• Hemp cultivation in the U.S. is on the rise
• 33 U.S. states have dismantled barriers to hemp production
• MCOA provides turnkey services to growers and distributors

Hemp is back! After a hiatus of 77 years, cultivation of hemp in the U.S. began again after the passage of the Farm Bill in 2014. The Farm Bill allows departments of agriculture and institutions of higher learning in states that have legalized hemp cultivation to grow hemp for research and pilot programs. Hemp grown for such purposes is now no longer subject to the provisions of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), although, unfortunately, commercial cultivation still is. Despite the continued federal restriction on growing hemp, a majority of states (33) have dismantled barriers to hemp production, and U.S. hemp output doubled from 2016, with about 1,500 state hemp cultivation licenses being issued in 2017. These growers can turn to Marijuana Company of America, Inc. (OTC: MCOA) to get their enterprises off the ground. The company provides turnkey services to the legal cannabis and hemp industries. It also, through wholly owned subsidiary hempSMART™, delivers all of the benefits of hemp-derived cannabinoid (CBD) products to the world through its unique marketing and distribution platform.

The domestic network of hemp farmers and cultivars is set to expand as regulations ease. For example, research has shown that, instead of graphene, hemp bast fiber may be used in super-capacitor batteries to power electric vehicles (EVs) and handheld electric devices and tools. In addition, hemp fiber has long been a staple of housing construction in some cultures; now, it’s building American homes. Hemp houses are on the rise, as hempcrete, which is energy-efficient, non-toxic and resistant to mold, insects and fire, has many advantages over synthetic building materials, lumber and concrete. Hemp fiber can also be used to create environmentally friendly composites and hard bio-plastics for use in everything from airplanes to car parts.

Hemp seeds are also one of the fastest-growing categories in the natural foods industry. A rich source of Omega-3 and Omega-6 essential fatty acids (EFAs), these seeds provide both stearidonic acid (SDA) and gamma-­linoleic acid (GLA), as well as naturally occurring vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin E and iron. Hemp seeds are also an excellent source of dietary fiber and a complete protein, containing all 10 essential amino acids with no enzyme inhibitors, which makes them more digestible by the human body.

Through wholly owned subsidiary hempSMART™, MCOA is bringing high quality CBD-based products derived from industrial hemp to market through its affiliate marketing program. Its patent-pending product, hempSMART Brain, provides safe and effective support of healthy brain function, while its recently launched HempSMART DROPS is a full-spectrum CBD tincture formulated with hemp and fractionated coconut oils. The company recently debuted its new encapsulate product, hempSMART Pain, formulated with 10mg of full spectrum, non-psychoactive CBD per serving, which, along with a proprietary blend of other natural ingredients, delivers an all-natural formulation for the temporary relief of minor pain associated with physical activity.

MCOA has also collaborated with the founders of HoneyB Healthy Living to develop Convenient Hemp Mart, LLC’s BeniHemp-branded products targeting convenience stores. The brand was officially launched at the recent ASD Market Week (March 11-14, 2018) business trade show in Las Vegas (http://ibn.fm/MD4WX). Convenient Hemp Mart has developed a collection of Benihemp-branded, sample-sized products for consumers, including topicals, tinctures and edibles packaged in 1-day, 2-day, and 30-day supplies. The target markets for these offerings are convenience stores, smoke shops, gas stations and similar types of retail businesses where CBD commerce has a greater likelihood of generating sales from the impulse buyer at the register.

As legitimization of the hemp industry progresses, Marijuana Company of America has positioned itself at various points in the value chain. The company not only markets a wide range of hemp-derived CBD products; it also provides turnkey services for marketers and growers alike.

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

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Compensation Disclosure

Section 17(b) of the 1933 Securities and Exchange Act requires publishers who distribute information about publicly traded securities for compensation, to disclose who paid them, the amount, and the type of payment. In order to be in full compliance with the Securities Act of 1933, Section 17(b), we are disclosing that we entered into a contract with Marijuana Company of America, Inc. The Company agreed to compensate us with $5,000 USD a month for our services.

• REFG fully launched its payment system services to the entire industry
• Technology is fully FinCEN-compliant
• Bitcoin payments are on the horizon with Green

Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions (OTC: REFG) seeks to provide end-to-end management for medicinal marijuana operations. The company serves the medical cannabis and banking industries through state-of-the-art comprehensive card processing operations, and it has now fully launched its payment system services to the entire legal cannabis industry. The company previously worked only with targeted industry establishments, but its platform is now available to all state-sanctioned establishments in the U.S. and abroad. The company is the first of its kind, empowering cannabis businesses with an advanced client management system that tracks both sales and tax collection. REFG has solved the problem of banking and cashless payments within the cannabis industry.

The company offers electronic payment and e-commerce features that allow businesses direct and immediate access to funds. One of the advantages of using REFG’s top-tier digital payment processing system, Green, is its compliancy with FinCEN. The system tracks sales and tax collection while providing businesses with an advanced client management system. If a business is called on to prove compliance with financial regulations within the cannabis industry, the company cooperates with authorities and defends the client’s interests.

In addition, Green provides cannabis retailers and consumers with payment options other than cash. Consumers can purchase items using U.S. currency, and they will soon be allowed to pay with bitcoin. In November 2017, REFG announced that integration with First Bitcoin Capital’s Weed Coin cryptocurrency and StateSourced’s medical cannabis payment gateway services will soon enable cryptocurrency payments. This will increase the ease of payment and cash handling in the cannabis industry and will allow consumers to overcome many regulatory obstacles.

With growing trends toward widespread legalization, both in the U.S. and abroad, REFG is strategically positioned for growth as the only company on the market that’s currently offering a completely integrated payment processing system tailored to the cannabis industry.

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

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• Global AI market value varies, with multibillion-dollar estimates tied to select industries
• At least 80 percent of enterprises already have some form of AI in production, with 30 percent planning on expanding their AI investments over the next three years
• Algorithmic trading is the top use case among 191 identified uses

AnalytixInsight Inc. (TSX.V: ALY) (OTCQB: ATIXF), an artificial intelligence (“AI”) company that transforms data into actionable knowledge, is on track and on trend in a global revolution that promises to transform economies as emerging markets embrace machine-learning applications. Multiple market research reports suggest that artificial intelligence-based systems will bring drastic changes to various industries, with expected revenues in the tens of billions of dollars by 2025 (http://ibn.fm/k6EeU). The recent acquisition of Kensho by S&P Global for $550 million – the largest price for an AI company to date – illustrates just how much the world’s financial future might rely on bots over human brokers, as an article in Forbes reports (http://ibn.fm/vg5ax).

AnalytixInsight’s proprietary, machine-learning technology algorithmically analyzes big data and distills it into valuable information and insights that business leaders are eager to review and put into action (http://ibn.fm/SgBJN). AnalytixInsight’s technology can be applied to any industry immersed in and, at times, overwhelmed by data. In a recent study by MIT Sloan Management Review and the Boston Consulting Group, nearly 85 percent of 3,000 business executives, managers and analysts in 112 countries and 21 industries interviewed by researchers stated a belief that AI would give their firms a competitive advantage (http://ibn.fm/R1UHt).

AnalytixInsight’s strategic initiatives include financial analytics provided through research platform CapitalCube; workflow analytics, customized for field service management to global corporations by Euclides Technologies; and fintech smart device apps developed to provide mobile platforms for banking and stock trading through a partnership with Marketwall, expected to be released sometime in 2018.

The company’s flagship product – CapitalCube.com – is a financial online portal that provides comprehensive analysis that includes on-demand fundamental research, portfolio evaluation and screening tools on over 50,000 global equities and North American ETFs (http://ibn.fm/ohqhq). CapitalCube’s freemium pricing model allows free access to basic financial information, with additional in-depth analysis and predictive analytics provided at a rate of $25 per month and customized peer analysis for $300 per month. CapitalCube publishes 3,000 articles daily and has multi-language capabilities. Thomson Reuters and Africa Investor have recently been added to the growing network of content partnerships that already includes Euronext NV, Yahoo Finance and The Wall Street Journal.

In another sign of success, AnalytixInsight was recently named as one of the top performing technology companies in the TSX Venture 50™, a selection of the top 10 companies listed on the TSX Venture Exchange operating in each of the five major industry sectors – mining, energy and energy services, clean technology and life sciences, diversified industries and technology (http://ibn.fm/0PpJs).

“This achievement reflects the Company’s several accomplishments during 2017, which include: acquiring Euclides Technologies, advancing our joint venture with Intesa Sanpaolo to launch the Marketwall mobile trading app, posting record revenues, and reaching operating profitability during the third quarter. We look forward to continuing to deliver additional shareholder value going forward,” Prakash Hariharan, CEO and chairman of AnalytixInsight, stated in a news release.

Growth and opportunity in the artificial intelligence space is widespread, with numerous iterations and specific market sectors identified, an article in TechEmergence.com states (http://ibn.fm/DKPKp). Additional insights from the Vanson Bourne study on the ’State of Artificial Intelligence for Enterprises’, as reported in Forbes (http://ibn.fm/4FVkL), offers several key takeaways, namely, that 80 percent of enterprises have some form of AI in production today with 30 percent of enterprises planning on expanding their AI investments over the next 36 months. The most effective revenue driver from AI today is product innovation and research and development, with customer service, supply chain and operations, security and risk mitigation and sales as additional revenue drivers, per the article.

AnalytixInsight’s most recent quarterly report showed a record revenue level of $1.7 million – a 77 percent increase over the previous quarter and a 600 percent increase over the same period last year. The company also recently announced that it is developing a series of blockchain technology initiatives to augment its existing proprietary big data analytics platform (http://ibn.fm/usKwu).

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

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• RGNP planning an Initial Coin Offering (“ICO”), subject to regulatory approval, leveraging Reign blockchain technology to authenticate sapphires as conflict-free
• Digital record entries can assign color, carat measurement and certificate number to each sapphire
• Reign Coin is unique, because it is backed by Australian conflict-free sapphires

Reign Sapphire Corp. (OTCQB: RGNP), as it moves forward with its planned Initial Coin Offering (“ICO”) for sapphire-backed cryptocurrency Reign Coin, has announced that it will release its white paper on the coin by May 2018. It has also set a Q3 2018 pre-sale date for tokens, subject to regulatory approval (http://ibn.fm/RoRwF).

The company previously announced that it was planning an ICO, subject to regulatory approval (http://ibn.fm/7gPRc), indicating its intention to launch Reign Coin as its cryptocurrency and blockchain-based loyalty rewards program. Reign Coin is to be backed by conflict-free Australian sapphires. As Reign Coin grows and transaction revenues increase, investors will be able to receive crypto-dividends in the form of airdrops of new Reign Coin into their wallets.

“We have made significant progress and look forward to releasing Reign Coin’s white paper,” Joseph Segelman, CEO of Reign, stated in a news release. “We are confident that Reign Coin will complement our existing business and add long-term shareholder value.”

RGNP, based in Beverly Hills, California, is a direct-to-consumer branded and custom jewelry company operating several divisions. These include:

• Reign Sapphires, which markets a line of ethically-produced, conflict-free sapphire jewelry targeted at millennials;
• Le Bloc, which offers classic and customized jewelry;
• The ION Collection, a branded line by Jan Selter; and
• Coordinates Collection, a custom jewelry line featuring pieces inscribed with location coordinates to commemorate life’s most precious moments.

The company also holds joint-venture platform Reign Ventures, a developer of jewelry technology-related products. RGNP’s portfolio also includes Reign Blockchain, which authenticates sapphires as conflict-free.

RGNP’s ethically produced and conflict-free sapphires are in contrast to an abstract of the global gem market by the Gemological Institute of America (“GIA”). In ‘The Color of Responsibility: Ethical Issues and Solutions in Colored Gemstones’, the GIA (http://ibn.fm/ceKgc) states, “Despite the industry’s high profile, an ethical, sustainable mine-to-market supply chain for these materials still has not been achieved, impacting the physical environment and quality of life for laborers.” The Brilliant Earth website classified the mining of sapphires globally by small-scale operations as a ‘Wild West’ economic situation in which most countries have yet to embrace fair labor practices. It cited Madagascar, in particular, for alleged dangerous working condition and an unregulated industry (http://ibn.fm/yqVcu).

The stakes are high. The GIA estimates that the retail jewelry market for millennials will reach an annual value of $1.4 trillion by 2020.

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

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• Renovated Asphalt Ridge facility is good to go
• Output capacity now 1,000 barrels per day
• International promotion of blockchain oil and gas supply management platform continues

Blessed by an abundance of bitumen, Utah has become the center of the U.S. oil sands industry. The state has the largest individual deposits of bitumen in the United States, as well as the highest number of oil sands occurrences. Together, these bitumen deposits contain a yield equivalent to at least 30 billion barrels of oil, making Utah the source of 55 percent of U.S. oil sand crude. The deposits are primarily located in central southeastern Utah and the Uinta Basin of northeastern Utah. In the latter location, Petroteq Energy Inc. (TSX.V: PQE) (OTCQX: PQEFF) is working its Asphalt Ridge property. The company is applying its patented liquid extraction system to refine bitumen – technology that’s set to get the dilbit (diluted bitumen) flowing more freely in Utah.

Dilbit is bitumen to which either conventional light crude or natural gas liquids have been added to reduce viscosity. Bitumen, a type of crude oil found in natural oil sands deposits, is too thick to be pumped through pipelines as extracted. Consisting of sand, water and oily compounds, bitumen is the heaviest sort of crude in use today, more deserving of the label ‘tar’ than ‘oil’. Extracted bitumen is said to look and behave like black peanut butter. The largest global deposits are in Venezuela and Canada, containing, respectively, 267 billion and 200 billion barrels of recoverable crude.

Petroteq Energy Inc. has developed its patented, environmentally safe, continuous flow, closed loop technology – a first in North America and probably in the world – to extract bitumen oil from oil sands. The technology, the result of almost five years of research by Petroteq’s research and engineering teams led by Chief Technology Officer Dr. Vladimir Podlipskiy, depends on a patented solvent/surfactant. It can be effectively applied to both ‘water-wet’ deposits (such as the oil sands projects in Alberta, Canada) or the ‘oil-wet’ deposits found in Utah.

In February 2018, Petroteq announced that it had completed relocation and renovation work at its Asphalt Ridge Utah Plant. The improvements, which will expand output capacity to 1,000 bpd (barrels per day), included:

• Reassembly of the main structure;
• Installation of a motor control center to accommodate wiring for motors, pumps and mechanical equipment in preparation for future expansion of output capacity;
• Installation of the main mixing tank, second mixing tank and fin fan cooler at the new site;
• Replacement of the steam heater with a new, superior hot oil heater;
• Installation of several new pumps to facilitate oil and solvent flow; and
• Installation of earth berms for environmental protection.

Petroteq’s Temple Mountain Mine mineral lease at Asphalt Ridge covers over 3,000 acres in northeastern Utah, with an estimated 139.5 million gross barrels of bitumen (total bitumen initially in place), as disclosed in a 2015 independent resource evaluation report prepared by Chapman Petroleum Engineering Ltd. in accordance with the Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation Handbook (“COGEH”). Of this gross volume of bitumen in place, Chapman estimated that 87.8 million barrels would, under favorable circumstances, support very positive mining economics. These 87.8 million barrels would be classified as a ‘Contingent Resource’ under current NI 51-101 and COGEH criteria.

Since modernization and reactivation, the Asphalt Ridge facility has been undergoing operational tests. These were completed in early March 2018, and the plant is now fully permitted for production. The company has received an Air Exemption Permit based on its patented closed-loop, zero-emission technology and a Ground Water Discharge Permit certifying that the construction and operation of the plant will have no deleterious impact on the quality of the surrounding ground water.

As well as reactivation of the Asphalt Ridge facility, Petroteq is continuing to promote its novel blockchain oil and gas supply chain management platform, PetroBLOQ. The company plans to open marketing offices in key strategic international markets, initially targeting Switzerland, Russia and Ukraine (http://ibn.fm/ZmZQz). PetroBLOQ is building a consortium of oil and gas producers. The platform has already signed up PEMEX, the Mexican state-owned petroleum company, and SOCAR Energy Ukraine, Ltd. (“SOCAR”), a subsidiary of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Petroteq.energy

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• The New York Times reports that World Bank forecasts 8.3 percent growth for Ghana’s economy in 2018, driven in part by major offshore oil deposits
• Petrogress is seeking expansion in Ghana, where it already operates service and shipping facilities at the Port of Terma in Greater Accra
• In 2017, Ghana experienced a 124 percent oil export revenue increase over the prior year, The New York Times said, citing central bank statistics

Petrogress, Inc. (OTC: PGAS) is hoping to expand its operations in Ghana, West Africa. That nation, with its robust energy and diverse economic growth, is forecast to have one of the world’s fastest-growing GDPs globally. A recent article in The New York Times quoted the World Bank as projecting that Ghana’s economy will expand by 8.3 percent in 2018 (http://ibn.fm/7WrsQ). In addition to increases from oil and energy exploration, sales, exports and operations, the Ghanaian economy will enjoy growth from other industries, such as cocoa and coffee exporting, the article reports.

Petrogress and its subsidiaries have already been operating within the energy sector in Ghana, and the company wants to expand operations in West Africa. It is authorized to conduct local sales of oil products and shipping business from the Port of Terma in Ghana. The goal of parent company Petrogress, which holds several subsidiaries, is to be a fully vertically integrated oil and natural gas energy company.

The World Bank forecasts that, after the predicted 8.3 percent rise in 2018, Ghana’s economy will continue to expand at a 5.5 percent annual increase in GDP in both 2019 and 2020 (http://ibn.fm/jd3Hm). The African Development Bank Group also predicts that Ghana’s economy, assisted by energy growth, will expand at a rate of 8.5 percent in 2018 before dropping slight to 6.2 percent growth in 2019 (http://ibn.fm/pCnQp).

Major offshore oil deposits will help drive that growth. Ghana recorded a 124 percent increase in oil export revenues in 2017 over the prior year, The New York Times article quoted central bank statistics as showing, and Ghana plans to continue to expand its oil exploration activities moving forward.

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

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• IEG Holdings’ shareholders will be provided with the opportunity to obtain shares in Investment Evolution Coin Ltd., which is pursuing cryptocurrency projects
• Arrangement allows shareholders unique opportunity to remain involved in the crypto industry with lower regulatory risk, but investors must be an IEGH shareholder before the end of April to be eligible for one Investment Evolution Coin Ltd. share for every one IEGH share held
• Investment Evolution Coin Ltd. has entered a partnership with a reputable consultancy company for the purpose of launching its cryptocurrency, which will facilitate financial transfers from abroad to the Philippines

IEG Holdings Corp. (OTCQB: IEGH) announced that the company will refrain from directly pursuing cryptocurrency-related projects for the time being. However, shareholders on the measure date (April 30, 2018) will retain the upside in the cryptocurrency field through the launch of a new cryptocurrency by Investment Evolution Coin Ltd. (“IEC”), a company that’s managed by IEG Holdings CEO Paul Mathieson. According to a company press release (http://ibn.fm/6HiEh), IEG Holdings’ shareholders will be provided with an opportunity to receive IEC shares, allowing them to remain involved in the crypto industry with lower risks.

Based on Mathieson’s announcement, all IEGH shareholders will be provided with the opportunity to receive shares in IEC that are equivalent to the number and percentage of IEG Holdings common stock in possession of the respective shareholder. The offer will be valid for shareholders on record as of 5 p.m. EDT on April 30, 2018.

As of March 19, 2018, there are over 17.46 million outstanding IEG Holdings shares. The paid up IEC capital is represented by the same number of ordinary shares.

Investment Evolution Coin Ltd. is a Singapore-incorporated public unlisted company. Currently, it is exploring the launch of a new cryptocurrency called Investment Evolution Coin. According to official information, the launch date for Investment Evolution Coin is currently set for May 2018. Initially, the cryptocurrency will aim to simplify financial transfers to the Philippines from nationals who work in other countries, such as Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Singapore. To ensure the success of the venture, IEC has entered a partnership with HashCash Consultants, a cryptocurrency consultancy company based in the Silicon Valley, California.

IEG Holdings Corporation currently provides unsecured consumer loans ranging from $5,000 to $10,000. The operations occur under the brand name ‘Mr. Amazing Loans’. An online application portal was developed for the brand, allowing for completion of the entire loan application process in the digital realm.

In February 2018, IEG Holdings announced a partnership with Intellectsoft – a prominent blockchain consultancy company. The plan focused on the creation of an IEG Holdings’ cryptocurrency for the offering of loans and the easier acceptance of repayments. However, the company last week announced that, upon further investigation and risk analysis, a cryptocurrency offering will not be pursued at the current time. However, IEG Holdings is set to continue monitoring the development of blockchain technology, possibly considering cryptocurrency ventures in the future.

Borrowing and lending with cryptocurrency (http://ibn.fm/OCs2v) is a concept that has been around for some time. While the range of applications is still limited, the market is potentially huge. Another potential application is using cryptocurrency as a form of collateral (http://ibn.fm/gh1yz) to obtain a loan – a possibility that’s still in its early stages of development.

According to Mathieson, the combination of blockchain technology and a powerful online loan provision system is an exciting proposition that will enable IEG Holdings to eventually become a key player in the blockchain sector.

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

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• Choom™ is a high-quality hand-crafted cannabis brand created for the Canadian recreational market
• Last month, the company opened retail opportunity to entrepreneurs and businesspeople across Canada
• Choom™ inked first deal, not for just a single store, but rather for an entire territory

Set to be legalized in July of this year, Canada’s recreational marijuana market is estimated to exceed $8.7 billion annually. That figure doesn’t include ancillary businesses such as paraphernalia, weed-related tourism, testing labs and security services. All factored in, the market potential jumps to up to $22.6 billion a year (http://ibn.fm/wxPqn). The general consensus is that the marijuana market in Canada will only continue along an upward trajectory. Choom Holdings Inc. (CSE: CHOO) (OTCQB: CHOOF) is rapidly positioning itself to become the premier recreational cannabis brand in Canada and capture a significant portion of this newfound cannabis bonanza.

Choom™ is a high-quality hand-crafted cannabis brand created exclusively for the Canadian recreational market. By cultivating outstanding bud as well as an exceptional customer experience, Choom™ intends to become the recognized market leader in reaching the cannabis consumer. To achieve that end, Choom™ is developing a chain of modern, stylish dispensaries designed by the same team responsible for some of the most desirable retail environments in Canada. The company has expanded the opportunity to entrepreneurs and businesspeople interested in participating in the lucrative new recreational marijuana market by registering for their own Choom™ stores.

Announced only about a month ago (http://ibn.fm/1t22D), the response to owning a Choom™ store is exceeding expectations, as savvy business folks are lining up for a piece of the cannabis pie. This comes as little surprise, since legal recreational marijuana dispensaries are expected to generate more revenue per square foot than Whole Foods. In line with this response, the company recently announced that it has signed the first agreement in its retail investor program (http://ibn.fm/tk7WS).

Following its bold agenda, Choom™ has inked a deal not for just a single store but rather for an entire territory. A consortium of local investors and business partners known as the ‘Thompson Okanagan Choom Group’ has secured the exclusive territory rights to open multiple Choom™ branded retail dispensaries in the Thompson-Okanagan region. The Thompson-Okanagan region is a tourist magnet located in the central interior of British Columbia and offers wineries, boating and loads of outdoor activities. The investment consortium is led by Debra G. Adams, Sherman Dahl, Imre Kovacs and Kent Adams, all of whom are excited about the Choom™ opportunity. In a news release, Adams stated, “We’ve been closely monitoring the explosion of Cannabis companies in Canada and are very pleased to be working with a ‘best in class’ operator such as Choom™. The branding, professionalism and style of Choom™ is second to none and our team can’t wait to get started!”

By cultivating outstanding bud as well as an exceptional consumer experience, Choom™ is likely to attract evermore retail partners and is fast on its way to establishing a significant retail footprint and becoming a recognized leader in the Canadian recreational cannabis markets.

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

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• Potential Canadian marijuana market upside estimated at $22.6 billion
• Choom™ strategy is soil-to-shelf integration through cultivation, branding and retail marketing
• Company seeking phase 1 and 2 revenue growth in Vernon and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

Choom Holdings Inc. (CSE: CHOO) (OTCQB: CHOOF) is focused on the recreational marijuana market in Canada and is projecting revenues from its retrofit and expansion efforts in Vernon and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. In its investor presentation of March 2018 (http://ibn.fm/SAggO), the company positioned itself to become a branded, fully integrated cannabis company in the recreational marijuana market of Canada. Its plans for growth include its own product cultivation, retail expansion and acquisitions.

In its presentation, Choom quotes the ‘Canaccord Genuity Canadian Cannabis Industry Overview’ as projecting that the total marijuana market will reach $6 billion by 2021. It finds that recreational users will outnumber medical marijuana users by almost eight times, calling for 3.8 million recreational users to roughly 500,000 medical users.

The Vancouver-based company is focused on branding, building a chain of its own Choom retail dispensaries, positioning its premium brand and acquiring production assets.

Choom has two significant projects. Through its presence in Vernon, British Columbia, it expects phase 1 revenue of $6.6 million, with $15 million from phase 2. A retrofit is scheduled for completion by July 2018, and expansion is planned for the end of 2018. In Vancouver Island, British Columbia, phase 1 potential revenue is estimated at $4.5 million, with $9 million in phase 2. All revenue projects exclude oils. Retrofit completion is scheduled for July 2018, and phase 2 expansion completion is planned by the end of 2019.

The larger picture focuses on the total marijuana market’s potential upside of $22.6 billion, according to the Deloitte Recreational Marijuana/Insights and Opportunities report (http://ibn.fm/NmWX2). This upside figure represents the additional revenue from growers, tourism, license fees, business taxes and base retail market value.

As it grows, Choom’s shares are now Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) of New York-eligible, allowing for easier trading of Choom shares on the OTC (http://ibn.fm/ZG7BU). The company recently named Chris Gagan as its senior vice president of marketing, making him responsible for the development of the Choom brand and retail marketing (http://ibn.fm/xSEtp).

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

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• Denver presents the first recreational cannabis lounges
• Las Vegas officials cautious about pot lounge endeavors until 2019 legislative meetings
• Pilot projects in effect to weigh pros and cons of new recreational marijuana use

Denver’s first social-use marijuana permit was awarded to The Coffee Joint in early March of this year, establishing it as the first of what looks to be many pot consumption lounges to open in the coming years. Denver’s cannabis consumption establishment makes allowance for those who are over 21 to consume legal quantities of pot through methods of consuming edible products, vaping and dabbing within the venue itself, with the sole exclusion of smoking only being allowed outdoors (http://ibn.fm/ja7BB).

City officials in Las Vegas are currently waiting on the City of Denver to approve the country’s first marijuana club, prior to their own discussions revolving around the licensing and regulation of lounges dedicated to marijuana within Las Vegas. With Nevada having permitted the lawful sale of recreational marijuana in July of 2017, a great demand has been placed on related commercial industries brought by the tourists that visit the state. The law mentions, however, that no public consumption of the substance is allowed outside of private residences.

In a public meeting following discussions around the opening of pot lounges, Commissioner James Gibson of Clark County, Nevada, said, “I don’t know if we need to be the first or not, I don’t see any reason why we have to be first, but we certainly have to be right.” Gibson went further to say that regardless of what happens, officials need to do their part and remain consistent through implementation of thorough procedures.

Denver’s announcement in August of 2017 allowed for the submission of applications by businesses that are looking to open marijuana clubs. Up until now, there have been few developments in this regard, with the slow start having been expected because of overly extensive application procedures. “What I have heard from the commission today is that they are open to the idea in concept, but they are not ready to move forward,” added Andrew Jolly, storeowner and president of the Nevada Dispensary Association. Jolly mentioned further that the presentation of a pilot project is the intention. This process would then critically highlight several pros and cons regarding the matter at hand.

As mentioned in the Las Vegas Sun, both the Las Vegas City Council and the Clark County commission have taken a ‘wait-and-see approach’, this being the first notable time that any timeframe of the endeavor had been given. As the situation currently stands, industry advocates have had their eyes on public lounges for consumption since the start of recreational sales last July. It is with the notion of over 40 million tourists entering Nevada each year, with the restrictions on cannabis consumption severely limiting use within hotels and casinos.

The Clark County Commission is currently planning to wait on public consumption of marijuana until the 2019 state legislature meetings. Chris Giunchigliani, county commissioner, urged that his group first wants to monitor the social use implementation in Denver prior to any decisions on their part (http://ibn.fm/oOBVP).

State Senator Tick Segerblom put forth his disappointment in that his vision of Las Vegas being the first major city within the United States to open marijuana lounges did not come to fruition. The step taken by Denver was noted to be a step forward, with the potential of benefiting Nevada. A further step forward would see the allowance of smoking the substance within lounges, with consumers not necessarily being restricted to consuming edible products, vaping and dabbing, as is the case in Colorado. It is with great anticipation that Las Vegas is awaiting the 2019 legislature meetings to prove successful within the recreational cannabis consumption industry.