• Demand for cobalt in vehicle battery materials expected to grow more than 40 percent in 2018
• Prices for cobalt metal hit their highest levels in 10 years in the first half of 2018, reaching over $90,000 per ton on the London Metal Exchange
• First Cobalt acquired 100 percent ownership of promising Idaho Iron Creek property, brought in additional drilling rigs
• Results expected soon from preliminary metallurgical work and maiden resource estimate from broad zones of cobalt-copper mineralization at Iron Creek Project

A tightening market and projected shortages of cobalt – a key battery metal used in everything from smartphones to electric vehicles, electronics and defense systems – is generating concern around the world, industry analysts report. Cobalt prices have tripled over the past two years, posing a threat to how quickly the electric vehicle market can grow in the near future, as noted in an article published by Bloomberg (http://ibn.fm/X90oc). Additionally, concerns over the methods being used by the politically unstable Democratic Republic of the Congo, where 60 percent of the world’s cobalt is produced, remain a factor for many of the world’s largest consumers of cobalt.

Vertically integrated pure-play cobalt company First Cobalt Corp. (TSX.V: FCC) (OTCQX: FTSSF) (ASX: FCC) has consciously and strategically placed its efforts into its North American assets such as the Iron Creek Project in Idaho and the Greater Cobalt Project in the Canadian Cobalt Camp, which holds more than 50 past producing mines. The company also owns the only permitted cobalt refinery in North America capable of producing battery materials. First Cobalt recently announced that it has acquired 100 percent ownership of the Iron Creek property, where a maiden mineral resource estimate is anticipated any day.

First Cobalt president and CEO Trent Mell notes that a $9 million investment into Iron Creek has allowed the company to accelerate its drilling program there. In fact, First Cobalt is fully funded to complete its work programs in the U.S. and in Canada beyond the end of this year and into 2019, a company news release states (http://ibn.fm/tSPfb). Iron Creek’s promising potential includes results from recent drilling that indicate two broad zones of cobalt-copper mineralization that extend well beyond the limits of the historic resource.

With demand across most major end-use applications set to increase and the battery sector alone expected to enjoy double-digit growth over the coming decade, the market is gearing itself up for a sustained period of unprecedented consumption growth, according to metals and minerals research firm Roskill (http://ibn.fm/fJJwN). Some companies, such as Apple, BMW and Volkswagen, are reportedly negotiating to secure cobalt supplies directly from producers in an effort to safeguard their own supplies for future use, as detailed by CNBC (http://ibn.fm/mixih).

First Cobalt is actively working to create a North American solution to many of the problems facing cobalt consumers now and in the future. The company’s strategy of exploring, developing and refining material in North America for sale back into the American battery market is well underway. As such, First Cobalt is strategically positioned to be at the forefront of the cobalt-driven battery movement in the coming years.

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

• Initial core-sampling assays at Marifil’s San Roque property show gold and silver among four drill holes, with lead and zinc assays pending
• The company believes that the site has more than 100 million metric tons of mineralized earth with significant levels of gold, silver, indium, lead and zinc
• Company is continuing to build assets in world-famous ‘Lithium Triangle’ in hopes of supplying key strategic metal

Canada-based Marifil Mines Ltd. (TSX.V: MFM) (OTCQB: MFMLF) has released the initial results of its latest core-sampling campaign at an Argentine exploration site believed to contain significant quantities of gold and silver.

“The drilling at our flagship asset at San Roque has been highly anticipated by the Company and its stakeholders for many years. 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,” Marifil President and CEO Robert Abenante stated in a June news release (http://ibn.fm/Meln9).

The preliminary assay results for its diamond core drilling program used four HQ-size core holes totaling 846 meters (2,776 feet) to explore the company’s project area in the Province of Rio Negro, near the Atlantic coast. They bring the company’s exploration total to 112 holes through 16,683 meters (54,734 feet) at the San Roque site, and every one of the drill holes has intercepted some degree of mineralization, indicating an extensive system of mineralization over several square kilometers. Mineralization is open in all directions and at depth, or, in other words, its endpoint hasn’t yet been found, although some of the drill holes have been well below the company’s established cut-off grade.

According to Marifil’s September 11 report on the four latest drill holes numbered MF-DDH 56 through MF-DDH 59, holes 56, 58 and 59 were drilled as step-outs from previous holes drilled in 2011, and returned results that add significantly to the prospectiveness of the two zones in play. Hole MF-DDH 57 was an exploratory step-out along a linear geophysical anomaly that the drilling found to be caused by pyrite-rich rock of no economic value, however the first 50 meters (164 feet) intersected “noteworthy zinc mineralization” that justifies a follow-up exploratory drill hole, according to the company (http://ibn.fm/34Xtr).

The report describes MF-DDH 58 as showing lead and zinc mineralization in all 148 meters (486 feet) of the drill cores but notes that complete lead and zinc assays are still pending. Its assays for gold show an average of half gram per metric ton throughout two intercepts which total 83 meters (272 feet). The report says this mineralization is still open in several directions.

Holes MF-DDH 56 and MF-DDH 59 are in a separate area about 1.5 km south of MF-DDH 58, where drilling intercepted 35 meters of 2.27 grams per metric ton of gold and 42.6 grams per metric ton of silver in 2011, and the new assay runs show correlative gold mineralization, according to the company.

Alex Stewart Argentina S.A. in Mendoza, Argentina, is providing the certified assay results for the 582 drill core samples.

Marifil has arranged a new round of non-brokered private placement funding of up to 10 million units for gross proceeds of up to $1 million, subject to government approval. Each unit will consist of one common share and one warrant for a future share purchase.

The San Roque property does not yet have a reportable Canadian NI 43-101-compliant resource. However, based on findings of the extensive drilling cited above, the company believes that more than 100 million metric tons of mineralized earth underlies the property. This mineralized material contains a low level percentage of zinc and lead sulfides carrying potentially economic values in gold, silver and indium.

The company is focused on exploring for gold, lithium and cobalt — metals with significant commercial potential. Earlier this year, Marifil inked a definitive agreement with Argentine company Minera Esperanza S.A. to advance a five-year exploration plan at two lithium-bearing properties in the country’s Catamarca province, far to the north of San Roque, which would allow Marifil to purchase the properties if it finds them viable and thus expand its portfolio within the prolific “Lithium Triangle” centered in the border region between Argentina, Chile and Bolivia (http://ibn.fm/L2cGZ).

Lithium has obtained a status as a key strategic metal because of its role in the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles and other in-demand computerized technology.

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

• Hybrid-aeroponic agriculture approach pioneered by NASA ensures quality with controlled environment
• Cultivation IP that delivers higher yields, reduced costs and superior product
• In fast-developing cannabis market, effective branding is the key to success and profits

“A farmer has to be an optimist, or he wouldn’t be a farmer,” Will Rogers once quipped – a wry comment that might have been a reference to the vagaries of the weather. Erratic meteorological conditions are the farmer’s bane, unless, like Green Hygienics Holdings Inc. (OTC: GRYN), he’s employing space technology. Green Hygienics is a company that is targeting the high-end medical and adult-use recreational market with cannabis grown by an enhanced hybrid aeroponic method. It plans to generate revenues from the sales of the premium grade cannabis thus produced, as well as from the development and licensing of valuable IP from acquisitions and the creation of trusted global consumer brands.

Aeroponics is space-age agriculture. It’s a way to grow plants, without using soil, by suspending their root structures in air and regularly spraying them with a nutrient and water solution. The plants are hung in a manner that allows them to grow freely. The roots are enclosed and regularly sprayed with a mix of nutrients. Because the roots are in a closed loop system, the nutrient-water mix is used more efficiently by the plants, and less water is needed for them to grow and thrive.

The system has proven its effectiveness. NASA was able to grow Asian bean seedlings using an aeroponic system in the zero gravity environment of the Mir space station (http://ibn.fm/PVROb). The agency has been sponsoring such technologies since at least the 1990s, a major benefit of which is the capability to control the environment and exclude pathogens and other harmful agents.

Using its hybrid-aeroponic system, Green Hygienics creates a sterile growing environment that produces consistent, high-quality product while maintaining the lowest possible carbon footprint. The state-of-the-art, quality-controlled commercial cultivation methodology assures production of pharmaceutical-grade cannabis at much higher yields and greatly reduced costs. The technology produces quality cannabis faster than traditional methods since it requires no natural sunlight, eliminating the limitations imposed by day/night cycles. In addition, since the plants receive water and nutrients directly to their roots through a fine mist in a controlled environment, spoilage is reduced, and no unhealthy pesticides need be used because the environment is pest-free, keeping the product organic.

Precise control is maintained over every aspect of the cultivation process, which allows Green Hygienics to conserve natural resources. The plants are given the exact amount of nutrients and moisture required, as scientifically determined. As a result, the technology not only requires no pesticides or fungicides but also uses 90-95 percent less water. Moreover, the company’s state-of-the-art engineered, controlled environments include electrical, mechanical and HVAC designs that meet mandatory fire and energy codes while significantly improving energy efficiency. Development of the technology has resulted in IP assets that include proprietary systems and apparatus, software, algorithms, custom-engineered hardware and a variety of premium brands.

In a cannabis market that’s likely to be flooded with a plethora of products, branding is going to play an important role in separating the sheep from the goats. Presently, Green Hygienics is launching several leading brands. Among them are ‘The Bridge Coffee House’ and ‘The Bridge Lounge’; ‘Vital’, a line of health and wellness products; and, of course, its ‘Green Hygienics Urban Agriculture’. With a mission of developing and establishing winning brands that promote healthy living at a time when pharmaceuticals and the food supply adversely affect our collective health, Green Hygienics aims to establish itself as a leader in the advancement of science-driven cannabis cultivation systems while providing its medical and recreational consumers with the best possible product and experience.

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

• Developing the first off-the-shelf personalized immunotherapy for advanced breast cancer, Bria-OTS. Bria-OTS is designed to provide personalized treatment for ~90% of the advanced breast cancer patients without the high costs and difficult manufacturing associated with personalized treatments. The technology may be applicable to other cancers.
• Addressing an unmet need by targeting advanced breast cancer, from which an estimated 40,000 women have died in U.S. in 2017
• $1 billion-$5 billion market opportunity depending on patient treatment stage
• Results of two completed proof-of-concept human clinical trials showed rapid tumor shrinkage at multiple sites in advanced breast cancer patients without toxicity associated with other oncology treatments (e.g. chemotherapy).
• Bria-IMT has completed enrollment of a Phase I/IIa clinical trial with outstanding safety data and early signs of potent efficacy. Preliminary data from the Phase I/IIa trial is expected in 3Q2018.
• BriaDX, a companion diagnostic test, is currently in development along with Bria-IMT and Bria-OTS.
• Experienced management has been involved in over 10 drug approvals
• Significant near-term news-flow

BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. (OTCQB: BCTXF) (TSX.V: BCT), based in Berkeley, CA, and headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of targeted immunotherapy for advanced breast cancer.

BriaCell hopes to develop and market the first off-the-shelf personalized immunotherapy for the treatment of advanced breast cancer.

The results of two previous proof-of-concept clinical trials produced encouraging results in patients with advanced breast cancer. Most notably, one patient with breast cancer that had spread to other sites (metastatic cancer) responded to Bria-IMT with a substantial tumor shrinkage in multiple sites including the breast, the lung, soft tissues and even the brain. Similar observations have been confirmed more recently in additional patients, and BriaCell is developing BriaDX as a way to identify those patients most likely to respond.

BriaCell has recently completed recruitment of a Phase I/II study (NCT03066947) of Bria-IMT, the Company’s lead product candidate, in advanced breast cancer patients showing an outstanding safety profile and excellent efficacy. BriaCell is currently enrolling advanced breast cancer patients in a combination therapy trial (NCT03328026) of Bria-IMT with Keytruda (Keytruda is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc.) or Yervoy (Yervoy is a registered trademark of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company). For further information on the Phase IIa clinical trials, please visit trial NCT03066947 and trial NCT03328026.

BriaCell’s pipeline also includes Bria-OTS, the first off-the-shelf personalized immunotherapy for advanced breast cancer; and, a companion diagnostic product BriaDX. By using BriaDX to identify and treat the patients who would most likely benefit from their immunotherapies, BriaCell expects to personalize the treatment for the patients, and bring hope to thousands of cancer patients who currently have few-to-no treatment options.

Breast Cancer Statistics

The National Cancer Institute estimates that more than 265,000 new cases of female breast cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. during 2018, and that more than 40,000 women in the U.S. will die from the disease. Approximately 12 percent of women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point during their lifetime, based on 2013-2015 data.

Using its novel technology platform and strong R&D capabilities, BriaCell believes it has the opportunity to address this market, as well as have the opportunity to develop immunotherapy candidates for other cancer indications.

The global cancer immunotherapy market is expected to reach nearly USD$203 billion by 2025.

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

• Directors Yaqing Hu and Hui Zhu have stepped down for personal reasons
• Hongxiang Yu named chairman of the audit committee
• Yilei Shao appointed chair of the compensation committee

TMSR Holding Company Limited (NASDAQ: TMSR), a company that through its subsidiaries develops, produces and sells patented industrial and mining waste management solutions, has announced changes in the membership of its board of directors. Two directors, Yaqing Hu and Hui Zhu, have resigned from their roles on the board due to personal reasons. Their resignations took effect at the end of August, according to a company news release (http://ibn.fm/5Mr1U).

Stepping in to take their places will be Hongxiang Yu and Yilei Shao. The board appointed Yu as chairman of the audit committee, while Shao will serve as the chair of the compensation committee.

Yu has a strong track record of business leadership. He has served on the board of directors of American Lorain Corporation (NYSE: ALN), a food manufacturing company, and has held senior management positions with Hongrun Construction Group Co. Ltd., asset management and private equity investment firm Shanghai Highlights Asset Management Co. Ltd., and film investment company Tianjin Dragon Film Limited. Yu was educated at the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom, where he received a bachelor’s in international trade and a master’s in international human resources management.

Shao has been nominated to serve on the board of American Lorain Corporation. She is the founder and chief executive officer of Shanghai Jianshi Management Consulting Limited and worked for five years in New York as vice president of Goldman Sachs’ Credit Derivatives Department. Her educational background is in computer science, with a bachelor’s degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and a doctorate from Princeton University.

Paying tribute to the departing board members, TMSR Chairwoman Jiazhen Li said, “We’d like to thank Zhu and Hu for their leadership, guidance and dedication to TMSR while serving as members of the Board. We are also very delighted that Yu and Shao have agreed to join our Board and look forward to their expertise and insights in helping further strengthen our Board.”

TMSR, through its subsidiaries Shengrong Environmental and Wuhan HOST Coating Materials, is involved in the development, production and sale of industrial waste management systems and solutions. The company holds two international U.S. patents and six patents issued by the People’s Republic of China, including three invention patents and three utility model patents. Using these technologies, Shengrong Environmental recycles solid waste from a number of industries in the People’s Republic of China, extracting usable materials in processes that do not release dangerous chemical discharge.

TMSR’s technology allows the extraction and recycling of usable material from aluminum slag, red mud manganese tailings, copper mine tailings and iron mine tailings. In addition to its involvement in industrial and mining waste processing and recycling, TMSR also trades in iron ore and operates wine import and resale services.

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

• EMHTF named as a cannabis supplier for Newfoundland Labrador Liquor Corporation (NLC) to serve the adult use market of the entire province of Newfoundland and Labrador
• Pure Sunfarms, in which EMHTF is a 50-50 joint venture partner, has received from Health Canada an amendment permitting it to expand its cannabis production area to 550,000 sq. ft.
• EMHTF already has supply agreements with the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Ontario; as a cannabis producer, it is ramping up operating facilities in British Columbia and Quebec

Emerald Health Therapeutics Inc. (TSX.V: EMH) (OTCQX: EMHTF) is well positioned in Canada in the adult use cannabis market, both as a supplier to several provinces and as a grower. Through its licensed subsidiary, Emerald Health Botanicals Inc. (“EHB”), it can sell in Canada both medical dried cannabis and cannabis oils (http://ibn.fm/knaK5).

EMHTF, based in Victoria, British Columbia, is focused on developing cannabis as a supplier and cultivator, developing value-added products for the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and botanical markets with wellness and medical benefits.

Through its EHB subsidiary, it maintains a joint venture with Village Farms International Inc. Together, they operate Pure Sunfarms, which has an existing 1.1 million sq. ft. licensed greenhouse in Delta, British Columbia (Delta 3). An amendment to its cultivation license expands its cannabis production area to half of that facility. Full production is expected by mid-October (http://ibn.fm/KFdG4).

EMHTF also owns Agro-Biotech, a Quebec-based licensed cannabis grower operating a 75,000 sq. ft. licensed indoor facility. It is planning to add a 500,000 sq. ft. greenhouse in Metro Vancouver, Canada.

As a supplier, the company has expanded into a new market by being named by the Newfoundland Labrador Liquor Corporation as supplier to the province of Newfoundland Labrador in Canada for adult use cannabis starting in October. That is in addition to its prior agreements to supply both Ontario and British Columbia (http://ibn.fm/pG5tC).

“We’re proud to work with the NLC as a preferred Licensed Producer to serve Newfoundland and Labrador in the upcoming legal cannabis market,” Chris Wagner, CEO of Emerald, stated in a news release. “This represents the third provincial agreement for our team and we expect to share additional supply updates in the future.”

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Emerald.care

• Cannabinoid molecule extraction, quantification mark early successes in PreveCeutical’s drug delivery development process
• PreveCeutical optimistic about prototypical spray applicators in development for cannabinoid therapies
• Clinical trials of cannabis-based therapeutics anticipated next year

PreveCeutical Medical Inc. (CSE: PREV) (OTCQB: PRVCF) (FSE: 18H) is celebrating the achievement of several key milestones in the development of the company’s proprietary Sol-gel program for the nasal delivery of select medications, where those medications can be expected to effectively reach the nervous system in order to accomplish their purposes in treating conditions ranging from anxiety to head concussion injuries, a company officer told market reporting outlet Proactive Investors Limited.

PreveCeutical Chief Research Officer Harry Parekh told Proactive Investors in a September 10 interview (http://ibn.fm/TphxA) that one significant advancement that the company has made is in the extraction of key cannabinoid molecules from one strain received from PreveCeutical’s licensed producer, Canadian cultivator and distributor Aurora Cannabis, Inc. (TSX: ACB) (OTCQX: ACBFF). PreveCeutical’s R&D department was able to validate the chemistry of the cannabinoids within a cannabinoid-rich mixture, measuring them against eight commercial cannabinoid standards over a broad concentration range.

The researchers were then able to quantify how many cannabinoids were present within the extract, ensuring that the amount fell well within the range of what Aurora had specified and clearing the way for the researchers to move forward in assaying four additional strains (http://ibn.fm/3p5NC).

“We’re very confident now moving forward, developing a standard operating procedure to extract it,” Parekh noted in the interview. “At PreveCeutical, we’re working with five different strains which have different concentrations of cannabinoids to THC, and the whole plan here is to develop a range of products which can then be personalized to the patient and also to the disease as the clinical trials data becomes available.”

Through the extraction work, PreveCeutical’s researchers will be able to create a library of chemically fingerprinted cannabinoid extracts that can then be optimized and incorporated into the company’s Sol-gel technology.

PreveCeutical’s ultimate aim is to use its Sol-gel formulations to deliver the cannabis-based therapeutics in a healthful, rapidly catalyzing non-smoked method to assist patients dealing with pain, inflammation, anxiety, seizures and other neurological disorders. The nasal application of the Sol-gels provides the means for the medication to cross the blood-brain barrier without having to run the gauntlet in the gut first, delivering medications with the fewest side effects possible.

Parekh said that the company expects to begin clinical trials by late next year. The research work is being conducted through PreveCeutical’s partner, the University of Queensland’s Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence. The university has received several prototypes from its contracted drug delivery device manufacturer for the in-development spray applicator that will ultimately be used to administer the Sol-gels, and it has been assessing their performance.

“We’ve now honed in on a couple of devices which are very promising with our Sol-gel platform,” Parekh said. “It’s interesting because I’ve attended a number of different seminars over the last six to 12 months, looking at other companies that are working in the spray area, and inadvertently when you listen to these seminars you understand some of the complexities that can arise because of the number of sprays that those patients will need to administer. You’re talking upwards of one or two dozen sprays every 24 hours, which is effectively the patient drinking it post-nasally. And so we believe at PreveCeutical we’re going to have the edge on this because our spray will gel as soon as it hits the nasal mucosa, avoiding any post-nasal swallowing, and therefore applications from maybe once or thrice a week will be what we’ll be targeting.”

PreveCeutical is expecting to take advantage of the heightened public interest in cannabis-related medications worldwide. Parekh said that the company has also ensured that the anticipated formulation will be safe for use by all ages from neonate to elderly, with no age-based detrimental effects, and the researchers are looking at multiple ways of channeling the dosage, such as wafers and tablets, in addition to the sprays.

At the same time, the drive to legalize cannabis may create challenges for the company, as much of the available supply is channeled toward recreational use instead of medicinal use, he said. However, PreveCeutical still anticipates a bright future of using its positioning to tailor its products’ well-defined chemistries and delivery methods to patients’ needs.

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

• Legal cannabis market likely to be plagued by poor quality control
• DNAX technology tracks all stages of cannabis supply chain
• Platform already deployed by biosciences company

Liberalization may be bringing cannabis consumption out of the shadows, but large parts of the supply chain remain hidden – an inconspicuous circumstance that poses great risk to consumers. In New Haven, Connecticut, about 100 people overdosed on “synthetic marijuana” recently, and they may have had no idea that their pot was “synthetic.” Synthetic marijuana can be made to look like the real thing. Technology from BLOCKStrain Technology Corp. (TSX.V: DNAX) (OTC: BKKSF) may have saved these unfortunate individuals from such dire straits. The company’s blockchain system can accurately track all stages of the cannabis supply chain and all aspects of quality control. It could make licensed cannabis retailers and dispensaries as safe as houses.

It’s not good practice to shop for weed in a park, the course of action taken by the 100 or so people who succumbed to the noxious effects of the manufactured variant. Synthetic marijuana, also called K2 or Spice, is composed of a mix selected from a grab bag of chemicals designed to stimulate cannabinoid receptor sites in the brain (http://ibn.fm/aojzw). These synthetic cannabinoid chemicals were first created as research tools to study the brain but are now finding their way into recreational use. Many formulations originate in Asian laboratories. They are purchased by cartels or street dealers, who use them to spray inert plant material before passing off the final product as marijuana.

Cannabis bought through a licensed retailer should be safer, but it may not always be. Although cannabis marketed to the public is subject to testing, state regulatory requirements vary and, more disturbingly, so too does the quality of services provided by the testing industry. The labs that provide these services assess THC levels and test for the presence of plant disease and contaminants. They are an essential aspect of effective regulatory oversight and 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 that may allow substandard or fake cannabis to get to consumers. The need for a system like the one developed by DNAX is becoming more pressing as use of marijuana grows.

Regulators are acutely aware of the risks posed by present supply channels, and so a primary goal is to “establish an efficient, accountable and transparent system for regulatory oversight of the supply chain”, as noted in “The Final Report of the Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation” published by the Canadian government (http://ibn.fm/Knm38). To accomplish this, requires a system that collects and manages a tremendous amount of data, including pesticide use and quality control, as well as possession limits and servings sizes in order to validate and verify products.

DNAX’s BLOCKStrain platform can do all that and more. The technology can 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. Using BLOCKStrain is also likely to enhance brand reputation. 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 also 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 on genetic cannabis strains can be submitted to the BLOCKStrain verification administrators, and those results will be added to the user’s blockchain account.

BLOCKStrain has already deployed the technology. Recently, it announced that it had signed a letter of intent to integrate its proprietary technology into Abattis’s product and services ecosystem (http://ibn.fm/m9DbR). Through this collaboration, the parties hope to enable Abattis’ clients to instantly arrange for sales, shipping, testing and analysis of Abattis products, giving those clients comprehensive visibility over such products throughout their entire lifecycles. Abattis is a life sciences and biotechnology company that aggregates, integrates and invests in cannabis technologies and biotechnology services for the legal cannabis industry in Canada.

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

• The company is entering the European hydroponics market as it expands its foothold in the cannabis supply marketplace through its first order program via Amazon UK
• SGMD estimates that its revenue will reach $30 million by 2019 with operating profitability and positive operating cash flow; it is increasing its commitment to the industrial hemp sector
• The European marijuana market is seen as becoming the largest cannabis market in the world, with more than $150 million invested already

Sugarmade, Inc. (OTC: SGMD) is targeting the European hydroponics market, supplying multiple products for cultivators via its first order through the Amazon UK program. Its agreement calls for it to offer several dozen stock keeping units (SKUs) to be sold in the United Kingdom. A cannabis-related supply company, SGMD projects that its 2019 volume will reach $30 million at operating profitability (http://ibn.fm/8m7iT).

In a news release, Jimmy Chan, CEO of SGMD, said, “While we have previously informed our investors of our $30 million revenue goal for next year, revenues continue to grow across the board.” He cited the opportunities presented by the lack of available quality products at attractive prices within the European market.

Sugarmade is entering Europe at a time when a new report by analyst group Prohibition Partners projects that, referencing a survey of 28 key countries across the continent, the marijuana market there will be worth €115 billion by 2028. It is seen as becoming the world’s single largest region for cannabis (http://ibn.fm/M0l7U).

SGMD, based in Monrovia, California, recently returned to the OCTQB Venture Market as a fully reporting company (http://ibn.fm/ko4wr). It is a hydroponics supply company committed to growth in the industrial hemp sector. SGMD is a product and brand marketing company with numerous operations, such as packaging and paper goods for diverse industries. By entering the industrial hemp market, it is seeking to increase its revenue base. Its brands include ZenHydro.com, CarryOutSupplies.com and BudLife.

“We not so much believe, but very much know that Europe will become the biggest cannabis industry in the world, it’s just a matter of when,” Stephen Murphy, co-founder and managing director of Prohibition Partners, noted in the report. “The European market has grown faster in the past six months than it has in the past six years.” The article noted that medical cannabis is currently legal in 20 countries across Europe. In 2018, three more announced legalization efforts, and more than $150 million has been invested in those markets already, per the report.

Sugarmade is investing in Hempistry, Inc., a privately held Nevada corporation, which has begun planting an ultra-high cannabidiol (CBD) industrial hemp strain in Kentucky. Additionally, Sugarmade expects to sign an agreement with Hempistry for hemp cultivation supplies.

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

• Partnership with Canopy Growth leverages the network, expertise and innovation capabilities of the world’s largest cannabis company
• Diversified portfolio of high-quality licensed cannabis producers, late-stage applicants, ancillary products and brands
• Investments tailored to meet unique needs of each counterparty while achieving positive cash flow, secured downside protection and upside equity optionality
• Access to an alternative investment vehicle characterized by early entry points, detailed counterparty due diligence and distinguished partners

Canopy Rivers Corporation is the venture capital investment platform of Canopy Growth Corporation (TSX: WEED) (NYSE: CGC).

Canopy Rivers is a unique investment and operating platform structured to pursue investment opportunities in the emerging global cannabis sector. Canopy Rivers collaborates with Canopy Growth to identify strategic counterparties seeking financial and/or operating support. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Canopy Rivers has developed an ecosystem of complementary cannabis operating companies operating throughout the cannabis value chain.

Canopy Rivers, in collaboration with Canopy Growth, has established a diverse portfolio of cannabis industry investments that includes domestic and international companies, licensed producers, late-stage licensed producer applicants, pharmaceutical formulators, brand developers and distributors, retail networks, and technology and media platforms. Investments are customized for each counterparty and include a balanced mix of equity, debt, royalty and profit-sharing agreements.

Canopy Rivers’ expanding portfolio includes:

• Agripharm Corp. (private) is an ACMPR licensed producer, acquired by Canopy Growth in January 2017. In November 2017 Agripharm completed a joint venture with globally recognized partners Green House Seeds and Organa Brands. Canopy Growth has sublicensed proprietary technology, trademarks, genetics, know-how and other intellectual property from Agripharm to distribute the suite of Green House and Organa Brands products across the country, when permissible.
• CanapaR Corp. (private) owns 80% of CanapaR Italy, a Sicily-based company focused on developing and commercializing Italy’s local hemp cultivation industry through its partnership with the renowned Department of Agriculture at the University of Catania and its rapidly building extraction capabilities for the production of organic CBD oil. CanapaR Italy’s outsource farming model with local Sicilian farmers and its university partnership will provide it with a low-cost source of organic CBD oil, which is increasingly used as an input into new commercial products in the growing health and wellness industries.
• Civilized Worldwide Inc. (private), is a media and lifestyle brand with offices in New Brunswick and California that embraces and highlights modern cannabis culture. Civilized aims to engage the millions of productive, motivated people who choose to enjoy cannabis responsibly as part of their lifestyle. Reaching 2+ million unique visitors per month, North America-wide, Civilized produces engaging content for and about people who enjoy cannabis responsibly.
• James E. Wagner Cultivation Ltd. (TSX.V: JWCA) was founded in 2007 by third generation agricultural and cannabis cultivators. JWC is the first entirely aeroponic producer of cannabis in Canada, and its patent-pending aeroponic production technology, called GrowthStormTM, allows for perpetual harvesting and improved yields. The company was issued a license to cultivate from Health Canada in January 2017 and a subsequent sales license in March 2018.
• LiveWell Foods Canada Inc. (TSX.V: LVWL) was established in 1993 as a nutritional lifestyle company, and operates in the production of fresh produce and food technology. The company’s O-Hemp division distributes bulk and retail hemp products through its existing channel partners. LiveWell entered into a strategic agreement with Canopy Rivers and Canopy Growth in April 2018.
• PharmHouse (private) is a joint venture between Canopy Rivers and the principals and operators of leading North American greenhouse produce companies. PharmHouse has arranged to acquire a newly built 1.3-million-square-foot greenhouse located in Leamington, Ontario.
• Radicle Cannabis Inc. (private) is an ACMPR-licensed cannabis company based in Hamilton, Ontario backed by a management team that brings extensive experience in regulated industries, retail distribution, tobacco and pharmaceutical development, as well as Award-winning cannabis horticulturist breeders and medical professionals.
• Solo Growth (TSX.V: ALZ) is a premiere retail cannabis distributor that will operate locations under the name “YSS by Solo,” relying on the expertise of a management team comprised of founding shareholders, senior officers and board members of Canada’s largest private liquor retailer, Solo Liquor, who collectively have more than 50 years of regulated substance retail experience. Solo Growth was established through a recapitalization of Aldershot Resources Ltd.’s corporate structure that will allow the company to execute a new retail-focused cannabis business strategy as “Solo Growth Corp.”
• Spot Therapeutics Inc. (private) is an applicant that was acquired by Canopy Growth in August 2017 to solidify its Maritimes expansion strategy and less than four weeks later Canopy Growth signed a supply MOU with the New Brunswick government. Canopy Rivers purchased the property and entered into a long-term lease and committed funding agreement with Canopy Growth.
• TerrAscend Corp. (CSE: TER) cultivates high-quality cannabis in an indoor hydroponic facility, backed by a strategic investor boasting a strong background in the pharmaceutical space and an extensive portfolio of specialty pharma assets.
• Vert Mirabel (private) is a joint venture that was established in December 2017 between Canopy Rivers, Canopy Growth, and Les Serres Stephane Bertrand. Bertrand is a large-scale greenhouse operator located in Mirabel, Quebec, and the largest grower of pink tomatoes in the country. With guidance and assistance from Canopy Growth, the greenhouse has been upgraded and retrofitted for cannabis production and was licensed by Health Canada in May 2018.

As the company’s portfolio continues to develop, each constituent benefits from opportunities to collaborate with Canopy Growth and among themselves. Canopy Rivers believes this formula results in an ideal environment for innovation, synergy and value creation for Canopy Rivers, Canopy Growth and across the entire Rivers ecosystem.

Canopy Rivers is led by an experienced team of qualified financial and technical professionals with deep industry experience and relationship networks. The company’s acting CEO and chairman is Bruce Linton, CEO of Canopy Growth and founder of Tweed Marijuana.

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