• Global preventive healthcare technologies and services market expected to reach $432 billion by 2024
• Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states that seven out of 10 U.S. deaths are caused by chronic diseases such as diabetes, with global cost of treating diabetes reaching $776 billion within two decades
• World Health Organization recommended in December 2017 that cannabidiol (CBD) should not be scheduled as a controlled substance, citing its potential as a beneficial pharmaceutical
• PreveCeutical’s CBD-based Sol-gel delivery platform offers ease of application, better bioavailability and controlled cannabidiol release

PreveCeutical Medical Inc. (CSE: PREV) (OTCQB: PRVCF) (FSE: 18H), headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is a health sciences company dedicated to researching and developing innovative options for preventive and curative therapies utilizing organic and Nature Identical™ products. In an exclusive interview with NetworkNewsAudio, PreveCeutical Chairman, CEO and President Stephen Van Deventer shared highlights of the company’s business model, products and R&D programs designed to provide next-generation preventative therapies (http://ibn.fm/UkReZ). Healthcare issues plaguing hundreds of millions of people around the world – namely diabetes, obesity, pain management, neurological disorders and cancers – are at the heart of PreveCeutical’s research program, he said.

A report by Grand View Research states that the global preventive healthcare technologies and services market is expected to reach $432 billion by 2024 (http://ibn.fm/StW1V). Innovative, advanced technologies and development of preventive measures is seen as a driving force of the market. Underscoring the significance of this space is the Centers for Disease Control’s assertion that seven out of 10 deaths in the U.S. are caused by chronic disease, which includes diabetes, cancer, heart disease and other conditions classified by the medical community as preventable (http://ibn.fm/geYwf).

PreveCeutical currently has five research and development programs, including dual gene therapy for curative and prevention therapies for diabetes and obesity. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that some 425 million people around the world are living with diabetes, and that number is projected to rise to 629 million by 2045. Treating diabetes is a costly matter, both economically and in terms of physical harm done to the individual. Healthcare expenditures to treat diabetes totaled $727 billion in 2017, according to Statista (http://ibn.fm/6AwG3).

PreveCeutical’s gene-silencing technology would effectively “turn off” the genetic signal which leads to the over-production of a key protein molecule, bringing it back down to safe, normalized levels, This would in turn help cells to absorb glucose, thus reducing blood sugar levels and preventing the body from storing excessive fat, Chief Research Officer Dr. Harry Parekh noted in a news release. With over five years of multi-disciplinary research, Parekh’s team has collectively generated convincing results in models of this disease using Smart siRNA and a tissue targeted bio-responsive carrier system. The promise and significance of the company’s research and development divisions is detailed in a May 2018 Crystal Equity Research Report (http://ibn.fm/gKClB).

Another key research program is the company’s Sol-gel platform, a soluble gel infused with cannabinoids and taken via nasal administration. This CBD-based nose-to-brain delivery system is poised to provide relief for a wide range of indications including seizures. As WHO pointed out in its November 2017 report (http://ibn.fm/xiCqT), “the clinical use of CBD is most advanced in the treatment of epilepsy.” The key advantages of PreveCeutical’s proprietary formulations are many, including elimination of first pass metabolism, potentially improving bioavailability and extending the release time of the therapy (http://ibn.fm/uvXKf).

PreveCeutical’s vision is simply stated: To be a leader in the preventive health sciences, bringing innovative options for preventive and curative therapies utilizing organic and Nature Identical™ products.

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

• Operating in world’s two largest cannabis markets – California and Canada
• Vertically integrated structure extracts value along the supply chain
• Pre-production sales strategy mitigates risk

What can you give a company, like Vancouver, British Columbia-based Sunniva Inc. (CSE: SNN) (OTCQX: SNNVF), that seems to have everything? For starters, this vertically-integrated producer of medical and recreational cannabis has a presence in California and Canada, the world’s two largest cannabis markets. Through several wholly-owned subsidiaries, it has operations in cannabis grow facilities, cannabis extraction facilities, medical cannabis clinics and the cannabis white label business. Moreover, a large part of its estimated total output for the next two years has already been sold as pre-production, even before the completion of grow facilities – a sure signal of customer trust. Even though its grow activities are yet to make a contribution, Sunniva is already generating revenue. With all that in place, this is a company whose future looks as bright as its name, which is derived from an old English word meaning ‘gift of the sun’.

Sunniva is into large-scale low-cost production. Through subsidiary CP Logistics, the company is close to completing a cGMP-compliant greenhouse facility in Cathedral City, California, that will have an estimated annual output cannabis capacity of 100,000 kilos. cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practice) regulations are mandated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure proper design, monitoring and control of manufacturing processes and facilities. Phase 1 of the project involves the development of a 325,000 square foot greenhouse capable of producing 60,000 kilos per year of dry cannabis at capacity with operations commencing in Q4 2018. Approximately 30 percent of initial production has been committed for conversion to oils and extracts. Phase 2 is expected to increase the greenhouse space by 164,000 square feet and increase output capacity by some 40,000 kilos per year.

The location and design choices were made with a focus on low-cost production in mind. The abundant sunlight in California will reduce energy costs, while the highly automated operations will ensure the most efficient production processes are employed. In California also, close to its Cathedral City Campus, Sunniva is operating an extraction facility, through subsidiary CP Logistics. The Sun Oil extraction facility, which has an oils and extracts manufacturing license, is currently being upgraded with additional equipment (http://ibn.fm/6xBjq).

Furthermore, Sunniva recently broke ground at a recently acquired facility, in Canada, with similar production capacity, and work is now continuing at that 126-acre site in Okanagan Falls, British Columbia. The 740,000 square foot facility will have an estimated output capacity of 100,000 kilos annually and is expected to become operational in Q1 2019. About 75 percent of its output will be pre-sold on a wholesale basis (http://ibn.fm/sPYMJ).

Natural Health Services Ltd. is a network of medical cannabis clinics in Canada that offers patients access to medical practitioners specializing in the endocannabinoid system. This Sunniva subsidiary also connects patients with licensed producers through its SPARK proprietary software system, allowing Sunniva to capture revenue from patient purchases. As soon as the facilities become operational, Sunniva intends to start marketing its own produced cannabis  The network currently has over 95,000 patients (over one-third of all Canadian medical cannabis patients), and it has agreements in place with 27 licensed producers.

Sunniva’s seed-to-sale, vertically integrated structure is also bolstered by its Full Scale Distributers (FSD) subsidiary, which markets vaporizers and accessories under the Vapor Connoisseur brand. FSD also provides white label packaging and labelling services to over 80 brands in North America, making it a clear leader in the space. It will design custom vapor hardware for any specification of cannabis oil or concentrate. Now, with the addition of the Sun Oil Facility, customers can also have their extraction and processing done; cartridges can be filled, assembled, labeled and packaged according to their own standards and branding, as well as shipped to their final destinations.

The company recently announced voting results of the Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders held on June 27, 2018 (http://ibn.fm/H5KoB).

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

• Global adoption of electric vehicles driving demand for cobalt and lithium
• Exploration rebooted on strategic claims in Lithium Triangle
• Gold veins also discovered at San Roque Gold Property

It’s not often that you get a winning combination from a mineral exploration company like the one put together by Marifil Mines Ltd. (TSX.V: MFM) (OTCQB: MFMLF). The junior explorer, based in Vancouver, Canada, has assembled a portfolio of claims that compose properties containing lithium, cobalt, gold and other valuable elements and minerals. As the world abandons fossil fuel-powered vehicles, demand for lithium and cobalt continues to climb; the metals are an essential component in batteries for the electric vehicles that will replace them. Argentina, where the Marifil properties lie, is part of the famed lithium triangle that hosts 54 percent of the world’s lithium resources. Given the axiom that gold always glitters, Marifil’s exploration activities appear to signal a trifecta of opportunity, which has not gone unnoticed. Earlier this year, the company announced that it had completed a private placement of ordinary shares. Part of the proceeds are already being used to resume drilling at its flagship San Roque gold property (http://ibn.fm/9ocbH).

San Roque is a 42,321‐hectare (163 square miles) property that lies near the Atlantic coast in a region of well-developed infrastructure, located in the southern Argentine Province of Rio Negro. The San Roque claims contain a bulk tonnage sulfide deposit comprising minerals of gold, silver, lead, zinc and indium disseminated in tens of millions of tonnes of host volcanic rocks. There is as well a newly discovered series of gold-bearing quartz veins. Exploration of this system of veins has just begun, with a series of trenches made to expose and better sample them. These gold-bearing veins exceed a kilometer in length and are generally in the one-to-three meter range of width. Marifil’s San Roque mining rights are held by nine mineral tenures, three of which are now granted titles covering 95 patented mining claims that total 9,449 hectares (36.5 square miles).

The San Roque property is situated in relatively flat desert terrain averaging about 200 meters in elevation and so is accessible by vehicle all year round. It is jointly owned by Marifil, which has a 51 percent interest, and Novagold Resources, with 49 percent. Several deposits of significant gold-silver-indium-lead-zinc mineralization have been discovered on a four-kilometer-long zone, and drilling has yielded significant results that include an intersection of 233 meters of 0.64 grams per metric ton, plus 10.5 grams per metric ton of silver with just traces of base metals, including a run of 2.27 grams per metric ton and 42.6 grams per metric ton of silver over 35 meters starting at the drill hole collar.

Marifil is also exploring for gold and silver in Chubut Province at its Lago Fontana property. Named after the nearby Fontana Lake, the property is located in the Andean Mountain front near the Argentine-Chilean border. It is easily accessible by road and lies about 400 kilometers (249 miles) from the large city of Comodoro Rivadavia. The claims there consist of 11 patented mine rights covering 498 hectares.

Marifil’s lithium interests are strategically situated in the heart of the lithium property claims staking rush going on in Catamarca province. Marifil’s claims are in the same geologic and mining region where FMC is producing lithium at its world-renowned Hombre Muerto mine. The claims span 15,267 hectares (59 square miles) and include its recently acquired Ratones and Fraile claims, as well as two lithium mine rights covering the southern portions of the Carachi Pampa salar in the Province of Catamarca. A competitor has three drills working to the north on the same salar, and it has announced favorable drilling results with significant lithium assay runs of 250 mg/l. These aquifers of lithium rich brines don’t respect claim boundaries and are expected to run well into Marifil’s claims. The company is now reviving an exploration program, which was previously conducted in 2009. The program explored for lithium in Salta and Catamarca provinces. It staked 12 properties covering some 61,500 hectares (237 square miles) and generated a large proprietary geologic and geochemical database that is providing the basis for resumption of Marifil’s lithium exploration program.

Marifil’s interests also include its Las Aguilas property in San Luis province, which hosts a nickel-copper-cobalt deposit spanning more than four contiguous patented mining claims. The property, which is wholly owned by Marifil, is the largest known nickel/cobalt deposit in Argentina. It has been the subject of two Canadian National Instrument 43-101 reports – one by Wardrop Engineering concluding that there is about 4.6 million tonnes of combined Indicated plus Inferred resources of 0.41 percent Ni, 0.41 percent Cu and 0.03 percent Co with about 0.6 g/t Au+Pt+Pd (not compliant with US SEC Guideline 7 resource reporting). The deposit offers possibilities for expansion by drilling, and one old drill hole 3.5 kilometers north of Las Aguilas on Marifil’s parented Virorco claim hit a 90-meter intersection of sulfides containing low grade nickel and cobalt. Marifil believes that by continued drilling this could be the making of a new deposit, perhaps even larger than Las Aguilas.

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

• QMC currently upgrading historical resource on Irgon Mine Project to modern NI 43-101 standards
• Company confident that additional exploration will confirm resources in excess of 1.2 million tons graded at 1.5 percent Li2O
• Jump in North American electric vehicle sales boosts lithium’s prospects amid supply versus demand concerns

QMC Quantum Minerals Corp.’s (TSX.V: QMC) (FSE: 3LQ) (OTC: QMCQF) expectations for revitalizing and further developing a large lithium mine in Manitoba’s bountiful Cat Lake-Winnipeg River Pegmatite Field could play an important role in powering North America’s electric automobile revolution. The company’s flagship Irgon Mine Property in the province’s southeast region, in addition to the company’s two volcanic massive sulphide (“VMS”) properties known collectively as the Namew Lake District Project and located further north in Manitoba’s productive Flin Flon/Snow Lake VMS mining district, presents the potential for the quick fire-up of economically viable successes.

Although electric vehicles are only just beginning to gain a solid toe-hold in the United States, EV recharging stations are becoming more commonplace in most states — a clear indicator that the market could suddenly take off. California is pushing for five million EVs on the road by 2025, with eight other states following California’s sales target of 15.4 percent EVs by that year (http://ibn.fm/9s43p). In Canada, electric vehicle sales jumped 68 percent in 2017, with a 120 percent increase in urban Ontario (http://ibn.fm/1QKWE) as environmentally conscious individuals sought out alternatives to fossil fuel pollutants and the local government offered generous incentives, such as a C$14,000 direct rebate on some electric cars.

Lithium is one of the key metals in the low-heat, high-efficiency lithium-ion batteries that are currently the go-to power source for EVs. Bloomberg New Energy Finance anticipates that yearly electric vehicle sales will climb 30-fold to 24.4 million worldwide by 2030 (http://ibn.fm/H6ijp), and a general consensus that demand may exceed supply has driven speculation for stock tickers dealing in the rare metal during the past few years (http://ibn.fm/o0NTI).

North America’s most successful lithium mine to date, the Tantalum Mining Corporation of Canada (“TANCO”) operation, is located just 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) from the Irgon site — something that QMC hasn’t been shy about advertising as it promotes its property’s potential. Hard rock deposits of lithium-bearing spodumene are scattered throughout Manitoba, and QMC hopes to be in a similar position to that of its neighbor, TANCO (http://ibn.fm/GYUY0).

A key value for the Irgon Property is that historical exploration at the site in the 1950s, when lithium was less valuable to other industries, included underground development and the construction of a 500-ton-per-day mill (http://ibn.fm/0mQAw). Although the mill has since been dismantled, its underground complex of shaft, drifting and crosscuts still exist and should facilitate a full metallurgical assessment of the mine’s potential while initiating production at pilot scale. Infrastructure to operate the mill and provide local access is already in place or nearby.

The Irgon Property also has significant production value in that its lithium mineralization begins directly at the surface and has been explored historically through the underground development to a depth of 74 meters (and to a depth of 213 meters through drilling). This creates the potential for low-cost, open-pit ore extraction immediately on a positive production decision. Mining of a bulk sample is expected to begin quickly once the Irgon Dike’s historical resource has been updated to current NI 43-101 regulatory standards. This report is expected to be completed later this year.

“Ultimately, we think our NI 43-101 will establish much more than the 1.2 million tons of 1.5 percent lithium oxide along the strike of the dike than the old survey estimated,” the company’s website states. “The facts we have so far are very positive for economic lithium production, but when we sent out the big batch of samples in December, we asked the lab to assay our samples for 56 different elements. This is one of the big advantages that hard rock mining has over brining operations. It’s very likely that other elements can be recovered as well. The possibilities we are looking at include rare earth, beryllium, tantalum, niobium, cesium and rubidium-bearing minerals.”

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

• GTXO introduces two new trackers, the GPS SmartSole in size small (for big kids or adults with small feet) and the Invisabelt (for toddlers and children)
• In 2017, the FBI had files on 1.9 million missing persons in the U.S. alone, including more than 464,000 juveniles under age 18, reflecting significant need and market potential for GTXO wearable GPS technology
• GTXO participated in George Mason University study of wandering predictability, combining machine-learning with company’s tracking data and technology

GTX Corp (OTC: GTXO) has released two new GPS products to safeguard the location of children. They are the patented SmartSole® in size small and the Invisabelt for toddlers and kids (http://ibn.fm/eEOch). GTXO offers tracking devices and services in a global market, providing smart and wearable GPS tracking products for people and tracking technologies for high value assets through its IoT monitoring platform.

The two newly launched products are GPS trackers for children, toddlers and adults with small feet. The SmartSole size small can be trimmed to fit most children’s shoes, sizes three and above (http://ibn.fm/flRWQ). It will also fit up to a women’s size 7.5. The Invisabelt is offered in two waist sizes, S/M and M/L, and it is available in sport grey and heather pink (http://ibn.fm/00gQQ).

In a news release, Patrick Bertagna, CEO of GTXO, said, “As we continue to partner with the autistic community and help create programs and solutions to fit their needs for small, non-invasive and non-intrusive and affordable assistance technologies, the long-awaited size small GPS SmartSole comes at a perfect time. And for those parents that want to keep track of their little ones, the company also launched Invisabelt, sized to fit as soon as a child starts to walk, until old enough to wear a pair of SmartSoles.”

Los Angeles, California-based GTXO develops and markets two-way tracking technologies for GPS mapping in real time, for locations of people or high value assets through a transceiver module, smart phone app, wireless gateway and IoT portal. They can be used to identify the location of the elderly with Alzheimer’s and dementia who are prone to wandering, kids with autism and those with traumatic brain injury. The company’s products can now be used for children, as well.

At the same time, a mid-stage clinical study by George Mason University’s College of Health and Human Services completed its Phase II machine-learning prediction research. The study, as reported by Equities.com, utilized GTXO’s SmartSole data and technology. It documents how, together, they may play a future role in predicting wandering (http://ibn.fm/DtGhC).

In the U.S. in 2017, according to the FBI, there were reports of 464,000 missing children (http://ibn.fm/kS72I) and a reported total of 1.9 million missing people overall (http://ibn.fm/SGBdd). Worldwide, the population of dementia sufferers may triple by 2050 from 50 million to 152 million, the World Health Organization predicts. Their annual treatment costs $818 billion. By 2030, that number is expected to rise to more than $2 trillion, the World Health Organization estimates (http://ibn.fm/Zc2mf). GTXO tracking helps to monitor dementia patients, and its products are sold in more than 35 countries.

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

• Customer base has grown by an average of 61 percent month-over-month as DeepMarkit onboards hundreds of new customers each month
• Global gamification market projected to reach $22 billion by 2022
• Growth exceeding expectations following launch of slide-out app “Gamify” for global e-commerce websites
• Positive customer feedback driving development of new, customized features

Less than four months after launching its slide-out app “Gamify” for e-commerce websites, DeepMarkit Inc. (TSX.V: MKT) (OTCQB: MKTDF) announced that it has achieved an average of 61 percent month-over-month growth in its merchant base. Positive customer feedback and the onboarding of hundreds of new customers each month continues to energize DeepMarkit’s development team to create new features for its popular app.

DeepMarkit is a gamification technology whose proprietary promotions platform enables businesses and agencies to create branded games that incentivize customers, which drives sales, captures data and generates leads. DeepMarkit offers marketers both free and paid solutions that are suitable for campaigns of all sizes, targeting multiple channels on the web, mobile and social media.

“Not only is our platform providing customers with an engaging, branded game for their e-commerce stores but it’s also collecting emails and delivering high conversion rates,” Carter Chalmers, director of sales and business development, said in a news release providing a company update (http://ibn.fm/F60ho). “Our team is developing additional games and enhanced product features to be released with our paid version of the app in the next few months.”

DeepMarkit is developing a gamified survey for the Gamify platform that allows customers to collect valuable consumer data while providing a fun and interactive survey experience with built-in prize capabilities. Importantly, Gamify is also General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant to help ensure that customers in the European Union can meet the new privacy requirements when collecting data and emails from consumers.

The global gamification market is expected to grow in value from under $2 billion in 2015 to over $22 billion by 2022, a report by P&S Market Research suggests (http://ibn.fm/RZtYZ). DeepMarkit is the only publicly listed company focused solely on the monetization tool of gamification – the art of converting shoppers to buyers via incentivized gaming apps that embrace any size of business. The early success of Gamify lends proof to the company’s belief that it’s possible for any business to stand out in a crowded space.

“DeepMarkit’s gamification platform gives customers that way to stand out and it’s a way that they can afford,” DeepMarkit CEO Darold Parken stated in an investor’s video (http://ibn.fm/LmPXo). “That’s the strength of our platform. For a relatively small amount of money, any business can create a very powerful, high quality customer engagement using gamification.”

Gamify is now available as a specific app in four global e-commerce platform stores, including Shopify, WordPress, Big Commerce and Weebly. The Gamify slide-out app is also easily installed on any website directly from DeepMarkit.

An additional important development occurred earlier when, in June 2017, the company’s proprietary promotions platform “Gamify” attracted a $1.5 million investment from Allstate International LLC in Hong Kong. The investment gives Allstate a 10 percent stake in DeepMarkit and an opportunity to bring the Gamify platform into the growing Asian gaming market.

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

• PreveCeutical is continuing its extensive research work on the Sol-gel CBD-based delivery system
• An expansion to Australia has enabled the company to run simultaneous tests on cannabis strains and delivery systems
• The scientific work is in line with a growing demand for cannabidiol and medicinal cannabis products

Over the past few months, PreveCeutical Medical Inc. (CSE: PREV) (OTCQB: PRVCF) (FSE: 18H) has been working on the advancement of its innovative Sol-gel drug delivery research program. The focus of the research is to apply Sol-gel technology to develop cannabinoid-based therapies for the relief of symptoms associated with pain, inflammation, seizures and neurological disorders.

The company’s Sol-gel delivery system is unique in that the formulations gel rapidly with nasal mucosal tissue to facilitate direct nose-to-brain delivery of cannabinoids. The gel substantially improves bioavailability and provides controlled cannabinoid release, staying in the nasal passages for up to seven days.

Two major developments occurred in May as part of the company’s advancing Sol-gel research and development.

On May 7, 2018, PreveCeutical signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with a globally-recognized manufacturer of drug delivery systems. Under the NDA, PreveCeutical will enter negotiations for the supply of spray devices that will be used in the Sol-gel research program.

On May 14, a second shipment of cannabis materials arrived to the Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence at the University of Queensland to help the PreveCeutical research on the development of the Sol-gel program. In March 2018, PreveCeutical incorporated its first subsidiary in Australia – an expansion aimed at making the best of the strong clinical research principles in the country and the commitment of the Australian government to support innovation.

Currently, the company’s research is focused on testing various cannabis strains for the purpose of formulating potent and effective Sol-gels. PreveCeutical Chief Research Officer Dr. Harendra Parekh is leading the program.

In addition, various spray devices have already been tested. According to PreveCeutical CEO and President Stephen Van Deventer, a focus on safety regulations and a tamper-proof delivery system will be of paramount importance. While the Sol-gel program is still in its early phases, the evaluation of delivery systems alongside the cannabis strain testing demonstrates a strong commitment to having a working innovative treatment product on the market.

Research has shown that cannabidiol (CBD) has significant anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety and anti-emetic properties (http://ibn.fm/apebX). The CBD market is growing exponentially, with the Hemp Business Journal estimating that this cannabis industry sector will grow to $2.1 billion by 2020 (http://ibn.fm/Chtxe). For comparison, the CBD market last year was valued at $202 million.

CBD market growth is in line with the overall expansion of the medical cannabis market. Grand View Research predicts that the medical cannabis industry will reach $55.8 billion by 2025 (http://ibn.fm/Vgck1). The growing prevalence of medical conditions that have chronic pain as a symptom is one of the factors that will drive the demand for such treatments, alongside cannabis legalization initiatives across the U.S., which will also play a role. In 2017, chronic pain accounted for the largest medical cannabis segment – nearly 39 percent of all therapeutic applications.

PreveCeutical is well positioned to capitalize on this market growth. In addition to the Sol-gel delivery platform, the company is developing solutions based on peptides derived from Caribbean blue scorpion venom for pain management, cardiovascular conditions, cancer, metabolic disorders and infectious diseases.

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

• Automotive applications set to double lithium demand by 2027
• Even though lithium is a ‘critical mineral’, North American output is negligible
• Tests underway to confirm reported 1.2 million tons grading 1.51 percent lithium oxide

Good tidings continue to grace the lithium industry, the latest being the 2018 report from British minerals analyst Roskill. After a recent market analysis, the British consultancy estimated that lithium demand from automotive applications, which reached over 34,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) in 2017, will more than double by the end of the decade. Some of that demand could be satisfied by QMC Quantum Minerals Corp. (OTC: QMCQF) (TSX.V: QMC) (FSE: 3LQ). The junior exploration company, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, is mining for lithium at Cat Lake, a property that hosts several rare-element granitic pegmatite occurrences, including the one on which the historic Irgon Lithium Mine was developed.

Automotive applications are driving lithium demand. They devoured over 34,000 metric tons in 2017 and accounted for 43 percent of total lithium utilized. That share of LCE output is set to climb to 83 percent; auto industry lithium demand is forecast to more than double by the end of the decade (http://ibn.fm/fQy9T). Supply is lagging far behind, and shortages are looming on the horizon, which has prompted the U.S. Geological Survey to include lithium on its “critical minerals” list, a declaration that undoubtedly places a premium on North American sources of the metal, like those owned by QMC (http://ibn.fm/GHNlJ).

Its Irgon Lithium Mine Project, located immediately north of Cat Lake, Manitoba, is home to several pegmatite dikes rich in lithium (Li), plus accessory cesium (Cs) and tantalum (Ta) mineralization. The former owner of the property, the Lithium Corporation of Canada Limited, carried out substantial underground developmental work, estimating the deposit to contain more than 1.2 million tons of spodumene-bearing pegmatite which graded at 1.51 percent lithium oxide. Overall, the Irgon Lithium Mine Property, covers 6,538 acres and comprises the Irgon occurrence and several other known pegmatite dikes on 13 adjoining mineral claims. Serendipitously, it is just 20 kilometers from Tantalum Mining Corporation of Canada’s TANCO Mine, North America’s most successful lithium mine to date.

QMC’s portfolio also includes two volcanic massive sulphide (VMS) properties – the Rocky Lake and Rocky-Namew, known collectively as the Namew Lake District Project – which potentially contain base metal-rich mineral deposits. These claims extend over approximately 23,000 hectares (~57,000 acres) in one of Canada’s most productive mining regions: the Flin Flon/Snow Lake VMS mining district of Manitoba, Canada.

Recently, QMC hired SGS Canada Inc. (SGS) to provide technical support and consulting services for the company’s 2018 field exploration and drilling program at the Irgon Lithium Mine Property. SGS will provide an experienced team of engineers and geoscientists with significant technical expertise in lithium pegmatite exploration and development that will review existing documents and geological modeling of the historical data in order to provide guidance to QMC on its upcoming 2018 field program and drilling campaign.

Moreover, the data acquired through the 2018 exploration program recommended by SGS will be used by SGS to compile a NI43-101 compliant technical report, which is expected to confirm and potentially increase the non-NI43-101 compliant historical reported resource of 1.2 million tons of 1.51 percent lithium oxide within the Irgon Dike.  The technical report will also provide an estimate on the size of the other spodumene-bearing pegmatite dikes currently identified on the Irgon Lithium Mine Property, such as the Mapetre and the Central pegmatite dikes.

QMC announced in June 2018 that it had signed a non-disclosure agreement with an Asian-based manufacturing company which will allow the latter to test the company’s lithium mineralization identified by recent channel sampling of the Irgon Pegmatite Dike to see if it meets end-use requirements of the manufacturer’s customers.

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

• United States concerns about other countries “stealing” its technologies are at heart of political rift with China
• China processes 80 percent of the world’s cobalt; First Cobalt owns only permitted cobalt refinery in North America
• First Cobalt drilling program in Idaho is exploring promising mineral strike for important tech-friendly metal

 The United States’ efforts to prevent foreign investors from “stealing” U.S. technology and intellectual properties could bolster the prospects of domestic mineral exploration companies such as First Cobalt Corp. (TSX.V: FCC) (OTCQX: FTSSF) (ASX: FCC). First Cobalt has been focusing its recent exploration efforts on a mineralized strike in Idaho’s prolific Cobalt Belt that could have national security implications as well as an impact on the production of in-demand modern tech items ranging from smartphones to electric vehicles.

Discovering and developing North American cobalt supply sources has already been a priority among some mining companies, as concerns over changing tax laws and the human rights violations reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo — the world’s largest producer of the metal on an incomparable scale (http://ibn.fm/zoP3E) — have spawned efforts to create a conflict-free supply chain. The United States government’s concerns about losing significant entrepreneurial innovations to foreign investors as they seek to boost their own competitiveness is adding fuel to the fire.

“We have the greatest technology in the world. People copy it and they steal it, but we have the great scientists, we have the great brains, and we have to protect that, and we’re going to protect it,” President Donald Trump said in a June 26 meeting of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) (http://ibn.fm/6zZ25). “We have to protect these companies. We can’t let people steal that technology.”

The government had considered declaring China’s investment in U.S. companies involved in technologies, such as new-energy vehicles, robotics and aerospace, a threat to economic and national security (http://ibn.fm/sZPzP), but it ultimately announced on June 27 that it would forgo such a portentous declaration in favor of strengthening the mandate of the CFIUS to investigate the potential of foreign investments and acquisitions of U.S. companies and to block them if they are considered contrary to national interests (http://ibn.fm/ciAwv). On a parallel course, the U.S. Treasury Department recently unveiled restrictions that specifically target Chinese investors as a result of its investigation earlier this year into the country’s intellectual property practices where “industrially significant technology” is concerned (http://ibn.fm/NQQ17). The investment concerns are part of a larger diplomatic battle over U.S.-China trade issues that have led to tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods that will take effect on July 6, with an additional $16 billion in tariffs anticipated later (http://ibn.fm/TEbGl).

China plays a significant role in the cobalt market as well; its refineries process 80 percent of the world’s supply (http://ibn.fm/M9rm9). Continued escalation in trade war politics between the U.S. and China has the potential to impact a variety of market sectors, including this precious metal’s.

First Cobalt’s development has proven prescient in this regard as well, however. In addition to the Idaho strike, the mineral exploration company owns 50 historic mining operation sites situated on nearly 25,000 acres in Canada’s famed Cobalt Camp of Ontario, as well as a nearby mill and the only permitted cobalt extraction refinery in North America — currently shuttered, but capable of production of battery-grade material as First Cobalt deems proper. Its Idaho site has the potential to produce a mineral supply that would not have to be imported amid a tariff war. The company is working to bring a historic estimate of 1.3 million tons grading 0.59 percent cobalt and 0.3 percent copper up to modern NI 43-101 reporting standards (http://ibn.fm/tse0r), however recent drill results indicate potential to expand beyond this historic estimate (http://ibn.fm/QsqG1).

Cobalt’s role in modern high-tech-friendly batteries is its current cachet. It is one of the critical and hard-to-find metals used in the low-heat batteries that modern computer-reliant technology prefers. Smartphones, with their cobalt-needy lithium-ion batteries, have become a practical necessity across the planet, but they only use about eight grams of refined cobalt. Electric vehicles, which are gaining a state-sponsored respect as nations seek ways to reduce the pollution produced by fossil fuel-powered automobile emissions, have batteries that use more than 1,000 times that of the cell phones. Cobalt also enjoys a national security status because of its use in some military resources, such as rocket and jet engines.

Regardless of the political developments between the United States and China, First Cobalt’s exploration efforts appear to be positioning it to take advantage of whatever the rare metals market may bring in the months ahead.

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

• Sunniva acquires 126-acre property for cannabis production in British Columbia
• Construction at sibling cultivation site in California continues
• Company hosts VIP event at International Cannabis Business Conference, joins M&A panel discussion

Sunniva Inc. (CSE: SNN) (OTCQX: SNNVF), a rising cannabis producer that is gaining a solid foothold in the consumer-populated markets of California and Canada, has announced the close of its 126-acre site in British Columbia’s rural Okanagan Falls-Similkameen district located 45 kilometers (28 miles) north of the U.S.-Canada border.

The 126-acre industrial-zoned property will be the site for a 740,000-square-foot state-of-the-art greenhouse capable of producing an estimated 100,000 kilograms of dried cannabis per year (http://ibn.fm/SFcwh). Sunniva CEO Dr. Anthony Holler noted that the campus allows the company the option to expand with the construction of an additional facility once market demand has been established.

“This facility will produce pharmaceutical-grade cannabis products. And when I say products, it’s not just dry products — it’s all the different things, like oils, capsules, tinctures, patches, lotions,” Holler told Canada’s Global News in a June 4 interview (http://ibn.fm/pmVha). “Because it’s a (Good Manufacturing Practice regulations compliant) facility, it can be shipped domestically and internationally. … The European Union is starting to import large quantities of cannabis from Canada with the proviso that that cannabis, whether it’s a dry product or an oil, that product has to be produced and be compliant with good manufacturing practices. So there’s obviously a bigger market than Canada out there for these products from this facility.”

The purchase, executed by the company’s Sunniva Medical Inc. (“SMI”) subsidiary, involved $3.5 million in cash plus an additional $3.5 million in vendor take back mortgage financing (“VTBMF”). The VTBMF is for a one-year term with five percent interest rate annually. The company has received the necessary development permits from the local authority and site grading is near completion.

Construction is expected to take about eight months, with production potentially beginning during the first quarter of 2019 and full-scale operations achievable another eight-to-nine months after that (http://ibn.fm/T2Ffo). Sunniva previously reported that licensed producer Canopy Growth Corp. (TSX: WEED) (OTC: TWMJF) has contracted to buy 45,000 kilograms of product per year from SMI’s Canadian campus for an initial two-year term (http://ibn.fm/ogWMc).

In the meantime, construction has been racing ahead at Sunniva’s California facility. Holler told Public Entrepreneur that the operation at its 500,000-square-foot high-technology campus in Cathedral City is expected to begin production later this year, meaning that it could potentially deliver its first crop in Q1 2019 and join the Canada site at full-scale production later that year (http://ibn.fm/n8tax).

On June 25, Holler addressed the recent trend toward mergers and acquisitions in the cannabis space at the International Cannabis Business Conference, Canada’s first cannabis conference since the country’s government passed a bill (http://ibn.fm/rKcnx) that eliminated the final hurdle for full legalization of the cannabis plant’s products. Holler’s comments about the company’s subsidiary strategy (http://ibn.fm/zmpXq) were part of a panel discussion hosted by the ICBC, and Sunniva hosted the conference’s kickoff VIP gathering on June 24, featuring an opportunity for attendees to mingle with keynote speaker Henry Rollins (http://ibn.fm/Arqm9), a musician and radio-TV personality known for his activism.

Sunniva began trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange in January and the U.S. OTCQX Market in February after a successful 2017 in which the company reported C$16.1 million in revenues, most of which came from its acquisition of Canadian cannabis clinic network Natural Health Services, which has more than 95,000 registered active patients.

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