• 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

• Mike Haridopolos joins Bruce Starr, Gary Johnson and Curt Bramble on REFG’s advisory board, all from states where medical marijuana is legal – Florida, Oregon, Utah and New Mexico
• Jeremy Roberts, CEO of REFG, says that naming Haridopolos is an asset to the company, helping to expand its footprint and achieve its corporate objectives
• REFG, a payment processor and industrial hemp grower with plans to operate a mobile hemp CBD extraction lab, is increasing its role in the legalized cannabis industry

Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions (OTC: REFG) is intensifying its focus on cannabis by adding to its advisory board another prominent political figure from a state in which medical marijuana has been legalized, namely Mike Haridopolos, former president of the Florida State Senate. He joins other board members including Bruce Starr of Oregon, Gary Johnson of New Mexico and Curt Bramble of Utah (http://ibn.fm/ZhYtd).

Haridopolos also joins James Gray of Kentucky, who was formerly a U.S. vice presidential candidate on the Libertarian ticket. He is now mayor of Lexington, Kentucky. A bi-partisan sponsored bill legalizing medical marijuana has been introduced but not passed by the Kentucky state legislature (http://ibn.fm/GJIiu). However, the Kentucky secretary of state favors the measure.

REFG has a diverse commitment to the cannabis industry. It acquired SpeedyGrow, a Wyoming-based firm licensed to grow and process hemp in Colorado (http://ibn.fm/vzhZk). REFG says that it will also apply for state licenses to grow industrial hemp in Utah (http://ibn.fm/7mq3h) and Vermont (http://ibn.fm/gM5Au).

REFG, a Nevada-based firm, has reached agreement in principle with Paper Lantern, LLC to acquire the rights to operate a mobile hemp CBD extraction lab. It also continues to offer Green, a FinCEN compliant comprehensive financial system designed for licensed cannabis dispensaries and retail merchants who require an alternative to traditional banking. It is available for online signup (http://ibn.fm/gxqUZ).

In a news release, REFG’s Roberts said of Haridopolos, “With his experience working on Florida’s legislation, working to solve the prescription drug crisis and his experience in politics across the nation, he helps us expand our footprint and will help us achieve our corporate objectives.”

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

• Card fraud and data breaches cause billions of dollars in losses every year
• Netevia technology generates virtual single-use card numbers
• Targeted at $7.7 trillion global B2B payments business

Just like the single-use plastic shavers applied to remove a five o’clock shadow, credit card numbers have entered the realm of disposable goods. In response to the rising incidence of payment fraud and data breaches that expose millions of card numbers, innovative companies like Net Element, Inc. (NASDAQ: NETE) are devising solutions to stay ahead of the criminals. The global financial tech company has extended its Netevia platform to include a smart solution for enabling secure vendor payments that employs single-use credit card numbers. With losses from card-not-present (CNP) fraud expected to surpass $6 billion in 2018, the Netevia B2B platform couldn’t have come at a better time (http://ibn.fm/nDho6).

Debit and credit card fraud disguises itself in many forms but, most often, materializes in CNP transactions. These are transactions in which the card is not physically presented, as when a consumer pays a utility bill using his or her desktop at home. The value of losses due to CNP fraud is set to reach $6.4 billion by the end of 2018, according to Statista, and will very likely continue to climb in the coming years, since the market for hacked card information seems to be thriving. In July 2018, American Banker reported that ‘the number of hacked U.S. credit cards whose information was offered for sale to other criminals on the dark web jumped by about two-thirds in the first half of this year.’ (http://ibn.fm/BOROu). Citing data from New York-based IntSights, the financial journal reported that ‘more than 4,000 credit cards per bank were on sale in the first half, up from about 2,400 in the second half of 2017.’

Also in July, retail giant Macy’s, which operates close to 700 retail outlets, said that hackers had recently (April-June) accessed customers’ card information. It wasn’t the first time such an attack had occurred. In 2014, the card information of 56 million customers was stolen from Home Depot, and in 2017, perhaps the largest security breach took place, when the credit card information of 143 million Americans was compromised after the systems of credit reporting agency Equifax were hacked.

One way to reduce CNP fraud is by using a different card number for each transaction, which is what the Netevia technology allows. With the Netevia platform, payments are safely and electronically delivered using a secure, single-use dynamic credit card number. These payments can only be processed by the designated single vendor for a specific amount, and have added controls for improved flexibility and security. Netevia works seamlessly with existing accounting systems and requires no complex setup or integration; it also comes complete with 24/7 customer support by phone, email or live chat. Netevia is a high-tech platform that looks set to act as a launching pad for NETE into the global B2B payments market, now valued around $7.7 trillion, according to the Statista 2017 B2B E-commerce report.

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

• Texas-based franchise of a well-known fast food restaurant chain enters into a Zero Cost Contract with Zenergy; projected 27 percent reduction in annual energy consumption
• Zero Cost Program offers a lasting impact on the environment while providing savings to clients
• Company is in early-stage engagements with three more franchisees
• Reducing utility consumption, carbon footprints and decreasing demand on the national energy grid and water supply in the U.S.

Zenergy Brands, Inc. (OTC: ZNGY), a business-to-business company offering energy services and smart controls, provides a flagship Zero Cost Program® to customers who desire a more efficient use of resources. Through this program, the company offers conservation and sustainability products and services to commercial, industrial and municipal end-use customers. Clients benefit from a reduction of utility consumption of 20 to 60 percent through the use of energy conservation and smart control technology installed by Zenergy at no upfront cost. Clients are able to upgrade older, inefficient energy infrastructure, thus creating savings as well as positively impacting the environment.

A Texas-based franchise of a well-known fast food restaurant chain has entered into a Zero Cost contract with Zenergy. The seven-year agreement for energy efficiency and conservation technology installation is for eight of the franchise’s Southeast Texas locations. Through this program, the franchise is forecast to experience a 27 percent reduction in annual energy consumption – over half a million in gross dollar savings – over the next 10 years. Zenergy’s analysts estimate that the impact on the environment will be equivalent to removing 1.4 million pounds of CO2 emissions from the atmosphere – a big win for the franchise, Zenergy and the environment.

“We are excited about this partnership and hopeful that this deal marks the beginning of an upward trend whereby we can secure more Zero Cost contracts with other similar franchises,” Zenergy Vice President of Business Development Jeff Bay-Andersen stated in a news release. “In fact, we have already commenced discussions and early stage engagements with three more franchises in recent weeks.” (http://ibn.fm/hKgU1).

Zenergy is working hard to provide commercial, industrial and municipal customers the ability to reduce utility consumption and minimize their carbon footprint while decreasing demand on the national energy grid and water supply in the U.S. As the company strives to be a good steward of the planet and its resources, it is equipping customers, like the Texas-based franchise, to do the same. Zenergy provides businesses with energy “road-mapping” to help them develop and execute a more efficient energy buying strategy. Through education, consumers with Zenergy’s smart solutions are changing the utility and energy industries.

A running data analysis of the impact of the Zero Cost Program to date can be found in real time at www.WhatisZenergy.com

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

• Announced plans to expand internationally to Australia and New Zealand
• Leveraging home-based sales representatives through services and products
• Revenue records set in 2018 set company goals for continued potential growth

The direct selling industry is growing, and Sharing Services, Inc. (OTC: SHRV) plans to leverage its home-based independent sales representatives in targeting an international customer base. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, this diversified holding company owns, operates or controls an interest in a variety of businesses specializing in the direct selling industry. The company offers services ranging from health and wellness, energy and technology to insurance services, training, media and travel benefits, and it sells directly to consumers through independent representatives that it calls ‘Elevated Entrepreneurs’, coined Elepreneurs. Through its services, Sharing Services aims to elevate the home-based entrepreneur in support of direct-selling programs.

In June, the company announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Elevacity Global, LLC, will launch its product line in Australia and New Zealand. The first steps from a legal and compliance standpoint have already been initiated, and plans to complete the process in 2018 in order to fulfill consumer demand are being expedited. In a news release, SHRV Chairman Robert Oblon stated, “I am confident that the team of professionals we are working with in Australia and New Zealand will successfully launch our products. We are pleased to continue our ‘Blue Ocean Strategy’ philosophy on the other side of the globe.” This first launch is part of a broader expansion strategy that will continue worldwide (http://ibn.fm/E7eYD).

The company has been setting revenue records in 2018. March saw $2.4 million in gross sales, doubling SHRV’s volume for February. In April, the company reported record revenue of more than $3.5 million. These record sales are attributed to customer satisfaction, quality products and the Elepreneurs’ ability to execute Sharing Services’ Blue Ocean Strategy. The company continues to look to the future, pursuing expansion, accommodating growth and bringing on experienced talent.

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

• Opioid epidemic driving search for safer, all-natural alternatives
• Recent studies indicate that CBD may be an effective treatment for certain ailments
• Relaxation on hemp cultivation could pave the way for distribution of CBD products

The continued scourge of opioid addiction across America is intensifying efforts to find safer alternatives to the use of narcotics. Drug overdose deaths are now the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 55, knocking heart disease from the top position, according to The New York Times (http://ibn.fm/eGpVT). As a result, the population mortality rate, on the decline since 1963, is rising again. Preliminary data indicates that it rose in 2017, marking possibly, the “third straight year of decline in American life expectancy rates,” Bloomberg reports (http://ibn.fm/ScOY5). Still, powerful opioids like fentanyl continue to be employed in pain management regimens. Recent studies on the use of safer alternatives to manage one’s health, particularly cannabidiol (CBD), are gaining attention.

Coupled with relaxed restrictions on hemp cultivation, this has opened up a vista of opportunity for Marijuana Company of America (OTC: MCOA). Through wholly owned subsidiary hempSMART™, the company delivers all of the benefits of hemp-derived cannabidiol products, employing its unique affiliate marketing and distribution platform. MCOA is intent on building a portfolio of companies that operate in the legal cannabis and industrial hemp industries.

A number of recent studies, highlighted by a CannabisNewsWire release, indicate that CBD could be a safe alternative to perniciously addictive opioids (http://ibn.fm/azELY). Moreover, CBD is one component in Sativex, which has been approved for use in treating chronic pain in Canada and Europe. The World Health Organization (WHO), in late 2017, issued a statement, after studying CBD, that reads in part, “In humans, CBD exhibits no effects indicative of any abuse or dependence potential… To date, there is no evidence of recreational use of CBD or any public health related problems associated with the use of pure CBD.” These developments appear to be removing the stigma that CBD has acquired by being a derivative of the cannabis plant.

The growing interest in CBD has come at a time when efforts to ease restrictions on the cultivation of hemp in the U.S. are underway. For example, a number of states have introduced legislation and regulations allowing for the cultivation of hemp, from which CBD oil can be extracted. Earlier this year, the Hemp Farming Act, which proposes, among other things, to remove hemp from Schedule 1 of the CSA, was introduced in the U.S. Senate. As part of its hemp promotion initiative, the Senate also declared June 4-10 to be “Hemp History Week”. This hemp hurrah comes after an exile of 60 years. Commercial cultivation of hemp in the U.S. effectively ceased after 1958.

Together with joint venture partner Global Hemp Group (CSE: GHG) (OTC: GBHPF), Marijuana Company of America is already executing its plans to cultivate hemp on a commercial basis in North America, with current operations underway in New Brunswick, Canada, and Oregon.  After promising results from the 2017 season, the two companies intend to plant a minimum of 125 acres of hemp in New Brunswick this year, increasing that, over the following three years, to 1,000 acres.

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