• New, frozen formulation of ready-to-inject Bria-IMT increases potency, simplifies logistics and is expected to reduce cost-per-dose
• BriaCell has achieved proof of concept for its lead cellular immunotherapy product, Bria-IMT, which targets advanced breast cancer
• Founder and Director Dr. Charles L. Wiseman will be a keynote speaker at the 10th Euro Breast Cancer Summit in Paris on March 21-22

Researchers at BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. (OTCQB: BCTXF) (TSX.V: BCT), an immuno-oncology-focused biotechnology company developing targeted and safe approaches for the management of cancer, are noting significant advancements in clinical trials of the company’s lead cellular immunotherapy product, Bria-IMT, targeting advanced breast cancer.

“It’s been a very, very exciting time at BriaCell. In 2018, we achieved a number of important milestones. We achieved proof of concept for our lead clinical candidate, Bria-IMT,” BriaCell president and CEO Dr. Bill Williams states in an interview with NetworkNewsWire (http://ibn.fm/jXVPN) that describes the large unmet medical needs of advanced breast cancer and the market opportunity that they present.

The American Cancer Society (“ACS”) estimates that in 2019 there will be an estimated 1,762,450 new cancer cases diagnosed, which is the equivalent of more than 4,800 new cases each day. Of these overall cases, there will be approximately 268,600 new cases of female breast cancer, accounting for 30 percent of all new cancer diagnoses in women, as the ACS detailed in its latest report on cancer statistics (http://ibn.fm/89c55).

Perhaps more alarming is a new study showing that the number of women in the U.S. living with distant metastatic breast cancer (“MBC”), the most severe form of the disease, is growing. The researchers estimated that, as of January 1, 2017, more than 150,000 women in this country were living with MBC, and that three in four of them had initially been diagnosed with an earlier stage of breast cancer. The findings appeared online in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention and is also published on the National Cancer Institute’s website (http://ibn.fm/2Tbwk).

BriaCell is focused on enhancing the lives of cancer patients who are facing limited therapeutic options. Designed by a team of scientists and clinicians, BriaCell’s proprietary whole-cell-based technology platform continues to show its impressive potential to establish a new model for treating cancer patients.

Bria-IMT activates the immune system to destroy cancer cells in a way that’s believed to be both unique and more effective than other, similar approaches. Bria-IMT has shown promise in FDA-approved clinical trials, suggesting excellent safety and efficacy in patients who match Bria-IMT at HLA types. BriaCell also recently announced the initiation of clinical use of a novel frozen formulation of Bria-IMT for on-demand shipment to clinical sites to accommodate higher patient volumes at reduced per-dose costs (http://ibn.fm/FxIYe).

“We’re going full barrel, full force into 2019,” Williams states in the NNW interview (http://ibn.fm/GYr5o). “We have ongoing discussions with multiple potential partners to form some corporate partnerships, and we’re very optimistic about those. We have preliminary efficacy data coming out on our first six patients in the KEYTRUDA combination study, and then we have multiple opportunities to present at conferences to get the word out there.”

BriaCell continues to gather new insights on completed studies as immune responses and test results are further analyzed, which includes noting “exciting information” about the company’s ongoing combination study with KEYTRUDA that will be shared at upcoming oncology conferences.

BriaCell Founder and Director Dr. Charles L. Wiseman will be a keynote speaker at the 10th Euro Breast Cancer Summit, taking place in Paris on March 21-22, 2019. The summit’s theme for 2019 is rediscovering novel approaches toward a cure for breast cancer and women’s health (http://ibn.fm/X51BO). Wiseman’s topic is aptly titled ‘Targeted Immunotherapy for Breast Cancer – Immunotherapy – Fact, myths and experience: Myth Busters: How beautiful facts can falsify ugly theories’.

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

• Kontrol Energy focuses on smart-energy solutions for North American customers
• The company is entering the cannabis sector with its energy-efficiency and emission-compliant solutions
• Kontrol Energy recently commenced trading on the OTCQB Venture Market

Based in Vaughan, Ontario, Kontrol Energy Corp. (CSE: KNR) (OTC: KNRLF) (FSE: 1K8) is a leader in the energy efficiency sector via IoT (Internet of Things), cloud and SaaS (Software as a Service) technology. The company integrates smart-energy devices, energy software and energy retrofits to help organizations benefit from energy cost savings while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Kontrol offers its SmartMax intelligent energy technology. Recently, Kontrol Energy was named as the seventh-fastest growing start-up in Canada in 2018 by Canadian Business and Maclean’s.

The company’s specialty is the assimilation of smart-energy technologies and solutions for North American commercial and industrial property owners and operators. Kontrol is focusing on the large North American marketplace, where up to 30 percent of energy is wasted. As such, more than $50 billion is lost each year because of this waste (http://ibn.fm/Dn6KU).

Industry analysts suggest that the multitrillion-dollar energy-efficiency market offers major opportunities over the next five years. Established market segments include energy retrofits ($71.4 billion), distributed generation ($179.9 billion), energy analytics ($33.5 billion) and greenhouse gas/carbon measurement and reduction ($1.2 trillion). The benefit to its customers is that Kontrol Energy’s solutions result in immediate and real-time energy savings in the range of 25 to 30 percent. As a result, the company’s customers have more control over energy use (http://ibn.fm/6oyFF).

With a focus on providing energy-efficiency assistance, Kontrol Energy is entering the cannabis vertical sector. The goal of its cannabis solutions is to provide energy efficiency and emission-compliance solutions to licensed producers. The company has two NDAs signed for generation and emission, and it anticipates adding 5 to 10 percent to top-line revenue over the next year (http://ibn.fm/7XsaZ) via its cannabis initiatives.

Recently Kontrol Energy announced that its common shares are now trading on the OTCQB Venture Market (http://ibn.fm/wfrCE) under ticker symbol ‘KNRLF’. The OTCQB Venture Market is a U.S. trading platform operated by OTC Markets Group in New York City.

Kontrol’s common shares will continue to trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange under symbol ‘KNR’ and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under symbol ‘1K8’. Eligibility for the OTCQB Venture Market involves companies being current in their financial reporting. Eligible companies must also pass a minimum bid price test and undergo a yearly company verification and management certification process.

In a news release, Kontrol Energy’s chief executive officer, Paul Ghezzi, said, “Listing on the OTCQB Venture is part of a long-term strategy to introduce the company to a broader audience. We believe trading on the OTCQB will help us enhance liquidity by providing our current and future U.S. investors with a trading platform.”

Kontrol Energy offers its customers the opportunity for high ROI on their investments in efficiency measures. The company also offers ROI opportunities to investors via its strategic accretive acquisitions and cannabis infrastructure solutions. With established operations and a strong customer base, Kontrol Energy continues to execute on its vision of smarter energy as it works to improve its customers’ bottom lines.

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

• Lung cancer is one of the most commonly occurring tumors in men and women, and it is the common cancer that’s most likely to result in death among all U.S. populations
• Genprex is advancing its trademarked Oncoprex immunogene therapy as a means of bolstering the body’s protein defenses against lung tumor growth
• Clinical trials for Oncoprex are evaluating ways to team it with other targeted therapies and immunotherapies to increase the overall efficacy of the therapies

The war on deadly cancers continues to advance innovative developments in the field of targeted therapies that block the growth of cancer cells by interfering with specific tumor-growing molecules (as opposed to chemotherapy, or cytotoxic therapy, which simply interferes with all rapidly dividing cells). Genprex Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX) is at the forefront of the battle, testing its trademarked Oncoprex immunogene therapy as a means of combating lung cancers.

Lung cancer is one of the most commonly occurring cancers among all men and women in the United States, and it is the common cancer that’s most likely to result in death among men and women of all races once it occurs, although death rates have been decreasing in recent years (http://ibn.fm/MDIqa). Overall societal lifestyle changes and advances in medical technologies have made cancers more survivable than they once might have been.

Genprex continues to focus on developing new treatments for cancer as part of its mission to develop cutting-edge gene therapies to improve patient outcomes. Targeted gene therapies have resulted in a vast amount of drug research in recent years, because gene therapies are expected to be more effective than older forms of treatments and less harmful to normal cells. Targeted therapies and immunotherapies empower the body’s own natural immune defenses against tumor development, either by adding or restoring deficient proteins or by attacking “checkpoint” molecules that inhibit the body’s cancer-fighting proteins.

Drugs established through gene research have often found only temporary effectiveness, as patients develop a resistance to them. This has led to an emerging trend to combat resistance through combination therapy in which a number of different therapeutic agents and differing modes of action team up to battle resistance-conferring mutations (http://ibn.fm/TQj3F).

Genprex’s Oncoprex therapy is an example of this trend, working in combination with targeted therapies such as U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs Tarceva and Iressa and immunotherapies such as FDA-approved drugs Opdivo and Yervoy to fight non-small cell lung cancers, which account for about 85 percent of all lung cancers (http://ibn.fm/h5sI0).

“Oncoprex is synergistic with those drugs, meaning that the combination is more effective than either drug alone. We believe that by combining Oncoprex with targeted therapies and immunotherapies, we can extend the benefit of these approved lung cancer drugs into the large majority of patients who do not now benefit from them, either because the patients’ tumors do not have the molecular profiles that indicate effectiveness of those drugs, or because the patients have developed resistance to those drugs after receiving them for some period of time,” the company’s website states.

Oncoprex’s phase I and II clinical-stage trial therapies are designed to administer cancer-fighting genes by encapsulating them into nanoscale hollow spheres called nanovesicles, which are then administered intravenously and taken up by tumor cells where they express proteins that are missing or found in low quantities (http://ibn.fm/w3bUK). The company has a portfolio of 30 issued patents and two more pending, and it is also conducting pre-clinical research to help identify which patients will be most likely to benefit from its gene therapies and which additional cancer drugs will be the most synergistic with Oncoprex.

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

• The latest industry developments and production slowdowns have contributed to upward iron ore price pressures
• As of March 2019, the price of iron ore has registered one of its highest levels in almost a year
• Iron ore production companies like Black Iron Inc. are positioned to benefit from the opportunities created by the high prices and the latest market dynamics
• Black Iron expects to sell the premium iron pellet feed it will extract from the Shymanivske Project at rates exceeding the benchmark iron ore price in the coming years

Production disruptions in Brazil and other market dynamics have contributed to surging iron ore prices (http://ibn.fm/t8gFk). According to the Commonwealth Bank, iron ore prices could be heading back to $100 a ton, a level that has not been reported since 2014.

Since November 2018, iron ore prices have increased by nearly 40 percent. The Vale-BHP Brumadinho Corrego do Feijao mine accident in Brazil contributed to the complete halting of 11 operations by Vale (NYSE: VALE), the world’s largest iron ore miner, as per National Mining Agency orders (http://ibn.fm/hXcbb). This created a massive threat to global iron ore supply, increasing the price per ton by an additional $12 since January 2019. As of March 12, iron ore traded at $85.31 on the spot market, in comparison to $74.30 in January 2019. This is one of the highest levels registered in almost a year (http://ibn.fm/84ILF).

These market dynamics have created stimuli for iron ore miners to enhance their extraction and production efforts. Black Iron Inc. (TSX: BKI) (OTC: BKIRF) (GR: BIN) is already seeing 2019 as a pivotal year for the company’s development and for its primary project – the Shymanivske Iron Ore Mine.

The Canadian iron ore exploration and development company is looking forward to the initiation of construction at the iron ore project in Ukraine. The ultra-high-grade iron ore mine is situated in the southern part of the KrivBass iron ore mining district. The region is highly developed, and it features all of the necessary infrastructure for sustainable, cost-effective iron ore production.

Black Iron plans to begin construction at the Shymanivske Iron Ore Mine in roughly one year. According to CEO Matt Simpson, discussions to secure the surface rights for the project and construction financing are well advanced.

In particular, Black Iron has signed a memorandum of understanding for the purpose of securing construction financing resources. The memorandum is between the company and a subsidiary of commodities giant Glencore plc (OTC: GLCNF) (OTC: GLNCY) (http://ibn.fm/cUWRe). As per the memorandum conditions, Glencore will make an investment in the Shymanivske project’s construction in exchange for securing the offtake of up to the full phase one planned annual production of four million tons.

Black Iron has reaffirmed the Shymanivske Project’s economic projections. The mine is to produce premium 68 percent iron pellet feed that is expected to sell at a significantly higher price than the benchmark iron ore value in the coming two to three years.

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

The technical and scientific contents of this article have been reviewed and approved by Matt Simpson, P.Eng., CEO of Black Iron, who is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.

• PLUS recently announced DTC Eligibility for the U.S. Market
• Company’s recent IPO raised C$20 million
• Company plans to use proceeds to expand its operations in California

Plus Products Inc. (CSE: PLUS) (OTCQB: PLPRF) has just made it easier for investors to trade its securities. The company recently announced that its shares are now Depository Trust Company (DTC) eligible (http://ibn.fm/wER1v). DTC eligibility will allow Plus Products shares to be deposited into a DTC account, from which they can be transferred between brokers and transfer agents. Having an intermediary like DTC handling transfers ensures a high level of integrity and accuracy, since DTC acts as both custodian and clearing house. In addition, eligibility provides access to other DTC services, such as its FAST system and DWAC transactions. By making trading and transfers easier, DTC eligibility increases market liquidity, fulfilling an essential function of securities markets: access to and exit from investments. DTC, with over $35 trillion worth of securities on deposit, is the largest securities depository in the world.

This will likely be reassuring news for the many investors who took part in Plus Products’ recent public share offering. Late last year, the company successfully completed an initial public offering (IPO) of 6,153,847 subordinate voting shares at a price of C$3.25 per offered share for total gross proceeds of C$20 million (http://ibn.fm/Q6QCP). The offered shares were listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) and have been trading since Monday, October 29, 2018, under ticker symbol ‘PLUS’. Plus Products intends to use the IPO proceeds to ramp up production capacity, further automate manufacturing processes, develop new products and boost working capital.

The outlook for Plus Products is as sunny as California, where it is based. With offices in San Mateo, the company manufactures and markets a unique branded line of cannabis-infused products, focusing on the production of delicious gummies with consistent quality to ensure dosability, which is especially important for maintaining optimum results when the products are used therapeutically. Gummies are chewable sweets or candies, and they’ve got a long pedigree. The first, a gelatin-based confectionery, appeared in England in the late nineteenth century with the name ‘Unclaimed Babies’. Today, they are marketed under the less lamentable label of ‘Jelly Babies’.

Now that recreational cannabis has been legalized in California – since January 2018 – the market is expected to grow by leaps and bounds. It is now the largest cannabis market in the world, with estimated retail sales, in 2018, of $3.4 billion. Sales of $5.0 billion are forecast for 2019, and the market may hit $7.7 billion by 2022. The PLUS product line presently includes five offerings: Refresh (70mg THC and 30mg CBD per tin), Restore (90mg THC and 10mg CBD per tin), Uplift (100mg THC per tin), CBD Relief (100mg CBD per tin) and Create (100mg THC per tin).

PLUS gummies have taken the market by storm. Since its launch in the spring of 2017, the brand has rapidly gained market share, rising to claim second place overall by Q2 2018. During that quarter, the company’s Sour Watermelon SKU was the best-selling gummy product in California. Revenues are growing in tandem. Unit sales amounted to 20,000 during Q2 2017, hitting 241,000 by Q2. As a result, dollar sales rose from $1,070,256 for the year ended December 31, 2017, to $2,450,335 for the year ended June 30, 2018, forging a trend that looks set to continue.

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

• Redfund is building an international footprint with established national leaders and pursuing opportunities in emerging markets
• The company is funding new drug delivery systems and helping nutraceuticals gain mainstream adoption
• Redfund is the first medical cannabis incubator and accelerator financing CBD and hemp companies through debt facilities
• The company recently announced an agreement to fund CANNAKI BEVERAGE COMPANY Inc., a nano CBD flavored water company

Established as a global merchant bank, Redfund Capital Corp. (CSE: LOAN) (OTC: PNNRF) (Frankfurt: O3X4) aims to provide debt and equity funding to companies in the mid and later stages of development. This business strategy is a core component of Redfund as it seeks to establish the foundations of a loan portfolio that generates revenue with monthly interest income and that also grows value for shareholders (http://ibn.fm/heJMP).

Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Redfund reviews companies with revenues upward of $2 million or with a minimum of $1 million in the pipeline. Rather than start-ups and small businesses, Redfund pursues portfolio companies moving to the next stage of growth.

Redfund Capital specializes in debt and considers itself the first cannabis merchant bank debt facility, providing loans to companies in the space, namely in the medical cannabis, hemp and cannabidiol (CBD) sectors, as CEO Meris Kott detailed in a recent NetworkNewsAudio interview (http://ibn.fm/Rmgga). In an update on the first quarter, the company announced that it has extended funds to several cannabis companies (http://ibn.fm/9YAnH). In addition, Redfund recently announced that it has agreed to fund CANNAKI BEVERAGE COMPANY Inc., a nano CBD flavored water company (http://ibn.fm/ncAZh).

“We’re focusing mainly on brands and products, although in our portfolio we have some really interesting cutting-edge technologies,” Kott explained. Redfund is “first in a lot of areas,” she added, highlighting the company’s recent opening of First Euro Cannabis, Europe’s first accelerator and incubator in the medical cannabis space (http://ibn.fm/z2aac).

The Redfund loan portfolio consists of Winterlife, Mary’s Wellness, RxMM Health Care, Biominerales Pharma Colombia and Biolog Inc. Two of the companies in the Redfund portfolio are investigating the process for listing on a publicly traded exchange. By the end of the first quarter of 2019, these companies anticipate becoming stand-alone public entities. Redfund has another 11 projects currently open, reflecting significant progress for the new merchant bank with 16 companies in the pipeline at various stages.

“The Company vision is to have a portfolio of 20 companies with $75 million injected through loans deployed to companies who have commonalities of revenues, brand awareness, and a keen interest to go global with their products… We are looking forward to our portfolio companies being leaders in the public markets,” Kott said in a news release (http://ibn.fm/lqNKj).

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

• The appointment of new CFO Nikhil Handa is expected to enhance the company’s growth strategy this year, as market demand intensifies
• Supreme Cannabis has also announced the appointment of Kenneth R. McKinnon to its board of directors; McKinnon’s governance experience will strengthen the already robust board of directors
• These strategic appointments occur as Supreme Cannabis is expanding its portfolio of businesses to include an equity investment and long-term global distribution partnership

As it continues to grow, The Supreme Cannabis Company Inc. (TSX: FIRE) (OTCQX: SPRWF) (FRA: 53S1) is strengthening its managerial and leadership teams. In March 2019, Supreme Cannabis announced two key additions to its team – a new CFO and a new member of the company’s board of directors.

Nikhil Handa was announced as the company’s new chief financial officer on March 8, 2019. The company’s former CFO, Dimitre Naoumov, transitioned to the role of vice president of finance, according to a company press release (http://ibn.fm/OCobW).

Handa will be responsible for the stewardship of the Supreme Cannabis finance department, with an emphasis on capital allocation and planning. As the company focuses on enhancing the distribution of its premium cannabis products both locally and internationally, a novel financial management approach will be required.

Supreme Cannabis is expected to benefit from Nikhil Handa’s extensive experience. Handa was the VP of finance at Well.ca – a well-known online platform in the health, wellness, beauty and child care products niche. During his time at Well.ca, Handa provided leadership across various aspects of operations and also pushed forward key strategic initiatives. He was primarily responsible for the sale of Well.ca to McKesson Canada.

Over his lengthy career, Handa has held key financial positions in numerous organizations.

“Mr. Handa brings a wealth of transactional experience, strategic leadership and financial acumen to our management team and will provide complimentary experience to our already strong finance team,” Supreme Cannabis CEO Navdeep Dhaliwal said in a news release. “His addition will help ensure our Company is well-positioned to seize on available growth opportunities as we look to expand our portfolio of businesses throughout 2019.”

Supreme Cannabis has also appointed Kenneth R. McKinnon as a new independent director. The appointment of McKinnon is bound to strengthen the board of directors due to his substantial financial and business advisory experience (http://ibn.fm/Ahtjp). McKinnon is a partner at Citrus Capital Partners Ltd. He also serves on the board of Touchstone Exploration Inc. and Alvopetro Energy Ltd. Previously, McKinnon served as chairman of both Lightstream Resources Ltd. and Petrominerales Ltd. He was on the University of Calgary board of governors, and he also acted as a director of Alberta Innovates.

According to Dhaliwal, McKinnon brings a wealth of governance experience to the already strong and robust Supreme Cannabis board of directors. He stated in a news release that the addition will be of great value, as the company anticipates strategic growth in 2019.

“As the Company embarks on a period of tremendous growth and differentiation, I look forward to working with the management team to implement the best practices in corporate governance,” McKinnon added.

The Supreme Cannabis Company has been at the center of the cannabis industry in Canada since 2014. The company owns 7ACRES – a licensed cannabis producer operating a 440,000 sq. ft. facility in Ontario. 7ACRES focuses on the production of significant quantities of high quality cannabis, and its primary goal is to become Canada’s leading cultivation entity.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Supreme.ca

• Co-founders share PLUS’s origins and future goals during television interview
• Company released child-resistant, convenient, recyclable tins cans a year before state deadline
• PLUS is working to expand its product line into cannabis-infused baked goods

The leading cannabis-edibles company in California, Plus Products Inc. (CSE: PLUS) (OTCQB: PLPRF) continues to lead the way through thoughtful collaboration between experts and a constant focus on producing high-quality products. The company is dedicated to making cannabis edibles safe and approachable for the consumer.

A year ago, PLUS employees were working out of a makeshift clean room in a home garage making cannabis gum. Since then, the company has risen from number 12 in the largest cannabis-edibles market in the world to the top spot. PLUS has since relocated to a 12,000-square-foot, food-safe cannabis manufacturing facility in Adelanto, California, and it is now staffed with professional chemists and experienced food scientists. The company continues to widen the gap between itself and the competition, manufacturing three of the best-selling branded products in all product categories during Q4 2018.

Recently, PLUS co-founders Jake Heimark, CEO, and Justin Crunchington, CSO, were interviewed on Business Television (B-TV), where they shared the company’s origins, their passion behind the products and the unique responsibility they feel moving forward. Watch the full interview at http://ibn.fm/4gDeo.

“One of the hardest things to do really well when you manufacture cannabis products is to get the dosing exactly right every time,” Heimark stated in the interview. “If the product is too strong, people wind up on the couch and never want to try your product again. If the product is too weak, you don’t move at all. So getting the balance between the two is the most essential thing to the customer.”

Heimark noted that by watching long-term and short-term trends, products are created that resonate with consumers and keep them coming back for more.

As more states legalize cannabis products, PLUS is looking toward the future to identify how the company can continue to make great products for the global market in a more mature, responsible adult industry. PLUS plans to be a leader in helping others understand the benefits and the potential downsides of cannabis — and to do so responsibly.

Responsibility is a key component of the company’s values, and PLUS is leading the way in creating a safer, more responsible industry. One way in which the company is doing so is by introducing new child-resistant tins—a year before a state-mandated deadline (http://ibn.fm/qkcoN). The new tins are child-resistant, convenient and made of recyclable tinplate steel. The tins open with a press and twist, similar to a prescription medicine bottle.

In another forward move, Plus Products acquired GOOD CO-OP Inc., a California-based cannabis-infused baked goods brand, in December 2018 (http://ibn.fm/enjQ2). This acquisition will allow PLUS to expand its product line and solidify its market position. GOOD CO-OP comes with an established product line and has been featured in Vice Magazine, Fortune and Eater. The acquisition will accelerate the company’s entry into the baked edibles field, which accounts for nearly 13 percent of the cannabis-infused edibles space that is expected to become a $5.3 billion market in the next five years.

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

• Promotion of Jason Broome to role of chief research and innovation officer is expected to bolster strategic research program targeting global markets
• Flowr grows only premium cannabis using non-irradiated production methods that generate high crop yields at low operating costs
• Global cannabis market expected to reach $154.82 billion in sales by 2026

Several strategic advancements recently announced by The Flowr Corporation (TSX.V: FLWR) (OTC: FLWPF), a Canadian licensed producer of premium cannabis products, position the company to be a world leader in crafting high-quality cannabis that appeals to a growing worldwide consumer base for the legal cannabis recreational and medicinal markets.

Jason Broome, former senior vice president of operations, has been promoted to the role of chief research and innovation officer (“CRIO”) to lead the company’s innovative research and development efforts. Broome is tasked with developing new high-quality products and will focus on Flowr’s research into cultivars, form factors and delivery systems for the global markets. He will also oversee Flowr’s state-of-the-art R&D facility, which is part of a partnership with Hawthorne Canada, a subsidiary of The Scott’s Miracle-Gro Corporation (NYSE: SMG) (http://ibn.fm/CO9XJ).

“Flowr’s product innovation portfolio must meet the world-class standards of our cultivation,” Tom Flow, co-CEO of Flowr, said in a news release announcing Broome’s promotion (http://ibn.fm/7cFNd). “It’s an unusually demanding ask, but Jason’s expertise across all aspects of product development, from molecule to market, is unique and yet totally in keeping with Flowr’s high-performance, high-creativity culture.”

Flowr’s flagship facility, an approximately 85,000-square-foot campus on seven acres in Kelowna, British Columbia, is engineered to grow premium cannabis in rooms that meet pharmaceutical industry production standards for cleanliness. This, along with exacting protocols that produce high crop yields at low operating costs, enables Flowr to grow cannabis that meets Health Canada’s stringent standards while striving to avoid treating it with the taste- and smell-killing gamma irradiation that most other LP’s use to clean their product.

Canada opened up recreational cannabis to adult users in October 2018 and has since released new regulations governing cannabis-infused edibles and beverages, along with cannabis concentrates, which are set to be legalized in mid-October 2019. According to Stratistics MRC, the global cannabis market accounted for $10.39 billion in 2017 sales and is expected to reach $154.82 billion by 2026, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 35 percent during the forecast period (http://ibn.fm/WacxT).

In a career spanning more than 15 years, Broome has led the commercialization of major pharmaceutical brands; built, operated and sold several health care-related companies; and brought disruptive technologies and systems to market. Within the cannabis sector, he was co-founder of the first company licensed to cultivate and extract hemp in Kentucky and served as chief operating officer of a Colorado manufacturer of cannabidiol (CBD) oil. He holds a master’s degree in molecular genetics from the University of Ottawa.

Broome will work closely with Dr. Lyle Oberg, chief policy and medical officer of Flowr, and Dr. Deron Caplan, North America’s first cannabis cultivation Ph.D., along with celebrated Canadian chef Ryan Reed, who has been tasked with developing signature edible cannabis products for the Flowr brand (http://ibn.fm/XSBrG).

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Flowr.ca

• hempSMART brand promoted at events surrounding Super Bowl and Oscars 2019
• hempSMART Brain has been granted a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Marijuana Company of America Inc. (OTCQB: MCOA) has been raising the flag for its flagship brand, hempSMART. The company ran promotions during the Super Bowl, as well as the Oscars events last month, with the goal of increasing the profile of the brand – recognition of which was already on the rise.

The hempSMART brand made appearances at multiple Super Bowl 2019 events, which included Ray Lewis’ Ray of Hope Foundation’s ‘Gold Jacket for a Purpose’ event and a special presentation at the Ice Box Club in Atlanta. The professional athletes, NFL coaches, actors, musicians and others who attended received samples of hempSMART-branded products, including hempSMART Brain and hempSMART Pain Cream. Attendees included Ray Lewis, Deion Sanders, Marshawn Lynch, Jon Stewart, Malcolm Jenkins, Von Miller, Eddie George, Adrian Peterson, Maroon 5 and the Backstreet Boys (http://ibn.fm/OEHph).

The company also promoted hempSMART products at multiple events involving celebrities that attended the 2019 Oscars. Attendees included Anthony Anderson, Craig Robinson, Emilio Rivera, Sam Rubin, Tara Reid, Viola Davis, Adrian Dev, Adina Porter, Donovan Carter, George Newbern and Travis Des Laurier. Those who attended the promotional event received a variety of CBD-infused products, including hempSMART Face, hempSMART Pain Cream and a bottle of hempSMART Full Spectrum Drops.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted MCOA a patent for the formulation of hempSMART Brain, its flagship cannabidiol (CBD) product. hempSMART Brain is a wellness product formulated with a proprietary composition of natural ingredients and CBD for the support of brain function (http://ibn.fm/Swer5).

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