• Recently closed $2 million in private placement funding
• Reviving unexplored property in “lithium triangle” of South America while negotiating for additional acquisitions
• Recently acquired over 15,000 hectares in lithium triangle
• Launched a drill program at San Roque
• Global demand for lithium, cobalt projected upward with lithium-ion battery market fueling consumption
• Exploration plans at Marifil Mines include cobalt, lithium and gold

Marifil Mines Ltd. (TSX.V: MFM) (OTCQB: MFMLF), headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, is engaged in the exploration, evaluation and acquisition of mineral rich resource properties in Argentina. A rising global demand for cobalt and lithium is generating interest in Marifil Mines and its resources located within South America’s famed “Lithium Triangle,” which include 15,267 hectares spanning its recently acquired Ratones and Fraile claims, as well as two lithium properties covering the southern portions of the Carachi Pampa salar in the Argentine province of Catamarca.

The company’s property also includes the Las Aguilas nickel-copper-cobalt deposit property, with more than four contiguous claims in the San Luis province of Argentina. The Las Aguilas property, which is 100% owned by Marifil, is noted as one of the largest cobalt properties in Argentina. Other noteworthy properties in the company’s portfolio include the Toruel copper-silver property, with more than two contiguous claims, and additional potash properties in Punta Colorada, Pedernal and El Carmen.

Marifil’s sizable portfolio of cobalt and lithium claims in what is recognized as the world’s most prolific mining jurisdiction for these resources strategically positions the company to benefit as global initiatives push demand for lithium-ion batteries toward a frenzy. Zion Market Research, a leading research and consulting firm, has forecast that the lithium-ion battery market could hit $67 billion by 2022, realizing a CAGR of more than 13.7% from 2017-2022. Both lithium and cobalt are major components of these energy storage solutions, with industry data indicating that the battery industry currently consumes roughly 42 percent of global cobalt production.

The company is reviving a lithium exploration program that was active in Argentina a decade ago, building on an unexplored mine it owns there. Marifil will utilize a large proprietary geologic and geochemical data base it developed during its 2009 lithium exploration program in the Salta and Catamarca province sites to resume lithium exploration in the region.

Applications for a second mine and negotiations to purchase a third property are underway, which would establish a significant property portfolio of ‘salar’ brine evaporation lakes. Hydrothermal solutions emanating from regional faults in area volcanoes often enrich the brine with lithium, boron, potassium and magnesium.

In addition to nearly 152,000 acres of lithium-staked properties, Marifil owns 887 acres of land for cobalt exploration and 91,565 acres of gold mining rights in an advanced exploration stage in San Roque that company engineers indicate has high gold discovery potential with “excellent infrastructure and mining friendly politics.”

To date, more than $7.5 million has been invested assessing Marifil’s flagship San Roque gold property, including nearly 16,000 meters of diamond core drilling. The property is jointly owned by Marifil and Novagold Resources, with Marifil holding a 51% stake and serving as the current project operator. The company recently commenced a drilling campaign to further evaluate several deposits of significant gold-silver-indium-lead-zinc mineralization on a 4-kilometer-long zone.

Marifil has closed a private placement funding for $2 million that will inject additional life into the company. Proceeds from the funding will benefit acquisition plans, the ongoing drilling program at Marifil’s gold claim and other output from its general working capital accounts.

Robert Abenante, a chartered professional account, serves as president and chief executive officer of the company. He has extensive experience in the public markets and has served as an officer and director of several public and private companies across various industries, with particular success in the mining sector.

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

• Zenergy focuses on energy conservation and efficiency, smart controls, and retail energy
• The company provides customers with energy conservation solutions, building automation systems, and retail energy
• Zenergy Brands has a turnkey solution in its ‘Zero Cost Program’

Zenergy Brands, Inc. (OTC: ZNGY), with its corporate headquarters in Plano, Texas, has a platform that is a combined offering of energy services and smart controls. A business-to-business (B2B) firm, Zenergy focuses on energy conservation efficiency, smart controls and retail energy. The company’s vision is to enhance businesses through responsible energy use and management.

The company’s business model is based on its management team’s belief that energy services and smart controls, combined with the ever-growing commercial demand for more sustainable business practices, will continue to be fast rising trends.

Zenergy provides commercial, industrial and municipal end-use customers with energy conservation solutions, building automation systems and retail energy. It offers customers the ability to trim down their utility consumption by up to 60 percent, through energy-efficient and smart control products.

In a 2017 article, analyst firm PwC noted, “Business customers are increasingly interested in managing their energy use patterns… Owners of commercial buildings are installing energy monitors to help gauge variations in consumption and predict future fuel requirements. Many well-known companies have announced energy efficiency targets for 2020…” (http://ibn.fm/hmfsn).

Zenergy Brands has a turnkey solution in its ‘Zero Cost Program’. This program enables the company’s target customers to upgrade their older, inefficient customer premise equipment and assets, which permits the installation of energy-efficient retrofits at no upfront cost to them.

Furthermore, concerning its retail energy plans, via a Texas PUC approved and licensed Retail Electric Provider (REP), Zenergy plans to target end-use consumers in the commercial and industrial sectors. Members of the company’s management team have experience in building REPs. Zenergy believes that this experience and industry know-how will help it build a viable and well-rounded energy enterprise focused on reducing utility consumption and achieving sustainability.

The Clean Energy Project noted results from a U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) report regarding year-to-date changes from 2016 to 2017 (reported in MWh). “First, electricity consumption in all sectors except transportation fell, with total electricity sales down by 2.1 percent,” the Clean Energy Project coverage stated (http://ibn.fm/3HKE3).

The reduction of electricity consumption continues to be Zenergy Brands’ focus. The company’s is committed to helping its customers decrease utility use and be more energy-efficient, thereby increasing their enterprise value. Zenergy Brands is looking to change the status quo in the energy industry. As a fully integrated energy company, Zenergy’s emphasis is on considerably lessening the national carbon footprint. The company is also working to significantly reduce demand on the national energy grid and the nation’s water supply.

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

• Company poised to benefit from impact of Supreme Court ruling permitting gambling on college and professional sports
• Per report, illegal sports betting in U.S. currently estimated at $150 billion
• CSRH subsidiary 359 Mobile, Inc. plans to release its sports-oriented predictive analytics platform in 2018 for Android and iOS devices, with first rollout focusing on the international sport of Cricket

Consorteum Holdings, Inc. (OTC: CSRH), with its groundbreaking predictive analytics platform, could see a boom from the Supreme Court ruling enabling states to legalize sports gambling (http://ibn.fm/X0EK6). Through subsidiary 359 Mobile, the company plans to release its first global sports app in 2018, serving Android and iOS devices. It was developed with DevLex Ltd., marking the first development since a joint business agreement between the companies was signed.

The app incorporates the technologies of the two companies, combining 359’s proprietary Universal Mobile Interface™ (“UMI”), with its advanced analytics, and DevLex’s Predictive Analysis Platform (“DV-PA”), which uses proprietary algorithms in real time. The stakes are high, with the American Gaming Association estimating illegal sports gaming in the U.S. at $150 billion annually (http://ibn.fm/JOJL8).

CSRH is a software development and mobile publishing company that delivers content to devices in the fast-growing fintech market and its associated verticals. The company is growing through a combination of license agreements, joint ventures and strategic alliances. A primary focus of its UMI platform is the mobile gaming sector.

The first sports app will offer massive historical data and updates on cricket teams and players. Cricket is played in more than 50 countries globally, and it has a dedicated fan base in excess of 2.5 billion people around the globe.

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

• Updates on CBD patents and medical device progress
• Working to improve medical treatments on a global scale through its subsidiaries
• Moving toward uplisting to the OTCQB Venture Market

Earth Science Tech, Inc. (OTC: ETST), based in Doral, Florida, is a biotechnology company focused on cannabis, industrial hemp and cannabinoid research and development, including the commercialization of nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. The company is working to improve medical treatments on a global scale for different diseases through its subsidiaries: Earth Science Pharmaceutical, Cannabis Therapeutics Inc., Kannabidioid Inc. and Canna Inno Laboratories Inc.

ETST is in the final phases of preparation for uplisting to the OTCQB Venture Market. This move is expected to boost investor confidence and open additional opportunities. “Transparency is a key tool that we needed to accelerate the growth of our business,” Dr. Michel Aube, CEO and chief science officer of ETST, stated in a recent news release (http://ibn.fm/AB0vq). “Since all of our amazing projects are ongoing with our partners, investor confidence will grow, and we will be able to complete our first big round of financing. We are in touch with institutional and private investors that were waiting for ETST to become a fully reporting company before investing the necessary amount to commercialize our projects. We can now resume our discussions with them.” ETST will continue to share updates on the full reporting process as it progresses.

In a recent news release (http://ibn.fm/S8xTD), the company shared updates on its ongoing CBD formula patents and medical device progress. Earlier this year, ETST announced that it received a grant from the Government of Quebec to develop three new CBD-based products. The prototyping on these products has now begun. The function of these products is to maintain quality of life and prevent inflammation, cancer and degenerative diseases. The MSN-2, a medical device developed to prevent chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections, is in its final stage prior to the launch.

“The official launch of this medical device is a little like giving birth,” Aube stated. “It will be unique in the marketplace and we are branding this device globally. We will create a strong demand for this medical device by showing the world its powerful capacity to diminish the prevalence of chlamydia and other Sexually Transmitted Infections.”

ETST is working with Accélération, Design et Innovation Inc. on final packaging designed to target a global audience of women, and the company is in the process of securing trademark protection for the logo and name. The device is dedicated to improving the health of women worldwide.

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

• Cobalt strike resource estimate underway at First Cobalt’s Iron Creek Project
• Potential for fast-track startup in Idaho could provide North American response to growing tech metal demand
• Drilling program aims to provide NI 43-101-compliant confirmation of historic estimate of 1.3 million tons grading 0.59 percent cobalt

America’s Gem State could also form the bedrock of future-tech mineral exploration once First Cobalt Corp. (TSX.V: FCC) (OTCQX: FTSSF) (ASX: FCC) completes a mineral resource estimate on a prized asset that it acquired earlier this month. On June 11, First Cobalt announced a $9 million program to increase drilling along a mineralized strike in Idaho’s Iron Creek Project with the hope of fast-tracking it for future production.

First Cobalt obtained the Iron Creek Project through its purchase of US Cobalt after determining that the Idaho site could complement exploration work that the company was already pursuing in Canada’s famed Cobalt Camp north of the Great Lakes. US Cobalt explored the Iron Creek Project last year through a 40-hole, 10,700-meter program to confirm a historic estimate of 1.3 million tons grading 0.59 percent cobalt and 0.3 percent copper that was not compliant with current reporting standards.

“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 regarding the exploration program (http://ibn.fm/yXUFm).

Establishing North American sources for cobalt has become a priority among many junior miners amid concerns over the human rights violations reported in conjunction with the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s cobalt operations. The DRC is far-and-away the world’s largest current producer of the metal, sourcing two-thirds of the entire global supply, and 80 percent of the world’s cobalt is processed in China. First Cobalt’s properties in Canada not only include 50 historic mining operations situated on nearly 25,000 acres, but also a mill and the only permitted cobalt extraction refinery in North America capable of resuming material production.

Cobalt’s renewed value lies largely in the emerging demand for electric vehicles on a multi-national basis. Electric vehicles are touted as an environmentally cleaner alternative to fossil fuel-driven vehicles, but a vast majority rely heavily on the energy efficient qualities of lithium-ion batteries. Cobalt comprises a significant element of those batteries. European countries and China are pushing for sharp increases in EV production and phasing out gasoline-powered vehicle sales. The state of California is also notable in its push for greater EV use. Notably, cobalt also enjoys a national security status, because it is a critical element for some military resources, such as rocket and jet engines.

The Iron Creek Project exploration will include drilling another 70 holes as part of an additional 30,000 meters of surveying throughout the mineral strike zone. The drilling is designed to double the strike length of the cobalt-copper zone from 460 meters to 900 meters. A maiden mineral resource estimate compliant with NI 43-101 standards is expected by October. The drilling began in February and has already extended the known mineralization to over 520 meters of strike to date, according to a report issued this month. The work program will also include surface sampling of exposed bedrock in search of cobalt-copper prospects away from the Iron Creek mineralization.

Part of the attractiveness of the site in Idaho’s prolific Cobalt Belt is that historic mining left significant infrastructure already in place, including three horizontal-entry adits with 600 meters of drifting extraction area and an all-weather road that connects the project to a state highway. The company has all of the necessary permits in place to complete its 2018 program.

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

• Lexaria is ahead of the game in the expected second flow of investment capital in “plant-to-bloodstream” companies
• Company’s DehydraTECH™ technology has the potential to revolutionize nicotine use, eliminating the major cause of related deaths by shifting demand away from smoking cigarettes
• DehydraTECH™ makes it possible to experience most of the positives associated with inhalation while eliminating the negatives, helping to make lighting up a thing of the past

Within the cannabis industry, the initial flow of investment capital has been toward ‘seed-to-plant’ companies. As the next stage of investment is expected to be ‘plant-to-bloodstream’, companies such as Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTCQX: LXRP) are positioned ahead of the game. LXRP’s revolutionary DehydraTECH™ technology disrupts the traditional ways that cannabinoids enter the bloodstream, including through inhalation, under the tongue and through edibles. Each of these three historic methods have their own challenges.

First, inhalation is unhealthy, allowing toxins from the combustion process to enter the bloodstream. People die every day from smoking cigarettes, and no rational person can argue in favor of smoking. Second, edible producers often mask the bitter taste of hemp oils and cannabis oils through the use of excessive sugar or unwanted artificial sweeteners. Additionally, the active ingredients are broken down by the liver, largely destroyed by stomach acid and unable to significantly cross the intestinal wall. Lexaria’s patented technology, DehydraTECH™, improves the effectiveness of the active ingredients and addresses these common problems. DehydraTECH™ reduces the bitter flavor, making sweeteners unnecessary. It also protects the active ingredients during stomach transit and amplifies intestinal absorption by up to 10x, as compared to edible forms that have not been technically enhanced. In addition, the tech has the ability to bypass first-pass liver metabolism, greatly improving the rapidity with which the active ingredient can take effect.

This revolutionary edible technology extends beyond cannabinoids, as the company continues to evaluate its potential use for nicotine delivery and a smoke-free future. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately six million deaths per year globally are attributed primarily to the act of smoking nicotine products. Nicotine, however, is not primarily responsible. According to the U.K. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), “The harm associated with cigarette smoking is almost entirely caused by the toxins and carcinogens found in tobacco smoke – not the nicotine” (http://ibn.fm/co5ex). Lexaria believes that DehydraTECH™ has the potential to revolutionize nicotine use by allowing users to avoid the dangerous chemicals associated with the normal inhalation means of getting nicotine, effectively eliminating the major cause of related deaths by shifting demand away from smoking cigarettes and toward common food and consumer products. Early animal testing of DehydraTECH™ has shown dramatically faster delivery of nicotine to the bloodstream than controls.

Although inhalation is an effective delivery mechanism – much more so than non-enhanced edible ingestion – it is dangerous. The toxins released during combustion are harmful and can potentially kill the user. Edible ingestion eliminates the toxins caused by lighting up. While inhalation is fast, traditionally, ingestion has not been. However, the use of DehydraTECH™ speeds things up to make edible absorption roughly as fast as inhalation, allowing for non-deadly yet effective forms of absorption. This revolutionary technology makes it possible to experience most of the positives of inhalation while eliminating the negatives and making lighting up a thing of the past.

Lexaria Bioscience Corporation was recently added to the CSE 25 stock index, reflecting its recent growth to become one of the 25 largest-capitalized companies on the Canadian Securities Exchange (http://ibn.fm/UkiMt).

In addition, Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences Index ETF recently added Lexaria as one of its core stock holdings, buying Lexaria’s common stock on the open market (http://ibn.fm/rL8G0). Lexaria Bioscience Corp. is clearly receiving more widespread recognition as a sector leader than it ever has in the past.

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

• Operations underway on industrial hemp fields in New Brunswick and Oregon
• United States trending toward national legalization of hemp agriculture
• Acquisition of 50 percent interest in Cash Crop Today provides successful media and branding resource

Global Hemp Group Inc. (CSE: GHG) (OTC: GBHPF) (FRANKFURT: GHG) is pleased to see increasingly favorable prospects for the industrial hemp industry in the United States after the close of “Hemp History Week” (June 4-10) awareness efforts. Although the plant offers no benefit to recreational drug users, it was ensnared in legislative efforts to control its botanical sibling marijuana decades ago. Now, the veil of suspicion over guilt-by-association policy appears to be lifting.

Global Hemp Group Inc. is a company dedicated to establishing a network of harmonious hemp businesses that produce and market the plant’s products, which serve as a resource for the cannabinoid-based medicines, construction, paper and textile industries, among others. Although hemp remains classified as a federally controlled drug substance in the United States, cultivation policy experiments under Senator Mitch McConnell’s provisos in the Agricultural Act of 2014 (http://ibn.fm/BT8uM) paved the way for a broader legalization effort under the Hemp Farming Act in the 2018 Farm Bill update currently being debated in Congress (http://ibn.fm/mp7LG), which aims to federally legalize the cultivation and manufacturing of industrial hemp throughout the country.

Additionally, the United States President recently indicated that he would probably support a new bill decriminalizing marijuana at the federal level, leaving its regulation to the states if Congress passes the measure (http://ibn.fm/faTIB). Just as hemp was caught up in the drive to regulate marijuana, efforts to deregulate marijuana could prove beneficial to hemp. Thirty states have enacted laws allowing the use of marijuana for medical uses, and 37 others have passed industrial hemp-based laws (http://ibn.fm/N58dd), all in defiance of federal law.

In Canada, the outlook has been more favorable, with successes trending toward recreational-use marijuana and other cannabinoid derivatives from hemp, as legislation is expected to be finalized later this year (http://ibn.fm/Flar2). Global Hemp Group has already launched its 2018 cultivation efforts in New Brunswick hemp fields through its partnership with Marijuana Company of America (OTC: MCOA), and it recently announced a high yielding CBD hemp cultivation project being developed in Scio, Oregon.

The New Brunswick project includes 125 acres of traditional dense cropping of hemp with plans to increase it to more than 1,000 acres in the next three years. The Oregon program includes up to 35 acres of orchard style cultivation with plans to increase acreage significantly in 2019 and with potential year-round perpetual harvest cultivation in greenhouses (http://ibn.fm/jdVrr). The partners intend to analyze data collected from the vastly different cultivation styles to determine which will produce the highest yield per acre.

Global Hemp Group also announced earlier this month that it has acquired a 50 percent interest in Cash Crop Today Media, LLC, a media company that reports on the industrial hemp and cannabis market sectors. Cash Crop Today is growing rapidly and currently has a total of 1.38 million monthly website views from visitors and a traffic ranking on Alexa in the United States of 69,272, according to the company.

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

• Receives first QuadSight™ prototype order from truck division of a large European vehicle manufacturer
• QuadSight™ system uses two pairs of stereoscopic infrared and daylight cameras that exceed a human driver’s ability to see, regardless of weather or lighting conditions
• QuadSight™, Eyes-On™ and Eye-Net™ are accident prevention products revolutionizing the safety and dependability of driver assistance and automated vehicle technology

Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: FRSX) (TASE: FRSX), a technology company engaged in the design, development and commercialization of stereo/quad-camera vision systems and V2X cellular-based solutions for the automotive industry, recently received its first order for its breakthrough QuadSight™ prototype (http://ibn.fm/qLNY2). A truck division of a large European vehicle manufacturer ordered the system to evaluate the prototype and its performance on the manufacturer’s trucks. FRSX is confident that the sales of QuadSight™ prototypes will strengthen relations with potential customers and lead to large orders of the QuadSight vision system for mass production.

The QuadSight™ system demo was launched last January at the CES show in Las Vegas. Based on 3D video analysis, advanced algorithms for image processing and sensor fusion, QuadSight™ uses four-camera technology combining two pairs of stereoscopic infrared and daylight cameras. Stereoscopic cameras provide a level of accuracy that exceeds a human driver’s ability to see in real-time by using synchronized cameras, along with advanced algorithms for image processing and sensor fusion, to mimic 3D human depth perception. The company’s proprietary stereoscopic system is derived from major shareholder Magna B.S.P.’s field-proven technology, which has been deployed worldwide for almost two decades. QuadSight™ offers exceptional obstacle detection for semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicle safety with near-100 percent obstacle detection and near-zero false alerts, regardless of weather or lighting. FSRX believes that its vision systems will revolutionize automotive safety with its cost-effective platform and advanced technology.

QuadSight™ is one of three accident prevention products offered by FRSX. Eyes-On™, an advanced ADAS system, provides lane departure warning and traffic sign recognition, and it scans the road for any obstacles, including vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists or any other possible hazard. It can detect at long-range and high speeds, identifying smaller objects than comparable systems on the market.

Eye-Net™ is a cellular-based V2X (vehicle to everything) accident prevention solution. It identifies possible oncoming collisions before those involved are even able to see each other. Eye-Net™ is designed to provide a complementary layer of protection for both vehicles and pedestrians beyond traditional ADAS, and it runs as a background process on iOS and Android-based mobile phones, eliminating the need for designated hardware.

FSRX is positioned for growth as it perfects its unique line of automotive vision systems.  QuadSight™, Eyes-On™ and Eye-Net™ are revolutionizing the safety and dependability of driver assistance and automated vehicle technology.

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

• New resource estimate underway in Idaho Cobalt Belt’s Iron Creek Project
• First Cobalt assessing need to restart and expand North America’s only currently permitted cobalt extraction refinery
• Scarcity concerns have fueled rise of cobalt’s price on London Metal Exchange from $22,000 per metric ton in 2016 to $90,000 now

The 19th century rush for easy gold led to Idaho’s establishment as a U.S. territory, but, in the modern era, the gem state is known for a variety of important natural resources that may not glitter as much as the yellow ore. Among those resources, diamond extraction led to the parallel establishment of the rich Idaho Cobalt Belt, a unique example of seal-floor hydrothermal brines that comprise a distinctive geochemistry (http://ibn.fm/AbajP), as well as a new alternative to Africa’s conflict-mineral production for the high-tech battery market. First Cobalt Corp. (TSX.V: FCC) (OTCQX: FTSSF) is preparing a new resource estimate on its promising property within the belt to replace the historic estimate (non-compliant with NI 43-101) of 1.3 million tons grading 0.59 percent cobalt (http://ibn.fm/Lh5tq).

Cobalt is a critical low-heat element of the lithium-ion batteries that fuel smartphones, laptops and a burgeoning market in electrical vehicles sought as an environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum-driven cars. Reuters recently reported that cobalt supply and demand were in balance last year at about 100,000 metric tons, drawing on an analysis by Swiss investment bank UBS. However, Reuters also noted the brokerage’s prediction that at least 90,000 metric tons of additional cobalt will be needed to meet demand by 2025, while citing Benchmark Mineral Intelligence’s prediction that electric vehicle demand could lead to a deficit as soon as 2022 (http://ibn.fm/WGwHy).

The global fleet of electric vehicles grew by 54 percent last year, and, while electric vehicles still represent only a tiny fraction of the overall auto market, social consciousness and governmental efforts to fight pollution are driving ambitions for the EV market. California has announced plans to have 5 million electric vehicles on its roads by 2025, with a sales target of 15.4 percent EVs that at least eight other states are adopting (http://ibn.fm/CayTL). China is aiming for two million EV sales by 2020 (http://ibn.fm/L8Ah4), and European countries such as France and Britain are aiming to end the sale of fossil-fuel vehicles altogether by 2040 (http://ibn.fm/PYH5J).

The industry’s rising need for cobalt has caused prices to boom. Its value on the London Metal Exchange grew from $22,000 per metric ton in February 2016 to more than $90,000 per metric ton currently. First Cobalt’s Business Development Vice President Peter Campbell told Reuters that companies concerned about their supply chains are talking to junior mining companies such as First Cobalt that are as much as six years away from production.

First Cobalt’s exploration project in Idaho and an additional one in Canada’s famed Cobalt Camp mining region position it well to also take advantage of conflict metal concerns surrounding the reported human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s cobalt-rich mines, which currently supply about two-thirds of the entire cobalt supply worldwide. First Cobalt owns the only currently permitted cobalt extraction refinery in all of North America capable of producing battery-grade material, and its recent acquisition of US Cobalt Inc.’s full shares portfolio (http://ibn.fm/FHFiv) further solidifies its profile as a vertically integrated pure-play cobalt company rooted in North America.

“A new resource estimate (of the Idaho Iron Creek Project) is underway based on 2017 drilling and the success of that drill campaign was key to our decision to acquire US Cobalt,” CEO and President Trent Mell informed investors in a news release. “We have now commenced a more ambitious drill program aimed at doubling the strike length of the known cobalt mineralization to 900 metres by the end of 2018, which will support an updated mineral resource estimate and provide us with a better understanding of the size of potential future operations.”

The company recently began studying the variables in play to restart and expand the cobalt extraction refinery near the Cobalt Camp exploration site in Ontario, Canada. The facility “has been in a state of care and maintenance” for the last three years, Mell wrote. Its proximity to the company’s 100 square kilometers of potential exploration sites in the camp and accessible transportation routes give it a valuable pipeline for its own projects, as well as third-party contracts.

“Early in our 2018 drill program, we identified a mineralized zone near Kerr Lake that now extends for over 350m. The goal is to assess near-surface mineralization that could be amenable to open pit mining. These are early days for a mining camp that has been largely forgotten for over 60 years and the upside potential from this camp is significant,” Mell reported. “The refinery is key to realizing early cash flow opportunities and we continue to assess our options for this asset. … As a shareholder, my goal is to make First Cobalt the “go to” name for exposure to the cobalt space.”

This month alone, insiders including two independent directors, John Pollesel and Garett Macdonald, and CEO Trent Mell have together added more than 160,000 shares to their personal portfolios (http://ibn.fm/GxXIw).

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

• Current cannabis testing system lacks integrity
• BLOCKStrain platform can be trusted for safety and reliability
• Planned product integration and strategic partnership with bioceutical company

The tide of cannabis legalization washing over America is, as might be expected, posing challenges in a number of areas. One is protecting the public, determining how to best ensure that marijuana in the marketplace is safe to consume. The other is producer protection; how can breeders and growers stop their strains from being ‘faked’?

The obvious answer is testing, but the testing system that has germinated as cannabis cultivation spreads may not be up to the task. Reports have surfaced of poor controls that leave consumers and producers alike exposed to a variety of risks. Now seems an opportune time to utilize the blockchain platform developed by BLOCKStrain Technology Corp. (TSX.V: DNAX).

Producers will be happy to note that the technology registers and tracks cannabis IP from genome to sale. Consumers will be equally delighted to discover that the system can accurately track all aspects of quality control. BLOCKStrain is already making the platform available to streamline the cannabis supply chain. It recently signed a letter of intent to integrate its proprietary technology into the product and services ecosystem of Abattis Bioceuticals Corp., and the platform has been adopted by leading Canadian cannabis producer WeedMD.

An alarming report in Forbes details the sorry state of the cannabis testing services industry, where informational asymmetry appears to be the order of the day (http://ibn.fm/ZMX9A). Some labs are good, but some labs are not. The question is, “How do cannabis producers and retailers tell the difference?”

For example, growers and marketers rely on these labs to determine the levels of THC their strains have, as well as the presence or not of toxic chemicals, molds and other unwelcome contaminants, and the labs are expected to abide by state-instituted standards in their testing procedures.

However, since the facilities are neither graded nor regularly inspected, it’s difficult to say to what extent compliance is observed. As a result, the industry is plagued by lax practices, with some labs offering to produce “better results.” Some others have even earned the reputation of being “friendly,” which apparently means that their rejection rates are low. In addition, there is suspicion that some producers submit high THC samples for testing and then use the grading to wholesale their low THC output. In light of all these shenanigans, there are growing calls for a tighter supply chain.

The BLOCKStrain platform aims to provide the integrity that the current system so sorely lacks. It goes further by ensuring product authenticity and IP protection, with a genetics verification process. Producers and marketers can take advantage of this novel methodology by submitting the lab results of tested samples to BLOCKStrain. Each time an item is tested and verified by the network, a registration affidavit is auto-generated and given a unique “BLOCKStrain Address,” along with a traceable QR Code. Producers, patients and consumers are able to not only verify the test but rate the product, write reviews and share opinions. These details are stored within BLOCKStrain and, like the test results, cannot be tampered with or modified. Both verification and certification are earned by all parties for their participation. Moreover, pre-existing data of genetic cannabis strains can be submitted to the BLOCKStrain verification administrators, and those results will be added to the user’s blockchain account.

The planned collaboration with Abattis Bioceuticals Corp. gives an example of BLOCKStrain’s capabilities (http://ibn.fm/rwLDS). The platform is expected to reduce the workload and costs associated with product and genetic testing by storing all testing data in its blockchain-protected database. The platform will also provide full transparency of testing results for producers, government regulators and consumers.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.BLOCKStrain.io