Columbia Care Completes Acquisition of Colorado-based Medicine Man; Strengthens its leadership position in the world’s second largest cannabis market

• Adds four Denver-Metro retail outlets and 35,000 square foot indoor grow facility
• Immediately accelerate Columbia Care’s adjusted EBITDA and operating cash flow
• Solidifies Columbia Care’s Position as the Leading Retailer, Grower and Manufacturer in Colorado

NEW YORK, November 1, 2021– (BUSINESS WIRE) –Columbia Care Inc. (NEO: CCHW) (CSE: CCHW) (OTCQX: CCHWF) (FSE: 3LP) (“Columbia Care†or the “Companyâ€), one of largest and most experienced cannabis growers, manufacturers and distributors in the United States, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Medicine Man, a leading, vertically integrated cannabis company based in the United States. Colorado, which has served the Denver metro area since 2009.

The total initial consideration was $ 42.0 million, including $ 8.4 million in cash and $ 33.6 million in shares, with the possibility of an additional milestone payment based on 2021 performance. The transaction is immediately accretive to Adjusted EBITDA and operating cash flows. The initial consideration of $ 42.0 million represents a multiple of approximately 4.5 times the EBITDA forecast for 2021.

As the second largest cannabis market in the world, Colorado has become a global indicator for adult use programs and continues to show strong organic growth. The acquisition of Medicine Man strengthens our leadership position in the state by combining us with a recognized operator that has consistently outperformed the Colorado market since its inception.

Nicholas Vita, CEO of Columbia Care

We are grateful to the cities of Aurora, Denver and Thornton, and the State of Colorado, for their support, and to the team at Medicine Man who have been great to work with throughout this process. Our vision and values ​​are aligned, and we look forward to expanding our Columbia Care family with the addition of those who have made Medicine Man such a successful business.

The acquisition adds a culture facility and four dispensaries to Columbia Care’s operations in Colorado, including the location of Medicine Man Longmont, which is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022. Columbia Care’s Colorado footprint will now total 26 dispensaries and six growing and manufacturing facilities, including those under the The Green Solution brand.

This marks the next step in the evolution of Medicine Man from an ambitious family business to part of a blue chip operation. Our experience with Columbia Care through this process reinforced the reasons we decided to partner with them.

Sally Vander Veer, CEO of Medicine Man

The team has been amazing, fair and efficient over the past few months. Our goal now is to implement their vision and bring as much value as possible to Operation Columbia Care.

For more information on the transaction, please refer to Columbia Care’s Press release published on June 15, 2021, or visit the presentations section of the investor site.

Advisors

Foley Hoag LLP is legal counsel for Columbia Care. Right Side Advisory Services acts as financial advisor to Medicine Man. Husch Blackwell LLP is acting as legal counsel to Medicine Man.

About Columbia Care

Columbia Care is one of the largest and most experienced cultivators, manufacturers and suppliers of cannabis products and related services, with licenses in 18 US jurisdictions and the EU. Columbia Care operates 130 facilities, including 99 dispensaries and 31 growing and manufacturing facilities, including those under development. Columbia Care is one of the premier providers of medical cannabis in the United States and now offers cutting-edge products and services to both the medical and adult markets. In 2021, the company launched Cannabist, its new retail brand, creating a nationwide network of dispensaries that operate proprietary technology platforms. The company offers products including flowers, edibles, oils and tablets, and manufactures popular brands such as Seed & Strain, Triple Seven, gLeaf, Classix, Plant Sugar, Press, Amber and Platinum Label CBD. For more information on Columbia Care, please visit www.col-care.com.

Original press release

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Last year, Christine Smith put a new candy of her own on the shelves at New Seasons Markets. Snooze Fruit Chews promised restful sleep.

Over the past 18 months, Smith’s chews have become the mainstay of his Portland business, Grön Chocolate, a local maker of chocolate bars and fruit chews infused with compounds from marijuana plants and hemp.

Snooze Fruit Chews on grocery store shelves account for a third of Grön’s $3 million in annual sales outside of dispensaries. Gummies can be found at New Seasons and other health food stores, just like any other non-intoxicating CBD product.

But the chew, which is infused with compounds derived from hemp, not marijuana, doesn’t just contain CBD, or cannabidiol. Its main appeal is that it also contains CBN, or cannabinol: a derivative of machine-processed hemp that prematurely ages CBD.

And although CBN has no intoxicating properties, it is, according to national cannabis regulators, an artificial ingredient.

Those regulators now say that Smith and other edibles companies did, indeed, sell a manufactured additive on grocery store shelves. And they are removing CBN products from grocery stores on July 1, limiting future sales to marijuana dispensaries.

The state’s two largest edible CBN makers, Grön and Wyld CBD, are threatening to leave Oregon — the only state in the nation that has raised the red flag on CBN — over the ban.

“We’ve been based in Oregon forever,” says Gabe Parton Lee, chief compliance officer for Wyld CBD. “But if this is how the state of Oregon approaches cannabis policy in the future, why would we be interested in staying here when we could find any other state that has a much more vision progressive?”

The fight against CBN shows the speed at which Oregon cannabis companies are discovering new uses for their plants and the scramble of regulators to determine whether the risks to consumers outweigh the advertised health benefits.

Although known for decades, CBN became a popular ingredient in edibles only two years ago when several companies created new production methods to process it. With the July 1 rule, Oregon became the first state to ban the substance from grocery shelves — an example for other states to prioritize consumer health over cannabis company profits, according to the Oregon Alcohol and Cannabis Commission.

“It’s not the norm for any other food or dietary supplement ingredient – let’s sell something for 18 months, and hopefully keep selling it,” says TJ Sheehy, chief data and research officer for the committee. “The premise is that we don’t experiment on humans when we sell stuff.”

Two laws passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2021 authorized the OLCC to develop greater oversight of the cannabis industry. On December 28, the agency finalized its list of new rules and regulations.

Some rule changes have loosened standards for the cumbersome seed-to-sale tracking system, eased penalties for minor rule violations, and raised the limit on how much THC can be put in edibles.

But the new CBN rule is clearly the most controversial. It applies to any substance that the OLCC considers an “artificially derived cannabinoid”, meaning any compound derived from cannabis that undergoes a molecular change during processing.

This includes delta-8-THC, a highly intoxicating substance derived from the hemp plant that was previously not regulated at the state or federal level.

It also includes CBN.

Edible makers claim that CBN sold on grocery store shelves helps users sleep without any intoxicating effects. Because it doesn’t get anyone high, they argue, the commission should leave CBN alone. “It’s disturbing to see the OLCC using its newfound authority to arbitrarily ban things,” says Wyld’s Parton Lee.

But state regulators say any chemical experiments with hemp require government oversight and, until then, shouldn’t be sold alongside Burt’s Bees lip balm in grocery stores.

“Whether it’s intoxicating or not is sort of a secondary concern,” says OLCC hemp expert Steven Crowley. “The main concern is whether it is made in a way that is safe to consume.”

Alleh Lindquist, co-founder of FloraWorks, a Portland processing company that began producing CBN in 2019, says the commission’s apprehension about chemically modified cannabinoids is legitimate. Yet he still thinks the state is going too far.

“From a chemist’s perspective, I see the concern that you can make anything and sell it to people,” says Lindquist. “But the OLCC did everything [cannabinoids] fall into the same category whether they are intoxicating or not.

On July 1, 2023, the rules become even stricter.

As of this date, CBN products can only be sold in dispensaries if they obtain a federal designation declaring them “generally recognized as safe” or if they obtain approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration. as a “new food ingredient”.

It’s unlikely. The CBN candy makers think their best strategy is to self-publish toxicology and health data showing their product is safe — a GRAS self-determination — and avoid federal government judgment. Even then, the OLCC says it will demand a copy of the evidence.

For the already reeling hemp industry, the new rule is a nightmare.

In 2019, the price of a pound of hemp was $43. By the end of 2021, it had fallen to $1.50.

CBN edibles were a remaining market for hemp. According to a data firm that looked at sales in four states, CBN products that also contain THC generated $8.4 million in revenue in the first nine months of 2021 (this might be an undercount, because the company only looked at the sales of the top 20 brands).

Grön’s CBN products, including New Seasons non-intoxicating chews and CBN chews sold at dispensaries (which contain THC and are intoxicating), account for 30% of Grön’s total annual revenue of $14 million. dollars.

“That makes us wonder if Oregon is a great place to set up our headquarters,” says Smith, whose biggest buyer of CBN products is New Seasons. “In the open market, I’m considering shutting down our CBD business, or just letting it sleep for a while, because of this ban.”

And Parton Lee says Wyld is exploring legal options “to see if there’s a way to prevent the rule from being enforced or implemented in July.”

Sheehy thinks they’re bluffing. He says the industry once threatened to leave the state when the OLCC banned certain additives after nearly 20 users fell ill and two died in a flare-up of vaping-related illnesses in 2019.

“We had additive companies saying if these rules were passed as written, ‘We wouldn’t be able to meet them, we would be out of state,’” Sheehy says. “Even the people who said these comments are now complying with our rules, and these products are still on the market.”

You are reading a copy of this week’s edition of the weekly New Cannabis Ventures newsletter, which we have been publishing since October 2015. The newsletter includes a unique preview to help our readers stay ahead of the curve as well as links to the most important of the week. new.

Friends,

One of the main lessons to be learned from recent earnings reports is that U.S. cannabis companies will invest in expanding their capabilities in their existing operating states as well as in several states legalizing adult use, in particular. New Jersey, New York and Virginia, where the big Cannabis companies already have strong positions in the medical markets. Several companies that have increased their production capacity over the past two years stand to benefit greatly from the continued expansion, but their stock prices certainly do not reflect these underlying trends. These are Scotts Miracle-Gro (its Hawthorne Gardening division), Hydrofarm and GrowGeneration, which together reported sales of $ 682 million in the June quarter.

The New Cannabis Ventures Global Cannabis Stock Index has gained 6.3% so far in 2021, but each of these three stocks has seen double-digit declines:

Investors should pay attention to this recent stock split, which indicates either a flawed basic assumption about the industry‘s growth prospects, or, more likely in our view, creating a potentially good entry. Analysts’ expectations and company forecasts reflect the likelihood of continued strong growth, albeit at a slower pace. In its call in the third quarter of the fiscal year, Scotts Miracle-Gro suggested that the growth of its Hawthorne Gardening division for fiscal 2022, which is expected to increase by 40 to 45% for fiscal 2021, should exceed 10 to 20% (this is not a formal guidance, which to be provided in November, and was admittedly conservative). Analysts’ expectations for the Hydrofarm and GrowGeneration pure-plays suggest 2022 revenue will increase by 28% and 31% respectively. EPS is expected to increase by 54% and 43%, respectively.

While growth is expected to slow, growth rates remain robust. Additionally, revenue estimates for 2022 are up for both companies. BPA 2022 estimates fell slightly for GrowGeneration and increased for Hydrofarm in recent months. The sharp drop in prices and continued growth in business have made these stocks considerably cheaper than they were at the start of the year. Using data from Sentieo, these are the Enterprise Value / Revenue, Enterprise Value / EBITDA and PE ratios of 12/31 and today, for the next twelve months (note that Scotts Miracle-Gro is for the whole company, not just Hawthorne):

Either way, valuations have fallen considerably. For GrowGeneration, its EV / forward sales ratio fell 63%, while its EV / EBITDA fell 66%. The futures PE, likewise, fell 56%. The same Hydrofarm ratios fell by 34%, 68% and 73% respectively. Scotts Miracle-Gro valuation ratios fell 32%, 27% and 33%, respectively.

When weighing valuations against MSO valuations, it is important to consider that these companies and other providers of ancillary goods and services have big advantages over US cannabis operators. On the one hand, they are not subject to the 280E tax. In addition, they can scale their business due to their ability to conduct interstate commerce. Finally, their shares trade on higher stock exchanges, which gives them better liquidity.

While one conclusion could be that investors have lost confidence in the growth outlook, we believe the weakness in prices primarily reflects negative short-term technical data. GrowGeneration broke the price of $ 30 where it raised $ 172.5 million last December. Hydrofarm continues to trade above its IPO price, but hit an all-time low in mid-August. Scotts Miracle-Gro hit a 52-week low last week. The fall in prices seems to be feeding on itself. Additionally, we believe these stocks tend to correlate with large Canadian LPs, which are down sharply as they also trade on higher exchanges. The fundamentals, however, are very different.

GrowGeneration is by far the leader in the highly fragmented hydroponics store industry and is increasingly used by MSOs. Its growth has been fueled by both organic sales gains as well as new stores and mergers and acquisitions. In 2020, around 40% of its activity came from the sale of equipment, the balance in consumables. Likewise, Hydrofarm and Scotts Miracle-Gro are market leaders with substantial exposure to the capital expenditures of cannabis operators. These companies are expected to benefit from the expansion of growth to come as US companies continue to expand capacity, as they universally discussed last month. As we pointed out in this newsletter three weeks ago, there is a lot of capital to fuel these expansions.

The weakness in stock prices has left the valuations of these stocks quite reasonable in our opinion, and this suggests that some investors may not be convinced that the developments that will benefit these companies will actually occur. We believe the market is still grappling with the parabolic peak at the start of the year and suggest the price action is more technical in nature. The action of these stocks is either a warning to cannabis investors or a potential opportunity.

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Fire & Flower is a leading technology-based cannabis retailer, with over 90 company-owned stores in its network. The company recently made two acquisitions that allow it to offer innovative online dispensaries across North America through its Hifyre technology platform. Thanks to the strategic investment of Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. (owner of Circle K convenience stores), the Company aims for global expansion as new cannabis markets emerge.

Get up to speed by visiting the Fire & Flower Investor Dashboard that we maintain on their behalf as a client of New Cannabis Ventures. Click the blue Follow Company button to stay updated on their progress.

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New Cannabis Ventures publishes selected articles as well as exclusive news. Here are some of the most interesting business content from this week:

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Based in Houston, Alan puts his experience as the founder of the online community to good use. 420 Investor, the first and still the largest publicly traded equity-focused due diligence platform in the cannabis industry. With his extensive network in the cannabis community, Alan continues to find new ways to connect the industry and facilitate its sustainable growth. TO New cannabis companies, he is responsible for content development and strategic alliances. Prior to focusing on the cannabis industry in early 2013, Alan, who began his career on Wall Street in 1986, worked as a freelance research analyst after more than two decades in research and portfolio management. A prolific writer, with over 650 articles published since 2007 on In search of the alpha, where he has 70,000 subscribers, Alan is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and a frequent source to the media, including the NY Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fox Business and Bloomberg TV. Contact Alain: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | E-mail

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Key theme AND F transmitter AND F Group of managers SARL (ETFMG®) announced the launch of a new fund in its lineup of cannabis ETFs, the ETFMG 2x Daily Reverse Alternative Harvest AND F. MJIN is designed to seek daily leveraged investment results, before fees and expenses, of twice the inverse (-2x) (or inverse) of the performance of the Prime Alternative Harvest Index, offering investors access to the global cannabis ecosystem and directly benefiting medicinal and recreational legalization initiatives.

“The launch of MJIN marks another first in the market for ETFMG and complements our full range of cannabis investment offerings, â€said Sam Masucci, CEO and founder of ETFMG. “We are a one-stop-shop for investors looking to capitalize on the global and US cannabis sectors.”

MJIN is ETFMG’s fourth cannabis exchange-traded fund. He joins the ETFMG Alternative harvest AND F (MJ) – the first cannabis listed in the United States and the largest in the world AND F – as good as ETFMG American Alternative Harvest AND F (MJUS) and the ETFMG 2x daily alternative harvest AND F (MJXL). The fund also joins the company’s line of 2x daily leveraged ETFs, which are structured to provide investors with short-term and amplified exposure to high-growth themes already offered by ETFMG.

“Investor interest in the cannabis sector has continued to increase as the industry has grown thanks to strong fundamentals and the growing prospect of legislative reform. While most investors are primarily focused on capturing the long-term potential of the cannabis industry, many are looking for a short-term trading vehicle to help hedge, from time to time, the downside volatility that can occur. support investment in an emerging sector. . As the cannabis industry continues to grow and diversify, so should its investment options. It is a privilege to be able to offer cannabis investors a full range of investment options, including the ability to gain long or short exposure to the sector, â€said Jason Wilson, banking and research expert at cannabis at ETFMG.

Kris Manaco, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Prime Indexes, said: “We are proud to extend our relationship with ETFMG by launching another essential investment product for the cannabis industry. ETFMG’s new fund strengthens the Prime Alternative Harvest Index as a key benchmark for investors in a sector that is still in its infancy.

For more news, information and strategy visit AND F Tendencies.

About ETFMG®

ETFMG is a provider of exchange-traded funds (ETF), founded in 2014 with a vision of developing innovative thematic ETFs that provide investors with unique exposure to new markets. Today the ETFMG The range of funds provides access to a diverse collection of global themes and is made up of 75% leading products. We transform portfolio management strategies into successful ETFs by partnering with market segment experts to provide long-term growth opportunities for investors. ETFMG funds are proof of the power of AND F wrapper and that thematic products can have their place in investors’ portfolios. To learn more about ETFMG and our portfolio of exchange traded funds, please visit www.etfmg.com.

Carefully consider the investment objectives, risk factors, fees and expenses of the Fund before investing. This and other information can be found in the Fund’s statutory and summary prospectus, which can be obtained by calling 1-844-383-6477, or by visiting www.etfmg.com/MJIN. Read the prospectus carefully before investing.

Investing involves risks, including the possible loss of capital. Actions of everything AND F are bought and sold at market price (not NAV), can be traded at a discount or a premium for NAV and are not individually redeemed from the Fund. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns. Closely targeted investments tend to exhibit higher volatility. Possession and use of marijuana, even for medical purposes, is illegal under federal and some state laws, which can negatively impact the value of the Fund’s investments. The use of marijuana is regulated by both the federal and state governments, and federal and state laws regarding marijuana are often in conflict. Even in states where the use of marijuana has been legalized, its possession and use remains a violation of federal law. Federal law criminalizing the use of marijuana prevails over state laws that legalize its use for medicinal and recreational purposes. Cannabis companies and pharmaceutical companies may never be able to legally produce and sell products in the United States or other national or local jurisdictions.

Invest in a ETFMG 2x daily and reverse leveraged AND F may be more volatile than investing in broadly diversified funds. The use of leverage by a AND F increases the risk for the AND F. The ETFMG Daily Leverage and 2x Reverse ETFs are not suitable for all investors and should only be used by sophisticated investors who understand the risk of leverage, the consequences of seeking out leveraged investment results. daily leverage or daily reverse leverage and intend to actively monitor and manage their investment as often as possible. Daily.

The use of derivatives such as swaps is subject to additional risks which may lead to price fluctuations over time and include the effects of composition, market volatility, leverage risk, risk associated with trading techniques. aggressive investment, counterparty risk and intraday investment risk. Please consult the summary and the full prospectus for a more complete description of these and other risks associated with investing in the Fund.

The Fund’s investments will be concentrated in one industry or a group of industries to the extent that the Index is so concentrated. In such a case, the value of the shares of the Fund may rise and fall more than the value of the shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies from a wider range of industries. The consumer staples industry may be affected by the authorization to use various components of products and production methods, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand. Tobacco companies, in particular, can be affected by new laws, regulations and litigation. The consumer staples sector may also be affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors.

The Fund is intended to be made available only to residents of the United States. Under no circumstances is the information provided on this website intended for distribution or use by, or to be an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the Fund or any investment product or service of , any person or entity in a jurisdiction or country, other than the United States, where any such distribution, use, offer or solicitation would subject the Fund or its affiliates to any registration requirement or be illegal under laws on securities of that jurisdiction or country.

The Fund is distributed by ETFMG Financial SARL. AND F Group of managers SARL and ETFMG Financial SARL are wholly owned subsidiaries of Exchange Traded Managers Group SARL (collectively, “ETFMG“). ETFMG is not affiliated with Prime Indexes.

The Fund is intended to be made available only to residents of the United States. Under no circumstances is the information provided on this website intended for distribution or use by, or to be an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the Fund or any investment product or service of , any person or entity in a jurisdiction or country, other than the United States, where any such distribution, use, offer or solicitation would subject the Fund or its affiliates to a registration requirement or be illegal under the laws of securities of that jurisdiction or country.

See the source version on businesswire.com

The world’s first nationally adopted cannabis software will help standardize, simplify and propel the federally-run medical cannabis industry in Saint-Vincent and the Grenadines

DENVER, August 5, 2021 / PRNewswire / – Akerna Company (Nasdaq: KERN) today announces an exclusive partnership with the Medicinal Cannabis Authority (MCA) in Saint-Vincent-et-les- Grenadines (SVG). As part of this partnership, Akerna will provide MCA with a customer relationship management (CRM) tool specially developed to strengthen the medicinal cannabis industry in the Caribbean countries while meeting regulatory requirements and creating a user-friendly experience. This program will serve as a national model that can be replicated to meet all global cannabis regulations.

This program will serve as a national model that can be replicated to meet all global cannabis regulations.

The medicinal cannabis industry at SVG exists within parameters and mandates defined by local laws and international traceability treaties that govern controlled substances. These parameters require precise monitoring of medicinal cannabis which, combined with the requirements for authorization of personal possession, require significant documentation that must be completed for each patient.

The CRM implemented by Ample Organics, an Akerna company, is expected to dramatically simplify this documentation process and enable rapid assessment of the patient access platform, improving data retrieval, data availability for the patient. MCA and an overall physician, pharmacist and patient friendly experience.

“After seeing the success of Akerna’s Ample Organics product in Canada, the Medicinal Cannabis Authority of SVG was interested in partnering to create software to meet their specific regulatory and compliance needs, â€said Jessica billingsley, CEO of Akerna. “This is the first-ever implementation of a nationwide CRM system within the cannabis industry and will serve as a model for other countries or regions looking to implement a standardized system to nationwide. ”

“The new workflows will provide a better organization of information and increase the efficiency of monitoring and analysis processes, reducing the need for time, paper and human resources, in order to maximize productivity,” said said dr. Jerrol thompson, CEO of the Medicinal Cannabis Authority. “The MCA wanted to express its sincere thanks to Ample Organics and the rest of the Akerna family for guiding SVG through the various challenges of starting a cannabis market, allowing us to reach this successful stage today. ”

Saint-Vincent and the Grenadines strives to be the best regulated medicinal cannabis industry in the world Caribbean, with high quality products recognized for local use and for export, which meet the highest international and industrial standards. The vision of the cannabis industry in SVG integrates the entire value chain of this drug, including Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP), Good Manufacturing Processes (GMP), export and l local patient access. The industry was designed to maximize its impact on the Vincentian workforce and economy and is expected to be an important driver of technological innovation and contribute to the growth of the agricultural, industrial, medical and tourism sectors.

About Ample Organics:

Founded in 2014 and acquired by Akerna in 2020, Ample Organics is adopted by more Canadian licensees than any other cannabis software solution. A complete ecosystem for cannabis companies, the technology platform facilitates compliance by tracking individual plants from seed to consumer and reporting every detail of the growth, production and sales processes. Our team of cannabis industry and tech experts designed the platform to facilitate compliance and transparency while improving overall business efficiency and operational intelligence. The software continues to be the most reliable solution for cannabis growers, manufacturers, distributors, physicians, clinics, laboratories, retailers and educators. Visit AmpleOrganics.com.

About Akerna:

Akerna (Nasdaq: KERN) is a service-oriented enterprise software company compliant with the cannabis, hemp, and CBD industries. Situated at Denver, Colorado, the company’s mission is to create the world’s most transparent and responsible supply chain by creating a cannabis technology ecosystem connecting data points across the global supply chain for cannabis, seed for sale to oneself. First launched in 2010, Akerna has followed more than $ 20 billion in cannabis sales to date and was the first cannabis software company listed on the Nasdaq.

Using connected data and information to power the cannabis industry, Akerna empowers businesses, governments, patients and consumers to make smart decisions. The company’s core technology, the MJ Platform, the world’s leading infrastructure as a service platform, powers retailers, manufacturers, brands, distributors and growers. Akerna also offers a full suite of professional consulting and data analysis services for business as well as solo science, MJ Freeway, Leaf Data Systems, Trellis, Ample Organics and Viridian Sciences.

About the Medicinal Cannabis Authority:

The Medicinal Cannabis Authority was created under the Medicinal Cannabis Industry Act, 2018. It is a legal person with the mandate to regulate the cultivation, supply, possession, production and use of cannabis for medical purposes. This mandate is part of the government of Saint-Vincent and the Grenadines vision to establish a well-regulated and export-oriented medicinal cannabis industry. Visit MCA.VC.

Saint-Vincent and the Grenadines has established a well-regulated, high-quality, export-oriented medicinal cannabis industry. He strives to be a leader and an example of how a small nation with big dreams, ideas and well-designed plans can successfully establish a world-class medicinal cannabis industry. A critical part of this is the local availability of medicinal cannabis for local patients and visitors with appropriate eligible diseases and to do so in a very efficient and professional manner.

Forward-looking statements

Certain statements made in this press release and any accompanying statements by management are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, words “estimates”, “plans”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “plans”, “intention”, “believes”, “research”, “may”, “may”, “should” , “Should”, “the future”, “propose” and variations of such similar words or phrases (or negative versions of such words or phrases) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the CRM implemented by Ample which are expected to significantly simplify the documentation process and enable rapid assessment of the Patient Access Platform, improving data retrieval. , availability of data for the MCA and overall user-friendly experience and any other statements expressing the views of Akerna management on future business results or strategy. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are beyond the control of ‘Akerna, which could lead to actual results or results. (including, without limitation, the results of Akerna’s contracts, strategic initiatives and business plans as described herein) differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors, among others that may affect results or actual results, include (i) Akerna’s ability to recognize the expected benefits of being a public company, (ii) competition, (iii) ability of Akerna to grow and manage its growth profitably, (iv) Akerna’s ability to maintain customer and supplier relationships and retain its management and key employees, (v) costs associated with to be a public company, (vi) changes in applicable laws or regulations, (vii) Akerna’s ability to identify, complete and integrate acquisitions, including Viridian, and achieve expected synergies and operational efficiencies in in connection with the acquired businesses, (viii) and other risks and uncertainties disclosed from time to time in the documents filed by Akerna with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including those mentioned in section n “Risk factorsâ€. Actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially, and potentially negatively, from any projections and forward-looking statements and the assumptions on which they differ from forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that the data contained in this document reflects to any degree future performance. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as predictors of future performance, as projected financial and other information is based on estimates and assumptions which are inherently subject to various risks, uncertainties and other important factors, including many are beyond Akerna’s control. All information contained herein is valid only as of the date hereof, in the case of information about Akerna, or as of the date of such information, in the case of information from persons other than Akerna. Akerna assumes no obligation to update or revise the information contained in this document. Forecasts and estimates for Akerna’s industry and end markets are based on sources believed to be reliable; however, there can be no assurance that such forecasts and estimates will prove to be correct in whole or in part.

View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/akerna-secures-worlds-first-national-government-cannabis-contract-with-st-vincent-and-the-grenadines -301349313 .html

SOURCE Akerna

Anti-mask remedy?

Last week I told you about a group called “The Mendocino Patriots” that don’t have any masks, face protests in Ukiah stores that require customers to wear C-19 masks.

These “patriots” are opposed to state and county health ordinances requiring “universal masking” in “all indoor public places.”

A reader sent me an email suggesting that all anti-maskers and anti-vaxers should “be banned from receiving hospital treatment if they contract Covid as they are most likely responsible for the spread of the pandemic to others who follow the rules “.

What do you think, is it called poetic justice?

Or is this a desperate time calling for desperate action?

Seriously, most anti-vaccines that end up in hospital with C-19 or some variant quickly convert to true believer status and urge others not to follow their regrettable example and go get the Jab.

Watch out for weed wishes

Wait a second while I tune the smallest violin in the world so that I can play the smallest but saddest tune in the world.

This sonata is dedicated to all giant pot producers and companies who have released public relations statements, letters to the editor, opinion pieces and media platform propaganda regarding their impending demise due to alleged draconian regulatory violations. scope of national and local weed ordinances.

The Mr. and Mrs. Bigs of the pot industry are now demanding that state and local ganja officials send in the cavalry to rescue them because, as Flo Kana executives recently announced, “we don’t let’s take more. “

What Flo Kana is not going to put up with anymore is paying her taxes under state and local pot ordinances.

They say they are going bankrupt, downsizing and digging in, all because of the monopoly economic influences of the illegal and evil black market that deals exclusively with tax-free weed.

Ipso-facto, the Bigs must be relieved of their overloaded tax burden.

As Sonoma County-based CannaCraft, one of North Bay’s largest cannabis companies, put it in an opinion piece last week: “It stinks to be in the cannabis industry in Canada. California right now. We’re not just talking metaphorically either. Four years after cannabis advocates and workers celebrated the opening of the world’s largest legal recreational marijuana market, flawed licensing and taxation policies have created an emporium of dysfunction. Today, hundreds of California cannabis growers are choosing to let crops rot in the fields rather than risk a losing crop or return to the illicit market.

OK, I’ll make it short.

Here is what you need to know.

All of the following is what I have written and talked about over the past five years, when state and local governments began regulating cannabis.

State and local governments have been motivated to enact pot ordinances because of the allure of easy money – that is, greed – in the form of taxes and fees.

Producers were motivated by the lure of easy money, i.e. greed, in the form of cash income.

As I have said for many years to anyone calling for the legalization of marijuana, be careful what you wish for. Because with legalization comes regulation, and with regulation comes taxes, code enforcement, licensing, inspections, and increased oversight by regulatory and enforcement bodies.

And now they are finding that money is not that easy to make, and it also has all kinds of consequences, including those that are unintentional. For example, the County Cannabis Ordinance experience has attracted and continues to attract unwanted foreigners, rogue growers, cartels, deadly violence and environmental degradation so persists that the North Coast Water Board issued an emergency advisory saying our area is “inundated” with marijuana and the watersheds and water sources are seriously degraded.

These are the foundations of any regulatory system and framework: There is a coherent system of regulations and the means to enforce them. They fit like a hand and a glove. You cannot have one without the other. Yet this is the very situation this county has found itself in since the Cannabis Ordinance was enacted nearly five years ago. The hand and the glove never fit.

From an economic point of view, without law enforcement, overproduction of product occurs, which prevents people and businesses from moving the product to the so-called legal market. This scenario leaves only one viable alternative. If you want to pay your bills and somehow survive, you enter the black market.

Assuming this county one day gets serious about law enforcement, I estimated it would take five years to clean up all the illegal crops.

As you will find out in a second, it looks like my cleaning estimate could be way off the mark,

Militating against this, the county simply does not have the appropriate resources, funding, or the political will “can do” to administer and enforce any cannabis ordinance.

There is also another stupendous tip regarding the likelihood of making a workable and achievable weed ordinance.

Just recently, Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall told the Louisville Courier Journal that there were as many as 10,000 illegal crops in his county. He said he’s trying to target the Worst 100, which is all his little force can handle in a year.

“I’m fighting a dragon with a needle,†Kendall said.

Based on Kendall’s estimate that targeting 100 is increasing per year on a total of 10,000 illegal sites, it will only take 100 years to get the job done.

Now, that sounds like a workable plan.

Remember, when it comes to legalizing weeds, be careful what you want.

Jim Shields is editor and publisher of the Mendocino County Observer, [email protected], longtime District Director of the Laytonville County Watershed District, and chair of the Laytonville Area Municipal Advisory Council. Listen to his radio show “This and That” every Saturday at noon on KPFN 105.1 FM, also broadcast live: http://www.kpfn.org.

VSannabis is federally illegal in the United States. This makes it difficult for Canadian companies to expand into the market. But that hasn’t stopped domestic players from extending their roots. Even with a limited legal market, U.S. cannabis companies are thriving as state legalization continues to intensify. Among them, based in Illinois Cresco Laboratories (OTC: CRLBF), with a market cap of $ 2.1 billion, is making its way into the list of top competitors in the cannabis business.

Although Canopy growth (NASDAQ: CGC) is a solid company and also a bigger one (with a market cap of $ 5.3 billion), there are other factors to consider before investing. Let’s take a look at which pot stock is the right one to put your money in right now.

Image source: Getty Images.

The case of Cresco Labs

With 40 dispensaries in 10 states, this jar stock is getting all the attention. This vertically integrated multi-state operator has steadily increased revenue by targeting key cannabis markets like Pennsylvania, Illinois and Ohio which offer limited licenses. These states cap the number of licenses they issue and the number of stores that can operate in a state. This allowed Cresco to build a loyal following for its popular brands like Mindy’s Edibles, High Supply, etc. which contributed to its $ 101 million just through retail revenue in its second year. quarter ended June 30. Illinois, a rather new recreational market (legalization in January 2020), is experiencing exceptional sales.

The company’s total revenue was $ 210 million, a whopping 123% year-over-year increase. Cresco also reported second quarter net profit of $ 2.7 million, up from the huge loss of $ 41 million in the prior year period. Cresco expects to generate total revenue of $ 1 billion by the end of 2021, with gross profit margins exceeding 50% in the next two quarters.

We’ll know more about Cresco’s plan for this year and beyond when it releases its third quarter results on November 11.

The case of Canopy Growth

Canopy Growth, a reputable name in the cannabis arena, is making investors skeptical due to its lag in profitability. The company is increasing its income, but the growth is not sufficient to generate profits. Net sales for its first quarter (ended June 30) were C $ 136 million, an increase of 23% year-over-year. The company has experienced strong growth in the Canadian recreational and medical markets. Awning wide range of cannabis derivatives (additional recreational products that Canada legalized in October 2019) has been a hit with consumers, driving recreational sales.

Financially, Canopy is in a secure position for now mainly because Constellation brands the support. The U.S. beverage giant partnered with the company in 2018 and owns a 39% stake in Canopy after exercising its warrants. He ended the second quarter with $ 2.1 billion in cash and short-term investments.

But unless Canopy starts making a profit, that backup might not be able to keep it any longer. The company’s international cannabis revenue fell 8% year-on-year to C $ 19 million in the first quarter due to coronavirus lockdowns in many countries. The US market is still a long shot for the company. Meanwhile, Canopy can use its global presence (Europe, Africa and South America) and its strength in Canadian markets to grow revenues and generate profits. Management affirmed in the first quarter results that the company is on track to accelerate revenue growth and achieve positive earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) by the end of fiscal 2022. It succeeded in reducing its EBITDA loss to C $ 64 million, compared to $ 92 million in Q1 2021.

Which pot to choose?

Between these two, Cresco Labs is the more secure option. Canopy offers many opportunities in the US market due to Constellation’s presence in the market, but when federal legalization takes place, domestic companies will be the first to benefit. In addition, Cresco Labs is already profitable, while Canopy is still struggling to achieve positive EBITDA. Cresco Labs is a safe option for investors who want to grow their money. Growth is not impossible for Canopy, but it could take some time. Considering all the positives of Cresco Labs this is the best cannabis stocks to buy now for the long term.

Here is the marijuana stock you have been waiting for
A little-known Canadian company has just unlocked what some experts believe is the key to profiting from the upcoming marijuana boom.

And make no mistake, it does happen.

Cannabis legalization is sweeping across North America – 15 states plus Washington, DC, have all legalized recreational marijuana in recent years, and full legalization arrived in Canada in October 2018.

And an under-the-radar Canadian business is about to explode because of this upcoming marijuana revolution.

Because a game-changing deal has just been struck between the Government of Ontario and this mighty company … and you must hear this story today if you’ve even considered investing in pot stocks. .

Just click here to get the full story now.

Learn more

Sushree mohanty has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns stock and recommends Constellation Brands and Cresco Labs Inc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

“So it has been difficult to meet the retail store opening times because of this process,” he said.

“We struggled to get drywall, hammers and nails, but luckily we didn’t have a big disruption getting flowers,” he said.

In the thick of it, cannabis companies have also faced delays in shipments of packaging, PPE and cleaning supplies, Schneider said. The association hired seamstresses to sew masks and helped members create alternative recipes for cleaning products.

Cloud, who now has four stores, is also struggling to hire – an issue that affects the restaurant industry and others as well, McLeod said. “I would say that like all other industries, we definitely have to work harder to recruit new jobs,” Schneider added.

The pandemic may have helped spur the growing acceptance of legal cannabis.

State governments across the country have designated cannabis “essential” as the lockdown has become “one of the most important moments in the timeline of the country’s legal marijuana industry,” the national publication of the industry Daily Marijuana Business reports, because it “puts the cannabis industry in the same category as pharmacies, hospitals and other sources of legitimate drugs.”

It showed that these products – still seen as problematic by some – aren’t just for fun, they’re necessary, McLeod said.

Many retailers, facing a shortage of product packaging they were getting from overseas, turned to suppliers in Ohio and Michigan during the lockdown, Schneider said. She expects this pivot to last for many, since these shorter-distance relationships have already been formed.

Contactless deliveries and curbside pickup are also likely permanent for some.

Going forward, a big question for McLeod is how Michigan will resolve the problems resulting from the different regulation of medical and adult marijuana businesses.

Medical companies find it difficult to compete if their city does not allow recreation but the neighbor does, for example.

Schneider is also eagerly awaiting the types of licenses that were suspended during the pandemic: social consumption fairs, for example, and cannabis-based tourism.

“We expect to see more of these openings over the next year, starting this summer,” she said.

Regulatory upheaval

Rumble on the rules