Grows platform will provide valuable information to cannabis growers and producers through an online sharing experience (http://ibn.fm/K0YAa). Among the values underpinning Greener Grows is a desire to help others in the cannabis industry find the greenest, most cost effective and most environmentally friendly improvements to cannabis cultivation, according to the GreenerGrows website (http://ibn.fm/gkMHe). Golden Developing has “created the ultimate industry tool for businesses to anonymously share their metrics and compare with others” that will help companies visualize how costs and yields could change based on adjustments to infrastructure and a focus on sustainability, environmentalism and security.

Progressive entrepreneurs are often at the helm of cannabis companies and related support services, bringing a sense of responsibility to the environment to their business ventures, according to an article in Forbes (http://ibn.fm/KGam9). A full 70 percent of millennials will pay more (http://ibn.fm/u8txM) for products made sustainably, while 83 percent consider a product’s environmental or social impact before making a purchase, the article states. GreenerGrows.com provides an important resource for the cannabis industry, stating that those in the cannabis space have a duty to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

Golden Developing is also expanding its hemp and CBD strategy with the launch of a new products portal, www.WheresCBD.com. The new site will aggregate nationwide CBD products for consumers searching for high-end hemp oil and CBD isolates and mirrors DVLP’s popular www.WheresWeed.com website and cannabis services hub. The Where’s Weed mobile app is available for both Android and iOS devices and has been downloaded more than 80,000 times to date.

“Where’s Weed has been a home run for us since we made the move and acquired the leading cannabis and hemp community hub several months ago,” Triant stated in a news release (http://ibn.fm/NgAB3). “We outlined our strategy to invest in cannabis and hemp related services because we believed it was a tremendously undervalued space in terms of online real estate. The development of WheresCBD.com is a natural step in the same direction. Naturally, the signing of the 2018 Farm Bill will only serve to further bolster that momentum. Look for the launch to hit next quarter.”

The global legal cannabis market is expected to reach $146.4 billion by the end of 2025, according to a report by Grand View Research, Inc. (http://ibn.fm/diWD8). In the U.S. alone, the legal cannabis sector is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 25 percent from 2017 to 2025, with advances in new product development expected to enhance product adoption among consumers.

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

• Developments in North American cannabis market present opportunities
• Recreational cannabis now legal in 10 states, medical in 33
• Alliance formed between Canadian Mary’s Wellness and U.S.-based Winterlife, both Redfund clients

As Aesop’s Fables teach, “In union, there is strength.” This time-tested proverb is being put to action through the strategic alliance created between two portfolio clients of Canadian merchant bank Redfund Capital Corp. (CSE: LOAN) (OTC: PNNRF) (Frankfurt: O3X4). In mid-December, Redfund clients Mary’s Wellness Ltd. and Winterlife Inc. detailed plans to join forces for a global cannabis products launch (http://ibn.fm/4B1dD). Redfund targets companies in the mid to late stages of development with a variety of capital financing solutions. The merchant bank is focused on the medical cannabis, hemp and CBD sectors of the health care industry.

The pact between Mary’s Wellness and Winterlife follows in the wake of felicitous developments in the North American cannabis market. On October 17, 2018, the legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada took effect. A month later, two more U.S. states – Missouri and Utah – legalized medical marijuana, bringing to 33 the number of states that have done so. Medical marijuana is also legal in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and Washington, DC. In addition, adult use marijuana is now legal in 10 states, as well as the District of Columbia (http://ibn.fm/eAm6V). As a result, the legal cannabis market in North America, pegged at $10.8 billion in 2018, is expected to almost quintuple to $47.3 billion by 2027, according to Statista.

The partnership between Mary’s Wellness and Winterlife will first launch Mary’s Wellness, a well-known Canadian tea brand, in the U.S. The Mary’s Wellness product range is extensive. It includes a Sleep & Relax Tea, as well as teas in the following flavors: Bella Coola, berry berry, chai, chamomile, earl grey, Echinacea, green tea, green tea with ginger, green tea with ginseng, lemon, orange pekoe and peppermint. There’s also apple cider, hot chocolate, English toffee cappuccino, French vanilla cappuccino and java coffee. These beverages, sold in boxes of 12 packets, will generally deliver 60mg of THC and 6mg of CBD per packet.

Winterlife is launching complementary marketing initiatives. The company, based in Washington State, has kicked off a multi-state U.S. expansion by branding a new set of THC-free CBD products that are 100 percent organic, vegan and gluten free. A Canadian launch is also in the works. Winterlife’s famous gourmet cookies, tinctures and capsules are made with clean extracted full spectrum Rick Sampson Oil (RSO) and so contain the many synergistic cannabinoids and terpenes naturally found in high-quality flower, thus delivering the whole plant experience. RSO is a cannabis concentrate.

Winterlife’s product range includes ‘Classic Cookies’ in a variety of flavors, such as Spotted Skunk’s Strawberry Jam Cookies, Crow’s Chocolicious Chocolate Chip Cookies, Platy’s Premium Peanut Butter Cookies and Chipmunk’s Classic Triple Combo Cookies. Winterlife also offers Hedgehog’s Cannabis Cocktail Spikers, as well as tinctures, such as Asian Elephant’s Orange (Indica), and capsules, such as Bumblebee’s Buzzin Buzzy Caps.

Founded by bankers and entrepreneurs with years of experience in business, consulting, capital markets, corporate finance and health care services, Redfund Capital provides a debt financing facility to help companies build their valuations and get to the next levels in their financing cycles without prematurely giving away equity.

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

• Addressing a global epidemic through the launch of Hygee
• Partnered with communications agencies to raise brand awareness and increase visibility
• Positioned for success following a year filled with new achievements

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than two million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were reported in the United States in 2016. The majority (1.6 million) were newly-diagnosed cases of chlamydia. Young women make up nearly half of all diagnosed chlamydia cases. The CDC recommends that STD screening and timely treatment become a standard part of medical care (http://ibn.fm/jQj7I). Decreasing the stigma of talking about STDs is important in creating a culture that seeks out testing, especially for pregnant women. Left untreated, chlamydia can lead to miscarriages, premature birth or stillbirth, and it can be passed to the infant during childbirth.

Earth Science Tech, Inc. (OTCQB: ETST) is strategically positioning Hygee, a non-invasive discreet chlamydia testing kit, as the answer to this global epidemic. The company announced earlier this month (http://ibn.fm/9Rg05) that it has partnered with communication agencies Les Fous de la Com and Priori System to build a strong online presence, create brand recognition and awareness, educate consumers and develop partnerships and associations for increased visibility on local, national and international levels.

“We are delighted to work with Earth Science in the promotion of Hygee, as it stands to improve the quality of life of women everywhere on the planet,” Priori System President Christian Dumont stated in the news release. “The goal is to bring Hygee to women everywhere, making the product and the service so well known that we can finally begin to ease the catastrophe of Chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections.”

Nickolas S. Tabraue, chairman of ETST, believes strongly in the success of Hygee. While the company has the ability to turn the tide of the chlamydia epidemic, it will take the support of governments and the medical community to make this vision a reality. “This will work,” Tabraue noted in the release, “because we will put Hygee in the hands of the women who need it. We are going to give women control over their own testing, and their own bodies. As confident as we are in our product, that is going to take a community, not a company.”

Following a year filled with achievement, ETST is strategically positioned for success in 2019. In 2018, ETST successfully:

• Became fully reporting;
• Uplisted to the OTCQB Venture Market;
• Improved its High Grade Full Spectrum line;
• Increased sales by more than 100 percent; and
• Ordered the first batch of Hygee, which is expected to launch later this month.

As members of the management team reflected on the success of 2018 (http://ibn.fm/X82K4), they also shared their vision and excitement for the upcoming year. Overall, the feeling is one of positive excitement as distribution and presence in the marketplace increase, potential is realized and new opportunities await.

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

• Creating a more sustainable future through lower energy use and emissions in the cannabis industry
• Introduced SmartSuite® thermostat, which will be piloted this year to existing customers
• Focused on expanding energy IOT hardware and software solutions globally

With over 40 years of combined clean energy management experience, Kontrol Energy Corp. (CSE: KNR) (FSE: 1K8) has the ability to cut the cost of energy and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Cannabis growers have begun to use Kontrol’s solutions, as traditional growing methods require large amounts of energy and are responsible for 30 percent of the growers’ expenses. By providing smart energy management and emission compliance solutions, Kontrol is staying true to the company’s vision of actively participating in the creation of a more sustainable future.

In a news release, Paul Ghezzi, CEO of Kontrol Energy, stated, “As cannabis moves to become a global commodity the ability to source lower costs of energy with real-time analytics and management is increasingly important.” However, the cannabis industry is not the only global market for Kontrol.

On January 8, 2019, the company issued a press release (http://ibn.fm/O6LXi) introducing the SmartSuite® thermostat, a wireless, loT-connected energy saving technology designed to maximize ROI, increase tenant interaction and retention and grow property valuation. The SmartSuite® is able to connect into existing building automation systems, communicate with utilities and provide in-suite energy management that’s complete with analytics and user interfaces. This thermostat will be piloted to existing customers in commercial, multi-residential and hospitality buildings.

Kristian Lavereau, COO of Kontrol, added, “As part of our key strategic objectives for 2019 we seek to accelerate our technology solutions for the digitization of energy and to expand our property technology (proptech). We are also focused on expanding both our energy IOT hardware and software solutions globally.”

Collectively, companies lose $50 billion each year in energy costs, which translates to roughly 30 percent of energy use wasted. Kontrol believes that there is a better way. The company stands behind its vision that any building can be smart. Kontrol is already working to lower energy use and emissions in commercial buildings, multi-residential buildings, commercial cannabis, utilities, manufacturing and education. The company is reshaping the way customers use, manage and allocate energy resources.

Kontrol Energy was recently announced as the seventh-fastest growing startup in Canada by Canadian Business and Maclean’s. In less than two years, the company’s revenue run rate has grown from $1.8 million to $15 million. The company’s strategy consists of a combination of disciplined mergers and acquisitions combined with organic growth.

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

• SinglePoint CEO Greg Lambrecht enthusiastic about revenue potential for CBD products in light of recent U.S. legalization
• The company plans on diversifying its CBD market opportunities through both Amazon and its online store, www.SingleSeed.com
• Lambrecht notes that the company will be “going after” the CBD and cannabis market “very hard” in 2019

SinglePoint, Inc. (OTCQB: SING), a diversified holding company specializing in the acquisition of small- to mid-sized companies (with an emphasis on new technologies), urges investors to “not sleep on SinglePoint” in 2019 as it looks ahead at a potentially impressive year filled with expansion and revenue growth.

SinglePoint provides its investors the opportunity to invest in a wide range of assets, including payment processing, cannabis and blockchain technologies. Recently, SinglePoint CEO Greg Lambrecht was featured on MoneyTV with Donald Baillargeon to speak to the impact of federal CBD legalization in the United States.

When asked about how the federal legalization of hemp and CBD would impact his company, Lambrecht said (http://ibn.fm/nkCeM), “We’re so excited…we’re going to go after that market very hard. As you know, SinglePoint is now a fully reporting OTCQB company, so we have a lot of opportunities for investment and acquisitions in the CBD market.” Lambrecht indicated that the company would be aggressively pursuing new opportunities in the CBD industry to take advantage of the burgeoning cannabis industry.

SinglePoint has had a historic interest in the CBD market. Lambrecht noted, “In 2014, we were putting terminals in dispensaries and were shut down [by the federal government], but now that CBD is federally legal, that allows us to spend the dollars necessary to be a competitor in the CBD industry.” He continued, “We’ve already signed up for four of the biggest trade shows in the country, [and] we’re going to have our [CBD] rack package ready.”

Aside from trade shows, Lambrecht sees the recent federal legislation opening doors for corner stores in towns across the nation. He explained (http://ibn.fm/nkCeM), “We’re going to go really hard at retail and try to really dominate that market. Now your Walgreens, Circle Ks, [etc.] can put this product in their stores without worrying that the federal government will give them a fine.” Lambrecht added that his personal experience in placing products in retail would align with SinglePoint’s retail goals for 2019.

When asked specifically about the effect that CBD and hemp legalization would have on SinglePoint’s online store, www.Singleseed.com, Lambrecht spoke enthusiastically about the website’s untapped potential. “We’re really getting bombarded with investors right now, and we can take that money and increase our SEO marketing [putting] more products on our online site.” Lambrecht noted that the site currently has over 200 products and has been a huge success. In describing his plans for the company in 2019, Lambrecht said (http://ibn.fm/nkCeM) the company plans on “throwing a lot of money at [the website] as well as getting [its] products on Amazon.”

In closing, Lambrecht advised investors and potential clients (http://ibn.fm/nkCeM), “We expect to do extremely well in the market in 2019, so don’t sleep on SinglePoint.”

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

• Supreme Cannabis receives conditional approval to list on Toronto Stock Exchange
• Its 7ACRES line voted 2018 Cannabis Brand Of The Year
• Expects to reach annual output capacity of 50,000 kg by middle of 2019
• Company plans to launch jointly-developed products with Khalifa Kush Enterprises

Another day… another milestone… The Supreme Cannabis Company Inc. (TSX.V: FIRE) (OTC: SPRWF) (FRA: 53S1) makes progress seem so easy. After a string of recent successes that include completion of 19 flowering rooms, clinching a deal with Khalifa Kush Enterprises and copping the 2018 Cannabis Brand of the Year Award, the company has received conditional approval from the Toronto Stock Exchange (the “TSX”) to graduate from the TSX Venture Exchange (“TSXV”) and list its common shares on the TSX (http://ibn.fm/qipSf). Conditional approval from the TSX Listings Committee is the penultimate step to a full listing, which is formalized and confirmed at a public listing ceremony. Supreme Cannabis expects the TSX listing to broaden its investment appeal and improve its ability to execute 2019’s strategic imperatives. If the past is any guide to the future, Supreme will continue to deliver on its promises.

The uplisting announcement follows an array of achievements in 2018. In December, 7ACRES, a wholly owned subsidiary of Supreme Cannabis, was recognized as ‘Brand of the Year’ at the 2018 Canadian Cannabis Awards presented by Lift & Co. (TSXV: LIFT). The Canadian Cannabis Awards celebrate Canadian cannabis, distinguishing the people, companies and products that make it great. 7ACRES was selected by a panel of industry professionals from a variety of sectors in the cannabis space. The award recognizes the enormous effort behind creating a brand, strategy, culture, image and impact that resonates in the public consciousness (http://ibn.fm/2D9l2).

7ACRES generated the sixth-highest revenue among Canadian licensed cannabis producers in the fourth quarter of 2018. Considering that 2018 was its first year of sales, the volume achieved validates Supreme’s strategy of producing high-end cannabis to scale. 7ACRES was able to complete 19 flowering rooms; it expects to achieve its target of 25 completed flowering rooms by March 2019. At that point, the total facility will extend over 440,000 square feet, with cultivation space of 300,000 square feet – about seven acres.

Supreme Cannabis expects 7ACRES to reach its estimated annual output of 50,000 kg by the middle of calendar 2019. During the year, the company aims to strengthen 7ACRES’ market position as a leading premium flower brand. It also has a number of other initiatives in the works.

Supreme has announced an exclusive consulting agreement with Wiz Khalifa’s Khalifa Kush Enterprises (KKE) to develop and launch a line of premium cannabis products in the budding Canadian market (http://ibn.fm/tpR7u). The move could bring the KKE strains that have proved so successful in the U.S. market into Canada’s emerging recreational market. Wiz Khalifa is a Grammy Award-winning American rapper, singer, songwriter and actor who has become an icon within the cannabis community. After collaborating with Colorado-based RiverRock Cannabis in 2016, Khalifa developed his own line of regulated marijuana strains, products and concentrates under the Khalifa Kush brand. These products have already hit dispensary shelves across most states where cannabis has been legalized.

Supreme has also acquired a 10 percent stake in Medigrow Lesotho (PTY) Limited (http://ibn.fm/5bo9U). In addition, the two companies have agreed to enter into a long-term global distribution partnership for medical cannabis oil (as defined in the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations). The cannabis oil will be produced by Medigrow in Lesotho, and, subject to all government and international regulatory approvals, the oil will be exported to international markets in the European Union and South America. Medigrow is located in the Kingdom of Lesotho in southern Africa. The company is licensed by the Lesotho Ministry of Health to cultivate and manufacture medical cannabis and cannabis oil products.

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

• DVLP offers business services and/or products supporting the cannabis sector
• The company’s strategy also includes acquisitions of compliant cannabis companies
• DVLP recently launched WheresCBD.com

A development-stage company, Golden Developing Solutions, Inc. (OTC: DVLP) is an emerging leader in ancillary software and the cannabidiol (CBD) products marketplace. The company provides business services and/or products supporting the cannabis industry. These include an online retail business for cannabidiol, hemp oil and health/wellness-related products. DVLP has its corporate office in Austin, Texas.

In addition, the company’s strategy includes acquisitions of compliant cannabis companies according to state and federal laws (http://ibn.fm/ECUWp), as well as joint ventures. DVLP currently has a joint venture with Pura Vida Vitamins, LLC. Pura Vida merchandise includes hemp and cannabidiol-related products and other products focusing on health and lifestyle. Pura Vida’s premier product lineup includes traditional vitamins, supplements and cannabidiol-based tinctures, vapes and soft gels. Its direct-to-consumer website is www.PuraVidaVitamins.com.

As the demand for cannabis and related cannabidiol products increases worldwide, DVLP is positioning itself to capitalize on this significant opportunity. According to Business Wire (http://ibn.fm/jvhx2), “The global legal cannabis market research report by Technavio predicts the market to post a CAGR of more than 27% during the period 2019-2023.”

DVLP has also purchased the assets of Layer Six Media, Inc., including its flagship application, WheresWeed.com. A cannabis technology enterprise, Where’s Weed connects medical and recreational cannabis users with trusted local marijuana businesses in their respective communities. Where’s Weed offers an app that enables cannabis users to find local businesses with the best deals. Users can then promptly connect with others to share these deals.

DVLP has also created a new website (www.GreenerGrows.org) that permits cannabis growers of all kinds to obtain first-rate information and communicate with one another. GreenerGrows features actual industry metrics from real cannabis businesses. Businesses can anonymously share their metrics and compare them with others in their industry. With its safe and secure tools, GreenerGrows allows users to analyze their business data in order to make important operating decisions.

DVLP recently expanded its hemp-related products strategy with the launch of WheresCBD.com. For consumers looking for high-end hemp oil and cannabidiol isolates, the new site will gather together information on nationwide cannabidiol products (http://ibn.fm/0E74M). WheresCBD.com will be populated by the most popular cannabidiol products. These products include gummy bears and the leading cannabidiol oils. With the signing of the 2018 Farm Bill legalizing hemp, the door is open nationwide for DVLP, as the legislation permits states to regulate hemp production, commerce and research with approval from the USDA (http://ibn.fm/2uhZV).

In a news release, Stavros Triant, DVLP’s chief executive officer, said, “Where’s Weed has been a home run for us since we made the move and acquired the leading cannabis and hemp community hub several months ago. We outlined our strategy to invest in cannabis and hemp related services because we believed it was a tremendously undervalued space in terms of online real estate. The development of WheresCBD.com is a natural step in the same direction. Naturally, the signing of the 2018 Farm Bill will only serve to further bolster that momentum. Look for the launch to hit next quarter.”

With its two-pronged business strategy spanning cannabidiol and ancillary software, DVLP offers two channels for ROI for investors. Furthermore, with its intent to make more acquisitions in the near future, the company continues to stay ahead of the curve in its industry. DVLP’s commitment is to leading cannabis culture into the contemporary world.

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

• Shoppers Drug Mart, Canada’s largest pharmacy chain, will serve as the exclusive direct-to-patient online outlet for Flowr’s premium medical cannabis
• Flowr previously set a standard with Hawthorne Gardening and Holigen Ltd. partnerships
• Flowr’s high-yield growth expertise and premium product focus are expected to serve it well during anticipated cannabis supply glut and associated price drop

Premium cannabis cultivator The Flowr Corporation (TSX.V: FLWR) (OTC: FLWPF) and Shoppers Drug Mart, Canada’s largest retail pharmacy chain, recently announced a multi-year deal for Flowr to supply medical cannabis for Shoppers’ new online cannabis store. Shoppers’ e-commerce website will also be the exclusive direct-to-patient online provider of the company’s FlowrRx-branded products.

“We believe that partnering with Shoppers Drug Mart to provide patients with premium medical cannabis is a game-changing opportunity for Flowr’s medical business and we look forward to working with their team,” Flowr Co-CEO Tom Flow stated in a January 9 news release about the agreement (http://ibn.fm/Pv4Ec). “FlowrRx products are grown in facilities designed to pharmaceutical industry manufacturing standards and using strict processes that should enable us to provide patients with both the high quality they seek and the consistent benefits they need.”

Shoppers has about 1,300 pharmacist-owned locations from coast to coast. At this time, however, the FlowrRx products will be sold exclusively online through the e-commerce site, since Canadian regulations currently restrict the sale of medical cannabis in retail pharmacies.

Flowr’s products are grown in British Columbia’s renowned Okanagan Valley, using proprietary cultivation systems engineered to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards that allow the company to consistently generate premium, non-irradiated product at high yields. Despite the supply-line difficulties that Canada’s cannabis industry has experienced in the months since adult-use legalization last fall, analysts predict that there will soon be an oversupply of cannabis product, and that such a trend will work in Flowr’s favor.

A December report by investment advice website The Motley Fool noted that, in a low-price market, the hardiest companies are those that have low operating costs, and the key to low operating costs in the cannabis industry is to have high yields per square foot (http://ibn.fm/qFgz3).

“Flowr beats most of the major Canadian marijuana producers when it comes to crop yield,” the report states. “Its expected yield in the coming year translates to a cost per gram of 2.05 in Canadian dollars, well below Canopy Growth’s and Tilray’s cost per gram. Even better, Flowr thinks it can increase its yield and lower costs even more.”

The company’s emphasis on premium and ultra-premium products also puts it among a select group that employs rigorous standards to deliver a stand-out product that’s likely to draw discerning consumers. Its potential attracted Scotts Miracle-Gro subsidiary Hawthorne Gardening, which entered into a research-and-development partnership with the company in March 2018 and broke ground on North America’s first research and development facility dedicated to advancing cannabis cultivation techniques and systems in October (http://ibn.fm/dGwZd).

The Hawthorne Gardening partnership made Flowr one of only three Canadian cannabis companies with a business partnership with a publicly traded U.S. company at the time.

“We chose to work with Flowr due to their ability to grow quality, consistent plants,” Hawthorne Gardening Senior Vice President and General Manager Chris Hagedorn stated in announcing the groundbreaking partnership. “Dedicated to innovation, this first-of-its-kind research facility will help to optimize our entire array of products, from lighting to nutrients and environmental controls, and put us in the unique position to help our customers, no matter their size and scale, get the result they seek with even more precision.”

In addition, the December announcement that Flowr had acquired a 19.8 percent share of Holigen Ltd., and signed an intellectual property sharing agreement with the international medical cannabis license-holding company, further portends the company’s potential beyond Canada’s borders (http://ibn.fm/qEvvj).

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

• QMC is quickly advancing toward completion of a NI 43-101 report
• The company expects the NI 43-101 report to test historically reported 1.2 million tons of 1.51 percent Li2O
• Lithium-ion battery forecasts support expectations that electric vehicles will overtake fossil fuel cars and exponentially boost demand for lithium

As a new year dawns, QMC Quantum Minerals Corp. (OTC: QMCQF) (TSX.V: QMC) (FSE: 3LQ) is positioning itself to “reawaken the promise in Manitoba’s historically rich lithium properties” by establishing the commercial lithium-bearing potential of the company’s Irgon Lithium Mine Project for the North American market (http://ibn.fm/ejCMw) and advancing its project toward mining production.

Lithium has occupied the green tech spotlight as a mineral that’s critical to the operation of the lithium-ion batteries that power a wide array of increasingly ubiquitous computer products, including cell phones, laptops and smart watches. The expected ascendance of the electric vehicle industry is adding exclamation marks because of its potential to exponentially increase lithium demand.

While lithium prices have been in decline recently, market analysts have debated the trend’s portent for the future, with many arguing that stock prices are overreacting and that prices should begin to rise again by the beginning of the coming decade. Seeking Alpha’s most recent monthly mining news edition also cited a report that Chinese company Envision Energy’s CEO is predicting that the price of electric vehicle batteries will drop so dramatically that they will “end the reign of the internal-combustion engine” and cause fossil fuel car production to disappear virtually “overnight” as EV prices become cheaper during the next few years (http://ibn.fm/c6EH4).

QMC’s efforts to supply a domestic source of lithium have focused on previously explored but underdeveloped hard rock mineral sites in southern Canada. Historically, North America’s hard rock miners dominated the lithium industry until the 1980s by extracting the white metal from the mineral spodumene, which, as a lithium aluminum inosilicate, is a source of lithium and is often found in large quantities. South American nations hosting the famed “Lithium Triangle” gained market dominance with their more economical lithium brine evaporation ponds as the price of the white metal fell, but companies such as QMC assert that the hard rock mining process is ultimately more reliable and faster to bring into production once the initial exploratory work has been completed.

QMC has invested over two years into its vision for its Manitoba property, known as the Irgon Lithium Mine Project, stating that, typically, hard rock projects take three to five years to commence production. The company is anticipating the completion of an updated NI 43-101 resource report on the Irgon Project, in which it holds a 100 percent undivided interest.

Irgon and several other known pegmatite dikes which host spodumene mineralization are located within the Irgon Property. The total project area encompassed by the 22 claims that comprise the Irgon Mine Project is 11,325 acres. Prior historical exploration at the site produced a resource estimate of 1.2 million tons of Li2O grading 1.51 percent over a strike length of 365 meters and to a depth of 213 meters. QMC expects that its pending resource estimate will identify higher grades, tonnages and strike distances of the dikes than those indicated by the original, historical resource report as a result of the very positive results from the company’s ongoing exploration program.

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