• 80 percent of the company’s total revenue anticipated from the licensing of DehydraTECH™
• Nuke Enterprises renewed its license, sending a strong vote of confidence in the technology
• Enabled GP Holdings to create a high-performing cannabis-infused beverage
• Biolog Inc. is developing products which will allow processors and consumers to turn almost any food or beverage into a cannabis edible
• Beginning production of a line of cannabis-infused alcohol-free beverages through a new licensing agreement

Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTCQX: LXRP), a drug delivery platform innovator, utilizes its unique patented DehydraTECH™ delivery technology to enhance the products of its clients. This patented delivery mechanism improves the bioabsorption and bioavailability of ingestible substances while also improving taste and smell. For companies entering into or already established in the cannabis industry, this is good news. The bitterness of cannabis when creating consumable products can now be reduced and even eliminated.

Lexaria has licensed DehydraTECH™ to a number of companies that market hemp-based, CBD-infused products. As the only company in the world awarded a patent for the improved delivery of all cannabinoids, Lexaria is strategically positioned to enable and partner with companies to improve high-quality products. Chris Bunka, CEO of LXRP, has indicated that 80 percent or more of the company’s total revenue will come from these licensing deals (http://ibn.fm/4VRLX).

A strong vote of confidence came from Nuka Enterprises. After using DehydraTECH™ for nearly two years, Nuka renewed its license with Lexaria. Nuka makes 1906 brand cannabis chocolates. Under the new 10-year semi-exclusive agreement, Nuka will utilize the technology in its U.S.-based products and plans to expand its products and brand to Canada (http://ibn.fm/eGhTA).

This same delivery technology enabled GP Holdings LLC to develop a high performing cannabis beverage with the complete clarity and transparency of sparkling beverages and nearly zero unwanted odors or flavors. GP acquired rights to DehydraTECH™ in a five-year semi-exclusive licensing agreement for beverage applications in California. GP is also working to develop topical skin products with this innovative tech.

Biolog, Inc. entered into an agreement back in February with Lexaria to utilize DehydraTECH™ in a unique line of manufactured dissolvable infusion products. These products will allow processors and consumers to turn almost any food or beverage into a cannabis edible (http://ibn.fm/ImeIs).

The most recent announcement comes from Lexaria and Hill Street Beverage Company Inc. They have signed a definitive agreement to license DehydraTECH™ in the production of a line of cannabis-infused alcohol-free beverages (http://ibn.fm/QAG8K). Hill Street plans to use DehydraTECH™ to create the same award-winning tastes it is known for while providing the consumer with the recreational experience of cannabis, void of any bitter taste. The alcohol-free red and white wines have already undergone lab testing by Lexaria and show virtually zero cannabis taste or odor with the use of DehydraTECH™.

In a news release, Hill Street CEO Terry Donnelly stated, “Our goal is to provide traditional beer and wine drinkers with great tasting products that use cannabis to mimic the onset and duration of effect that has historically come from alcohol, but without alcohol’s toxicity and added calories. While the early versions of our wines infused with Lexaria’s process have shown great promise, we are extremely excited about the progress Lexaria continues to make with their infusion technologies. Lexaria has already demonstrated its importance to our model as a key strategic partner in our business, and this agreement secures our future together. As Hill Street’s progress into producing the world’s finest alcohol-free and cannabis-infused beverages continues, Lexaria has demonstrated that they will continue to innovate and improve on their process. This will help to ensure Hill Street is always at the forefront of producing world-class wine, beer and other adult format beverages.”

Lexaria is expected to sign 6-12 more licensing agreements in 2018 through its four wholly owned subsidiaries serving the nicotine, hemp, pharmaceutical and cannabis industries.

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

• Warren Wang, CEO of CIIX, says in MoneyTV interview that he believes CIIX will enjoy ‘good times’ in 2019 and 2020 as its program initiatives perform well
• He remains bullish on bitcoin pricing due to the fixed supply of 21 million coins and the potential demand from the far larger 1.4 billion-person population of China
• CIIX offers a suite of cryptocurrency services, including education, mining for coins and media; it offers its Chinese-speaking audience podcasts and a daily broadcast from the NYSE

ChineseInvestors.com, Inc. (OTCQB: CIIX) CEO Warren Wang recently predicted that CIIX would perform well and provide ‘good times’ for its shareholders in 2019 and 2020 as its programs develop. They include a comprehensive series of bitcoin services, such as the planned creation of an international bitcoin ATM network, and its core business of subscriptions and media relations.

In an interview on MoneyTV with host Donald Baillargeon, Wang said that he is confident in the strength of cryptocurrency due to fixed supply and a much greater potential for future demand (http://ibn.fm/iY1bc).

“There are only 21 million coins in the cryptocurrency market,” he said in the interview. “In China we have 1.4 billion people. Bitcoin is unique and has a limited supply. The doors and windows of supply are closed to everyone. Government cannot change it. A CEO cannot change it. That’s the beautiful part about cryptos.”

CIIX is all-in with programs for bitcoin and other virtual currencies. It offers a host of services including its own online site, NewCoins168.com, for real-time news. It also mines for cryptocurrencies with its own ASIC machines and AntMiners at a data center near Seattle (http://ibn.fm/7CrUW) and has established the Bitcoin Trading Academy for educational courses. In media, it has a daily broadcast from the NYSE, a cable TV program and a licensed podcast.

CIIX has an international Chinese-speaking audience. It also has core revenue from subscriptions and consulting. Its website notes that CIIX expects to issue its own ICO in the second half of 2018 or in 2019, issue currency and create a virtual investment ‘ecosystem’ for its Chinese viewers (http://ibn.fm/88Omb). Internationally, its future network of ATMs may expand into Canada from the U.S., and its bitcoin courses may be offered online to Asia.

“We have 70 employees worldwide in China and the U.S.,” Wang said during the MoneyTV interview. “In cryptocurrency we have banking, education, media and a trading platform ready to go. I think 2019 and 2020 will be good for us and our shareholders.”

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

• Demand for lithium batteries in electric vehicles, energy storage devices and portable electronics continues to fuel lithium market forecasts
• QMC working with SGS Canada, Inc. to search out buried minerals through mobile metal ion (“MMI”) geochemical survey
• Company confident that additional exploration will expand property resource, historically reported to be in excess of 1.2 million tons grading at 1.5 percent Li2O

As investment research agencies continue to predict a boom market for lithium suppliers, QMC Quantum Minerals Corp. (OTC: QMCQF) (TSX.V: QMC) (FSE: 3LQ) is moving forward with its plans to explore and develop a historical spodumene-bearing pegmatite resource located within Manitoba’s prolific Cat Lake-Winnipeg River rare-element pegmatite field.

Lithium Investing News joins a variety of market watchers in predicting that the excitement over junior miners’ efforts to fire up potential North American lithium extraction sites will be more than a flash in the pan as electric vehicles, energy storage systems and high-drain portable electronics call for low-heat, highly efficient batteries — the type that rely on limited supply elements such as lithium and cobalt. The investment news agency, citing research by the Freedonia Group, predicts that global demand for lithium metal will rise to 49,350 metric tons by next year, with a lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) valuation of the global market projected to be $1.7 billion (http://ibn.fm/nz4VH).

This optimistic forecast coincides with QMC Quantum Minerals’ efforts to evaluate and revitalize its 100 percent-owned Irgon Lithium Mine Project. The property presents the prospect of a quick production ramp up once the company establishes market potential, particularly as part of the initial exploration and development 65 years ago, a 500-ton-per-day mill was erected onsite (which was subsequently removed from the property in 1963). A future production decision by QMC will be facilitated by the fact that significant infrastructure remains in place, including an underground complex of a three-compartment shaft, drifts and crosscuts that can be put to use in new exploration without having to start from scratch at ground level (http://ibn.fm/b0QK5).

Even though the company has historic underground development, the Irgon Dike’s lithium mineralization begins directly at the surface.  QMC Quantum Minerals is preparing to evaluate and potentially expand Irgon Dike strike extensions in addition to evaluating other spodumene-bearing pegmatite dikes that have been identified on the property by undertaking a mobile metal ion geochemical survey (mobile metal ions in this case will include elements such as lithium, cesium, niobium, tantalum, rubidium, beryllium, etc.).  These pathfinder elements have been released from underlying pegmatite mineralization and have traveled upward through the soil profile. In May, the company announced that SGS Canada, Inc. would provide expertise and assistance during the upcoming Irgon exploration and, on July 24, QMC announced that SGS will be assisting with the collection of the MMI geochemical samples and will provide analysis of MMI samples using its exclusive MMI technology (http://ibn.fm/LstIA).

Planning has begun for the MMI survey for buried mineralization over selected target areas at the Irgon Mine Property. According to both SGS and QMC, the MMI geochemical survey is a proven, advanced exploration technique that has been utilized elsewhere to identify buried mineral (pegmatite) deposits. The search will begin over mineralized areas above the Irgon Dike and work its way westward to identify any buried strike extensions of the Irgon Dike.

“Using careful soil sampling strategies, sophisticated chemical ligands and ultra-sensitive instrumentation, SGS is able to measure the concentration of these ions. … After interpretation, MMI data will indicate anomalous target areas on which to focus the subsequent drill program,” the news release states.

The historical exploration of the Irgon Dike more than six decades ago, long before the price of lithium reached its current fever levels, identified a resource estimate of over 1.2 million tons grading 1.51 percent Li2O over a strike length of 1,200 feet and to a depth of 700 feet.  This historical assessment is currently in the process of being upgraded to modern NI 43-101 reporting standards, with the reported historic resource expected to be potentially expanded both along strike and to depth.

QMC has stated that its re-evaluation of historical assessment reports filed on the property led it to identify an additional historical exploration target that encompasses “a large, untested lithium soil anomaly” more than 3,600 feet long and up to 1,150 feet wide across the southern part of the property. Exploration of this target area will be part of the upcoming MMI geochemical survey and is certainly a reason for the company’s enthusiasm.

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

• PreveCeutical’s ‘Nature Identical™’ efforts aim to create consistently reproducible versions of found-in-nature therapeutics
• Company has begun engineering redesign phase of select identified peptides derived from famed scorpion venom
• Preventative therapeutics market expected to generate $196.9 billion in revenues by 2024, demonstrating alternative health products’ potential

PreveCeutical Medical Inc.’s (CSE: PREV) (OTCQB: PRVCF) (FSE: 18H) efforts to develop a synthesized and consistently reproducible ‘Nature Identical™’ scorpion venom, popular as a pain reliever and cancer therapy, has taken a new step toward marketability as the company commences work on re-engineering venom peptide components to stabilize them.

The biotech company based in British Columbia, Canada, has established its purpose as delivering organic and nature-inspired products to patients dealing with certain select ailments, in the hope of providing the patients with affirmative treatment and, through immune system support, preventing the maladies from occurring in those not yet afflicted. PreveCeutical’s interests extend specifically to type 2 diabetes and obesity, mild traumatic brain injury, cancer and pervasive pain.

PreveCeutical’s work to provide the benefits of Caribbean Blue Scorpion venom to patients with mild head injuries and glioblastoma, a highly-aggressive form of brain cancer, has established the company as having a novel, natural approach to treating less-commonly researched ailments. Caribbean Blue Scorpion venom has long had some popular medicinal use among people in several nations, and PreveCeutical’s aim is to provide a consistent, high-quality source that doesn’t require someone to milk scorpions regularly in order to establish a supply.

The company completed its first phase of R&D on the project earlier this year, identifying eight scorpion peptides of such a size and nature that PreveCeutical could redesign and synthesize them for potential use in Nature Identical™ products. The company has now begun Phase 2 of the project, which involves doing the peptide redesign work with the goal of improving the peptides’ stability, so they can maintain their potency while being employed against the brain maladies, according to a news release issued on July 31, 2018 (http://ibn.fm/mADJx).

“The Company’s research team is using state-of-the-art computer technology for its in-silico modelling and docking studies, against known brain cancer targets (e.g. Matrix metalloproteinases) to determine the structural features and amino acid sequences critical to their binding,” the news release states.

Once PreveCeutical establishes a library of highly stable peptides, the company will begin the third phase of the program in which it begins screening the Nature Identical™ peptides in cell-based glioblastoma models.

One of the company’s primary goals is to establish a novel drug delivery method by producing a Sol-gel compound that can be administered nasally, creating a pathway for medicines such as cannabidiol contained within the Sol-gel to reach the brain directly from the nose without having to travel the digestive tract and risking its weeding-out barriers.

Crystal Equity Research noted that the company shifted its potential “into a higher gear with its development pipeline” after successfully raising C$6.5 million ($4.9 million) in June for useable capital (http://ibn.fm/pY5qK), as well as executing a five-for-one stock split that created the potential for greater liquidity. The research firm anticipates that preventative health care will continue to be a lucrative market, citing Grand View Research’s forecast for generating $196.9 billion in revenue by 2024 with a 15 percent CAGR.

“The recent capital raise provides some assurance that the R&D budget has sufficient support to reach milestones or at least produce relevant results,” Crystal Equity states.

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

• Operating in world’s two largest cannabis markets – California and Canada
• Cannabis concentrate extraction service agreement inked with Cannabis Strategic Venture subsidiary Pure Applied Sciences, Inc. to provide white label services of high quality, ultra-purified cannabis extracts
• Construction underway in California and Canada of large scale, purpose-built current cGMP designed greenhouses for cannabis cultivation and production
• Supply agreement with Canopy Growth Corporation to provide up to 90,000 kg of cannabis over two years beginning in early 2019

Sunniva Inc. (CSE: SNN) (OTCQX: SNNVF), a vertically integrated medical cannabis company headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, is committed to delivering safe, consistent, high-quality products and services through its wholly owned subsidiaries – Sunniva Medical Inc., CP Logistics LLC, Natural Health Service Ltd. and Full-Scale Distributors LLC.

In an executive summary of Sunniva’s market potential, Canaccord Genuity states, “Sunniva could become one of the larger compliant producers in California heading into 2019 where more than 85 percent of product is still not in compliance with current regulations.” The company’s strategy of placing a high degree of importance on designing its facilities with innovative technologies that allow for automation, low-cost cultivation and the ability to maximize control/monitoring of production inputs and environmental factors is a top value for investors looking at Sunniva, the report states (http://ibn.fm/dUISz).

Sunniva currently has two separate growing facilities under construction. The first facility is at its campus in Cathedral City, California, and the second is a 126-acre site at Okanagan Falls, British Columbia, Canada. Sunniva broke ground in early May 2018 on the Okanagan Falls Campus, while the Cathedral City Campus is further along in the construction process. Through subsidiary CP Logistics, the company is close to completing Phase 1 of a cGMP-compliant greenhouse facility in Cathedral City that will have an estimated annual output of 60,000 kg of dry cannabis at capacity. Sunniva expects operations at its California facility to begin in Q4 2018 (http://ibn.fm/GzxM9).

A previously reported take-or-pay supply agreement signed with Canopy Growth Corporation (TSX: WEED) (NYSE: CGC) (http://ibn.fm/KAan1) ensures that Canopy will purchase approximately 45 percent of Sunniva’s annual production capacity, representing 45,000 kg of dried cannabis annually, starting in Q1 2019 or shortly thereafter. Canopy will also distribute Sunniva’s branded products. Canaccord Equity issued a positive statement on this agreement, noting, “We believe this take-or-pay agreement provides medium-term revenue certainty while partnering the company with one of the leading producers in Canada and allocating a sizable portion of the company’s planned capacity (~45%) to a dedicated supply channel right off the bat.”

Sunniva also recently signed a cannabis concentrate extraction services agreement between CP Logistics, LLC (“CPL”) and Pure Applied Sciences, Inc. (“PAS”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Cannabis Strategic Ventures, Inc. (OTC: NUGS). Under the agreement, CPL will perform white label services producing high quality, ultra-purified cannabis extracts out of its Sun-Oil Facility in Cathedral City, California, for PAS under the Pure Organix™ brand name, which was recently acquired by Cannabis Strategic (http://ibn.fm/1jvcN).

In addition to its planned cultivation and production in California and Canada, Sunniva operates Canada’s largest network of cannabis clinics (providing guidance and education to medical patients) and is a private-label provider of vaporizers throughout several major U.S. states. Sunniva’s seed-to-sale structure supports the company’s strategy of sourcing potential acquisition targets to increase its level of vertical integration.

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

• Advantage of GRBX defense wall is company ownership of all the parts of the blockchain payment system, from TrustKeys to ledger and gateway
• Ben Errez, EVP of GRBX, says that TrustGateway and QuickCard form a combination that is highly resistant to fraudulent transactions with the security of proprietary blockchain gateway
• QuickCard is a blockchain powered e-wallet enabling users to download cash and earning GRBX five provisional patents

GreenBox POS, LLC’s (OTCQB: GRBX) TrustGateway and QuickCard are integrated and, together, are highly resistant to fraudulent transactions on the GreenBox payment platform, the company announced (http://ibn.fm/66cmn). The fully integrated mobile payment app that processes cash into blockchain driven e-wallets has a defense wall that has not been successfully penetrated, according to the company.

In a news release, Ben Errez, EVP of GRBX, said, “TrustGateway is not only the best defense against fraud, but it also takes part in load-balancing and maximizing system uptime. We do see daily fraud attempts from bad actors, but they simply can’t do any harm on blockchain gateways.” The GRBX advantage is that it owns all the parts of the blockchain payment system, the company notes.

GRBX is a hardware and software technology company, based in California, with multiple offices in both the U.S. and Canada. The company projects that its average daily transaction volume will reach $1 million by 4Q2018 and believes that its technology is on its way to becoming the new payments standard (http://ibn.fm/mRftA).

GRBX offers individual disruptive applications integrated into an end-to-end suite of financial products. These include the QuickCard blockchain-driven e-wallet and the QuickCard kiosk, which manages all cash issues including deposits to blockchain. LOOPZ is a delivery software solution that offers service dispatcher back-end technology with manual and automatic AI-driven modes. The company’s point-of-sale solutions consist of in-house developed, proprietary software with features such as cloud security, data fidelity and compliance.

Errez termed the integrated TrustGateway and QuickCard systems as efficient, noting that, together, they offer the best in fraud prevention. “TrustGateway’s track record shows that no customers were harmed, no money was lost, and no successful penetration of the defense walls was recorded,” he added.

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

• Global lithium-ion battery market expected to reach $93.1 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 17 percent
• Lithium demand driven by increased usage of electric vehicles, consumer electronics and grid storage systems
• Lithium Chile’s property portfolio includes 15 projects on lithium-rich salars and lagunas in Chile
• 2018 exploratory drilling underway at Ollagüe project site, with prior sampling of lithium brines in area ranging from 160 to 1,220 mg/l lithium.
• First drill hole has already hit a large brine-saturated zone

Lithium Chile Inc. (TSX.V: LITH) (OTCQB: LTMCF) is on track to maximize its early-mover exploration advantage with its portfolio of 15 projects on lithium-rich salars and lagunas in Chile. The very first drill hole has got people excited, thanks to a salt/sand zone of 180 meters in depth that is brine-saturated. If those brines turn out to contain lithium and should that lithium be of similar grade to those found during Lithium Chile’s sampling program, it could put this company on a lot of radars. Brine samples from that hole, taken from the company’s wholly owned Ollagüe project located in the Antofagasta region of Chile, were sealed on site and have been sent to accredited laboratory ALS Patagonia for official chemical assays (http://ibn.fm/yVGz2).

Prior to drilling, the company’s comprehensive sampling program at the project encountered near-surface lithium brines assaying from 160 to 1,140 mg per liter of lithium, with “first rate chemistry.” Even more exciting, this specific drill hole is located approximately one kilometer from an historic test well that recently returned assay results of 1,220 mg/l lithium from newly taken downhole fluid samples.

If you’re not familiar with lithium brine projects, it’s important to know that the salars (salt flats) that host them can extend for many, many kilometers, so being just one kilometer from grades as high as 1,220 mg/l lithium is a big deal. It can take two to three weeks for chemical analysis to be completed, so it could be worth keeping a close eye on this one.

Lithium Chile has amassed one of the largest lithium land packages in Chile that includes 152,900 hectares within the world’s highest-grade lithium district. Chile hosts the highest-grade lithium reserves in the world, and, importantly, the new government signaled earlier this year that it was looking to open up its lithium mining industry.  After receiving strong community support and government authorization for its drilling program on the Salar de Ollagüe, Lithium Chile President and CEO Steve Cochrane is expressing excitement for this phase of the company’s growth.

“Drill programs are, without question, the most exciting periods possible in the life of an exploration company,” Cochrane told shareholders on the company blog (http://ibn.fm/XA05K). “Lithium Chile’s technical team is working flat out, preparing for our multi-project program in Chile. These preparations follow hot on the heels of a series of geophysical surveys we conducted on our highest profile projects.”

Recent surveys discovered a huge, 60-square-kilometer target area at the Helados project, as well as multiple large target areas of 20-25 square kilometers at the Atacama and Ollague projects, Cochraine writes, adding, “These target areas coincide with the locations of our highest grades from the sampling program carried out earlier on these projects.”

Upon completion of the company’s initial four-hole Ollagüe drilling program, Lithium Chile intends to complete a similar drilling program on each of its advanced projects in quick succession.

The global lithium-ion battery market is expected to reach $93.1 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 17 percent, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. (http://ibn.fm/pb7lg). The increasing popularity of electric vehicles worldwide and government-mandated moves to control and reduce carbon emission levels are seen as huge factors driving the lithium market.

Lithium’s combination of low mass and high electrochemical potential makes it perfect for EV battery usage in consumer electronics, which is currently the largest application segment in terms of both volume and revenue, the report states. Energy storage systems are expected to witness the fastest growth at a CAGR of 21 percent from 2017 to 2025 owing to developments in wind and solar photovoltaic in countries such as Germany, China and the United States, the report concludes.

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

• Publicly traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE.VIDA) and recently graduated to the OTCQX Best Market in the USA (OTCQX.PHVAF)
• Strong balance sheet and capital structure with over CAD $15.5 million cash, no debt, with less than 60 million shares outstanding – fully capitalized for global distribution
• Expert management team includes former senior executives from Red Bull, Proctor & Gamble, Labatt’s, Stoli Group and the former CEO of Seagram’s International
• Joint venture with top Canadian licensed producer WeedMD (TSX: WMD) for one of the first federally legal cannabis beverage manufacturing facility, new global distribution partners
• Developing best-in-class premium CBD-hemp oil infused beverages and supplements
• On track to become the first CBD food, beverage and supplement products company to cross-over into mainstream natural specialty grocery retail distribution across the USA, a channel market valued at over USD $4.1 billion
• 2017 World Health Organization Report on CBD hemp oil “safe, non-toxic, non-psychoactive and medicinal” and in January 2018 the World Anti-Doping Agency removes CBD-Hemp oil from Prohibited Substances list, making CBD hemp oil eligible for use by professional athletes for the first time in the history of competitive sports (WADA regulates Olympic, FIFA, etc.)
• Global Health and Wellness Market hits $1 trillion in 2017 (Euromonitor Report)
• Hemp-based CBD-infused products are expected to achieve growth of 700% to $450 million by 2020 (Hemp Industry Association)
• CBD (cannabidiol) market is estimated to explode from $360 million to $2.1 billion by 2020 (Hemp Industry Association)
• CBD and cannabinoids as functional ingredients in body-care and supplement categories show +300% growth year-over-year (Forbes)

Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, with operations offices in southern California, Phivida Holdings Inc. (CSE: VIDA) (OTCQX: PHVAF) is a premium food and beverage company that develops CBD-infused functional foods, beverages and supplements poised for global distribution. All products in the Phivida label are infused with organic, hemp-derived cannabinoids into a variety of premium foods, beverages and clinical products for everyday health. Phivida is guided by a team of Fortune 500-caliber executives focused on a new strategic portfolio of products and brands, comprehensive consumer research, new product and brand development, improved visual identity and packaging design, and a strong distribution strategy.

The company’s motto – “Celebrating Health and Wellness, in Harmony™” – underscores Phivida’s mission to lead the alternative health care sector as the benchmark standard in premium CBD-infused functional beverages and tinctures. To execute this goal, Phivida is taking advantage of positive legislative developments in the United States and has defined an elevated national route-to-market strategy across the U.S. where small regional distributors will be now be replaced with large national distributors.

Management

Phivida’s management team includes president and CEO Jim Bailey, former president of Red Bull Canada and global chief marketing officer for Merrell Outdoors; Chief Marketing Officer Michael Cornwell, former chief marketing officer for Samsung New Zealand and the former director of marketing for Red Bull Canada; and Doug Campbell, former director of sales for Red Bull North America, who as Phivida’s chief commercial officer is tasked with driving new sales revenue growth.

Publicly traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE.VIDA) and recently graduated to the OTCQX Best Market in the USA (OTCQX.PHVAF), the company’s strong balance sheet carries CAD$15.7 million with no debt or loans with less than 60 million shares outstanding and the company is now well-capitalized to fun major mainstream distribution with a solid structure poised for long-term growth.

The Science

Using encapsulation technology, Phivida uses full spectrum CBD-hemp oil (rich in naturally occurring phytocannabinoids) converted into a water-soluble delivery format, which enhances delivery and absorption of the cannabinoids into the human body – up to an estimated tenfold.

Encapsulated CBD is infused into functional beverages, food and supplements containing a proprietary blend of phytonutraceuticals studied to target a range of health and wellness conditions. Phivida tests every product for microbials, heavy metals, pesticides, residual solvents, terpenes, and potency to guarantee less than 0.3 percent THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the chemical compound in cannabis responsible for a euphoric high) is present.

Regulations

Federally legal under the 2014 Farm Bill, CBD from Hemp Oil is a rapid growth market across the USA. When derived from marijuana, CBD remains a schedule one controlled substances, giving hemp derived CBD oil infused products a competitive advantage on regulations. On June 28, 2018, the U.S. Senate passed the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (i.e. the “Farm Bill), lifting the USA Industrial Hemp laws to an agricultural commodity status and effectively removed hemp from the controlled substance list.

Earlier this year, another milestone court ruling also provided significant regulatory support for the US CBD-Hemp sector. In February 2018, the Supreme Court preceded over the HIA (Hemp Industry Association) vs. DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) in a class-action suit concerning the issue of CBD extracted from hemp, and the legality of industrial hemp. In the final ruling the Supreme Court unequivocally determined that – when produced domestically under the Farm Bill – hemp (and its derivatives) are not a controlled substance.

The Supreme Court ruling also found the Farm Bill (as it relates to hemp) “pre-empts” the Controlled Substances Act. Congress has since exempted Farm Bill hemp from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) giving the Farm Bill primary jurisdiction over the governance of the CBD-Hemp Oil industry in the USA.

The DEA further conceded it does not “seek to control cannabinoids,” and that only marijuana derived cannabinoids are governed under the Controlled Substances Act. In May of 2018, the DEA issued a formal directive to all federal agencies (e.g. US Customs and Border Patrol) stating that cannabinoids are not controlled substances unless derived from marijuana, and that the “mere presence of cannabinoids” in any product or derivative does not render it a controlled substance. The Supreme Court ruling also resulted in the mediation of a settlement in what is now the third successful HIA vs. DEA suit in over a decade.

In Canada, the Senate approval of Bill C-45 legalized the production, distribution and use of recreation cannabis – with edibles to be added in 2019. The bill will officially become law as of October 17, 2018, creating a legal framework for the production, distribution, sale and possession of cannabis across Canada including cannabinoid-infused beverages.

3 Wholly Owned Subsidiaries

• Phivida Organics Inc. offers professional-grade, wholesale, whole plant hemp oil extracts made from 100-percent certified organic hemp stalk. Phivida’s hemp oil extracts are CO2-extracted under quality assurance/clinical standards and are third-party lab tested to assure only pharmaceutical grade, cGMP certified, full-spectrum products are produced and available for sale. Phivida Organics produces hemp oil extracts that deliver nano-encapsulated cannabinoids in water soluble formulations designed to be absorbed up to 10 times faster than other oils, providing up to 400 percent bioavailability. Phivida Hemp Oil Vida+ extract products are available now online at Phivida.com.
• Phivida Nutrition blends the best of nature into CBD-infused lifestyle branded beverages including a variety of CBD infused iced teas and CBD infused flavored waters.
• Phivida Enhanced – Under the VIDA brand, CBD-infused tinctures, capsules and other supplement products are distributed to alternative health care clinics across the USA.

WeedMD-Phivida

Phivida has signed a binding letter of intent to joint venture WeedMD Inc. (TSX.V: WMD) (OTC: WDDMF) (FSE: 4WE), a Health Canada federally licensed producer and distributor of medical cannabis, to form a joint venture focused on cannabis-infused beverages. The new joint-venture company, Cannabis Beverages Inc. (“CanBev”), plans to develop a production facility at WeedMD’s state-of-the-art greenhouse facility in Strathroy, Ontario, Canada. CanBev is on track to build and operate the first cannabis-infused beverage production facilities in Canada. The joint venture will focus on manufacturing, marketing and distribution of cannabinoid-infused beverages for the legalized medical and adult-use cannabis markets.

Management from both WeedMD and Phivida are collaborating on design and engineering strategies and site evaluations on a 610,000-square-foot, state-of-the art facility in Strathroy for the development of CanBev. As an emerging certified food grade production plant, the Strathroy facility is an ideal location and comes is equipped with extensive production infrastructure, including 50,000 sq. ft. of food production and packaging area, cold storage, loading docks, and adequate space to expand for future growth.

Strategic Agreements

Phivida Organics has also entered into an agreement to carry out a pharmacokinetic (PK) study on its hemp-derived, nanoencapsulated CBD with Artelo Biosciences Inc. at the University of Nottingham, School of Medicine at the Royal Derby Hospital, England. The study will test encapsulated-CBD on healthy volunteers and measure how fast and how much CBD enters the blood stream after oral consumption with each of the different formulations developed by Phivida Organics.

Phivida has also activated distribution agreements with Asayake Inc. to become one of the first federally approved CBD-infused food and supplement brands in Japan. With first mover status achieved, Phivida now markets to an underserved, yet highly informed population of 127 million patients and practitioners. The supplement market in Japan is estimated at US$10 billion with the overall functional foods market at US$21 billion. The Asia-Pacific region is the fastest growing market for natural plant-based supplements. Phivida now plans to prepare a formal application to Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency to register the company’s CBD-infused functional food and beverage products for approval under the country’s Food with Functional Claims regime. The functional beverage market in Japan is estimated at US$10.35 billion with a CAGR of 2.5 percent (2015-2025).

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

• Petroteq awaiting approval of bid to uplist to Nasdaq Capital Market
• Company expects to see 87 million barrels of bitumen-rich oil from Utah lease
• CEO applauds local media attention amid drive to boost “American Oil for America”

Oil and gas industry technology developer Petroteq Energy Inc. (TSX.V: PQE) (OTC: PQEFF) is operating in a global marketplace as it advances its proprietary ecological process for extracting crude fuels in a zero-harm closed-loop system and awaits word on its application to uplist to the Nasdaq stock exchange, but a recent headline in a small-town Utah newspaper gained its attention (http://ibn.fm/6pUFi), reflecting the company’s interest in being a good neighbor to those most closely affected by its operations.

“I was humbled when I was made aware that we were featured on the front page of the Vernal Express earlier this week,” Petroteq CEO David Sealock stated in a July 26 news release (http://ibn.fm/qDmPK). “We are grateful to be making a positive impact in Vernal and the surrounding communities by bringing jobs and utilizing small local businesses as vendors in the process of our plants commissioning.”

Petroteq Energy has been running reliability tests in the final buildup to full capacity extraction of 1,000 barrels of oil per day at its Asphalt Ridge facility near Vernal, working in excess of 80 percent of its capacity in a rubber-meets-the-road effort to demonstrate the importance and value of its closed-loop technology toward reducing harm to the environment from the extraction of energy fuels.

Ukrainian chemist Vladimir Podlipskiy, the company’s chief technology officer, developed the system that Petroteq expects will make it the first industry player to successfully extract commercial amounts of crude oil from desert tar sand rock using solvents to extricate the crude from crushed rock in a way that produces zero greenhouse gas, zero waste and no high temperatures.

The process distills the solvent-oil mixture to obtain the crude, recycles the solvent for further use and returns the oil-cleansed sand and rock to the mining pit. It has the virtue of leaving the environment in a more sanitized state than it was originally.

Sealock stated that the company expects to boost its output within the next two years to the point that it will be producing 5,000 to 8,000 barrels per day by late 2020 or early 2021 (http://ibn.fm/Y2x0O). Petroteq’s aim is to increase North American production of oil with a yield of about 87.5 million barrels over the lifespan of the project on the 2,541-acre bituminous mineral lease.

“The fact that some of our contractors are veterans of the United States Armed Forces goes to further expand on our Company slogan ‘American Oil for America’ while providing opportunities to those willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in protecting the freedom and opportunities enjoyed by individuals and entities in the United States,” President and Director Jerry Bailey added. “We are extremely pleased that we have their experience on our worksite.”

The production process will work hand-in-hand with the company’s wholly owned PetroBLOQ, LLC, subsidiary — the first blockchain-based platform (still in commercial application development) created exclusively to manage the oil and gas sector’s supply chain needs.

Petroteq also owns a minority stake in an oil exploration and production operation held by Accord GR Energy Inc. and based in southwest Texas.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Petroteq.energy

• In accordance with Israeli regulations, demand letter has been sent to MDGS and meeting of company shareholders must be held within 21 days of letter’s date
• Pure Capital Ltd. says that it is committed to raising MDGS shareholder value through the process of replacing internal members of the board of directors
• Replacement nominees are led by Professor Benad Goldwasser, a urological surgeon, inventor and entrepreneur; all nominees have been vetted, according to Pure Capital

Privately-held investment firm Pure Capital Ltd. yesterday announced that it has acquired 217,696 ADRs of Medigus Ltd. (NASDAQ: MDGS) (TASE: MDGS), bringing its total ownership stake to greater than five percent of the Israeli medical device company (http://ibn.fm/AVCmk). In accordance with Israeli regulations, Pure Capital has sent a letter to Medigus’ CEO, board chairman and board of directors seeking an immediate general assembly meeting of the MDGS shareholders and the dismissal of its internal members of the board.

In the letter, Pure Capital details a number of recent corporate actions that it believes have been harmful to the company’s shareholders. They include continual capital consolidations and capital raises under unfavorable terms. Further, Pure Capital has asked MDGS to avoid raising capital, making public or private offerings and executing disposition of assets until the meeting has taken place.

In a news release issued earlier this week, Pure Capital noted that it is committed to substantially increasing MDGS’s shareholder value and fully replacing the members of its board. According to Israeli regulations, the requested meeting must be held no later than 21 days from the date of the letter of demand.

A team of replacement nominees, as detailed by Pure Capital, is led by Professor Benad Goldwasser. He is a urological surgeon and co-founder of Medinol Ltd., an Israeli medical device company. He and the other nominees have been carefully vetted and were selected after a thorough due diligence process by Pure Capital.

Pure Capital has led various transactions and capital raises totaling over $200 million over the past two years in the U.S., Canada and Israel.

MDGS is a medical device company specializing in developing innovative imaging solutions and minimally invasive endosurgical tools. The company also developed the MUSE™ system endoscopic device, which is designed for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

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