• User-friendly app, compatible with Android and iOS, is available for download at Google Play, the Apple Store and via web browsers
• Bit4Sure offers proprietary cryptocurrency transaction confirmation solution via API for business and mobile app for consumers
• Worldwide cryptocurrency market expected to reach $84 billion by 2024
• Competitive, technological breakthrough allows consumer to work simultaneously with several crypto exchanges, receiving the best exchange rate at time of transaction

Virtual Crypto Technologies Inc. (OTCQB: VRCP) is a technology company dedicated to making cryptocurrencies accessible to the public, specifically by creating payment solutions for businesses and consumers which combine Application Programming Interfaces (“API”) and Mobile Applications for implementation across ATMs, PCs, tablets and other mobile devices. The company’s recent launch of its Bit4Sure API solution provides subscribers with direct access to Virtual Crypto’s proprietary algorithm model, giving them real-time confirmation of cryptocurrency transactions (http://ibn.fm/CX9d4).

Online trading in 2018 is swiftly moving to mobile platforms as cryptocurrency enthusiasts are seeking more options to intersect with the burgeoning crypto market, according to a review of TD Ameritrade clients. Forty percent of the company’s traders are logging in daily to a mobile platform, an article in Benzinga states (http://ibn.fm/014OF). The worldwide cryptocurrency market is poised to continue its stunning upward growth trend, moving from a $1.9 billion market in 2017 to $84 billion by 2024, according to a Wintergreen Research Inc. report (http://ibn.fm/ld3jY).

Virtual Crypto Technologies anticipates its intuitive, easy-to-use Bit4Sure API app, which is compatible with Android and iOS and available for download at Google Play, the Apple Store and online at Bit4Sure.com, will be particularly attractive to crypto exchanges, payment processors, crypto wallets and other direct crypto participants. Virtual Crypto’s Bit4Sure API solution enables subscribers to monitor the trading market of any cryptocurrency, which shields subscribers from delay, double spending and fraud by providing real-time transaction status.

Bit4Sure strengthens the incentive for businesses and consumers to make cryptocurrency trades by bridging the time gap from when a transaction is published on the bitcoin network to the moment it joins the blockchain. This nearly instantaneous process ensures that subscribers receive validation of a transaction without having to virtually “wait in line” for confirmation. The traditional crypto trade wait time of from 10 minutes to 24 hours or more is relegated to the backseat of history, as the Bit4Sure API solution essentially confirms the validity of a transaction before it reaches the blockchain for inclusion in a mined block.

“This launch is yet another step in our objective of building consumer confidence in the cryptocurrency marketplace,” Alon Dayan, co-founder and CEO of Virtual Crypto, stated in a company news release (http://ibn.fm/c5tVs). “Bit4Sure speeds up the trading process and removes much of the risk associated with autonomous transactions, providing tremendous values to businesses working to establish a presence in this burgeoning industry.”

Buyers and sellers alike have been clamoring for a more efficient and secure real-time crypto exchange solution that eliminates wait times, which can lead to higher transaction fees. Virtual Crypto’s Bit4Sure answers this call.

“Although there are more than 1,000 cryptocurrencies in the market, they’re only being used by a relatively small segment of the population. We believe this is primarily due to a lack of information about cryptocurrencies and the way they work,” Dayan added. “By providing aspiring traders a free platform where they can experiment in the crypto-market with minimal risk, we are hopeful that they will take advantage of the opportunity and discover just how easy it is.”

Virtual Crypto’s strategic vision of “Cryptocurrency Made Easy” allows crypto traders and users to overcome the complex hurdles currently hampering the cryptocurrency sphere.

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

• First Cobalt resources include large swath of under-explored Cobalt Camp land in Canada, mill and mineral extraction facility
• Addition of US Cobalt’s Idaho project creates new activation possibility for potential cobalt source
• Electric vehicle production plans drive fears of cobalt shortage among existing world suppliers

The largest cobalt explorer in North America is actively building its potential, paving the way for possible new production of the tech industry-friendly metal without the political conflicts currently plaguing its overall market. First Cobalt Corp.’s (TSX.V: FCC) (OTCQX: FTSSF) bid to acquire US Cobalt, Inc. (TSX.V: USCO) (OTCQB: USCFF) gives First Cobalt an additional tool to leverage as a player in the cobalt market (http://ibn.fm/AHDpW).

First Cobalt controls 50 historic mining operations for prospecting across Canada’s renowned Cobalt Camp on over 10,000 hectares (24,710.54 acres) in Ontario. The company also owns a mill and the only permitted cobalt extraction refinery in North America capable of production of battery-grade material. The US Cobalt deal provides First Cobalt with access to US Cobalt’s Iron Creek project in Idaho, which has the potential to produce cobalt within a short period.

Cobalt is one of the critical and hard-to-find metals used in the low-heat batteries preferred by modern computer-reliant technology. Smartphones, which have become as ubiquitous as automobiles themselves, use about eight grams of refined cobalt; electric vehicles, which are gaining a demanding audience from China to Chino, California, amid concerns about petroleum product pollution, use more than 1,000 times that amount.

Further complicating the somewhat limited sources of cobalt available for use in lithium-ion batteries, about two-thirds of the entire cobalt supply worldwide flows from the Democratic Republic of the Congo — an African country criticized for allegations of political corruption and child labor violations as it exploits its rich mineral resources to obtain the profits that foreigners provide. First Cobalt’s unique positioning in the United States and Canada opens the door for a possible mineral source that’s untrammeled by the DRC’s conflict issues.

Bloomberg New Energy Finance analysts foresee electric vehicles obtaining cost parity with gasoline engine models by the middle of the next decade and accounting for a third of the global fleet by 2040. However, they noted this month that a hastening supply shortage of cobalt complicates such forecasts, because price spikes resulting from a supply imbalance could stall factors improving the affordability of lithium-ion batteries (http://ibn.fm/L1MlG). In China, the world’s biggest consumer of electric vehicles, the sales of EVs are outpacing predictions, which may further squeeze supplies on a short-term basis.

“The long lead time to bring on new mines and the concentration of cobalt reserves in the Democratic Republic of the Congo mean there is a real possibility of supply shocks in the early 2020s,” the BNEF analysts reported.

First Cobalt’s significant stockpile material and the processing infrastructure that it has at the Canadian site support early production and cash flow generation in a region that the company views as under-explored for its cobalt potential and one that has never been examined for bulk mining opportunities.

US Cobalt’s May 18 announcement that 99.87 percent of its security holders had voted to accept First Cobalt’s acquisition bid noted that the Iron Creek project in Idaho has a historic mineral resource estimate of 1.3 million tons with a grade of 0.59 percent cobalt, but, since the historical estimate is non-compliant with modern NI 43-101 reporting standards, a new resource estimate is expected by October.

“On behalf of the Board and management, I look forward to welcoming our new US Cobalt shareholders,” First Cobalt board Chairman Paul Matysek stated following the announcement. “Our vision is to create the largest North American pure-play exploration and development company in the world. With this acquisition, we have an opportunity to fast track the Iron Creek Cobalt project into one of the first producing cobalt mines this century.”

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

• Combatting a culture of waste
• New modern technology applied to extend the life of existing infrastructure while reducing carbon footprint
• Company’s Zero Cost Program sets the standard higher for others in the utility industry by offering sustainability as a service

Zenergy Brands Inc. (OTC: ZNGY) is combatting the “use it or lose it” mindset that has created a culture of waste through decades of use in our energy industry. Simply put, the energy industry is not set up to reward environmental or social responsibility, but rather, is encouraged to move or sell as much volume as possible. As a result, waste has been rewarded. In the U.S., it is estimated that two-thirds of the nation’s energy was wasted in 2017 (http://ibn.fm/webW0). ZNGY is working hard to significantly decrease this number. By reducing energy waste, the company is creating a positive impact on the environment, decreasing the client’s energy consumption, and improving the long-term enterprise value of its clients.

Through re-education, energy-efficient services, and smart control products, the company is reducing the nation’s carbon footprint. ZNGY believes that an overhaul of the current energy grid is not required; instead, it can be extended another 100 years if conservation and efficiency measures are implemented. This belief is what is behind Zenergy’s Zero Cost Program, through which the company applies new modern technology to existing frameworks. Focusing on conservation rather than consumption through the responsible purchasing, procurement and management of electricity, along with water and natural gas, the company is leading the way in the emerging smart energy, conservation and utility industries.

Zenergy is directly challenging the status quo and creating a new culture with its new outlook on energy. It is transforming the utility business model to attract more lifelong customers by enabling commercial, industrial and municipal end-use customers to benefit from significantly lower upfront cost while achieving immediate reduction in consumption and expense. Furthermore, ZNGY is rewarding those who seek to reduce waste. As a result, the company is putting pressure on others in the industry to be economically and environmentally responsible rather than holding fast to an outdated system of increased output that equals increased sales, regardless of the waste that accompanies it. Through its Zero Cost Program, Zenergy is challenging and revolutionizing the utility industry, setting an example of the innovative sustainability as a service model.

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

• Detection systems provide drivers with safety features that cut through all weather and lighting conditions
• Foresight’s trademark QuadSight system utilizes stereo vision technology, coupled with infrared and visible light cameras, to detect objects under all weather and lighting conditions
• Additional products are Eyes-On, an advanced ADAS system, and Eye-Net, a cellular-based accident prevention solution
• ADAS market forecast: $79 billion by 2020 amid automaker demand for safety systems

“Driverless” autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles are becoming more commonplace despite societal concerns about the risks of not having someone in control as a car speeds along. Forward-facing cameras in many of the latest models of legacy automotive brands allow vehicles to “see” where lane markings are and assess the behavior of other vehicles on the road, giving consumers a growing degree of confidence in their safety, and some companies are taking the capabilities of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) technologies to next-level applications, such as the recently debuted QuadSight system that Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: FRSX) (TASE: FRSX) has developed to detect roadway objects under all weather and lighting conditions.

Basic ADAS systems rely on mono visible light cameras that detect movement, but a variety of companies are introducing more complex systems that may incorporate stereo vision, radar, lidar and infrared sensors. QuadSight is driven by advanced and proven image processing algorithms, utilizing a four-camera set up that includes two sets of stereoscopic infrared and visible light cameras, enabling highly accurate and reliable obstacle detection, even when weather conditions make visibility poor for drivers.

“Vision is the foundation of passenger safety, and vision perfection under all weather and lighting conditions is clearly the breakthrough that vehicle makers need to build consumer confidence in order to accelerate autonomous vehicle adoption,” CEO Haim Siboni stated in a January news release announcing the company’s entry at the tech industry’s annual CES show in Las Vegas (http://ibn.fm/0wAeD).

Foresight Autonomous Holdings is building on the demo version it produced, creating a prototype for pilot projects that will take place on public roads, and the company expects to see the system finished and commercialized during the second half of next year. An autonomous vehicle built on sound quality principles has the potential to improve traffic safety, virtually eliminating the likelihood of texting-while-driving fatalities, for example, or crashes that occur while someone is reaching for an item.

Electronic Design magazine noted that Foresight’s QuadSight system can detect details better than the human eye by using a passive camera system that processes visual input rather than relying on signal response from lidar and radar systems (http://ibn.fm/psYXC). The company has developed three main products; in addition to QuadSight’s visual perceptiveness, Foresight developed the Eyes-On system, a unique stereo vision Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) using advanced algorithms for accurate depth analysis and obstacle detection, and the Eye-Net system, a cellular-based accident prevention solution designed to provide real-time pre-collision alerts to pedestrians and vehicles that are not in direct line-of-sight and not covered by other alerting systems.

The Eye-Net solution is deployed on smartphones and cloud-based servers which rely on existing cellular networks, eliminating the need for designated hardware. It was developed for use in both urban environments and high-speed highway scenarios. In early May, Foresight announced a merger agreement that will spin Eye-Net off into a new wholly-owned subsidiary and then transfer 100 percent of its subsidiary’s share capital to Tamda, Ltd. (TASE: TMDA) in exchange for a nearly 75 percent stake in Tamda’s share capital.

The company has further demonstrated its commitment to traffic safety by investing in RailVision — a company that develops advanced vision systems to manage safety and maintenance issues on railways. RailVision has completed 13 tests of its systems in Israel, where Foresight is based, and throughout Europe.

Infoholic Research has forecast that the autonomous vehicle market will reach $126.8 billion worldwide by 2027 (http://ibn.fm/lvtPa), and Mordor Intelligence foresees a $79 billion market for ADAS alone by 2020 with a CAGR of 28 percent as a result of current demand for new driver assistance systems (http://ibn.fm/8rOdb).

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

• U.S. High Court opened door to state-by-state legalization of sports betting on May 14
• Mobile gaming surpassed $50 billion mark during 2017; illicit sports betting estimates are far higher
• Consorteum poised to take advantage of potentially explosive market with flexible Universal Mobile Interface™ technology

The Supreme Court’s May 14 ruling that delivered a states’ rights victory to advocates of sports betting (http://ibn.fm/rJKf2) also notched up wins for companies that have maintained multi-jurisdictional presences for online sports wagers, as well as the companies that supply them with the tech, oversight and marketing services they need to operate (http://ibn.fm/6Ko1k). Mobile connectivity player Consorteum Holdings, Inc. (OTC: CSRH) has built its reputation on developing and delivering end-to-end solutions for players in the fintech and data analytics industries, but this month’s announcement that its first app to market is a tool to help cricket sports betting fans analyze statistics and predict outcomes for their favorite cricket teams and players (http://ibn.fm/9h54s) shows that the company is at the forefront of a potentially explosive market.

Nearly 60 million people in the United States and Canada participate in fantasy sports leagues, many of which involve money wagers, according to Chicago Tribune estimates (http://ibn.fm/NNRUa). About half of all American adults say that they’ve bought lottery tickets during the past year, and some 81 million people patronized casinos last year, according to the report. That shows the growing acceptance of gambling since the days when violent gangsters ruled the black market for all forms of betting — whether in Nevada, where it was legal, or elsewhere in the nation, where it was not. Nowadays, gamblers can find casinos in 40 states and lotteries in 44, but until the ruling by the High Court on athletics wagers, sports betting remained legal only in Nevada.

Now, media outlets are touting the expansive potential for a market that already sees $150 billion per year in illegal sports betting in the United States. A CNBC economist disputes the figure, arguing that $67 billion would be a more realistic estimate (http://ibn.fm/xFsLD) based on comparisons with the current legal betting going on in the United Kingdom, but either way, the enormous size of the market potential is evident. Even as the May 14 ruling was being delivered to news reporters, stocks tied to gambling and sports betting began to surge worldwide, and Churchill Downs Inc. announced a day or two later that it would parlay its experience with online horse race wagering to gallop into the sports betting industry (http://ibn.fm/93TNg).

Consorteum Holdings’ first Edgelytics™ predictive analytics mobile app is focused on the game of cricket, which is far from a major sport in the United States but enjoys one of the largest fan bases in the world nonetheless, second only to soccer. The app is expected to be available this summer on all Android and iOS devices, mining historical statistics and providing artificial intelligence to help fans make scientifically more likely predictions about the future performance of “their” athletes.

The app will provide Consorteum with valuable insight on consumer use as the company anticipates its next release. Consorteum’s central product, its Universal Mobile Interface™ (UMI) is a modern-tech platform designed to integrate any stream of data onto a mobile platform. After remarkable growth in the worldwide gaming market last year, mobile devices established themselves as a noteworthy influence by comprising nearly half of the total gaming market’s access platform (http://ibn.fm/iwO2j).

“Exactly 10 years ago, the launch of the iPhone ignited a revolution in games, creating a new market segment that is this year worth around $50 billion. The past years have seen the rise of esports, taking the already popular activity of viewing game video content to a professional level. … Underlying this success are the tools given to consumers to create and share their own experiences around their favorite game franchises,” a November article in Newzoo states (http://ibn.fm/M1aVb).

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

• Historically developed lithium mine site shows hitherto unexplored resources
• Electric vehicle battery demand driving lithium supply shortage fears
• Manitoba generating new excitement as mining companies seek untapped potential

QMC Quantum Minerals Corp.’s (OTC: QMCQF) (TSX.V: QMC) (FSE: 3LQ) exploration of a forgotten treasure in Manitoba’s southeastern climes may yield a significant source of lithium amid exploding demand for the tech-friendly metal during the coming decade. Notably, lithium is on the U.S. Government’s Final List of Critical Minerals for 2018 (http://ibn.fm/tBDMC).

The company’s hard rock mining operation is rebooting a 60-year-old production field that contains 13 adjoining mineral claims across 6,538 acres located some 150 kilometers (93 miles) north of Winnipeg. The Irgon Dike property’s lithium potential has been known since it was developed by The Lithium Corporation of Canada Ltd. (“LCOC”) in the 1950s, but more recent technological analysis is reporting possible resources beyond the estimated 1.2 million tons of lithium oxide-bearing pegmatite graded at 1.51 percent concentration that LCOC identified over a length of 365 meters and to an explored depth of 213 meters (http://ibn.fm/gOU38).

Recent 3-D modeling indicates that exploration and underground development has only occurred on the upper and central parts of the dike, which means that there’s a large part of the dike that may yet yield untapped tonnage. The dike is open both along strike and to depth, raising the likelihood of rapidly firing up the shuttered operation. In the 1950s, a complete mining plant was built at the site to process 500 tons of ore per day, and a three-compartment shaft was sunk 74 meters deep, but work stopped as the lithium oxide market proved too unfavorable for further outlays by the company at the time.

Manitoba’s modern era is a different world from what LCOC encountered, in a variety of senses. Most significantly, lithium has become a promising metal whose current supply levels are expected to fall far short of demand, sparking a race by corporations and national governments to secure supply chains where possible. China’s aggressive bid for 30 percent ownership of lithium triangle corporation Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile was rebuffed by the Chilean government last year, raising the specter of political discord before an agreement was reached this month allowing China’s Tianqi Lithium to buy a $4.07 billion stake for 24 percent of the Chilean company (http://ibn.fm/GTlWn).

Much of the reason for lithium’s outlook is that the metal has become a key element of modern devices, whose technology is becoming ubiquitous in society. Smartphone ownership is almost as much of a “necessity” as having a car and reaches a younger demographic than automobile ownership. The batteries powering those phones rely on lithium as a key component but are only a fraction of the use potential exhibited by the batteries for electric vehicles, which are gaining ascendancy as consumers and world governments alike look for ways to reduce the pollutant impact of petroleum fuels powering the traditional auto industry. France and Britain are making plans to end the sale of fossil fuel-powered cars by 2040 (http://ibn.fm/IL5I0), China’s government is pushing for two million EV sales by 2020 (http://ibn.fm/vjXYu) and, in the United States, California is pushing for five million EVs on the road by 2025, with eight other states following that state’s sales target of 15.4 percent EVs by that year (http://ibn.fm/3TXEx).

Manitoba’s mining industry is also acquiring a new level of interest from a variety of exploration companies. The province in Canada’s south-central region has historically had the ups and downs typical of mineral endeavors, but a recent economic summit provided some information on Manitoba’s outlook (http://ibn.fm/JhNyc).

“I was at the mining conference in Toronto back in the beginning of March and I was surprised at the enthusiasm shown for Manitoba by both mining exploration companies and the mining companies,” Growth, Enterprise and Trade Minister Blaine Pedersen said during the event. “We know it’s a long haul. To develop a mine takes a long time but the mining companies and exploration companies were calling Manitoba the untapped jewel of potential.”

The Irgon site assays conducted by LCOC decades ago showed 2.3 percent lithium oxide over 7.3 feet, as noted in a recent report issued by QMC (http://ibn.fm/RHtRA). That puts the deposits there in the high-grade class, commercially feasible at present lithium prices. QMC Quantum Minerals’ portfolio also includes two volcanic massive sulphide (VMS) properties collectively known as the Namew Lake District Project, which has metal-rich mineral deposits over approximately 23,000 hectares (about 57,000 acres) within the productive Flin Flon/Snow Lake VMS mining district of northwestern Manitoba.

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

• Sports industry continues healthy growth with four percent CAGR
• Sports fans are the wealthiest Americans
• Sports app gives fans an avenue to cheer and vent

The sports industry in America is thriving. With some 60 percent of Americans identifying as sports fans, the revenues from games, accessories, TV rights and hot dogs must be in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Sports fans, it seems, have money to spend, an observation borne out by Gallup, which found that a higher proportion of wealthier Americans are sports fans than their less well-heeled neighbors. FANDOM SPORTS Media Corp. (CSE: FDM) (OTC: FDMSF) (FRANKFURT: TQ42) is out to score with these big spenders. The company is launching an aggressive digital marketing campaign to launch its Android Sports App.

Even though the sports industry in America continues to grow at a CAGR of four percent, up from $60.5 billion in 2014 and expected to reach $73.5 billion by 2019, according to Forbes, the proportion of American “sports fans” remains steady at around 60 percent (http://ibn.fm/e85Cb). Football tops the list of sports, with 37 percent of respondents choosing it as their favorite. Rounding out the selections, 13 percent chose basketball, 10 percent picked baseball, five percent chose auto racing, four percent went for ice and figure skating and three percent picked ice hockey. Other games, including golf, tennis, soccer, boxing, gymnastics, rodeo, motocross and wrestling, mustered two percent or less.

Not surprisingly, men (66 percent) are much more likely to be sports fans than women (51 percent), and significantly more upper-income Americans (68 percent) regard themselves as sports fans than the 55 percent of middle-income and 54 percent of lower income Americans who do the same (http://ibn.fm/gHqoM). Upper-income Americans have consistently been much more likely than their less wealthy brethren to identify themselves as sports fans. Indeed, taking into account both income and gender, it turns out that 76 percent of upper-income men are sports fans. These are the guys driving industry growth. FANDOM SPORTS is hoping to make them fans… of its Android Sports App, now in its second incarnation.

FANDOM SPORTS Media is a sports entertainment company that aggregates, curates and produces unique fan-focused content. The company was established to allow sports fans to play out and give expression to their passion for their sports of choice. Through the social media environment of the platform, they can express their adoration for their teams and players… and bash the other side. The App facilitates uncensored and unfiltered dialogue and rewards fans with virtual currency for their comments.

To touch base with sports fans, FANDOM SPORTS Media has hired an industry leading mobile app marketing and strategy firm to conduct aggressive marketing outreach (http://ibn.fm/2ASDu). The campaign is designed to increase growth and discovery, drive engagement, refine potential revenue opportunities and better position the FANDOM SPORTS App for the successful rollout of its v2 product, scheduled for release in early Q4 2018. Version 2 of the App is an Android adaptation of an earlier iOS version, which the company will now put into hibernation.

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

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

• Company recently announced that its 2015 and 2016 YE audits have been finalized, its Form 10 has been submitted and it has commenced its 2017 fiscal year audit
• Strategically working to improve treatments for different diseases on a global scale
• Addressing the national health crisis of opioid addiction

Earth Science Tech, Inc. (OTC: ETST), an innovative biotech company focused on developing medical devices for the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical fields and marketing high-grade hemp cannabidiol (CBD), recently announced that its 2015 and 2016 audit process has been finalized and Form 10 has been submitted. ETST has now begun the 2017 fiscal year audit, which is required to uplist to the OTCQB Venture Market, along with the approved Form 10.

In a news release (http://ibn.fm/Xa90R), Dr. Michel Aube, CEO and chief science officer of ETST, stated, “Transparency is a key tool that we needed to accelerate the growth of our business. 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.” Becoming a fully reporting OTCQB company is expected to open many opportunities while simultaneously boosting investor confidence. An Audio Press Release (APR) of this announcement is available at http://ibn.fm/itTdR.

Earth Science Tech is a biotechnology company based in Florida that’s focused on the science, research and study of high-grade hemp cannabinoid (CBD) oil as a nutraceutical and dietary supplement. ETST is working to improve treatments for different diseases on a global scale through its subsidiaries: Earth Science Pharmaceutical, Cannabis Therpeutics Inc., Kannabidioid Inc., and Canna Inno Laboratories Inc. Its Earth Science Pharmaceutical subsidiary is focused on becoming a world leader in the development of low cost, non-invasive diagnostic tools, medical devices, testing processes and vaccines for sexually transmitted infections and/or diseases (STIs). Cannabis Therapeutics is also a subsidiary of ETST, and it was formed as an emerging biotech company poised to become a world leader in CBD research and development. In the recreational space, ETST owns Kannabidioid, a subsidiary focused on manufacturing and distributing vapes/e-liquids and gummy edibles. The acquisition of Canna Inno Laboratories in Quebec granted ETST access to the growing Canadian market and government funding. It has already received a supporting grant for innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. The company has plans to apply for additional funding under Canada’s Scientific Research and Experimental Development Tax Credit program.

ETST has also taken on a new fight – opioid addiction. Human clinical trials are scheduled to begin in 2019. With the opioid epidemic projected to claim nearly 500,000 American lives by 2027 (http://ibn.fm/x4tI2), the company seeks to improve the treatment of those fighting dependency. The goal of the study is to reduce the cravings of opioid addicts and reduce the danger of side effects while making the drug more effective. This is just one of many ways that ETST is committed to improving treatments for different diseases worldwide.

Additional transparency, a strengthening of current subsidiaries through new studies and markets, the rise of the cannabis industry, access to government grants in Canada and a commitment to finding solutions to the national epidemic of opioid addiction are all small key parts in a much larger strategic plan for accelerated growth.

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

• Landmark ruling strikes down federal law that bans states from allowing sports gambling
• Legal experts posit that the U.S. Supreme Court’s 7-2 decision has important implications for state-legal marijuana programs
• Sunniva’s core subsidiaries, licensed tenant cultivators gear up to supply multibillion dollar recreational, medical cannabis industries in Canada, California

Sunniva Inc. (CSE: SNN) (OTCQX: SNNVF), a vertically integrated medical cannabis and services provider operating in Canada and California, joins a growing cadre of voices lauding the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to strike down a federal ban on sports gambling. The 7-2 landmark ruling in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association (http://ibn.fm/qOuwm) is hailed as a positive move for the cannabis industry by legal scholars, cannabis insiders and others interested in cannabis law reform (http://ibn.fm/0wzEc).

There currently are nine states in the U.S. with legalized sales of recreational cannabis on the books – with the District of Columbia legalizing its use, but not sales – while some form of cannabis use is allowed in 30 states and the District of Columbia. Meanwhile in Canada, which has allowed medical cannabis since 2001, lawmakers are poised to finalize a law allowing recreational adult-use cannabis throughout the country sometime later this year.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision could have implications for the cannabis industry at large, according to SCOTUSblog’s Amy Howe, who wrote: “Challenges to the federal government’s recent efforts to enforce federal marijuana laws in states that have legalized the drug for either recreational or medical use may also be based on the 10th Amendment” (http://ibn.fm/Ep5ER).

Sunniva is actively targeting cannabis markets in Canada and California as it constructs cannabis grow facilities in both locations and diversifies its products and service offerings. A 126-acre Canada Campus at Okanagan Falls, British Columbia, will house a 700,000 square foot facility with an expected output capacity of 100,000 kg annually (http://ibn.fm/uiM6A). Phase one of the company’s California Campus, a 325,000 square foot greenhouse in Cathedral City, is well underway and is expected to produce 60,000 kg annually once it’s up to full operational scale in Q3 2018.

Sunniva CEO Dr. Anthony Holler notes that the company has received all temporary state licenses required in California. Sunniva’s U.S. subsidiaries hold eight 10,000 square foot cultivation licenses, two manufacturing licenses, one 22,000 square foot cultivation license, one 22,000 square foot nursery license and one 10,000 square foot nursery license. Another seven 22,000 square foot cultivation bays will be leased to selected licensed tenants, with all of Sunniva’s annual state license applications completed and submitted under state mandated deadlines.

“This is a very significant milestone for Sunniva’s operations in California. An important aspect of the licensing process has been completed and now our focus is on completing construction on time and entering into supply contracts with distribution partners, leading brands and creating Sunniva branded products for the California marketplace,” Holler said in a company update (http://ibn.fm/X1s94).

The economic impact of legalized cannabis continues to evolve, with New Frontier Data estimating the state-licensed cannabis market in the U.S. to be worth over $24 billion by 2025 (http://ibn.fm/i6yuw). Support for legalization of cannabis continues to rise, with 64 percent of respondents in a national survey voicing support, according to a Gallup poll (http://ibn.fm/vEFQa). While the full impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision is still being debated, Sunniva and its management team firmly believe the ruling ushers in good news for the future of state-legalized cannabis and related industries.

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

• New FDA restrictions on Big Tobacco take effect
• Tobacco manufacturers turning to ‘reduced-risk’ products
• No edible nicotine products currently available
• DehydraTECH improves bio-absorption of nicotine taken orally

Smoking may be a dying trend, but consumption of nicotine is not only very much alive; its longevity is assured by Big Tobacco’s foray into alternative tobacco and ‘reduced-risk’ products. Driven by increased public awareness and government policy, the pressure has been turned up on smokers to quit, and cigarette manufacturers are feeling the heat, as well. New regulations mandating warnings against the adverse health effects of smoking and the addictive power of nicotine have already gone into effect, and the FDA is mulling a plan that would require manufacturers to cut nicotine levels in cigarettes so that they are essentially non-addictive, a proposal that the tobacco industry fears will substantially curtail sales. It is responding by turning to lower-risk technologies that deliver nicotine without the deadly effects of traditional cigarettes, like that developed by Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTCQX: LXRP). The company, recently uplisted to the OTCQX, has developed technology that allows nicotine to be absorbed without smoking.

The tobacco industry is disentangling itself from cigarettes and smoking, after fighting (and losing) a rearguard action that lasted for 18 years. In 1999, in order to recover funds spent on treating smoking-related health issues, the federal government sued tobacco companies. After hearings that lasted for seven years, a federal district court ordered the companies involved in the suit ‘to make “corrective statements” about addiction and the adverse health effects of smoking using television, newspapers, store displays and corporate websites’ (http://ibn.fm/kWFjs). The industry challenged the ruling, but now, after exhausting the appeals process, has been forced to start the anti-smoking campaign. It has, since 1971, been barred from advertising on TV and radio advertising.

Adding to the pressure are the plans under consideration by the FDA. The agency ‘recently finalized a rule that extends its regulatory authority to all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, cigars, and hookah and pipe tobacco, as part of its goal to improve public health’ (http://ibn.fm/edJJQ). Previously, such products could be sold without any review of their health risks. The agency says that it is encouraging ‘manufacturers to explore product innovations that would maximize potential benefits and minimize risks.’ It has already approved a number of such products, including nicotine gum, nicotine skin patches, nicotine lozenges, nicotine oral inhaled products and nicotine nasal spray, as well as non-nicotine medications called varenicline and bupropion, reinforcing the consensus that it is smoking and not nicotine that is the problem.

This bodes well for Lexaria, which has developed and is already licensing technology, known as DehydraTECH™, that could allow nicotine to be ingested orally. This is an important development. The human GI system struggles to process nicotine in the forms in which it is presently offered, presenting one reason why there are currently no edible nicotine products available. However, DehydraTECH employs a patented, cost-effective delivery mechanism that improves the bio-absorption and bioavailability of ingestible substances, as well as their taste and smell. It does this by enabling delivery of lipophilic active agents present in such substances. As Big Tobacco casts about for ‘reduced-risk’ products, DehydraTECH may have a role to play.

Application of the technology extends beyond nicotine to non-psychoactive cannabinoids, vitamins and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and Lexaria has licensed the technology to a number of companies, including chocolate maker Nuka Enterprises; cannabis beverage manufacturer GP Holdings; and Biolog, which markets hemp-based, cannabidiol (CBD)-infused products and vitamins. Lexaria is expected to sign 6-12 more licensing agreements in 2018. These are typically six-figure contracts in the first year and potentially seven-figure contracts over the life of the deals. Licensing is a lucrative business model that typically yields 90-100 percent of revenues as profit. The tobacco industry generates about 20 times more revenue than the cannabis industry, and Lexaria’s strategy of disrupting nicotine delivery methods could reasonably be many-fold more impactful than its cannabinoid licensing business.

At present, Lexaria is the only company in the world that has been awarded a patent for the improved (oral or ingestible, including pills) delivery of all non-psychoactive cannabinoids. Patents have been awarded in the U.S. and Australia and are pending in 40 more countries. This puts the company in the unusually advantageous position of owning proprietary technology that can deliver a vast range of non-psychoactive cannabinoid-based drugs. Rather than being a competitor to clinical stage biotech companies, Lexaria is in effect an enabler and partner.

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