• Uniquely positioned in the largest legalized medical and recreational cannabis markets – California and Canada
• Construction underway for a modern, agri-technology greenhouse facility in California capable of producing over 100,000 kg of premium medical cannabis annually, once phase 1 and 2 are complete
• Received all required California temporary licenses to cultivate, process cannabis; will apply for annual state licenses within next four months
• Designs completed for purpose-built current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) compliant greenhouse facilities in British Columbia capable of producing 100,000 kg of premium medical cannabis per year and over 25,000 kg of trim used for extraction
• Application for medical cannabis production license at BC facility from Health Canada under final review

Sunniva Inc. (CSE: SNN) (OTCQX: SNNVF) is a vertically integrated medical cannabis company operating in the world’s two largest cannabis markets – Canada and California – committed to delivering safe, consistent, high-quality products and services. Sunniva operates through its wholly owned subsidiaries: Sunniva Medical Inc., CP Logistics, LLC, Natural Health Service Ltd., and Full-Scale Distributors, LLC. Sunniva’s vision is to become the lowest cost, highest quality cannabis producer in the markets it serves by building large scale purpose-built cGMP compliant greenhouses, offering best quality assurance with cannabis products free from pesticides, providing better patient and doctor access to cannabis education, and sourcing better therapeutic delivery devices.

The company is establishing sophisticated distribution channels, including Sunniva’s ownership of Natural Health Services Ltd. cannabis clinics in Canada with over 95,000 active patients, to purchase the significant quantities of high quality Sunniva-branded and Sunniva private-labeled cannabis products.

Sunniva is an ancient English name which means, “Gift of the Sun.” Sunniva’s team of horticulturists, scientists and engineers is helping to set best practices for the industry, believing that sun-grown, solar-powered cultivation is the most sustainable and cost-effective way to grow high-quality, premium cannabis.

The Sunniva Family includes:

CP Logistics, LLC

Through its subsidiary, CP Logistics LLC, Sunniva is developing the Sunniva Campus, a state-of-the-art, purpose-built greenhouse facility in Cathedral City, California. This modern purpose-built, agri-technology greenhouse is designed to be cGMP compliant which assures proper design, monitoring and control of manufacturing processes and facilities.

Phase 1 of the project includes a fully funded 325,000 square foot greenhouse capable of producing 60,000 kg per year of dry cannabis at capacity with operations commencing Q3 2018. Approximately 50 percent of initial total production will be converted into oils and extracts. Phase 2 is expected to increase the greenhouse by 165,000 square feet and grow production by about 40,000 kgs. per year.

These uniquely sealed greenhouses are designed to deploy custom, automation assembly line cultivation processes at a large scale. Energy consumption will be reduced while utilizing the energy of the sun and microclimatic controls to provide precise growing conditions. The greenhouse will recirculate air for more efficient climate control, and the company’s Integrated Pest Management System is designed to ensure every plant grown is certified clean and free of all contaminants and pesticides.

Sunniva Medical Inc.

Sunniva Medical Inc. is designing and preparing to break ground on the Sunniva Canada Campus encompassing 700,000 square feet of purpose-built cGMP greenhouse facilities in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. The total campus is expected to produce 100,000 kg of premium medical cannabis annually plus additional trim used for extraction. This facility will produce pesticide-free products and will convert trim to extracted products such as cannabis oil that can be used for drug delivery formats such as capsules, dissolvable strips, vaporization cartridges, tinctures and creams.

Sunniva and Canopy Growth Corporation (Canopy Growth) recently announced a large take or pay supply agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Canopy Growth will purchase up to 45,000 kgs. of dried cannabis annually commencing Q1 2019, which includes the distribution of Sunniva branded products. Sunniva Medical is a late-stage applicant under Canada’s Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR) and is in the final review stage of the process.

Natural Health Services Ltd.

Natural Health Services Ltd. owns and operates a network of eight medical clinics in Canada specializing in medical cannabis under the ACMPR. Natural Health Services connects licensed producers to their 21 physicians and patients with its proprietary SPARK software which utilizes a software-as-a-service revenue model. To date, there are 27 integrated licensed producers utilizing the SPARK software.

In-house physicians specializing in the endocannabinoid system provide expert consultation, education and recommendations for targeted phytoceutical remedies and wellness plans to improve the quality of life for all patients. NHS enjoys a long-term relationship with patients due to the quality of its physician-patient experience. A rapidly expanding NHS cannabis clinic network serves 94,000 active patients in Canada. NHS has also initiated a pilot program with a national pharmacy chain to aggregate more patients.

Full-Scale Distributors, LLC

Full-Scale Distributors, LLC is an industry leading provider of custom, private-label vaporizers through its brand, Vapor Connoisseur. The company currently serves the needs of over 80 top brands in the North American marketplace. Vapor Connoisseur is recognized for its high quality and innovative therapeutic delivery devices. Products are tailored to client needs, ensuring both safety and reliability.

Sunniva’s highly experienced management team is building partnerships with leading scientists, universities and clinical trial groups to deliver proprietary cannabis formulations to a broad spectrum of health ailments and conditions. These global partners require cGMP-certified facilities for the processing and manufacturing of cannabis products. Sunniva is committed to providing safe, pesticide-free, high quality, reproducible cannabis medicines.

Leading Sunniva is co-founder, chairman and CEO Dr. Anthony (Tony) Holler. He is the former CEO and founder of ID Biomedical, which was acquired in 2005 for $1.7 billion by GlaxoSmithKline. He is also the former chairman of Corriente Resources Inc., which was sold for approximately $700 million to CRCC-Tongguan Investment Co. Dr. Holler is currently chairman of CRH Medical Corporation, a public company trading on the TSX and NYSE. His expertise includes strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions and financing with a singular focus on increasing shareholder value.

Dr. Holler is joined by co-founder Leith Pedersen, who serves as president of Sunniva. Pedersen is the former owner and CEO of Vida Wealth Management Bahamas and was a former investment advisor at Canaccord Wealth Management. He is a former partner and director at JF Mackie and Company, an independent brokerage firm in Calgary, Alberta, that managed capital in excess of $2 billion for high net worth clients. Pedersen’s expertise is in corporate strategy, financing and mergers and acquisitions.

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

• Expansion of IAAS cloud services to support cryptocurrency mining entities in deployment of blockchain technologies
• Serving residential and SME customers over high-capacity wireless broadband technology using licensed LMDS spectrum
• Global fiber optics market projected to grow from $3.2 billion in 2017 to $5 billion in 2022 with a CAGR of 9.4%

Hammer Fiber Optic Holdings Corp. (OTCQB: HMMR), with headquarters in New Jersey, is a telecommunications company investing in the future of wireless technology. The company’s holdings include Hammer Fiber Optic Investments, Ltd., D/B/A Hammer Fiber, an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that offers internet, voice, video and data services in New Jersey as well as carrier services in Philadelphia and New York. Hammer Fiber serves residential and small business markets with high-capacity broadband, voice and video through direct fiber as well as its wireless fiber platform – Hammer Wireless® AIR technology.

Hammer Fiber recently completed the initial development phase of its advanced LTE fixed wireless system, which was designed and built upon its successfully deployed wireless technology suite. The expansion allows Hammer Fiber to add ultra-high capacity cellular broadband applications to its product portfolio including wholesale services such as backhaul support for cellular network operators. Designed to complement Hammer Fiber’s core business of home residential service, the company expects this latest innovation to help position Hammer Fiber as a leader in future 5G technology. The company intends to leverage the Fixed LTE system in conjunction with its already deployed Fixed Wireless DOCSIS 3.1 system to deliver on one of its core promises, to deliver high capacity broadband to markets across the country at dramatically lower cost than traditional wireline methods, including fiber. Live field testing of the new system begins in early 2018 in the U.S. with service availability to follow later in the year.

Hammer Fiber has also expanded its IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service) cloud services to include support for the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry. Interested companies will be able to host their products over Hammer Fiber’s robust and modern server infrastructure, fiber network architecture and data center presence in some of the most secure locations in the New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia regions. Hammer Fiber’s servers feature best-in-class computing power, designed to allow enterprise businesses to reap the benefits of utilizing a cloud-based system without the massive cost of establishing or maintaining a corporate data center.

“Distributed architecture infrastructure, such as those utilized by blockchain entities mining cryptocurrencies or other new vertical markets utilizing blockchain technology, are growing exponentially and we are poised to fulfill a critical but fundamental need of this explosive new industry,” said Mark Stogdill, CEO of Hammer Fiber. “The distributed ledger architectures that blockchains are built on require secure and robust data processing networks, highly scalable power generation and a reliable fiber optic backbone infrastructure linking up data centers worldwide for them to exist, and that is what we at Hammer Fiber do really well.”

Hammer Fiber seeks to achieve its vision by employing an extremely qualified group of business professionals with diverse backgrounds and successful track records from a variety of related industries. HMMR’s seasoned leadership team combines startup expertise with a consummate understanding of the regional competitive telecommunications landscape in sales, marketing, engineering, construction and business development.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.HammerCorp.info

• Lithium prices pegged to conservatively triple within seven years
• Estimated resource of more than 1.2 million tons of spodumene-bearing (lithium) pegmatite
• Announced results of 3-D model suggesting substantially greater lithium reserves

Lithium prices have more than tripled since 2015 and are showing no signs of slowing, given the globe’s increasing reliance on the portable power provided by lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries. Goldman Sachs has conservatively projected lithium demand to triple again within the next seven years. The projected surge in demand is based on broad ranging increases in consumer uses and the global advent of electric vehicles. Moreover, the estimates may be vastly understated and could greatly increase beyond projections.

A Wall Street Journal article revealed what may become an even greater driver of demand. Multiple states and municipalities, in conjunction with utilities, are revamping entire electric grids and utilizing high-density Li-ion energy storage batteries to power homes and make the grid more efficient (http://ibn.fm/MUSmW). To avoid purchasing expensive peak-demand electricity, utility companies now store energy in neighborhood Li-ion battery junction boxes during off-peak and use it during high demand. The largest home energy storage project in the country is underway in Arizona, where Mandalay Homes plans to build 4,000 ultra-energy-efficient homes equipped with eight kilowatt-hour Li-ion batteries. In Vermont, Green Mountain Power has offered homeowners a Tesla Powerwall for $15 a month. The 13.5 kilowatt-hour batteries are engaged when the electrical grid is strained to maximum capacity, preserving the grid and saving the utility company money. Modernization of the nation’s electric grid could easily drive the need for lithium far beyond current projections.

Understanding the potential for exponential returns in the lithium arena, some seasoned investors are looking past the traditional large-scale lithium producers and focusing on junior miners and exploration companies that have large prospective assets and proven management teams with the ability to deliver valuable lithium assets to market.

In the business of acquisition, exploration and development of natural resource properties, QMC Quantum Minerals Corp. (TSX.V: QMC) (FSE: 3LQ) (OTC: QMCQF) is showing all the signs of having just such a large upside potential. QMC is focused on creating shareholder value through strategic acquisition and development of high-quality lithium, silver, gold, nickel, copper and zinc prospects. The company’s current properties located in Manitoba, Canada, include the Irgon Lithium Mine Project and two VMS properties, the Rocky Lake and Rocky Namew, which are collectively known as the Namew Lake District Project.

The Irgon Lithium Mine Project contains a rare-metal (Li-Ta-Cs) deposit within the Irgon pegmatite located immediately north of Cat Lake Manitoba. Substantial developmental work was carried out by the former owner of the property, and the deposit contains an estimated resource of more than 1.2 million tons of spodumene-bearing pegmatite grading 1.5 percent Li2O.

QMC recently announced that North Face Software Ltd. completed compilation of all historical data derived from past drilling and underground work, and imported the data into an interactive three-dimensional Leapfrog™ model of the Irgon Dike (http://ibn.fm/RhChe). The Irgon Dike is located at the company’s 100 percent owned Irgon Lithium Mine Project, within the prolific Cat Lake Winnipeg River Pegmatite Field. The 3-D model clearly demonstrated that, to date, exploration and underground development has only been undertaken on the central portion of dike, leaving significant potential to quickly increase tonnage as the Irgon Dike is open both along strike and to depth.

An upcoming drilling program will confirm extensions to the strike length of the Irgon Dike and test mineralization to depth below the current level of historical drilling within the dike, both of which will rapidly increase the resource tonnage above the currently reported historical tonnage of 1.2 million tons (non-NI43-101 compliant). Lithium resource tonnage above the 1.2 million tons reported to be on site would be great news for the company and its shareholders.

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

• Jad Nammour joins the company as new Chief of Pharmacy, bringing over 20 years of experience to ETST
• Positioned for sales growth with a strong, completed team of industry professionals
• Accelerating the development and commercialization of new products in Canada and overseas

Earth Science Tech, Inc. (OTC: ETST), a Florida-based biotech company focused on cannabis and cannabinoid research and development, nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals, as well as on R&D for certain medical devices, recently announced Jad Nammour as its new Chief of Pharmacy (http://ibn.fm/dnv0x). Nammour is trained to develop master formulae, the templates for mass production of non-sterile medicinal products. Having a certified pharmacist on staff is required by law to obtain a license to distribute controlled substances. Nammour fills this final important technical gap in the production and development teams. His job will be to make sure that controlled substances and drugs are managed, handled and stored correctly. He will also help in the development and marketing of the company’s nutraceutical patents, pharmacological products and medical devices. The adding of the new Chief of Pharmacy brings ETST one step closer to obtaining a final license to distribute controlled substances, and completes the management and development teams.

ETST has positioned itself for growth in 2018 through the addition of its new COO, Gagan Hunter, in March (http://ibn.fm/yDzGg) and the final addition of new Chief of Pharmacy Jad Nammour in April. In a news release, Dr. Michel Aube, CEO & CSO, stated “We have all of the knowledge, experience and proficiency that we need to bring our products to the marketplace and become a licensed distributor of drugs and controlled substances in Canada, as announced earlier this year.” The company holds three wholly owned subsidiaries: Earth Science Pharmaceutical, Cannabis Therapeutics, and KannaBidioiD. In addition, Canadian subsidiary Canna Inno Laboratories Inc. was formed by ETST in 2017, as a strategic Montreal, Canada-based company, to give ETST a foothold in Québec, providing the company with access to government grants.

The company has already received a grant through Canna Inno Laboratories Inc. from the Government of Québec to support the pre-launch process of three CBD-based products that aim to prevent common causes of cancer and help reduce occurrence rates. ETST is strategically working to improve treatments for different diseases on a global scale. Human clinical trials are set to begin in 2019, or later, in producing an over-the-counter (OTC) drug and a cannabinoid companion generic drug that battles opioid dependency. ETST is planning to investigate the synergies between mineral elements and cannabinoid industrial hemp oil. This could potentially be used as a treatment for opioid dependency. In March 2018, ETST announced its membership in the largest innovative business acceleration program in Québec (http://ibn.fm/94Dtr). With this membership, the company is poised to accelerate the development and commercialization of new products in Canada and overseas.

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

• Delivery technology already proven effective in cannabinoid delivery, now being studied in nicotine absorption
• Positive topline results on completion of first ingestible nicotine in vivo (animal) absorption study
• LXRP’s long-term strategy is to partner with leading firms in the tobacco industry, providing an additional layer of effectiveness in products to their already established consumer base
• Potential to revolutionize smokeless tobacco and the tobacco industry

The drug delivery platform innovator Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTCQX: LXRP) has announced a significant breakthrough in alternative nicotine delivery technology. This cannabis-focused food bioscience company has a proprietary technology for improved delivery of bioactive compounds that has been shown to enhance the bioavailability of orally ingested cannabinoids (CBDs), while also masking taste. Third party labs have shown a 499 percent increase in CBD bioabsorption in human intestinal tissues. LXRP is taking this same technology, already proven effective in CBD delivery, and applying it to nicotine absorption. If successful, this will revolutionize smokeless tobacco and the tobacco industry.

LXRP’s DehydraTECH™ delivery technology provides increases in intestinal absorption rates and more rapid delivery to the bloodstream. The company is pursuing the use of this delivery technology as a possible new nicotine delivery method. LXRP’s first ingestible nicotine in vivo (animal) absorption study has produced positive topline results. While further analysis of the existing data is required, following are improvements found in the test subjects as compared to the controls:

• Delivery of nicotine to the bloodstream was achieved within 15 min, compared to 2.9 hours.
• Increased gain of 148 percent of peak nicotine delivered to the bloodstream.
• 560 percent higher brain levels of nicotine where nicotine effects are focused.
• Lower urine levels of nicotine signifying enhanced nicotine activity and bioavailability.
• Lower quantities of key liver metabolites in bloodstream, suggesting bypass of first pass liver metabolism.

In a news release, President of LXRP John Docherty stated, “We are very pleased with these topline study findings demonstrating excellent tolerability and substantially faster, more potent and bioavailable absorption of nicotine in an ingestible format with our DehydraTECH™ technology than controls. This data supports further investigation of the many possible benefits of our DehydraTECH™ technology for nicotine delivery with potential both as a nicotine replacement therapy as well as an alternative product format for regular tobacco users over today’s inhaled options.”

LXRP plans to partner, not compete, with tobacco companies. The company has entered into third party licensing agreements within the cannabis industry and seeks to do the same within the tobacco industry. Focused on improved delivery methodologies, it provides an additional layer of effectiveness designed to enhance the intellectual property of the world’s leading firms delivering high quality products to their existing consumer base.

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

• Transactions processed rose by 14 percent to reach $2.8 billion in 2017
• Net Element launches new service, Fast Pass Funding, on proprietary Netevia platform
• Global ecommerce market reached $2.7 trillion in 2017, expected to hit $4.5 trillion in 2021
• Surge in mobile payments market tied to convenience, security
• JGR Capital initiates coverage on Net Element, Inc.

Global technology and value-added solutions group Net Element, Inc. (NASDAQ: NETE) continues to embrace emerging and disruptive technologies in its quest to improve the experience of mobile payment solutions for its clients and their customers. Net Element launched a wide array of partnerships in 2017, all geared toward connecting and simplifying payments across multiple sales channels throughout the globe.

SeeThruEquity noted in its recent update (http://ibn.fm/fdlml) to Net Element’s 2017 performance report that the company’s revenue growth was driven by its North America Transactions Solutions business segment, which topped 21 percent year-over-year. Full year revenues for 2017 of $60.1 million represented an increase of about 11 percent over 2016’s $54.3 million. The company also improved its balance sheet, ending the year with cash on hand of $11.3 million and total financial debt of $7 million.

In addition, JGR Capital just announced initiation of coverage on Net Element (http://ibn.fm/APb09), highlighting the following:

• NETE has grown its North American Transactions Segment 28 percent year-over-year, largely attributable to its successes with the Unified Payments brand.
• Net Element recently launched Netevia, its new product that is part of its decentralized blockchain technology solutions initiative.
• Net Element recently joined the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance, which is the world’s largest open-source blockchain initiative.
• NETE completed a $7.55 million restricted common stock and warrant private placement with an institutional investor to buttress growth with its blockchain initiatives.

One of the highlights of the report includes the recent news of Net Element’s same-day funding service called Fast Pass Funding. Launched by subsidiary Unified Payments, Fast Pass Funding works through the company’s proprietary multichannel payments platform, Netevia. This visionary platform, which connects and simplifies payments across a number of channels through a single integration point – including point-of-sale, ecommerce and mobile devices – gives eligible merchants access to funds in as little as three hours during regular business days (http://ibn.fm/h0v9o). That’s a huge improvement over the average funding times of between 12 and 24 hours. Fast Pass Funding is also delivered to merchants using Aptito, Net Element’s proprietary cloud-based restaurant point-of-sale and management system.

As a member of the Ethereum Alliance, the world’s largest open-source blockchain initiative with over 250-member companies, Net Element also plans to integrate new blockchain technologies into its Fast Pass Funding platform.

“We are very pleased with our 2017 progress and the strong balance sheet position as of December 31, 2017, which we believe positions the company for future growth and opportunities,” Oleg Firer, CEO of Net Element, said in a news release describing the company’s year in review and plans for 2018 (http://ibn.fm/sTrbi).

Global data from Statista (http://ibn.fm/ngnIC) anticipates a massive increase in worldwide ecommerce sales, from $2.7 trillion in 2017 to $4.5 trillion in 2021 – bringing with it opportunities too big to ignore. Net Element continues to keep an eye on the prize, pursuing strategies in the rapidly changing payment solutions market that are designed to achieve superior results, Firer said.

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

• Multi-level marketing and direct sales growth continues
• Social media set to further boost multi-level marketing
• Monthly company revenues now exceed $1 million

Sharing Services, Inc. (OTC: SHRV) has put a new spin on the old business of multi-level marketing. Originating in the 1920s, the model has, with its unique union of direct selling and recruitment, transformed thousands into entrepreneurs over the past century. Enthusiastically embraced by the California Perfume Company, multi-level marketing established that venture into a household name after it re-branded as Avon Products. Now, Sharing Services is promoting a renaissance of multi-level marketing in the age of social media. The company is enabling home-based entrepreneurs, which it has christened ‘Elepreneurs’, through a variety of avenues to enhance their incomes. Its recent performance reflects the success of that strategy. Sales are climbing steadily, with ‘gross sales for the one month of February exceeding total sales for the past quarter’.

Through social media, direct selling and multi-level marketing are breaking new barriers. A Forbes feature highlighted some of the techniques multi-level marketers are utilizing to reach their target markets (http://ibn.fm/hdwca). Facebook’s Live Streaming was touted for its ability to ‘create an intimate atmosphere that makes viewers feel they’re connecting with the speaker much more personally than they ever could through a pre-recorded video.’

Paradoxically, the medium works better the less polished and rehearsed it is, for its authenticity is more likely to evoke a favorable emotional response. Of course, in today’s social media universe, content is king, as industry specialists are fond of saying. Live streaming video offers an opportunity to provide helpful information in a way that doesn’t appeared stilted and stale, its immediacy often acting as a call to action. Perhaps this is the reason that direct selling is still alive after a hundred years.

The World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA) reports that global direct sales increased 1.9 percent from $179.2 billion in 2015 to $182.6 billion in 2016. The report also indicates that the United States is the largest direct selling market, valued at $35.5 billion in 2016, while China takes second place at $33.9 billion. Revenues at Sharing Services, however, far exceed that modest growth. Sales in February 2018 topped $1.1 million, buoyed by developments in its health and wellness division (http://ibn.fm/dpxoV).

The company recently signed a joint venture agreement with Health Wealth & Happiness Limited (“HWH”) to expand its Elepreneurs brand and market its products throughout Asia. The newly formed company will be named ‘Elepreneurs Asia Limited’ and will have marketing and sales rights to China, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Papua, New Guinea. A soft launch of the Elepreneur program is scheduled sometime later in 2018, with HWH CEP Fai Chan and his team leading the effort. Formed in Hong Kong, Health Wealth & Happiness Limited is dedicated to working with visionary partners like Sharing Services Inc. to deliver the best products and services to improve the well-being of consumers.

The Elepreneurs concept was created by Robert Oblon, a veteran of the travel and direct selling industry. Oblon began designing and developing online travel websites in the mid-1990s, and, by 2004, he had embarked on plans for creating a unique business model in network marketing and travel. In December 2005, he co-created WorldVentures, which is now the leading travel-related network marketing company. After leaving WorldVentures, Oblon became determined to create a model that truly helped a much larger number of people instead of the select few at the top of organizations, which marks an all-too-common trend in the direct selling profession. The result is Sharing Services.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.SharingServicesInc.com or call (714) 203-6717

• Company provides end-to-end management, across numerous systems, for medicinal marijuana financial operations
• Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions’ system tracks sales and tax collection
• Its Green platform is a full-featured electronic payment and FinCEN compliant payment system

Incorporated in 2013, Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions (OTC: REFG) specializes in state-of-the-art financial services. These services are structured to serve the medical cannabis and banking industries. The company provides end-to-end management, across numerous systems, serving the state-sanctioned medical marijuana industry.

The availability of marijuana payment solutions is increasing (http://ibn.fm/VkPHi). Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions is bringing to the marketplace the first and only complete card processing operation of its kind. The company offers a proprietary, fully integrated payment solution for customers and licensed medical cannabis establishments through its Green platform. This platform is a top-tier, level-one gateway payment processing system. The system tracks sales and tax collection and eliminates the need to deal in cash-only transactions.

A major problem with cash-only transactions is the threat of crime, including robbery and break-ins. As noted by ‘Cannabis Thoughts & Opinions: Challenges of Cannabis Payment Processing’ (http://ibn.fm/Og329), “Unfortunately for cannabis businesses these kinds of threats are very much a reality; and all because they do not have the same access to all the business banking facilities and services that non-cannabis related businesses do.”

The Green platform creates a cash-free transaction environment with electronic money management. This processing solution provides premier security. In addition, it has the capacity to abide by all regulatory frameworks. For a business, the Green platform essentially provides a virtual banking system, as it is both the merchant provider and the gateway. It handles financial compliance so that a business can easily spend or withdraw funds directly from its Green account. Additionally, businesses can transfer funds to another bank account. The offering of these features is consistent with the Medical Cannabis Payments Solutions vision to be at the leading edge of creating secure financial solutions for the cannabis industry.

The company’s comprehensive card processing operation provides businesses with an advanced client management system. The Green platform is a full-featured electronic payment and FinCEN compliant payment system, and most point-of-sale systems can be set up with the company’s gateway. Green is free to set up. Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions provides free technical support to connect a business’s point-of-sale system. Green can enhance a business’s system with additional features.

The company has now made its services available to the whole industry. State-licensed marijuana companies can now sign up through Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions’ website for its banking and financial processing system. This has produced significant traffic for its website as businesses look for comprehensive payment processing solutions to meet their specific needs.

In a news release, Jeremy Roberts, Chief Executive Officer of REFG, stated, “We are very excited that the amount of online applications has exceeded our expectations. We are excited to bring our services to the industry and to bring increased value to our shareholders.”

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Take.green

• Zero Cost Program requires no upfront expenditure from customer
• Cost savings and environmental friendliness make for ready market
• Debut as retail electricity provider complements energy savings solutions

If, as one quip goes, “A bargain is something you can’t use at a price you can’t resist,” then the steal of a deal Zenergy Brands, Inc. (OTCQB: ZNGY) is offering has to be an anomaly because of its undoubted usefulness. The Texas-based outfit offers a suite of cost-saving energy solutions to customers across America. Its Zero Cost Program allows corporate clients to upgrade their energy devices to more efficient, cost-reducing appliances, at no additional expense. The program reduces utility bills by 20-60 percent on average by furnishing energy conservation, smart controls and efficiency-based products and services to residential, commercial, industrial and municipal end-use customers. With both individual and corporate customers more environmentally aware and cost-conscious than ever before, Zenergy’s energy-saving solutions are likely to find a ready market. Having become a utility company via its acquisition of a Retail Electric Provider (REP), the company plans to deliver retail energy as well.

Zenergy’s Zero Cost Program is the real deal. Most “save money” promotions involve an outlay of cash, justified by the fictional claim, “You can’t afford NOT to buy!” However, the Zero Cost Program is different, requiring no upfront expense. It is a turnkey solution, which enables the upgrade of older, inefficient energy infrastructure and allows for the retrofitting of HVAC and refrigeration motor controllers, load factor improvement technologies, building automation systems, weatherization-based technologies, smart controls, LED lighting and other energy-saving solutions, all at no upfront cost to the customer.

The Zero Cost Program was developed based on an industry standard agreement known as a Managed Energy Services Agreement (“MESA”). Under the MESA, Zenergy acts as an intermediary between the customer and the utility and develops, procures financing for, and installs and maintains energy efficiency measures and equipment at the client’s facilities. The MESA is expected to last a minimum of five years, with an average of a seven-year duration. A MESA is a variation of an Energy Services Agreement (ESA), which is rapidly gaining popularity.

Under an ESA, an energy provider sets a floor for the customer’s energy consumption and lays out projected savings after retrofitting. After the retrofits are installed, actual energy and cost savings are measured. The customer then pays the ESA provider a charge per unit of energy saved that is set below its baseline utility price, resulting in immediate reduced operating expenses. The ESA payment can be structured either as a percentage of the customer’s utility rate or as a fixed dollar amount per kilowatt-hour saved. The ESA provider retains ownership and maintains the equipment throughout the ESA to ensure reliability and performance.

New efficiency measures can be added throughout the duration of the contract, at the end of which, the customer can elect to purchase the equipment at fair market value, extend the contract or return the equipment. Unlike an ESA, under a MESA, the energy provider assumes the broader energy management of a customer’s facility, including the responsibility for utility bills.

With the announcement of its recent acquisition of Enertrade Electric, a Texas-based Retail Electric Provider (http://ibn.fm/l8xsG), Zenergy can now provide that broader range of services. Its Zero Cost Program is also taking off; the company announced that it had signed up several new clients this year, one of which is Tanglewood Resort & Conference Center (http://ibn.fm/x0RIn). Through its Zero Cost Program, Zenergy will provide an entire suite of conservation-based products and services to enable the Tanglewood facility to achieve its sustainability goals while hoping to enjoy a positive bottom line as well.

For more information, please visit www.ZenergyBrands.com or www.WhatisZenergy.com and connect with the company on its social media accounts:

Facebook:  Zenergy Brands

Twitter:  @ZenergyBrands

Instagram:  @ZenergyBrands

YouTube:  Zenergy Brands

• MCOA has engaged a highly experienced direct-to-consumer marketing firm to handle retail marketing and advertising for hempSMART™
• Company’s branded CBD products take aim at $3.7 billion wellness industry
• MCOA is one of the first companies to offer hemp-derived CBD products through an affiliate marketing program

Marijuana Company of America, Inc. (OTC: MCOA), a corporation engaged in the research and development of health and wellness-targeted legal hemp-based consumer products along with other endeavors in the legal cannabis market, recently announced that it has engaged direct-to-consumer marketing firm Eddy Pham & Company to manage retail marketing and advertising for its hempSMART™ branded products (http://ibn.fm/1cUE0).

hempSMART is one of MCOA’s key companies, delivering a line of hemp-based cannabinoid products that target general health and wellness. These products combine the most effective ingredients and wellness technologies with hemp-derived cannabinoids to create products that are ideally formulated and geared toward consumers who are conscientious about their health.

Eddy Pham & Company will deliver a fully integrated, multichannel transactional marketing campaign for the hempSMART product line, focusing on digital advertising, content marketing, infographics, customer incentives, customer acquisition, an expansive social media presence and search engine marketing and optimization that includes in-depth research and analytics. Eddy Pham & Company will further provide outsourced customer assistance and fulfillment services for hempSMART orders resulting from the campaign.

Eddy Pham & Company brings extensive expertise to the table, and it has overseen the manufacturing of more than 160 products. This expertise makes the firm well prepared to help foster the success of the hempSMART product line—from building of brand equity to boosting overall sales. Eddy Pham & Company will leverage its partnerships in the transactional industries to assist in bringing hempSMART to the attention of consumers who are seeking natural, hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) and other cannabinoid products.

As Eddy Pham & Company carries out its comprehensive and impressive marketing strategy for hempSMART, MCOA foresees hempSMART becoming a North American leader among hemp-based cannabinoid companies.

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