• Lexaria will license in any of the 40 countries where its technology already has a patent or is patent-pending
• Company sees up to 80 percent of its future revenues coming from licensing DehydraTECH proprietary ingestion delivery technology
• DehydraTECH™ has applications for processed foods, tobacco industry, pharmaceutical companies, NSAIDs, supplements and beverages

Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTCQX: LXRP) has a wide variety of licensing applications for its patented DehydraTECH™ delivery technology. It is already licensed to Nuka Enterprises LLC, maker of “1906” brand cannabis chocolates (http://ibn.fm/lF00P). Chris Bunka, CEO, emphasizes that his company’s technology applies to far more than just the cannabis industry (http://ibn.fm/9AxYl), with the company indicating that it is also applicable to nicotine, NSAIDs, beverages, drugs and vitamins. LXRP forecasts that up to 80 percent of its total revenue could stem from licensing deals, the CEO added in a podcast interview with Uptick Newswire (http://ibn.fm/UK6y5).

Based in British Columbia, Canada, LXRP is a biotechnology company that out-licenses its disruptive delivery technology that promotes healthier ingestion methods. It results in lower dosing and higher effectiveness. LXRP holds a patent for oral delivery of all cannabinoids.

Its licenses are offered based upon geography, applications and product categories. LXRP’s patent portfolio protects its IP and is expanding. Last year, LXRP received its first U.S. patent on nicotine, ibuprofen and aspirin delivery, as well as cannabinoids. Bunka added that Lexaria’s technology is also in the active investigation phase in the EU, Canada, China, Japan and India.

The company’s patented DehydraTECH™ is key to LXRP’s valuation. The technology is being tested in human clinical studies for the delivery of cannabinoids through ingestible means. Results thus far have shown increased absorption rates with reduced time to enter the bloodstream and reported improvements in the taste and smell of edible products.

Lab tests on mice have shown a 50 percent improvement in active ingredients, such as nicotine, being absorbed into the bloodstream. They demonstrated even higher percentage levels absorbed into the brain. Bunka said that these results could potentially have an important impact on future treatment of cancer and brain tumors.

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

• Pivot offers unique proprietary drug delivery platform technologies
• Company has a strong intellectual property (IP) portfolio for the formulation and delivery of cannabinoids
• Company acquires licensing rights to patented Trivair™ nasal and pulmonary drug delivery system, also signs exclusive manufacturing agreement with Bio V Pharma

Pivot Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CSE: PVOT) (OTCQB: PVOTF) (FRA: NPAT) is a biopharmaceutical company based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Pivot engages in the development and commercialization of premium cannabinoid-based nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. It does so utilizing unique drug delivery platform technologies. Pivot Pharmaceuticals’ wholly-owned medical cannabis products division is Pivot Green Stream Health Solutions Inc. (“PGS”).

Pivot Pharmaceuticals has a suite of 30 products ready for commercialization. The company also has a strong intellectual property (IP) portfolio for the formulation and delivery of cannabinoids. Pivot’s proposed product line comprises capsules and tablets, bulk powder, stick packs and beverages. Its product line also consists of water soluble oral solutions, lotions, creams, gels and pet supplements.

Pivot Pharmaceuticals has acquired the global rights for four proprietary drug delivery technologies. These technologies are for the delivery and commercialization of cannabinoid-, cannabidiol- and tetrahydrocannabinol-based products.

Researchers are continually working to design ways to breach the blood brain barrier. However, as an article in life sciences magazine The Scientist reported, “… researchers first have to understand it.” The article notes that researchers are working on techniques to bypass or sneak past the guardian of the central nervous system so they can better treat neurological disease.

Pivot Pharmaceuticals recently signed an option agreement with IP Med Inc. to acquire an exclusive global license for Trivair™ Nasal and Pulmonary Breath-Propelled Drug Delivery Systems™ for the delivery of Pivot’s Ready-To-Infuse-Cannabis (RTIC) cannabinoid products (http://ibn.fm/Y1tSp). The TriVair™ Nasal device uses the body’s natural breath to drive a medication deep into the nasal cavity to targeted sites, bypassing the blood brain barrier and providing the potential to better treat central nervous system diseases.

Pivot’s PGS division has acquired the worldwide rights to the BiPhasix™ Transdermal Drug Delivery platform technology (topical). BiPhasix™ is a dermal delivery technology for cannabinoids. Moreover, 1% CBD BiPhasix Cream is ready for commercialization.

Additionally, PGS acquired the worldwide rights from Solmic GmbH (Germany) for the development and commercialization of the Solmic Solubilisation Technology Platform for defined cannabinoids or cannabinoid-containing extracts. This formulation technology offers considerably higher bioavailability and stability versus alternative oil-based formulations.

Pivot’s other technology platform is Thrudermic™, a transdermal nanotechnology for cannabinoids. Each of the company’s four technology platforms allows Pivot to produce numerous products.

Pivot Pharmaceuticals also recently signed an exclusive contract manufacturing agreement with Bio V Pharma Inc. (http://ibn.fm/MIxfo). This agreement is for Bio V to manufacture, label, package and supply Pivot’s bio-cannabis product pipeline. Bio V, based in the Province of Quebec, is a full-service manufacturer of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products. Bio V will produce Pivot Pharmaceuticals’ complete bio-cannabis family of products. This includes BiPhasix™ (topical creams and lotions), Thrudermic™ (transdermal gels and lotions), Solmic™ 1% CBD oral solution, and Ready-to-Infuse-Cannabis Powder.

In a news release, Dr. Patrick Frankham, chief executive officer of Pivot Pharmaceuticals, stated, “We are excited to have chosen Bio V Pharma as our Canadian manufacturing partner at this important time in Pivot’s history. Consumers and regulators will demand high-quality products that are manufactured in cGMP facilities by a knowledgeable and experienced team.”

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

• Major carriers preparing to roll out 5G wireless upgrades in the coming months
• Hammer Fiber Optics Holdings technology suited to sustain telecommunications needs of Tier 2, Tier 3 communities
• 1stPoint Communications acquisition creates triple play, mobile-to-mobile opportunities

As the world prepares for next-generation 5G wireless cell service (http://ibn.fm/NTyiv), telecommunications company Hammer Fiber Optics Holdings Corp. (OTCQB: HMMR) is building its efforts to grow its New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania base of operations into a national program that will provide service on a neighborhood-access basis. The company is aligning itself with like-minded businesses as it works to deliver low-cost, high-capacity broadband to phone, Internet and television service markets across the country.

The company plans to begin live field testing of its new “pre-5G” system this year to coincide with the earliest rollout of the transformational 5G technology in select parts of the United States, with commercial service to follow in the coming months. The 5G technology will enable far faster data transmission and buffering than 4G LTE, as consumers worldwide upgrade mobile-access devices and local governments move to smaller, shorter-range signal distribution systems (http://ibn.fm/ATZau).

Hammer Fiber Optics Holdings, doing business as Hammer Communications, recently launched its 5G-ready Hammer Wireless AIR point-to-multipoint system to increase the options available to customers and to improve service in rural areas. The May 17 announcement of its Mobile Network Services Provider program in tandem with 1stPoint Communications will allow phone-Internet-TV triple play services, as well as Smart City and mobile-to-mobile capabilities on the same network platform with an “everything wireless” philosophy for geographical regions (http://ibn.fm/iEX2J). Wireless networks are driving the transformation of the overall telecommunications industry as services continue to converge under one platform, with cable TV operators entering wireless network agreements through incumbent carriers, telecom operators entering pay-TV streaming services and a wide array of corporations making big-ticket acquisitions that create media powerhouses (http://ibn.fm/JR9nz).

“This is the beginning of the transformation of Hammer Communications,” Mark Stogdill, Hammer’s founder, stated in the news release announcing the MNSP program. “The Air system is capable of supporting not only a residential access network, but can empower carriers, municipalities and customers to deploy a variety of applications through our network.”

Kristen Vasicek, director of marketing for 1stPoint, added, “Following on Hammer’s successful deployment in Atlantic County (New Jersey) we have the template for the deployment anywhere nationwide or even globally.”

NetworkNewsWire, a multifaceted financial news and publishing company, published an editorial on the company on May 24 that comments, “Hammer’s AIR System is now looking to many industry analysts like it may be the ideal solution for everything from bridging the digital divide in underserved rural communities to addressing increasingly abundant data roaming opportunities and M2M concerns. This innovative, patented technology represents what could be a major advantage for the company, as no one in the industry today offers what Hammer is already doing” (http://ibn.fm/SHQwz).

Hammer’s proposed acquisition of 1stPoint and its subsidiaries would give the company the benefit of exclusive rights to the patented AIR wireless technology, as well as to 1stPoint’s switching technology, its underlying competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) and its Commercial Mobile Radio Services operator.

The advent of fixed wireless technology continues to breed new technologies in the internet of things industry, and the entry of 5G speeds is expected to sustain advances for self-driving cars, smart homes and increasingly sophisticated robots. For now, Hammer’s primary excitement centers on its potential to boost services in smaller Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, where competitive-cost service diversity may not exist.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.HammerCorp.info

• Facility in Costa Mesa, California, will enable full range of cannabis distribution services
• Powdered cannabis CBD and THC formulations for beverage alternatives expected to drive multi-billion-dollar market
• Pivot Pharmaceuticals expects to have licensing to begin manufacturing by July, with equipment installed by August

Cannabis-friendly biopharmaceutical firm Pivot Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CSE: PVOT) (OTCQB: PVOTF) (FRA: NPAT) is rolling at a good pace with its recent announcement that its Canada-based operation has also found solid footing in the United States through a lease agreement on a California manufacturing facility that will allow the company to operate wholesale medical marijuana distribution, manufacture, processing and transportation and set up research and development laboratories.

According to a May news release (http://ibn.fm/0999d), Pivot intends to use the manufacturing facility to begin production of a portfolio of patented cannabis-derivatives that will be marketed under the “Pivot Naturals” brand. The company will use high-quality cannabis oil and plant elements to generate food additive powders and capsules through its patented “Ready To Infuse Cannabis (RTIC)” process for sale in the California market — the largest marijuana market on the planet.

Once it has obtained the licensing, the Costa Mesa production pipeline will look to take advantage of annual legal cannabis sales in California that totaled about $2.8 billion in 2016 and are expected to grow to $3.7 billion this year, then $5.1 billion next year, thanks in large part to the state’s legalization of adult recreational use in January (http://ibn.fm/iYWYq).

“I expect that we will receive the necessary local and state manufacturing licenses in July 2018 and complete production equipment installation by August 2018. Pivot Naturals’ capsules, stick packs and bulk powder should be on the shelves of dispensaries in California by Q4 2018,” Patrick J. Rolfes, president of Pivot Naturals, LLC, stated in the news release. “In addition, we have been inundated by requests to supply our patented RTIC powder for white label products and we fully intend to continue to sign manufacturing and supply agreements with respected cannabis brands in our state.”

Pivot’s RTIC process and Solmic Micelle water-soluble technologies will be used to generate a dry cannabis powder that can be used as a baking additive, in pet products and in a variety of retail items. Part of the manufacturing facility will be used to produce topical creams and oral drug delivery technologies, but, at the moment, one of the company’s key focuses is the potential to stir a bit of flavorless, odorless cannabis powder into a favorite beverage — either as non-psychotropic CBD formulations or more intoxicating THC formulations.

“The beverage market opportunity is just too big to ignore and our patented technologies lend themselves well to this space,” Pivot CEO Patrick Frankham stated in a May news release (http://ibn.fm/naKCC). “Existing solutions are unable to provide consistent dosing nor offer the most effective bioavailability, of which our patented technology is able to remedy. … It is our intention to supply CBD and THC additives as ingredients for global wine, spirits, beer and energy drink companies who have the capabilities for large scale manufacturing and distribution.”

Equity research firm Cowen and Co. predicts that the cannabis market will generate $75 billion in annual sales by 2030 (http://ibn.fm/9DmiR), based in large part on its analysis of consumers’ “social lubricant” binge drinking behavior and the drive to substitute cannabis for alcohol in some beverages.

“We found that legal cannabis states (as of 2016) binge drink 13% fewer times per month than non-cannabis states,” the company’s report states.

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

• Company’s Hyperledger Agri-Blockchain-based system will facilitate informational transparency and efficiency within the agriculture and food industries
• Hyperledger Agri-Blockchain solution will enable food producers to pinpoint the exact origins of food contamination and launch narrow and focused product recalls
• Pacific Software’s other development efforts include Hyperledger blockchain solutions for the cannabis and pharmaceutical markets

The old adage says, “You are what you eat.” As food recalls and food-related illness outbreaks continue to make national headlines, consumers are more concerned than ever about what they’re eating—particularly where their food comes from and what it contains. A lack of transparency, data-keeping efficiency, information integrity and more within the food industry continues to exacerbate consumer insecurities regarding food products. However, one enterprising company aims to help solve these problems and bring transparency to the food chain through the cutting-edge technology of blockchain.

Pacific Software, Inc. (OTC: PFSF) is a master licensor of Hyperledger blockchain-based systems, focusing on developing systems with high throughput transaction processing, traceability or tracking, visibility or monitoring, and transparency throughout the supply and value chains. Through a working relationship with IBM, Pacific Software has gleaned deep learnings from a vast array of public and private supply chain implementations to leverage a variety of technologies.

One of the applications that Pacific Software, Inc. is currently developing is its Hyperledger blockchain-based technology, which may have far-reaching benefits for the agriculture and food industries. The use of its “Agri-Blockchain” will make it possible to track the provenance of food products from the buyer all the way back to the producer, including making available verified information regarding chain of custody and the issuing, validation and auditing of certificates.

Currently, the company’s Agri-Blockchain development efforts are targeting “farm-to-table” beef exports, with the aim of increasing export transparency and diminishing the terrifying “zombie meat” problem and health risks associated with the shipping of tainted meat. This, however, is just the launch point for Pacific Software’s Agri-Blockchain technology, which can be used to track all manner of exports and has far-reaching applications within the food industry to help ensure the safety and quality of all types of food products.

Pacific Software, Inc.’s solution will not only provide consumers with reassuring transparency and verified, tamper-proof information regarding where their food has come from; it can also save companies significant time and resources when one of their food products is subject to a recall. In the case of food contamination, for instance, this blockchain-based technology can pinpoint the exact origin of the contamination and facilitate a narrow and focused recall of affected products.

When it comes to imported food products, transparency and trust are often lacking at present. The majority of compliance data and information is currently stored on paper or in decentralized databases, leaving the data vulnerable to various informational problems, including fraud, corruption, error (both on paper and in IT systems), lack of digital record integrity (due to both human error and data tampering), double-spending of certificates and more. The current system is not only vulnerable and inefficient; it is expensive. With blockchain technology, costs are lowered substantially, and efficiency is significantly enhanced.

The application of blockchain technology can significantly enhance existing B2B integration technologies like EDI, XML and API-based B2B, providing a new shared visibility overlay for transaction and information flows. The current B2B workflow via EDI or any other B2B application is inefficient and hard to trace, lacking transparency and discouraging information sharing. It’s also insecure and prone to hacking. In contrast, integrating blockchain to B2B:

• enables shared ledgers, augmenting point-to-point communications with a new multiparty visibility overlay for information and event flows;
• is decentralized and distributed, shared by multiple parties with high fault tolerance;
• is transparent;
• facilitates immutable and irreversible transactions; and
• is faster, cheaper and better overall.

Pacific Software, Inc.’s efforts to develop a blockchain-based solution for the agricultural and food industries includes Internet of Things (IoT) integration, which is expected to allow the gathering and sharing of invaluable information about food products.

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

• Direct health care treatment for chronic health conditions totaled $1.1 trillion in 2016
• Total economic impact of $3.7 trillion in health care costs for chronic diseases in U.S. equivalent to nearly 20 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product
• Medical research into CBD-based therapies to treat epilepsy and other neuropsychiatric disorders holds great promise for affected individuals
• Development of CBD-based drug delivery platform that’s able to cross blood brain barrier via nasal route

Health sciences company PreveCeutical Medical Inc. (CSE: PREV) (OTCQB: PRVCF) (FSE: 18H) is developing innovative options for preventive and curative therapies using some of nature’s most compelling and creative pathways. Consider, for instance, PreveCeutical’s approach to delivering the healing properties of cannabidiol (“CBD”) in an innovative formula created specifically for administration via the nasal pathways. The company’s Sol-gel delivery platform is expected to be the first sustained-release, CBD-based nose-to-brain delivery system targeting a range of indications including epileptic seizures, inflammation, pain and other neurological disorders, an article discussing the research states (http://ibn.fm/BI7QP).

Chronic diseases and recurring health care issues are taking an increasingly bigger piece of the economic pie and disrupting the lives of many millions of people. U.S. health care costs for chronic diseases totaled $1.1 trillion in 2016 and balloon to $3.7 trillion when lost economic productivity is calculated into the total economic impact. According to a new report by Grand View Research, people around the world, along with their governments, are starting to take notice of alternative medicines and forms of therapy for chronic ailments and long-term pain (http://ibn.fm/HSiuZ). The complementary and alternative medicine market is expected to generate revenue of more than $196 billion by 2025, the report states.

PreveCeutical is dedicated to developing preventative medical therapies based on the recognized health benefits of natural substances. A key component of its research and development program is the development of its sustained-release Sol-gel drug delivery platform, which would allow CBD-based therapies to become optimally bioavailable to patients dealing with a wide range of debilitating conditions.

The company’s Sol-gel drug delivery research program is being undertaken at the University of Queensland, Australia. The program is being conducted by PreveCeutical’s research partner, the Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence, and is led by PreveCeutical Chief Research Officer Dr. Harendra Parekh. Permits that allow the Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence at the University of Queensland to import cannabis plant material for research purposes have been secured from the Australian government’s Department of Health, and testing is underway (http://ibn.fm/C4wYd).

Adding to the progression of the research is the recent signing of a non-disclosure agreement with a globally recognized drug delivery device manufacturer for the supply of spray devices for the Sol-gel CBD-based therapies. Engineered Sol-gels present an ideal platform for these therapies, as they are in‑solution upon administration and rapidly gel upon contact with mucosal tissue. Additionally, Sol-gels will provide for safer and more reliable drug delivery of agents, such as CBD, that are rapidly metabolized or that would benefit from direct nose-to-brain CNS (central nervous system) delivery, a news release states.

As noted in a Crystal Equity Research Report on PreveCeutical (http://ibn.fm/K6Ssf), there is a growing global interest in alternative drug delivery methods, such as the company’s Sol-gel nose-to-brain delivery platform. PreveCeutical’s groundbreaking Sol-gel delivery system displays significant benefits to the patient, as it bypasses first pass metabolism in the stomach, intestines and liver, exhibiting a dramatic improvement in bioavailability. Sol-gels could offer a number of advantages over conventional liquid nasal sprays, including sustained delivery and therapeutic effects, reduced dosage requirements and reduced irritation and other negative side effects.

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

• Growing worldwide market for nootropics as a safe way for people to boost brain function and earn a competitive edge
• Non-prescription cognitive enhancers officially became a billion-dollar industry in 2015
• Koios, via its GMP-certified and FDA-compliant lab, has developed nootropic products that are made only with high-quality, natural ingredients and are available prescription-free
• Koios is available in stores and online and is distributed worldwide

Koios Beverage Corp. (CSE: KBEV) develops and distributes nature-based products that boost brain function, enhance health, and improve productivity. Its core vision is to help a billion people worldwide live more productively through the development of nootropics, which are supplements that improve cognitive abilities.

The company’s flagship product, Koios, is a GMP-certified dietary supplement. Made from natural ingredients and backed by science, Koios is designed to improve focus, memory, mental drive, clarity and energy. The company produces Koios in the following formulations:

• Powder supplements containing nootropics as well as caffeine and lion’s mane and chaga mushrooms;
• Vegan-friendly capsules;
• Canned beverages containing nootropics along with MCT oil to burn fat and increase metabolism.

Not to be mistaken with prescription-only drugs which are at times used for similar effects, nootropics are over-the-counter dietary supplements; some of which, like Koios, contain ingredients that are currently used in the treatment of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The global field of nootropics is growing rapidly and expected to reach USD $6,059.4 Mn by 2024 with a CAGR of 17.9 percent from 2016 to 2024.

According to media reports, there is believed to be significant and growing use of nootropics among high-achieving students and professionals. The UK’s leading Guardian newspaper found that nootropics are commonly used in Silicon Valley by computer industry professionals who want to “hack” their minds and maximize their productivity without any possible negative effects on the brain.

Koios was born out of the personal struggles of its founder and CEO, Chris Miller, who has ADHD. Miller found that the symptoms of his condition held him back when navigating the competitive modern workplace. Unhappy with the effects of the Adderall he was prescribed, Chris began a search for a natural remedy that would improve his attention and mental capacity.

Speaking of his struggles at this time, Miller says, “Coffee and energy drinks were no longer helping me. Eventually, I was drinking so much caffeine that I was beginning to notice negative and troubling health effects.” He adds, “I believed there had to be a better way. Better technology that the earth was providing that I could implement and not only boost my daily performance but take care of my brain and body long-term.” After years of experiments and with the help of leading scientists, he developed Koios, named after the Greek Titan who represented rational intelligence.

Koios contains the following ingredients, among others:

• Vitamin B12: Crucial for the function of the nervous system and the synthesis of DNA, B12 also helps in the creation of red blood cells.
• Vitamin B6: This vitamin is crucial for brain development among children and brain function in adults. B6 is also important in the production of key hormones: serotonin, which regulates mood, norepinephrine, which helps us handle stress, and dopamine.
• Huperzine A: Developed from the Chinese club moss plant, huperzine A is used on Alzheimer’s patients to boost their memories. It is also used to raise energy levels and alertness and is the subject of medical trials to test its efficacy when combined with other drugs.
• Bacopa: Also known as brahmi, bacopa is an Indian herb used in Ayurvedic medicine to improve concentration and memory. Modern science has recognized its effectiveness, and it is used to treat symptoms caused by Alzheimer’s disease, ADHD and anxiety.
• Ciwujia: Sports scientists have been interested in this herb since they heard of how mountain climbers in Tibet use it to boost their performance at high altitudes. Peer-reviewed research has shown that Ciwujia has clear positive effects on endurance.

A full breakdown of Koios’ active ingredients is available on the company website.

Additionally, safety is paramount for Koios, with all its products developed in a high-grade nutraceutical laboratory which is GMP-certified and in compliance with FDA guidelines. Koios only uses high-quality ingredients sourced from the best possible locations in order to deliver a product that is not only safe but also “one of the world’s greatest nootropic blends.”

The company’s products can be found online and in stores, both across the United States and internationally, via a continuously growing distribution network.

Koios CEO Chris Miller is supported by a team with strong credentials in medical supplement start-ups, corporate finance and sales, which includes CFO/Director Anthony Jackson, Director Scott Walters, Director Konstantine Lichtenwald and Vice President of Sales Gina Burrus.

With people seeking a mental edge and cognitive boost, Koios believes that there is an opening in the market for its nature-based, over-the-counter nootropics, especially when current prescription medicines have worrying side effects.

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

• Widespread global use of smartphones make them an ideal marketing platform
• Samsung is number one in smartphone market
• FANDOM SPORTS App approved for Samsung Galaxy App Store

The digital age has made the smartphone almost as ubiquitous as water on the planet. Go where you might; it’s unlikely you’ll be very far from mobile service. Even those attempting to scale Mt. Everest will be able to use their mobile phones, as far up as base camp, set at 18,000 feet, more than halfway up the mountain’s 29,029-foot peak. Such widespread adoption makes the smartphone the ideal vehicle to market and distribute a product, like the one being offered by FANDOM SPORTS Media Corp. (CSE: FDM) (OTCQB: FDMSF) (FRANKFURT: TQ42). The company has announced that its Android version mobile sports app has gained Galaxy App Store approval. Acceptance into the Samsung Galaxy App Store will ensure high quality exposure to Android users of Galaxy versions 7, 8 & 9, as well as future versions of Samsung’s Galaxy devices (http://ibn.fm/mbgsc).

Despite its attractive associations and loyal fan base, on a global basis, the Apple brand is not first choice for many smartphone owners. That prized position is held by Samsung, which, according to Statista, shipped 317.3 million smartphones in 2017 (http://ibn.fm/3OWHu). The South Korean company has consistently outsold rivals with its Galaxy line, first introduced in April 2009. It continues in the top spot with a market share around 20 percent. Applications specially designed for its phones are available from its “Galaxy Apps” online store, which Samsung has said will ‘eventually reach more than 130 million users across 161 countries’, according to PC Magazine (http://ibn.fm/0pKJZ). On such a global platform, the FANDOM SPORTS App will undoubtedly find application to a wide variety of sports.

The app was developed to provide sports fans around the world an uncensored social media platform that will allow them to express enthusiasm for their chosen games. It brings together fans in a social media setting, which many now find more comfortable and more convenient than traditional forums of physical interaction. The app is designed to entertain sports enthusiasts with real-time, interactive content that offers bragging rights and real-life rewards. True sports addicts will appreciate the app, which allows fans to pick a fight, create their own FanFights or rule over others as they trash talk their way to victory. The FANDOM SPORTS proprietary data centric “argument engine” measures and scores opinionated dialogue and establishes consensus, giving fans and users the ability to dive deeper into one-of-a-kind cultural moments, cheer on favorite sports teams and slam dunk some sweet rewards.

To touch base with sports fans, FANDOM SPORTS Media has hired an industry leading mobile app marketing and strategy firm to conduct aggressive marketing outreach (http://ibn.fm/3HZem). The campaign is designed to increase growth and discovery, drive engagement, refine potential revenue opportunities and better position the FANDOM SPORTS App for the successful rollout of its v2 product, which is scheduled for release in early Q4 2018. The v2 product is expected to have a simultaneous Android and iOS release date, with the trash-talking theme being parlayed around a “gamified” approach, utilizing elements of the micro-betting of FANCOINS.

The company is employing the tagline, “Pick a Fight”, signaling that it intends to go about acquiring users through an appeal to their competitive instincts… an appropriate strategy in the land of free competition.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.FANDOMSPORTS.net

• New appointment expected to strengthen EVIO’s Biosciences division
• Licensed cannabis sales expected to reach $21 billion by 2021 due to industry strengthening and legislative changes
• U.S. administration signals shift on cannabis legalization, considers leaving leave the decision with each state

A leading provider of testing services for the regulated cannabis industry, EVIO Inc. (OTCQB: EVIO) announced the appointment of a new member to its board of directors on June 19, 2018. Felipe Campusano has joined the EVIO board as an independent director. Campusano has extensive experience in operating Canadian pharmacies, which could prove to be invaluable for the EVIO business environment, including the company’s new biosciences division (http://ibn.fm/grT0h).

A University of Toronto Faculty of Pharmacy graduate, Campusano has accumulated interest in over 50 Canadian pharmacies over the past 12 years. He is the founding partner of Liver Care Canada (current president) and Cannabis Care Canada. The second organization was renamed ‘National Access Cannabis Medical’ after 51 percent of the entity was sold to National Access Cannabis.

In a news release, EVIO CEO William Waldrop noted that Campusano’s insight into Canada’s pharmacy industry, as well as his knowledge of the medical cannabis sector, will prove invaluable to the EVIO business model. His expertise in pharmaceutical business management is expected to strengthen the company’s ability to foster key partnerships in the health care field.

The appointment is also expected to strengthen EVIO’s new biosciences division, which was launched at the end of May 2018. The biosciences division will support cannabinoid research, focusing on emerging health benefits and advanced delivery models. Both in vitro trials and clinical research will take place to explore combination drug therapeutics.

Both moves aim to strengthen EVIO’s position on the market. The Oregon-based company is a leading provider of cannabis testing and research, operating across North America via its EVIO Labs division to ensure both the safety and the high quality of the licensed cannabis supply in the country. Currently, the company is working toward having 18 testing facilities by the end of 2018.

These developments are in line with the evolution of the U.S. licensed cannabis industry. Even though marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, sales generated over the course of 2017 reached nearly $9 billion, according to BDS Analytics Managing Director Tom Adams, quoted by the CNN (http://ibn.fm/LVQgT). These statistics were released before the opening of the California market in January 2018 – a development that’s expected to have a massive positive impact on the industry over the year. According to Adams, national sales are expected to jump to $9 billion in 2018 and to $21 billion by 2021, due to the addition of the Californian market.

Legislative changes are expected to help the growth of the industry even further. On June 8, President Donald Trump announced that he was likely to support a legislative proposal pertaining to cannabis legalization (http://ibn.fm/S22SV). The proposal, introduced by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), suggests that it should be up to each individual state to decide on whether or not to legalize marijuana.

For the time being, marijuana is legal for medicinal or recreational purposes in 30 states and the District of Columbia. The new bill would enable the principle of federalism to prevail, Gardner explained. At present, a person distributing medicinal marijuana in Colorado, for example, is complying with state regulations while violating federal laws. The aim of the new bill is to overcome this dichotomy.

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

• U.S. legislation to legalize industrial hemp makes significant headway in Congress
• Non-psychoactive cannabidiol (“CBD”) extracted from industrial hemp expected to become a $1 billion market by 2020
• Industrial hemp increasingly seen as an economic boon for farmers seeking alternative agricultural revenue sources
• Cash Crop Today Investor and Business Resource Summit delivers successful launch during U.S. Hemp History Week

Global Hemp Group Inc. (CSE: GHG) (OTC: GBHPF) (FRANKFURT: GHG) has a vision when it comes to industrial hemp – “One world, one plant.”  This seemingly simple statement about an ancient plant with so many beneficial uses is ringing true to investors, business owners and entrepreneurs. Global Hemp Group CEO Charles Larsen notes that rising interest in the value of industrial hemp could be seen at the first Cash Crop Today Investor and Business Resource Summit (“IBRS”), held June 8-9 in Beverly Hills, California.

Global Hemp Group recently acquired a 50 percent equity interest in Cash Crop Today Media, LLC (http://ibn.fm/cb0uQ), which hosted the event that attracted various innovators in the industrial hemp and cannabis industries. Industrial hemp is used to make everything from apparel and foods to body care products and building materials, along with pharmaceutical and wellness products containing the non-psychoactive cannabidiol (“CBD”) extract.

“The first Investor and Business Resource Summit was a great success,” Larsen said in a news release heralding the summit that provided multiple perspectives from industry pioneers. “This was a unique opportunity to bring investors, entrepreneurs and business owners together to network and learn about the industry. We look forward to hosting the next IBRS later in the year.”

Held during U.S. Hemp History Week (June 4-10), the summit delivered intimate, in-depth discussions on licensing and permits, wholesale, distribution and financing options, as well as grounded advice for launching a prosperous business in the rapidly emerging industry. The event’s timing also coincided with legislative action taken on June 13 by the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee. The 20-to-1 vote to endorse the Farm Bill, also known as the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (http://ibn.fm/UdGdn), would move hemp out of its current Schedule I drug status and make it legal for the nation’s farmers to grow the versatile plant. While more legislative action is needed to move the bill through Congress, industry leaders are hopeful that it will be expedited, since the current version of the Farm Bill is set to expire on September 30.

It looks like the world of hemp in the U.S. is about to enter a new phase, and Global Hemp Group is making its mark in this exciting new sector (http://ibn.fm/KpWup).

Global Hemp Group is creating a strong presence in the industrial hemp industry, both in the United States and Canada, as it focuses on corporate acquisitions and joint ventures across all sectors of the hemp industry. Global Hemp Group’s portfolio features networked “soil-to-shelf” businesses that share its commitment to revitalizing and strengthening hemp’s reputation as a valued agricultural resource.

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