• GPS SmartSole in trials with the UK’s National Health Service (NHS)
• Could be issued across England through NHS
• GPS SmartSole set for distribution across the UK and Ireland

GTX Corp’s (OTC: GTXOD) GPS SmartSole, which is fitted with location-based technology, could soon become available in the UK through the country’s National Health Service (NHS), according to several British news reports (http://ibn.fm/FgZEN). The wearable GPS device is undergoing tests in Dorset, England, to assess its ability to keep track of dementia patients (http://ibn.fm/ve18a). A number of organizations that work with those suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia appear to be pushing for the product’s adoption, among them Tony Young, a national clinical director of NHS England, and Sally Copley, a senior official of the Alzheimer’s Society in the UK. Copley, who serves as the director of policy, campaigns and partnerships with the Alzheimer’s Society noted in a Barchester article (http://ibn.fm/EkWvF) that “the use of GPS tracking for people with dementia can provide reassurance and even save lives.” In light of the reports, GTX Corp and its distributor have begun to gear up. The company’s distributor in the UK is a well-established B2B health care and telehealth provider that sells and supports medical devices, along with the GPS SmartSole, across the UK and Ireland.

The number of people suffering from dementia in the UK is fast approaching one million. Their cognitive disability places them at great risk and causes relatives, guardians and caretakers concern. Dementia sufferers are notoriously prone to wandering off without telling anyone where they’re going. Moreover, in many instances, they don’t know themselves, as a result of which they can become disorientated, lost and likely to place themselves in peril. The numbers in the U.S. far exceeds those of the UK. Alzheimer’s disease afflicts an estimated 5.1 million Americans aged 65 years or older, a number that’s set to rise to 13.2 million by 2050 (http://ibn.fm/zNQSk), highlighting the possibility that the GPS SmartSole could enjoy the same widespread government support across other European countries and, ultimately, the U.S. health care market.

The GPS SmartSole is a sole insert that can be placed inside a shoe, making it invisible to the wearer. Settings on the device allow a specific area or ‘geo-fence’ to be designated as safe. Then, if the wearer steps outside that safe area, an alert will be sent to a connected digital device. The GPS SmartSole thus provides instant warning that something is amiss, prompting immediate remedial action. The system thus reduces risk to the wearer. Typically, seniors and other sufferers of cognitive disabilities are long lost before someone notices.

Alerts from the GPS SmartSole can be received on any internet-enabled device or smartphone, giving the location of the wearer so that he or she can be found quickly and significantly reducing the chances of harm. The device offers dementia patients increased independence and provides loved ones and caregivers with a reassuring peace of mind.

The distribution agreement, signed with Possum Ltd., will give GTX Corp access to a large market (http://ibn.fm/0PFmu). The privately owned British company develops, manufactures, supplies, installs and supports electronic assistive technology products and systems to the National Health Service. It also distributes and supports a wide range of products to the telehealth and technology-enabled care and support markets. Operating since 1961, Possum is a former holder of one of the most prestigious business awards in the UK, the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category. With such a partner and with backing from NHS England, GTX Corp seems to be launching a sort of British invasion with its GPS SmartSole.

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

• Assay work continues on gold drilling exploration results that could ‘significantly increase the fundamental value’ of Marifil Mines
• Marifil exploration targets backed by outsized global market demand for gold and lithium
• Company geologists recognize a large volume of mineralized earth similar in scale to many porphyry-type deposits

Assay work on the results of new drilling in Argentina’s gold-producing northern Patagonia region continues as Marifil Mines Ltd. (TSX.V: MFM) (OTCQB: MFMLF) awaits word about approximately 600 core samples taken in June from the company’s flagship property.

The samples retrieved from four new holes bored to a beginning-to-end distance of 846.5 meters (2,777.2 feet) at the San Roque property in southwestern Argentina’s Rio Negro province, where a large quantity of rock has been determined to be “well mineralized” by the company (http://ibn.fm/mmChB), are expected to add another layer of confirmation to a gold find at the site and expand the size of the find. More than 100 holes have previously been drilled at the site.

The San Roque property is an advanced-stage exploration project secured by 42,320 hectares (104,575 acres) of mining rights — more than 20 percent of which cover mineralization in which Marifil is particularly interested, including gold, lithium and cobalt, metals that are enjoying significant market attention because of outsized demand versus supply concerns. Lithium and cobalt have gained a lot of attention during the past year because of increasing interest in environment-friendly electric vehicles, which are powered by specialized batteries that rely on lithium and cobalt for their makeup.

Although a Canadian NI 43-101 report has not been completed on the San Roque site, the company states that a porphyry-scale deposit of mineralized material is indicated by all of the work done so far. The company intends to commission a NI 43-101 report upon completion of the current exploration campaign. Significant gold-silver-indium-lead-zinc mineralization averaging as high as 1.2 grams per metric ton of gold, 10 grams per metric ton of silver and 39 grams per metric ton of indium with 0.4 percent concentrations of lead and two percent concentrations of zinc has been reported over 120 meters in past drilling.

The mineralization occurs in areas with old volcanic formations, and geologists believe that it is part of a volcanic paleo-caldera that caps a deeper porphyry copper-molybdenum deposit, according to the company (http://ibn.fm/qtXSH). While some mining companies have found that their Argentine exploration stalled following implementation of the world’s first Glacier Protection Law there (http://ibn.fm/rnfO3), Canadian-based Marifil states that San Roque has “no known health, safety or environmental incidents associated with the project,” as well as no challenges from indigenous populations or concerns over protected or endangered fauna or flora. The property lies in a low elevation desert only 35 kilometers inland of the Atlantic coast and is readily accessible by highway.

Marifil is also advancing its lithium exploration efforts, inking a definitive exploration agreement earlier this year with Argentine company Minera Esperanza S.A. The agreement relates to a five-year exploration plan at two lithium-bearing properties in Argentina’s Catamarca province, far to the north of the San Roque site. Marifil has an option to purchase the lithium properties, which would expand its lithium portfolio to 15,267 hectares (37,725.6 acres) within the puna scrublands of the prolific “Lithium Triangle.”

In a news release (http://ibn.fm/rsmFd), Marifil president and CEO Robert Abenante noted that the agreement displays the company’s “continued aggressive growth within the lithium space in Argentina.”

The lithium and gold exploration have the potential to work out well for Marifil in a country where productive mining and a friendly political atmosphere have drawn corporate interests. Recently released results from a 2016 census of Argentina’s mining activity showed that over 1,500 mining companies were exploring in the South American country, with 73.1 percent of production focused on metallic minerals. Gold was responsible for 49.9 percent of the production (http://ibn.fm/bKV4a).

“Positive results at San Roque have the ability to significantly increase the fundamental value of the Company and bring the Property one step closer to being considered an economic minerals deposit,” Abenante added.

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

• Home-based, direct selling business start-ups are on the rise
• Sharing Services is focused on elevating home-based entrepreneurs through innovative programs addressing their specific challenges
• Company offers the direct-sell entrepreneur more options for health, wealth and happiness

Home-based entrepreneurs are on the rise. Though working from home requires self-discipline and presents a few challenges that traditional jobs do not, it also brings with it important benefits and is increasingly popular. The direct selling industry had $182 billion in sales logged globally in 2016 (http://ibn.fm/q97YN), with $35.54 billion coming from the United States (http://ibn.fm/qREE0).

Clearly, many are cashing in on a shift from store-front to home-based start-ups. According to Staples Workplace Survey, 43 percent of employees say that the freedom to work remotely is a must (http://ibn.fm/Xj2FS). When employers don’t adjust their workspace to accommodate this growing demand, employees start to look elsewhere. The flexibility of working hours, accessibility of technology and lower overhead all play into why people are ditching the office for direct selling, but these entrepreneurs face unique challenges – challenges that Sharing Services, Inc. (OTC: SHRV) is striving to overcome.

Sharing Services, headquartered in Plano, Texas, is a diversified holdings company that owns, operates, or controls an interest in multiple entities in the direct selling industry. One of the company’s main goals is to elevate home-based entrepreneurs, deemed Elepreneurs by Sharing Services, through support and training of direct-selling programs. When individuals choose the home-based entrepreneur model, they may struggle with things like access to training, insurance benefits that cover a variety of areas such as health, and vacation time. Sharing Services assists in filling that need.

The company offers travel concierges and wholesale travel with its payment programs to help compensate for the loss of paid leave from traditional businesses. It directs Elepreneurs to find insurance benefits that are right for their families and provides unique compensation and reward programs. When it comes to training, the company offers instruction through multiple venues, including live seminars, training events and streaming global TV/Radio Broadcast Network (http://ibn.fm/aU5am), among other support items. This online platform is a way to keep its Elepreneurs engaged, encouraged and always abreast of the latest in industry trends. It is one of SHRV’s strategic steps to continually elevate the entrepreneur, effectively positioning them as experts in the industry.

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

• Virtual Crypto’s solutions enable real-time confirmation of cryptocurrency transactions
• Company’s NetoBit ATM is the world’s first ATM to enable real-time bitcoin conversion, purchase and sale
• Virtual Crypto’s mission is to make instant, secure and user-friendly cryptocurrency financial services available to everyone

Regulatory sentiment in the United States seems to be shifting favorably toward cryptocurrencies – news that is very welcome for companies like Virtual Crypto Technologies Inc. (OTCQB: VRCP).

Virtual Crypto is a technology company focused on making cryptocurrencies accessible to the public, doing so through the creation of instant, secure, user-friendly payment solutions for businesses and consumers that combine APIs and mobile applications for implementation across ATMs, PCs, tablets and other mobile devices. The company operates with a vision that bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies will become accessible to the general public – an idea that seems much closer to becoming a reality in light of recent happenings (http://ibn.fm/yU6RR).

Just last week, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was accepting public comment regarding a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) that was been proposed by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE). Public support thus far has been overwhelmingly in favor of a bitcoin ETF, despite hesitance from the SEC. MasterCard has also announced its intention to permit blockchain currency transactions via traditional payment channels. Exciting developments like these further validate Virtual Crypto’s vision of publicly accessible cryptocurrencies and the widespread use of virtual coins as a payment method.

Virtual Crypto is well-positioned to capitalize on such an eventuality, offering a variety of solutions designed to make crypto transactions accessible and user-friendly.

Through Virtual Crypto Technologies Ltd., the company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Virtual Crypto has developed NetoBit, a proprietary cryptographic algorithmic technology that can confirm the purchase or sale of any cryptocurrency in real time. This real-time confirmation ability gives Virtual Crypto a clear competitive edge when it comes to making cryptocurrency transactions user-friendly.

NetoBit software and hardware products are being marketed for the purchase and sale of cryptocurrencies through ATMs, tablets, PCs and mobile devices. Virtual Crypto’s suite of NetoBit products includes NetoBit Pay and NetoBit ATM, which is the world’s first ATM to enable real-time bitcoin conversion, purchase and sale.

NetoBit ATM, which was launched in June 2018, is a state-of-the-art automated teller machine that is unlike any other bitcoin ATM platform on the market. While most bitcoin ATMs only allow users to purchase bitcoin, NetoBit ATM is a bidirectional platform that allows users to both purchase and sell bitcoin (http://ibn.fm/Xbtzr). The device supports most common currencies and is available for purchase throughout the world. Because NetoBit ATM facilitates trading between fiat currencies and cryptocurrencies, Virtual Crypto views it as a crucial gateway to facilitating the growth and mainstreaming of digital currency.

Through its innovations, Virtual Crypto is additionally eradicating the problem of restrictive exclusivity faced by cryptocurrency users. Most cryptocurrency trade providers only allow users to interact with one exchange agency, effectively binding the customer to the exchange rate that a particular agency offers. Virtual Crypto, however, makes it possible for customers to simultaneously work with several crypto exchanges when transacting, enabling users to receive the best crypto exchange rates available at the time of their transactions. Common liquidity problems are also resolved, as Virtual Crypto’s system is able to divide a single payment across multiple exchanges, enabling the purchase of more than just a single exchange can facilitate.

As the mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies moves closer toward becoming a reality, Virtual Crypto is poised to lead the way with innovations and solutions designed to make crypto transactions easily accessible to the masses.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Virtual-Crypto.com

• Sunniva’s CP Logistics to produce ultra-purified extracts under Cannabis Strategic Ventures’ Pure Organix™ brand
• Investment banking firm Canaccord Genuity initiates coverage of Sunniva
• Canaccord Genuity gives Sunniva positive share price valuation above current market performance and a “speculative buy” rating

Vertically integrated cannabis company Sunniva Inc. (CSE: SNN) (OTCQX: SNNVF) has announced an agreement to produce top-quality cannabis extracts for Cannabis Strategic Ventures, Inc. (OTC: NUGS) (http://ibn.fm/T49NL). Under the white label services agreement, Sunniva’s CP Logistics (“CPL”) subsidiary will produce ultra-purified cannabis extracts for the Pure Organix™ brand, owned by Cannabis Strategic’s subsidiary, Pure Applied Sciences, Inc.

From its Sun-Oil Facility in Cathedral City, California, CPL will extract cannabis oils for vape pen cartridges. Both companies expect that additional products will follow. The agreement, signed for an initial 12 months, will be open for extension.

Commenting in a news release on why his company chose Sunniva for this deal, Cannabis Strategic CEO Simon Yu said, “We have selected Sunniva because of its emphasis on creating great products for great brands… We created the Pure Sciences brand based on premium quality and sound manufacturing practices. Sunniva shares our values relative to the area and we are pleased to have them as our manufacturer. We are especially impressed with their plans to build greenhouse and extraction facilities compliant with Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) standards.”

Sunniva CEO Tony Holler added, “As one of the highest quality producers in the marketplace, we believe we are in an excellent position to provide brand product manufacturing services for Cannabis Strategic. Both of our firms share the vision of becoming leaders in providing clean, medical grade cannabis products to consumers.”

This news comes on the heels of a recent announcement that investment banking, wealth management and brokerage firm Canaccord Genuity has initiated coverage on Sunniva. In its first report, the company, a leading Canadian investment firm, gave Sunniva a “speculative buy” rating (http://ibn.fm/7mnuP).

In a comprehensive 51-page report created to inform clients about investment prospects, Canaccord Genuity recommends a target price for Sunniva of C$13.00 (US$9.84), well above current trading levels. The report, titled “Bringing quality and scale to the world’s two largest cannabis markets,” goes into detail about Sunniva’s operations in Canada and California, drawing out points that will be of key importance to potential investors.

Canaccord Genuity predicts high growth for the cannabis industry in California and Canada, Sunniva’s areas of operation. It highlights Sunniva’s strategy of vertical integration as being key to its potential success in the cannabis market, noting, “As one of only a limited number of U.S. cannabis operators with access to public market capital, we believe the company is well positioned to transition to a fully vertically integrated operator by acquiring other areas of the value chain.”

The report mentions Sunniva’s current construction of a large-scale state-of-the-art facility in Canada, as well as the fact that it has entered a two-year deal with Canopy Growth Corp. (TSX: WEED) to supply 90,000 kg of cannabis. The agreement secures Sunniva a buyer for a large portion of stock from its Canada campus as soon as it begins production.

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

• First Cobalt drilling program in Idaho shows promise for important high-tech metal
• During the next decade, demand for li-ion battery cobalt alone expected to double current levels for metal’s entire market
• $9 million program at First Cobalt’s Idaho site preparing NI 43-101-compatible report on historic site with still-unexplored potential

First Cobalt Corp. (TSX.V: FCC) (OTCQX: FTSSF) (ASX: FCC) is reaping rewarding reports from its exploration to extend a historic resource in Idaho’s prolific Cobalt Belt. The project is an example of industry efforts to establish North American sources of the metal so vital to high-tech batteries and other modern tech applications, and First Cobalt’s portfolio indicates its potential in leading the effort. Having stable North America-based operations and sources could help avoid unpredictable future problems, such as Panasonic’s recent sudden cut off of a cobalt supplier due its relationship with Cuba.

First Cobalt has three significant North American assets: the Iron Creek Project in Idaho, with its historic mineral resource estimate (not currently compliant with NI 43-101 standards); the Canadian Cobalt Camp north of the Great Lakes, with more than 50 past producing mines; and the only cobalt refinery in North America capable of producing battery materials, located near the Cobalt Camp property.

This year’s 30,000-meter drill program at the Idaho site is designed to extend the strike length of the previously known mineralization in two zones (Waite and No Name) and potentially determine if a third zone is present where continuity of intersections has been encountered between holes along strike. Six drill holes completed at the western end of the cobalt-copper mineralized zones have validated previously reported intersections and extended the total strike length of the Waite Zone westward to 520 meters along a dip length of more than 250 meters from the surface.

First Cobalt reports that the extended portion of the Waite Zone is particularly copper-rich, and that high-grade intercepts are found within broader zones of lower grade cobalt-copper that could become suitable for bulk mining methods. The calculation of a mineral resource estimate compliant with NI 43-101 reporting standards is currently underway for the initial resource area drilled last year and early this year, and results are expected by October.

First Cobalt announced plans for the assay advancement of the Idaho property on June 11 as part of a $9 million program to develop a Measured and Indicated Resource estimate of the site, which First Cobalt obtained through its acquisition of US Cobalt.

“First Cobalt acquired US Cobalt because we believe that Iron Creek is one of the most prospective and advanced projects in North America,” First Cobalt President and CEO Trent Mell stated in a news release at the time (http://ibn.fm/a8m3L).

On July 19 (http://ibn.fm/4XzNJ), Mell added, “Drilling continues to extend the strike and dip extent of the Iron Creek Project beyond the boundaries of the maiden resource estimate expected in October. The consistency of cobalt grades across wider widths and the higher copper grades were expected and are encouraging. These results support further testing the western strike extension of Iron Creek for a second resource estimate in early 2019.”

International metals and minerals research agency Roskill anticipates that sufficient quantities of refined capacity cobalt will exist through 2021 but that “there is considerable uncertainty thereafter.” Roskill anticipates that demand from the high-tech battery sector alone will more than double the size of the entire current market, which includes nickel alloys, tool materials, catalysts and magnets, by 2027 (http://ibn.fm/MlFG8). Cobalt also enjoys national security status, thanks to its use in rocket and jet engines.

Roskill estimates that cobalt demand was 118,000 metric tons last year (http://ibn.fm/f9hWK). The research and consultancy group anticipates the demand for cobalt at 310,000 metric tons a decade from now, of which more than 240,000 metric tons will come from the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles, laptops and mobile phones. Roskill also noted that prices for cobalt resources hit a 10-year high during the first half of this year, reaching over $90,000 per metric ton on the London Metal Exchange.

First Cobalt is a vertically integrated North American pure-play cobalt company with headquarters in Canada. The escalation in trade war politics between the United States and other countries currently has the potential to impact a variety of market sectors, including cobalt. However, First Cobalt’s activities have opened the potential for responding to adverse conditions beyond North America, particularly because of its extraction refinery — the only one permitted for cobalt in North America. Although it is not operational at present, the facility is capable of resuming the production of battery-grade materials as First Cobalt decides to do so.

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

• Oil extraction to begin at 1,000 barrels per day, with plans to escalate to over 8,000 barrels per day within three years
• Acquisition brings company’s total contingent resources to 2,541 leased acres and 87.49 million barrels of mineable oil sands
• Extraction technology could play vital role in U.S. oil sands and shale industry
• Application for Tax Credit Initiative filed with Utah Governor’s Office of Energy Development

Fully integrated oil and gas company Petroteq Energy Inc. (TSX.V: PQE) (OTC: PQEFF) is boosting its footprint within the Utah Oil Sands Region where the company’s Asphalt Ridge facility is located, CEO David Sealock stated in a recent news release (http://ibn.fm/B5Ihl). The company has signed a letter of intent to pursue additional acreage and resources within the state from Mareton Alliance LP, meeting a key initiative that Petroteq has been pursuing this year.

“I know that our valuation will be driven by our production and technology, as well as our assets in the ground,” Sealock stated in the update. “The discussions with Mareton Alliance have the potential to significantly increase the resource assets on our balance sheet.”

Petroteq has been developing its United States- and Canada-patented technology at the Asphalt Ridge site with the aim of finalizing a process that boosts North American oil production through the distillation of oil-rich sands. The emphasis on environmental impact has created a process that is cost effective, produces no greenhouse gases and leaves no waste once the “cleaned up” sands are returned to the ground and the proprietary solvent solution involved in the extraction is recycled. Petroteq announced in June that it was on track to initiate operations in the second quarter of 2018, and the full financial benefit of 1,000 bbl/d production is on track to be realized in the second half of 2018, a NetworkNewsWire article states (http://ibn.fm/tqW5O).

While the pricing and structure of the transaction with Mareton Alliance have yet to be finalized, Petroteq management is confident that an attractive transaction can be structured to meet all of the criteria set by the company’s management and board of directors. The letter of intent is non-binding, and the transaction contemplated is subject to board and exchange approval.

Petroteq has also filed an application with the Utah Governor’s Office for the Alternative Energy Development Initiative, part of Utah’s Energy Action Plan. The incentive represents a 75 percent tax reduction on new revenues, including corporate, sales and withholding taxes for 20 years or the life of the project, whichever is less (http://ibn.fm/DuiYz).

“We have known Utah to be extremely collaborative and committed to its ‘energy action plan’ and this is just more positive evidence in support of that,” Sealock stated in a news release. “We have spent millions on developing our project, and we will look for opportunities to strategically achieve targeted projects for our technology to spend many millions more in business development, rural job creation and workforce development in the energy mining sector as we expand our footprint in what we believe will become the fastest growing energy market in the U.S.”

Petroteq’s focus on the development and implementation of proprietary technologies for the energy industry was recently featured on the front page of the local newspaper, the Vernal Express. The article, titled “Petroteq Looks to Change the Game in Oil Extraction,” centered on Petroteq’s Asphalt Ridge heavy oil extraction facility located near the town of Vernal and its progress toward an August production date.

“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,” Sealock added (http://ibn.fm/PslKE).

Chairman Alex Blyumkin stated, “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.”

Petroteq’s commitment to creating a positive, nature-friendly environment from which all will benefit is a core company value.

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

• Capable of meeting the diverse needs of clients within a broad range of vertical markets
• Optimization of customer service throughout every step of the process
• Providing state-of-the-art optimal service to both clients and the clients’ customers

Consorteum Holdings, Inc. (OTC: CSRH), a software development and mobile publishing company, provides secure mobile content and connectivity to a variety of end users through a comprehensive customizable platform. The company’s Universal Mobile Interface™ (UMI) platform is able to integrate any stream of data onto a mobile platform while delivering and managing mobile connectivity. In addition, the UMI provides secure transactional processing and social connectivity to create a more personalized mobile experience. This flexible platform is designed to meet the diverse needs of the company’s client base within a broad range of vertical markets and has potential applications in e-commerce, banking, mobile gaming, data analytics, entertainment and much more.

Clients of Consorteum can customize the UMI platform to meet their specific needs and optimize customer experience. This gives brands the ability to provide customers with a seamless experience. The uniqueness of UMI is found in its comprehensive approach throughout a broad range of vertical markets in the fintech space. The seamless connection allows clients to anticipate customer needs at each point along the process. Customers are better served, and clients acquire necessary data to better tailor their products and online experiences.

Marketers today need to provide a seamless experience for the customer, regardless of the channel or device being used. The UMI platform allows for consistency and flexibility as customers move from one channel to the next.  Consorteum’s vision is to create long lasting, mutually beneficial relationships through which clients see the company not only as a technology provider but as a partner equally invested in their success. The seamless customer experience that Consorteum is equipping its clients to provide to their customers is the same state-of-the-art optimized service that the company provides, as well.

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

• U.S. cannabis market growing at an accelerated rate with industry analysts projecting a $50 billion marketplace by 2026
• Investments into cannabis ventures expected to grow 1,308%, reaching $100 billion by 2029
• Through subsidiaries like BudHire™, company is uniquely positioned to fully capitalize on burgeoning need for outsourced personnel solutions for the cannabis sector
• Job postings within the cannabis industry increased by 445% in 2017, an explosive change from the 18% year-over-year cannabis jobs growth in 2016

Cannabis Strategic Ventures, Inc. (OTC: NUGS), headquartered in Los Angeles, California, is focused on supporting entrepreneurial growth within the fast-growing legal cannabis sector. Through a selective portfolio of subsidiaries, Cannabis Strategic Ventures offers outsourced personnel solutions tailor-made to match the growth dynamics of cannabis cultivators, manufacturers, dispensaries and other cannabis marketplace participants. The company also pursues investment opportunities in the areas of real estate, cultivation, extraction, distribution, packaging, dispensary operations, and branded products within the cannabis space.

The legalization of adult-use sales in California is expected to create nearly 99,000 cannabis industry jobs in the state by 2021, representing about a third of all cannabis jobs nationwide, and 146,000 jobs overall when indirect and induced efforts are considered, according to Arcview Market Research. By 2021, direct cannabis industry employment will top 291,500 FTE jobs, with a total employment effect of nearly 414,000 FTEs across all legal cannabis states, according to the report.

Cannabis Strategic Ventures believes its staffing capabilities will be in a similar state of demand. The company in April 2018 completed a definitive agreement to acquire Worldwide Staffing Group, Inc., which booked approximately $1.5 million in revenues in 2017.

Worldwide will operate within Cannabis Strategic Ventures as an independent and separate wholly owned subsidiary providing strictly non-cannabis related employment and staffing services. As Worldwide continues to expand its operations in general clerical and administrative, marketing, accounting, and other verticals, Cannabis Strategic Ventures will leverage the subsidiary’s expertise to expand its business operations further into the cannabis staffing arena, with an emphasis on the California markets.

Cannabis Strategic Ventures’ BudHire™ subsidiary is an outsourced employment service specifically designed to meet the needs of growing cannabis-related business operations, utilizes a proven recruiting formula to match the most qualified candidates to a broad spectrum of cannabis-related jobs. Under the BudHire™ brand, Cannabis Strategic Ventures offers temporary, seasonal, permanent staffing solutions, as well as professional employment organization services and human resources consulting to the cannabis industry.

Cannabis Strategic Ventures portfolio also includes Pure Applied Sciences Inc. and its brand “PureOrganix™,” a line of high quality concentrate, organic and pure cannabis oils that conform with Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) and meet FDA guidelines for Active Pharmaceuticals Products (API). The acquisition includes all intellectual properties, including formulations and technologies, and related accessories of Pure Applied Sciences.

Cannabis Strategic Ventures Pure Applied Sciences subsidiary, has a cannabis concentrate extraction services agreement with CP Logistics LLC (“CPL”), a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Sunniva Inc. (CSE: SNN) (OTCQX: SNNVF). Under this 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 Pure Applied Sciences under the Pure Organix brand name.

The management team at Cannabis Strategic Ventures believes there is incredible opportunity to carve-out and control specific industry niches, to create unique cannabis consumer branded products, and to expand into other sub-sectors of the cannabis marketplace.

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

• Medical indications for marijuana multiply
• Medical marijuana (MMJ) market moves mainstream
• New cannabis business unit to focus on MMJ market

Now that some 44 nations around the globe have passed laws allowing marijuana for medical use, the market is set for rapid expansion in the coming years. Industry analysts Grand View Research estimate that the global medical marijuana market will reach a value of $55.8 billion by 2025, as the range of therapies for cannabis multiplies (http://ibn.fm/hHyKV). Much of this expected demand will be driven by treatments for chronic pain, but applications are also likely to be developed for a number of other ailments, such as anxiety, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis (MS) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), that appear to benefit from cannabis prescription. As a result of these developments, PreveCeutical Medical Inc. (CSE: PREV) (OTCQB: PRVCF) (FSE: 18H) has launched a medicinal cannabis division that will also advance the company’s vision of becoming a global preventive health care company. The new business unit will offer medical cannabis in a variety of forms, including capsules, topical creams and transdermal patches, as well as through other delivery methods.

There is a growing body of evidence that certain disabilities and afflictions may benefit from cannabis medications. Conclusive studies have demonstrated that intractable seizures caused by Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut syndromes respond positively to CBD and that spasticity symptoms in MS and chemotherapy-induced nausea may be alleviated with oral cannabinoids. Moreover, the literature has identified a number of other indications for cannabis therapies. These include disruptions in short term sleep resulting from obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic pain and multiple sclerosis, as well as symptoms of Tourette syndrome, social anxiety disorders, loss of appetite and weight associated with HIV/AIDS, and PTSD (http://ibn.fm/gsKvc).

The treatment of spasticity due to MS, with nabiximols, has been the great success story of medical cannabis. Formulated and marketed under the name of Sativex, it has been approved by regulatory authorities in 29 countries (http://ibn.fm/Y0HKF). Nabiximols consists of the two main cannabinoids – tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) – and is administered with an oromucosal spray that delivers a dose of 2.7 mg THC and 2.5 mg CBD.

PreveCeutical’s establishment of a cannabis division comes on the heels of initiatives that it has already undertaken. In March 2018, the company began shipping dried cannabis flower to UniQuest Pty. Ltd., its research and development partner in Australia, which will analyze the cannabinoid ‘fingerprints’. Cannabis contain more than 100 cannabinoids, as well as other compounds like flavonoids and terpenoids, suggesting that its putative activity is most likely derived from a combination of components acting together. ‘Fingerprinting’ by chromatography, which examines the composition ratio of the cannabinoids, is thus considered a superior method of analysis.

After analysis, the cannabidiol features will be used as the first therapeutic compound developed for the company’s Sol-gel nose-to-brain drug delivery system. Formulation of an effective compound will follow initial testing and is expected to require an additional 18 months. The company has also begun a search for a compatible delivery device that patients will use to apply Sol-gel. So far, at least one manufacturer has signed a letter of non-disclosure to enable detailed discussions about its own device development capabilities and compatibility with Sol-gel.

The Sol-gel technology, a brainchild of Dr. Harendra Parekh, was developed at the University of Queensland, which has agreed to license it to PreveCeutical. However, while the technology belongs to the University, its application to infusion of cannabinoids will be covered by IP owned by PreveCeutical. Parekh is Chief Research Officer of PreveCeutical. He also heads the Drug/Gene Delivery Group at the Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence (PACE) at the University of Queensland.

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