Author: CannabisNewsWire (CNW)

About CannabisNewsWire CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) CannabisNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. CNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where news, content and information converge. To receive SMS text alerts from CannabisNewsWire, text “CANNABIS” to 21000 (U.S. Mobile Phones Only) For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

Savvy Companies Seizing Opportunities in Growing Cannabis Market

CannabisNewsWire Editorial Coverage: As the cannabis industry expands, companies are eyeing strategic opportunities in the sector designed to help them establish a foothold in the promising space.

  • Cannabis and related products are legal in Canada and an increasing number of states.
  • Businesses have responded with a growing range of diverse products.
  • Companies making the smartest investments, including carefully selected mergers and acquisitions, are in the best position to profit.

SinglePoint Inc. (OTCQB: SING) (SING Profile) has invested in a number of other cannabis companies to grow its portfolio and leverage its position in the market. Supreme Cannabis Company Inc. (TSX: FIRE) (OTCQX: SPRWF) just signed of letter of intent with Malta Enterprises, the economic development agency of Malta. MedMen Enterprises Inc. (CSE: MMEN) (OTCQX: MMNFF) recently wrapped up its previously announced acquisition of Kannaboost Technology Inc. and CSI Solutions LLC, two vertically integrated Arizona-based operations. Charlotte’s Web Holdings Inc. (OTCQX: CWBHF) (CSE: CWEB) reported more than 10 times growth in harvested hemp compared to its 2017 grow season. And Curaleaf Holdings Inc. (OTCQX: CURLF) (CSE: CURA) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Eureka Investment Partners LLC.

To view an infographic of this editorial, click here.

A Big Year for Big Investment in Cannabis

In only a few short weeks, this year is shaping up to be an important year in the cannabis market. The legal groundwork for industry changes was laid last year, with milestone legislation being passed in Canada, the United States and elsewhere. With legal regulations in place, new opportunities for the market to grow and for companies to make strategic moves within the sector have become more frequent — and appear to be more profitable.

This upward movement is fueling the ongoing development of two important trends: The first one is product diversification, as cannabis companies and the businesses supporting them develop a wider range of products for an increasingly varied market. The second one is big investment, as both outside businesses and larger cannabis companies move to create a presence in the market. Money is flowing in, making the most of the opportunities that legal and product changes provide.

A Changing Global Context

This year’s promise is rooted in last year’s significant growth and impressive forecast. SinglePoint Inc. (OTCQB: SING), a young tech company that has moved into the cannabis sector, saw its revenue hit the $1 million mark. In addition, like many cannabis companies, the company ended the year with even better things on the horizon, including a prediction that revenue should dramatically increase over the next 12 months.

Making such claims in a relatively untried sector may seem bold, but closer scrutiny reveals why such predictions appear to be solid.

To begin with, the changing attitude of lawmakers to cannabis has been crucial to the industry’s forward momentum. The prohibitory model for managing the drug that has dominated for half a century is increasingly recognized as not just ineffective but harmful to public health. As a result, governments are legalizing cannabis for medical use and are even creating regulated markets for recreational cannabis. This is especially true in Canada, where the trade became legal countrywide last October.

For American companies such as SinglePoint, progress has come on a state-by-state basis. Though the majority of Americans favor legalization, the federal government has been slow to follow what appears to be a nationwide attitude. Instead, individual states have created legal markets, with Michigan becoming one of the most recent with cannabis legalization taking place there in December. Two-thirds of U.S. states now allow medical cannabis, and one in five have legalized its recreational use; more are expected to follow suit in the near future. This swing in attitude — and government support — has allowed SinglePoint to begin investing in cannabis without having to consider a national cannabis business.

The end of the year saw a significant step towards wider legalization. Following months of wrangling, the 2018 Farm Bill was passed making industrial hemp legal on the federal level. This nonpsychoactive from of cannabis has provided many companies, including SinglePoint, with an important entry point into the sector, as the chemical cannabidiol (CBD), which can be derived from hemp, can be more widely sold than other forms of cannabis. CBD’s impressive popularity has provided a further boost to the sector, especially to companies entering the industry with CBD offerings.

Undoubtedly, the Farm Bill is set to allow cannabis businesses to grow significantly through hemp and provide a precedent as federal politicians reconsider the wider cannabis industry.

Product Diversification

Now that companies have identified CBD as a promising step into the market, they are doing what they do best — finding new ways to sell their products and services. This has led to a wave of innovation and an increasingly diverse range of cannabis-based products.

Two of the biggest areas for innovation are the creation of confectionaries and beauty products. The former offers a way to consume cannabis without inhaling it. The latter appears to be a natural fit given the suggested well-being benefits of CBD and THC, along with the willingness of customers to try new plant-based beauty products. But innovative companies aren’t stopping there, with options such as Phyto-Bites, a product SinglePoint distributes on its website SingleSeed.com, designed to improve the health and well-being of pets.

Human health and well-being remain a huge driver for innovation in cannabis. Aware of that, SinglePoint has also been adding health and wellness products to its sales lines. Its SingleSeed store recently unveiled a range of TorusMed Hemp CBD products to its offerings. The new products include treatments such as Sport Relief Topical Cream, an ointment designed to provide pain relief for professional and amateur athletes.

Smart Investing in the Cannabis Sector

The growth of the cannabis sector has not occurred without a few bumps along the way. Companies are operating in a space that didn’t even exist 20 years ago, and the sector is evolving quickly, with the last few years triggering a wave of consolidation. In a fast-changing market, challenges are expected, and the ability to meet such challenges successfully is essential to a company’s success.

The secret to smart investing in this new space is the same as for any sector: research, understand the businesses being invested in, identify a plan and execute it. Understanding the specifics of the cannabis market is critical, and the trend within the industry most recently has been mergers and acquisitions, as companies such as SinglePoint have expanded through investment in promising companies that provide products and services that will complement and support its strategy.

SinglePoint’s most recent investment has been in TorusMed, a company developing new ways to optimize CBD output from hemp and, consequently, increase the profitability of this piece of the cannabis sector. With the Farm Bill pointing to hemp creating a new boom in the industry, SinglePoint has used its understanding of the market to invest in a company that appears to offer great potential to make the most of this moment.

Moves such as this can put a company in a strong position heading into what may be the biggest year yet for cannabis. “[This year] will be a banner year for SinglePoint,” said SinglePoint CEO Greg Lambrecht. “We are equipped with the proper funding, partners and opportunities to be firing on all cylinders. We as a team expect to position SingleSeed and SinglePoint as market leads in the CBD market while continuing to enable the founders of the companies we have acquired to grow their businesses. We are well diversified and have large opportunities across many emerging markets that should enable us to be successful into 2019 and beyond.”

New Year, Fresh Growth

The move for Supreme Cannabis Company Inc. (TSX: FIRE) (OTCQX: SPRWF) to partner with Malta Enterprises is the company’s first step to obtain a Cannabis Production License in the country. The license would allow Supreme to produce and process cannabis for medical use within Malta, one of Europe’s principal commercial entry points, and to export cannabis for medical use to certain international markets.

MedMen Enterprises Inc.’s (CSE: MMEN) (OTCQX: MMNFF) acquisition of Kannaboost Technology and CSI Solutions LLC includes retail locations in Scottsdale and Tempe, as well as 25,000 square feet of cultivation and production capacity in Tempe and Phoenix. The acquisition also includes a 40-percent stake in top-selling brand K.I.N.D. Concentrates, which is currently distributed in more than 90 percent of Arizona dispensaries.

Charlotte’s Web Holdings Inc. (OTCQX: CWBHF) (CSE: CWEB) claims the No. 1 position in market share in the hemp CBD market, with its products sold in 3,680 retail locations as well as on its website. Charlotte’s Web had 300 acres of hemp planted in 2018 compared with only 70 acres in 2017, resulting in a harvest of 675,000 pounds of hemp last year. The legalization of hemp in the U.S. should open the doors for Charlotte’s Web to expand its retail opportunities with national chains.

Curaleaf Holdings Inc.’s (OTCQX: CURLF) (CSE: CURA) definitive agreement to acquire Eureka Investment Partners will provide access to California’s wholesale market through an existing 110,000-square-foot greenhouse facility in Salinas, California, with the potential to expand up to 270,000 square feet, which could generate more than 50,000 pounds of dry flower per year at full scale. Headquartered in Massachusetts, Curaleaf has a presence in 12 states, owns and operates 42 dispensaries, 12 cultivation sites and 10 processing sites with a focus on highly populated, limited-license states including Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.

Legal changes are encouraging an increasingly diverse cannabis market, in which companies that make smart investments are primed for profit.

For more information on SinglePoint, visit SinglePoint Inc. (OTCQB: SING)

About CannabisNewsWire

CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) CannabisNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. CNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where news, content and information converge.

Receive Text Alerts from CannabisNewsWire: Text “Cannabis” to 21000

For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com and or https://CannabisNewsWire.News

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

CannabisNewsWire (CNW)
Denver, Colorado
www.CannabisNewsWire.com
303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com

DISCLAIMER: CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is the source of the Article and content set forth above. References to any issuer other than the profiled issuer are intended solely to identify industry participants and do not constitute an endorsement of any issuer and do not constitute a comparison to the profiled issuer. The commentary, views and opinions expressed in this release by CNW are solely those of CNW. Readers of this Article and content agree that they cannot and will not seek to hold liable CNW for any investment decisions by their readers or subscribers. CNW is a news dissemination and financial marketing solutions provider and is NOT registered broker-dealers/analysts/investment advisers, hold no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security.

The Article and content related to the profiled company represent the personal and subjective views of the Author, and are subject to change at any time without notice. The information provided in the Article and the content has been obtained from sources which the Author believes to be reliable. However, the Author has not independently verified or otherwise investigated all such information. None of the Author, CNW, or any of their respective affiliates, guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any such information. This Article and content are not, and should not be regarded as investment advice or as a recommendation regarding any particular security or course of action; readers are strongly urged to speak with their own investment advisor and review all of the profiled issuer’s filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission before making any investment decisions and should understand the risks associated with an investment in the profiled issuer’s securities, including, but not limited to, the complete loss of your investment.

CNW HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.

This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. “Forward-looking statements” describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as “may”, “future”, “plan” or “planned”, “will” or “should”, “expected,” “anticipates”, “draft”, “eventually” or “projected”. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company’s annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and CNW undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

420 with CNW – Cerebral Palsy Added to Michigan Medical Cannabis Qualifying Conditions

Voters approved a ballot measure in 2008 to legalize medical cannabis in Michigan and since then, the list of the qualifying conditions has been expanding slowly. Cerebral palsy is the latest condition to be added onto that list which has just over two dozen health conditions.

LARA (the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) made the announcement after its sitting to consider the different conditions which had been proposed for inclusion on the list of medical marijuana qualifying conditions. LARA rejected requests to include Chronic Aggressive Behavior among the conditions that can be treated or managed using medical marijuana.

Cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder, develops when the brain of a child gets injured during its developmental stage. Some of the symptoms that can result from this condition are lack of motor function and control. There is evidence that marijuana can help to reduce the spastic movements or the seizures experienced by people suffering from cerebral palsy.

According to the statistics of the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation, about 764,000 people are affected by this disorder in the U.S. Most of those individuals (500,000) are kids that are less than 18 years of age.

It is therefore a big help that cerebral palsy has been added to the list of qualifying conditions in Michigan since conventional medicine offers little help to people suffering from this condition.

It is hoped that more people will now be able to get medical cannabis cards from the state. Currently, 294,000 people are registered and have medical marijuana cards in Michigan.

Accessing the medical marijuana program doesn’t have any age restriction, and many kids with various conditions, such as seizures, are cardholders in the state. The only extra requirements for kids is that a minimum of two doctors should recommend them to start using medical cannabis and the parent or guardian of that minor has to give consent for the child to start taking medical marijuana.

Last year, Michigan voters approved a ballot measure to legalize recreational cannabis. Adult-use cannabis will only be available to those who are at least 21 years old. Plans are underway to set up a regulatory system for the recreational sector, but the medical cannabis program will remain intact.

FinCanna Capital Corp. (CSE: CALI) (OTCQB: FNNZF) and Generation Alpha, Inc. (OTCQB: GNAL) applaud the progressive approach taken by LARA which will allow patients and investors in Michigan to benefit from cannabis as the industry evolves.

About CannabisNewsWire

CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) CannabisNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. CNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where news, content and information converge.

To receive instant SMS alerts, text CANNABIS to 21000

For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

Do you have a questions or are you interested in working with CNW? Ask our Editor

CannabisNewsWire (CNW)
Denver, Colorado
www.CannabisNewsWire.com
303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com

420 with CNW – Delaware Considers Letting Doctors Prescribe Cannabis for Most Ailments

Senator Anthony Delcollo has introduced a bill in the state senate to change the law so that doctors will be free to decide which patient would be helped by medical marijuana instead of first checking whether that patient has a condition listed in the medical marijuana law.

Under the current law which was passed in 2011, patients can only qualify to get onto the medical marijuana program if they have one of the “debilitating conditions” such as terminal illnesses and cancer.

Delcollo argues that doctors undergo extensive training and have a lot of experience in the field. These professionals should be given the liberty to decide what is in the best interest of their patients, he says.

Senate Bill 24 is therefore intended to free doctors to use their discretion in determining whether medical cannabis will provide “palliative or therapeutic benefit” to patients.

The senator argues that this wouldn’t be a new thing since doctors are already exercising their professional discretion to determine which pharmaceuticals on the market are most likely to be beneficial to their patients.

Medical cannabis advocates concur and say that the proposed change is long overdue. They add that it should have been part of the first law that legalized medical marijuana in the state in 2011.

The bill is also intended to ease the restrictions on the kinds of medical specialists that are authorized to recommend the use of medical cannabis by patients who are younger than 18. However, the change would not alter the current provision stating that patients who are less than 18 can only use cannabis oil and not any other form of medical marijuana.

Senate Bill 24 enjoys bipartisan sponsorship and support, so it is hoped that the lawmakers will debate it thoroughly and give it the nod.

If it passes, Delaware will join Oklahoma and Maine as the only states that give doctors such leeway in deciding who can or cannot be treated using medical marijuana.

It hasn’t been an easy journey for Delaware to get to this point. It should be recalled that there were endless delays in opening the compassion centers where patients could access medical cannabis. To date, only four such centers are operational in the state.

More recently, there were plans to legalize recreational marijuana legislatively. More than a year was taken to debate the bill and when a vote was called, the bill was defeated by just four votes in June last year. No other recreational marijuana bill has yet been tabled during this legislative session.

Be that as it may, Global Payout, Inc. (OTC: GOHE), Golden Developing Solutions, Inc. (OTC: DVLP) and the entire investment community are hoping that this time round, appropriate legislation improving the medical cannabis environment is passed so that all interested parties, such as patients, can benefit.

About CannabisNewsWire

CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) CannabisNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. CNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where news, content and information converge.

To receive instant SMS alerts, text CANNABIS to 21000

For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

Do you have a questions or are you interested in working with CNW? Ask our Editor

CannabisNewsWire (CNW)
Denver, Colorado
www.CannabisNewsWire.com
303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com

420 with CNW – Georgia House Votes to Allow Medical Cannabis Oil

The Georgia House of Representatives voted last week (March 5) and passed a bill intended to regulate the manufacture and sale of medical marijuana oil. This bill now goes to the state senate for consideration before it becomes law.

The existing regulations in Georgia don’t allow the cultivation, manufacture or sale of cannabis oil, and this has left patients using medical marijuana in the state with no source of cannabis oil even if the laws allow the use of that oil as long as its THC content doesn’t exceed 5 percent.

House Bill 324 is geared at changing that so that patients who enroll on the medical cannabis program can access medical cannabis oil.

Once the bill is enacted into law, the 8,400 patients who have so far registered in the medical cannabis program of the state will be able to buy cannabis oil from one of the 60 medical marijuana dispensaries in the state.

Allan Powell, the Republican chair of the committee that initially considered the bill before sending it to the entire House for a vote, said that he was happy that a legal avenue was being created for qualifying patients to access marijuana oil.

He added that it was hypocritical to pass a law stipulating what kind of cannabis oil patients should use yet no mechanism was put in place to make it possible for patients to access that oil.

House Bill 324 sets the bar high for companies that would like to participate in the medical cannabis industry of the state. For example, large companies will have to pay $150,000 for a license while smaller companies will have to fork out $37,000. It will cost $30,000 to get a license to operate a medical cannabis retail business.

Renewing those licenses will not be any easier either. The fees for this range between $10,000 and $50,000. The businesses had better attract a large volume of sales if they are to thrive despite these high license acquisition and renewal fees.

Meanwhile, the bill still has opposition outside the chambers of the lawmakers. For example, the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association led by Terry Norris has described the bill as something that will take the state down a dangerous and treacherous path that may end into kids using marijuana while adults will eventually switch from cannabis to more dangerous drugs.

Such scaremongering isn’t new, but it may amount to nothing since even the Governor has promised to sign the law once it is passed by the senate. Canopy Rivers Inc. (TSX.V: RIV) (OTC: CNPOF) and ChineseInvestors.com (OTCQB: CIIX) hope that the legislation will be passed and implemented expeditiously so that patients and investors don’t have to wait any longer than is necessary for them to access medical cannabis oil or the opportunities the industry offers.

About CannabisNewsWire

CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) CannabisNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. CNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where news, content and information converge.

To receive instant SMS alerts, text CANNABIS to 21000

For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

Do you have a questions or are you interested in working with CNW? Ask our Editor

CannabisNewsWire (CNW)
Denver, Colorado
www.CannabisNewsWire.com
303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com

420 with CNW – The UN Announces Yet Another Delay of its Cannabis Reclassification Vote

First, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) delayed and postponed the release of its recommendations after an expert committee studied proposals for the reclassification of cannabis in international treaties. Now, yet another delay has hit that activity and the UN has announced that the March sitting of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, and the one in December this year, will not have marijuana reclassification on its agenda.

The recommendations of WHO had initially been scheduled to be voted on in December last year, but this was inexplicably postponed.

Some of the 53 members of the Narcotic Drugs Commission reportedly claimed that they needed additional time to study the recommendations made by the World Health Organization before they can decide how to vote when a vote is called.

Other members, such as Uruguay and Norway, were disappointed that no timeline was set for when the recommendations will be considered and voted upon. There are fears that the matter may be put on the backburner for an indefinite amount of time, for political reasons.

The recommendations were widely seen as a way for many countries to be free to embark on medical cannabis research and legalization, with others taking it a step further and decriminalizing adult-use marijuana.

The WHO had recommended that whole-plant marijuana and its resin should be removed from the strictest category (Category 4) of the 1961 International Drug Convention and placed in a less restrictive category.

To put this into perspective, the U.S. system of categorizing controlled substances is different from that of the UN. For example, in the U.S., Schedule 1 is reserved for the substances that deserve the strictest controls and the restrictions reduce as the schedule number gets bigger. This is unlike the UN where the smaller numbers have fewer restrictions while the bigger numbers, such as Category 4, have more stringent restrictions.

Meanwhile, as the UN is still playing hide and seek regarding its position on the calls for marijuana rescheduling, Europe is taking a different path. The EU Parliament approved a resolution calling on member states to avail support and funding for medical cannabis research. While the decision isn’t binding, it could pave the way for widespread research and legal reforms in EU member countries. This will leave the U.S. further behind in the rapidly evolving cannabis industry.

Choom Holdings Inc. (CSE: CHOO) (OTCQB: CHOOF) and Earth Science Tech, Inc. (OTCQB: ETST) call on the UN to stop dragging its feet and make the decision for which the world has been waiting.

About CannabisNewsWire

CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) CannabisNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. CNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where news, content and information converge.

To receive instant SMS alerts, text CANNABIS to 21000

For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

Do you have a questions or are you interested in working with CNW? Ask our Editor

CannabisNewsWire (CNW)
Denver, Colorado
www.CannabisNewsWire.com
303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com

Smart Investment Leads to Big Opportunities in Growing Cannabis Market

CannabisNewsWire Editorial Coverage: As the cannabis market grows, companies are seizing the opportunity to make strategic investments in the sector and establish a foothold in the promising space.

  • Cannabis and related products are legal in an ever-increasing number of jurisdictions.
  • Businesses have responded with an increasingly diverse range of products.
  • Companies making the smartest investments, such as carefully selected mergers and acquisitions, are in the best position to profit from this while minimizing risks.

SinglePoint Inc. (OTCQB: SING) (SING Profile) has invested in a number of other cannabis companies to grow its portfolio and leverage its position in the market. Marijuana Company of America Inc. (OTCQB: MCOA) (MCOA Profile), with its hemp-oriented business, is expecting a surge in profits following the crop’s federal legalization in the United States in December. Medical Marijuana Inc. (OTC: MJNA), the first publicly traded cannabis company in the United States, has seen record sales. PotNetwork Holdings Inc. (OTC: POTN) is reaching out to new customers with a CBD-infused slushy machine. And American Premium Water Corp. (OTC: HIPH) is also pushing CBD into the soft drinks market with its infused water.

To view an infographic of this editorial, click here.

A Big Year for Big Investment in Cannabis

This year looks to be an important year in the development of the cannabis market. The legal groundwork for those changes was laid last year, with significant legislation moving forward in Canada, the United States and elsewhere. With the legal aspects in place, fresh opportunities for the market to grow and for companies to make bold moves within the sector have become more frequent — and look to be more profitable.

This momentum is fueling the ongoing development of two important trends. One is product diversification, as cannabis companies and the businesses supporting them develop a wider range of products for an increasingly varied market. The other is big investment, as both the larger cannabis companies and outside businesses with big bank balances move to carve out chunks of the market. Money is flowing in, making the most of the opportunities that legal and product changes provide.

A Changing Global Context

Things have been looking rosy for cannabis for some time, and last year saw significant growth in the sector continue. SinglePoint Inc. (OTCQB: SING), a young tech company that has moved into the cannabis sector, saw its revenue hit the $1 million mark. In addition, like many cannabis companies, the company ended the year expecting even better things to come, with a prediction that revenue will dramatically increase over the next 12 months.

How can companies in a relatively untried sector make such bold claims?

The answer lies in the changing attitude of lawmakers to cannabis. The prohibitory model for managing the drug that has dominated for half a century is increasingly recognized as not just ineffective but harmful to public health. Consequently, governments are legalizing cannabis for medical use. And in the most forward-looking cases, they are creating regulated markets for recreational cannabis, most significantly in Canada, which made the trade legal nationally last October.

For American companies such as SinglePoint, change has come on a state-by-state basis. Though the majority of Americans favor legalization, the federal government has been too reliant on conservative voters to support nationwide change. Instead, individual states have created legal markets, with Michigan becoming one of the most recent when cannabis went legal there in December. Two-thirds of U.S. states now allow medical cannabis, and one in five have legalized its recreational use, with more expected to follow over the next few years. This has allowed SinglePoint to begin investing in cannabis without having to consider a national cannabis business.

December saw a significant step towards wider legalization. Following months of wrangling, the 2018 Farm Bill passed into law, making industrial hemp legal on the federal level. This nonpsychoactive from of cannabis has provided many companies, including SinglePoint, with an important entry point into the sector, as the chemical cannabidiol (CBD), which can be derived from hemp, can be more widely sold than other forms of cannabis. CBD’s meteoric rise has given a further boost to the sector, especially to companies entering via this route.

The Farm Bill will allow cannabis businesses to grow significantly through hemp and provide a precedent as federal politicians reconsider the wider cannabis industry.

Product Diversification

Now that they have more opportunities to produce cannabis, companies are doing what companies always do — finding new ways to sell their products and services. This has led to a wave of innovation and an increasingly diverse range of cannabis-based products.

Two of the biggest areas for innovation are the creation of confectionaries and beauty products. The former have obvious appeal as a way to consume cannabis without smoking it. The latter are a natural fit given the suggested well-being benefits of CBD and THC, along with the willingness of customers to try new plant-based beauty products. But even more innovative products are hitting the market, such as Phyto-Bites, a product SinglePoint distributes on its website SingleSeed.com, designed to improve the health and well-being of pets.

Human health and well-being remain a huge driver for innovation in cannabis. Aware of that, SinglePoint has also been adding health and wellness products to its sales lines. Its SingleSeed store recently unveiled a range of TorusMed Hemp CBD products to its offerings. The new products include treatments such as Sport Relief Topical Cream, an ointment designed to provide pain relief for professional and amateur athletes.

Smart Investing in the Cannabis Sector

The growth of the cannabis sector has inevitably led to some instability. Companies are operating in a space that didn’t even exist 20 years ago. The sector is evolving quickly, with the last few years triggering a wave of consolidation, and of course in a fast-changing market, there will be challenges and bumps along the way. Amid all this, working out how to investment smartly has become critical.

A lot of the secrets to smart investing in cannabis are the same as for any sector: do research, understand the businesses being invested in, have a plan and stick with it. Understanding the specific circumstances of the cannabis market is essential, and the big trend within the industry over the past year has been mergers and acquisitions, as companies such as SinglePoint have expanded through investment in promising companies that provide products and services that will complement and support its strategy.

SinglePoint’s most recent investment has been in TorusMed, a company developing new ways to optimize CBD output from hemp and therefore increase the profitability of this part of the cannabis sector. With hemp on the verge of a new boom thanks to the Farm Bill, SinglePoint has used its understanding of the market to invest in a company that appears to offer great potential to make the most of this moment.

Moves like this can put a company in a strong position heading into what looks to be a big year for cannabis. “[This year] will be a banner year for SinglePoint,” said SinglePoint CEO Greg Lambrecht. “We are equipped with the proper funding, partners and opportunities to be firing on all cylinders. We as a team expect to position SingleSeed and SinglePoint as market leads in the CBD market while continuing to enable the founders of the companies we have acquired to grow their businesses. We are well diversified and have large opportunities across many emerging markets that should enable us to be successful into 2019 and beyond.”

New Year, Fresh Growth

Marijuana Company of America Inc. (OTCQB: MCOA) is also making the most of the opportunity provided by the Farm Bill and is expecting significant growth off the back of this legal change. The company has a vertically integrated range of cannabis interests, including a hemp farm in Oregon and its hempSMART range of products. The legal changes should allow the company to more easily produce CBD-rich plants and sell the products derived from them without worrying about legal complications for crossing state lines. MCOA will also face lower federal income tax, thanks to the change in hemp’s status, allowing it to keep more profits.

Federal legislation against cannabis production and distribution has hampered the ability of companies to raise funds through public investment in the past, but some have found ways. Medical Marijuana Inc. (OTC: MJNA) was the first cannabis company in the United States to be publicly traded, a move that put it in a strong position both financially and for its public profile. It has recently experienced record sales, buoyed up by the growth of the cannabis market in the U.S. and beyond.

PotNetwork Holdings Inc. (OTC: POTN) has worked hard to develop a wide range of products, answering the increasing demand for product diversity in the cannabis market. The latest of these is the Brain Chill Slushy Machine, provided through its subsidiary Diamond CBD Inc. Initially launching in South Florida, these machines serve slushies in a variety of flavors, all infused with CBD. With millions of gallons of slushies consumed every year, these new machines are designed to provide an appealing introduction to CBD.

Also working on drinkable CBD is American Premium Water Corp. (OTC: HIPH), a diversified luxury consumer products company that bases its range of health and beauty products on biotech research. Its Lalpina CBD water is infused with CBD and features in several recently announced distribution deals, as the company extends its reach in the U.S. and beyond.

Legal changes are encouraging an increasingly diverse cannabis market, in which companies that make smart investments are primed for profit.

For more information on SinglePoint, visit SinglePoint Inc. (OTCQB: SING)

About CannabisNewsWire

CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) CannabisNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. CNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where news, content and information converge.

Receive Text Alerts from CannabisNewsWire: Text “Cannabis” to 21000

For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com and or https://CannabisNewsWire.News

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

CannabisNewsWire (CNW)
Denver, Colorado
www.CannabisNewsWire.com
303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com

DISCLAIMER: CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is the source of the Article and content set forth above. References to any issuer other than the profiled issuer are intended solely to identify industry participants and do not constitute an endorsement of any issuer and do not constitute a comparison to the profiled issuer. The commentary, views and opinions expressed in this release by CNW are solely those of CNW. Readers of this Article and content agree that they cannot and will not seek to hold liable CNW for any investment decisions by their readers or subscribers. CNW is a news dissemination and financial marketing solutions provider and is NOT registered broker-dealers/analysts/investment advisers, hold no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security.

The Article and content related to the profiled company represent the personal and subjective views of the Author, and are subject to change at any time without notice. The information provided in the Article and the content has been obtained from sources which the Author believes to be reliable. However, the Author has not independently verified or otherwise investigated all such information. None of the Author, CNW, or any of their respective affiliates, guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any such information. This Article and content are not, and should not be regarded as investment advice or as a recommendation regarding any particular security or course of action; readers are strongly urged to speak with their own investment advisor and review all of the profiled issuer’s filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission before making any investment decisions and should understand the risks associated with an investment in the profiled issuer’s securities, including, but not limited to, the complete loss of your investment.

CNW HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.

This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. “Forward-looking statements” describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as “may”, “future”, “plan” or “planned”, “will” or “should”, “expected,” “anticipates”, “draft”, “eventually” or “projected”. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company’s annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and CNW undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

420 with CNW – THC may be More Therapeutic than CBD, Study Finds

From the reports in the media and what people discuss, one is led to believe that CBD (cannabidiol) contains all the medicinal benefits in the cannabis plant while THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) symptomizes everything that is bad about cannabis since it is psychoactive. However, the findings of a recent study may turn this popular belief on its head.

According to a study whose findings appeared in the Scientific Reports Journal, THC seems to have a higher link with the relief of disease symptoms when compared to CBD.

The researchers from the University of New Mexico studied the data provided by medical cannabis users in the U.S. regarding various aspects of the medical cannabis that they consumed. The ReLeaf app allows patients to indicate various things, such as what they are suffering from, what marijuana strains they are consuming, how they are consuming that marijuana and what effects they notice after consuming medical cannabis.

The researchers looked at the data and found that the patients who used marijuana strains that had higher levels of THC when compared to the CBD content reported superior symptom relief unlike those patients whose medical marijuana had low levels of THC and higher levels of CBD.

Sarah See Stith, one of the co-authors of the research commented that their study was important in light of the fact that not enough information is given to patients when they want to try medical cannabis for their conditions.

Stith pointed out that almost all patients get a recommendation from a doctor and are on their own in terms of selecting the products to use. Some of those patients rely on their prior experience when they used to consume recreational marijuana. Others talk to family and friends while some go to the internet to educate themselves about medical cannabis. The staff at medical cannabis dispensaries are often poorly trained, so they cannot be relied upon to give dependable advice on the appropriate medical cannabis products for patients.

Stith thinks that their research findings can help to initiate a discussion and further research into how cannabis works to treat or provide symptomatic relief.

This research is also important because it comes at a time when the U.S., the UN and other international bodies are on the verge of deciding whether to reschedule cannabis or leave it in the most restrictive categories of the national/international treaties controlling narcotic substances.

Youngevity International, Inc. (NASDAQ: YGYI) and Cannabis Strategic Ventures, Inc. (OTC: NUGS) welcome this research and hope that those findings will be considered by those who formulate cannabis policies and regulations in Washington.

About CannabisNewsWire

CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) CannabisNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. CNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where news, content and information converge.

To receive instant SMS alerts, text CANNABIS to 21000

For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

Do you have a questions or are you interested in working with CNW? Ask our Editor

CannabisNewsWire (CNW)
Denver, Colorado
www.CannabisNewsWire.com
303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com

420 with CNW – The NFL Could Change its Cannabis Rules

According to recent media reports, the National Football League (NFL) may be considering changing its substance abuse rules with regard to marijuana. Analysts expect that the NFL may try to use any changes that it makes to its marijuana rules as a negotiating chip during its talks with the NFL players’ union.

A former offensive linesman, Kyle Turley, has also revealed that the NFL is studying the possibility of using cannabis as an alternative to pain killers. Research is being done by the NFL in this regard.

Kyle Turley owns a company that makes CBD supplements for athletes, so he can be expected to have an ear on the ground regarding the developments in the league, especially those developments that may impact his business either positively or adversely.

Roger Goodell, the NFL Commissioner, admitted in January that he had talked to some players’ representatives about marijuana. He added that the medical advisers of the league constantly look at the new research and the available data regarding the effects of cannabis on the players and advise accordingly.

In the past, Goodell was unequivocal in his opposition to the consumption of marijuana in the league. For example, in 2017, the Commissioner told ESPN that ingesting smoke (cannabis) couldn’t in any way be good for an NFL player.

However, recent times have seen a decline in the vigor that the league deploys to enforce its policy on marijuana even if some players have been suspended for testing positive for the substance. Those players were given a chance to return to the league yet previously one would be out for good.

While the news that the NFL may be thinking about changing its policy on cannabis may be good, industry advocates are wondering what the Commissioner and his team have up their sleeves. For example, what kind of concessions do they want to squeeze out of the players’ union in return for altering the policy on cannabis?

What these advocates had expected were statements to the effect that the NFL regrets any past actions that may have driven players into opioid addiction yet cannabis would have saved them and kept them playing. This is exactly what is happening in the states that are legalizing recreational cannabis. There is an admission that the war on drugs meted out untold suffering on sections of the population, and that legalization wants to put that past behind.

VIVO Cannabis Inc. (TSX.V: VIVO) (OTCQX: VVCIF) and other industry players like Wildflower Brands Inc. (CSE: SUN) (OTCQB: WLDFF) hope that the NFL changes its cannabis policy for the right reasons, instead of using it as a tool to manipulate the players.

About CannabisNewsWire

CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) CannabisNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. CNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where news, content and information converge.

To receive instant SMS alerts, text CANNABIS to 21000

For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

Do you have a questions or are you interested in working with CNW? Ask our Editor

CannabisNewsWire (CNW)
Denver, Colorado
www.CannabisNewsWire.com
303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com

Sector ETFs Provide Diversified Entry Point for Fast-Moving Industries

CannabisNewsWire Editorial Coverage: Individuals hoping to gain exposure to the movement of the markets have two primary options: spend a lot of time and effort researching public companies, or put faith into a fund. A solid investment strategy is key to keeping pace with inflation and reaching your financial goals, but the significant risk and volatility that can come with investing in a small group of companies is a real turn-off for most part-time investors.

Increasingly, novices and seasoned traders alike are turning to mutual funds for their stability and ease of use. According to data from the Investment Company Institute, mutual funds were the most common type of investment company owned in 2018, with 44.8 percent of U.S. households owning shares of mutual funds or similar U.S.-registered investment companies – including exchange-traded funds (ETFs), closed-end funds and unit investment trusts. As Matthew P. Fink notes in The Rise of Mutual Funds: An Insider’s View, “Today U.S. mutual funds are the largest financial industry in the world, with over 88 million shareholders and over $11 trillion in assets.”

Index vs Actively Managed Funds

Deciding on a mutual fund can be tricky. Data from Morningstar, published in 2018, indicates that the number of mutual funds and ETFs now stands at more than 10,000. You can begin to narrow this total down by exploring the differences between index funds and actively managed funds.

Index funds aim to track the performance of a specific market benchmark as closely as possible. The Vanguard 500 Index Fund is a prime example, with its holdings consisting of weighted positions in S&P 500 companies. Although investment firm Vanguard suggest that “only about 16 percent” of investments in domestic mutual funds are in index-based options, these funds have some noteworthy proponents.

In 2007, American business magnate Warren Buffett made a $1 million bet with Protégé Partners claiming that hedge funds wouldn’t outperform an S&P index fund, and he won. As reported by CNBC, Buffett’s choice investment, the Vanguard 500 Index Fund, “returned 7.1 percent compounded annually, while the basket of hedge funds his competitor chose returned an average of only 2.2 percent.”

Unlike index funds, actively managed funds rely on the skill and insight of their managers to not just match the performance of the larger markets, but beat them. History shows these funds to be considerably less consistent than their index-focused counterparts. According to Standard & Poor’s, roughly three-quarters of actively managed domestic stock funds underperformed the S&P 1500 Total Market Index in the decade ended June 30, 2015. Additionally, 40 percent of actively managed equity funds available to investors on June 30, 2005, were no longer in existence just 10 years later.

While exceptions do exist (Fidelity Blue Chip Growth has outperformed the S&P 500 by 2.8 percent over the past decade, for example), the upside and relative stability of index funds make them worthy of consideration for risk-averse investors.

Alternative Indexes

The upside of major indexes like the S&P 500 are apparent, but investing solely in the performance of the larger market can limit your exposure to faster-moving investment opportunities. Consider, for example, the cannabis industry. According to Marijuana Business Daily, legal cannabis sales in the U.S. alone were on pace to grow by nearly 50 percent in 2018 to $9.7 billion, with legal sales expected to rocket past $22 billion by 2022.

The Prime Alternative Harvest Index (“Prime”) gives fund-focused investors an opportunity to cash-in on the expanding repeal of cannabis prohibition without digging through the mountain of fly-by-night entries to the space. The Prime aims to take advantage of both event-driven news and long-term trends in the cannabis industry, as well as the industries likely to be influenced by the medicinal and recreational cannabis legalization initiatives that are taking shape in many forms around the globe. Utilizing a modified market cap weighting scheme, the index features some of the fledgling cannabis industry’s most recognizable names, including GW Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: GWPH), Cronos Group (NASDAQ: CRON) (TSX: CRON) and The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (TSX: TGOD) (OTCQX: TGODF), alongside a roster of established upstarts and ancillary companies defined by a set prospectus.

The Benefit of Exchange-Traded Funds

When investing in a fund based on a more fluid index like the Prime, the benefits of exchange-traded funds over more traditional mutual funds are particularly noteworthy. While traditional open-end mutual fund shares are only traded once per day, limiting your ability to capitalize on sudden market moves, ETFs are bought and sold during the day just like stocks, opening the door for short selling, futures and options.

ETFMG Alternative Harvest (ARCA: MJ) is an ETF that tracks the Prime in an effort to “measure the performance of companies within the cannabis ecosystem benefitting from global medicinal and recreational legalization initiatives.” To date, it is the first and only U.S. ETF to target the cannabis industry, providing direct exposure to the ongoing “green rush” taking place across North America and around the world.

The Alternative Harvest ETF turned its focus to the cannabis space in late 2017, shifting away from a prior basis of Latin American real estate to invest in both cannabis cultivation firms and a few outside operators that you may not expect to see in a cannabis-centric fund, such as Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM) and Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE: SMG).

Importantly, the ETF requires that all holdings have a minimum market cap of $200 million, giving investors a degree of insulation from the marijuana penny stocks and upstart companies that continue to flood the sector.

A Closer Look at the Alternative Harvest ETF

Since rebalancing its holdings to focus on the cannabis space, the Alternative Harvest ETF has established a strong position on the radars of investors eying the industry. In early January 2018, The Motley Fool issued a report stating that MJ was bought and sold more than the $145 billion iShares Core S&P 500 ETF, which the publication touted as a testament to “just how big [MJ] has become in marijuana stock circles.” In the year-plus since that report was issued, interest in the cannabis-focused ETF has remained strong, with current average trading volume exceeding 900,000.

Throughout the first two months of 2019, the sustained interest in MJ has been supported by its upward trajectory. Entering the year with a market price of $26.42, the fund’s YTD return clocks in north of 40 percent, with a market price of $37.43 during mid-day trading on March 5 that marked a new high for 2019.

This strong performance lines up nicely with the broader cannabis sector, which is supported by MJ’s current asset holdings. Canadian shares of The Green Organic Dutchman, for example, which currently represent 4.34 percent of MJ’s portfolio, are up more than 60 percent YTD. Similarly, U.S.-listed shares of Canopy Growth Corporation (TSX: WEED) (NYSE: CGC), which make up 7.16 percent of MJ’s current holdings, are up roughly 63 percent YTD. Canadian shares of OrganiGram Holdings Inc. (TSX.V: OGI) (OTCQX: OGRMF) make up 3.35 percent of MJ’s current holdings, and they’re up more than 60 percent YTD, as well.

The impressive YTD performance of MJ’s smaller holdings, including The Supreme Cannabis Company Inc. (TSX: FIRE) (OTCQX: SPRWF), Canopy Rivers Inc. (TSX.V: RIV) (OTC: CNPOF) and VIVO Cannabis Inc. (TSX.V: VIVO) (OTC: VVCIF), each of which makes up less than 1 percent of MJ’s current portfolio, continues to highlight the current opportunity presented by the North American cannabis industry. The Canadian shares of each of these companies are up more than 40 percent YTD.

After a turbulent 2018 for the cannabis industry, the first quarter of 2019 has shown incredible promise for established operators throughout the space. In early January, The Motley Fool forecast huge growth for a number of companies currently included on the Prime Alternative Harvest Index and held by MJ, including 407 percent sales growth for Aphria (NYSE: APHA) (TSX: APHA), 440 percent sales growth for The Supreme Cannabis Company, 891 percent sales growth for OrganiGram Holdings and 930 percent sales growth for cannabinoid drug maker GW Pharmaceuticals, whose shares currently represent 9.1 percent of MJ’s total holdings.

A Diversified Entry Point

It’s easy to be drawn to the cannabis sector for its promise of significant growth in the coming years, particularly as legalization measures continue to gain steam in the United States. However, choosing a winner in this nascent market has already proven to be both difficult and risky for investors of all skill levels. A proven way to avoid backing the wrong horse in this great green race is to diversify your investment, focusing more on the overall success of the industry than on that of any individual company or management team.

With more than 86 percent of its current holdings providing exposure to U.S. and Canadian markets and broad industry focuses spanning pharmaceuticals, tobacco and biotechnology, the Alternative Harvest ETF provides an intriguing and diversified entry point for investors seeking a foothold in the continued emergence of the legal cannabis industry.

About CannabisNewsWire

CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) CannabisNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. CNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where news, content and information converge.

Receive Text Alerts from CannabisNewsWire: Text “Cannabis” to 21000

For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com and or https://CannabisNewsWire.News

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

CannabisNewsWire (CNW)
Denver, Colorado
www.CannabisNewsWire.com
303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com

DISCLAIMER: CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is the source of the Article and content set forth above. References to any issuer other than the profiled issuer are intended solely to identify industry participants and do not constitute an endorsement of any issuer and do not constitute a comparison to the profiled issuer. The commentary, views and opinions expressed in this release by CNW are solely those of CNW. Readers of this Article and content agree that they cannot and will not seek to hold liable CNW for any investment decisions by their readers or subscribers. CNW is a news dissemination and financial marketing solutions provider and is NOT registered broker-dealers/analysts/investment advisers, hold no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security.

The Article and content related to the profiled company represent the personal and subjective views of the Author, and are subject to change at any time without notice. The information provided in the Article and the content has been obtained from sources which the Author believes to be reliable. However, the Author has not independently verified or otherwise investigated all such information. None of the Author, CNW, or any of their respective affiliates, guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any such information. This Article and content are not, and should not be regarded as investment advice or as a recommendation regarding any particular security or course of action; readers are strongly urged to speak with their own investment advisor and review all of the profiled issuer’s filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission before making any investment decisions and should understand the risks associated with an investment in the profiled issuer’s securities, including, but not limited to, the complete loss of your investment.

CNW HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.

This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. “Forward-looking statements” describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as “may”, “future”, “plan” or “planned”, “will” or “should”, “expected,” “anticipates”, “draft”, “eventually” or “projected”. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company’s annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and CNW undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

420 with CNW – Medical Cannabis Bill Passed by Key Kentucky Committee

The House Judiciary Committee in Kentucky voted on Wednesday (March 6) to pass a bill that would legalize medical cannabis in the state. The bill will now be sent to the Rules Committee of the Assembly.

House Bill 136 was co-sponsored by 43 members out of the 100 members in the entire lawmaking chamber. This bill intends to create a Department for Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Control. This agency will then design a medical cannabis program for the state.

The agency will also be responsible for giving medical marijuana licences to patients who meet the criteria for such a licence. Healthcare providers, processors, cultivators and dispensaries will also be regulated by this agency.

16 legislators on the House Judiciary Committee voted in favor of the bill while one lawmaker voted against it.

Opinion polls in the state show that 80 percent of all adults think that it is okay to allow patients to have the option of using medical cannabis if their doctors recommend it. Governor Matt Bevin has also expressed his support for medical marijuana.

Despite that support from the public and the Governor, attempts to legalize medical marijuana in the state still have major hurdles to overcome.

For example, Robert Stivers, the Senate President, has been vocal in opposing medical cannabis. He even went as far as comparing it to alcohol, saying that anyone who wanted to feel better or relax can take a glass or bourbon instead of consuming medical marijuana.

The Kentucky Medical Association is also adamant that it will only support medical cannabis legislation once the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves the use of medical marijuana.

The sponsors of this legalization bill are aware of this strong opposition and made a number of modifications to the bill in order to build some consensus around it.

For example, the original bill had provisions that would allow patients enrolled on the medical marijuana program to grow a maximum of six mature plants for their own use. This was dropped from the bill.

Another change that was made regarded the qualifying conditions for which a patient could use medical marijuana. Originally, the framers of the bill had wanted doctors to use their discretion to decide which patient would benefit from medical cannabis. The bill was amended to create a specific list of conditions for which patients could be treated using medical marijuana.

It is now up to the Rules Committee to decide whether House Bill 136 can now be put before the entire House for a vote. A decision must be made quickly, since this legislative session only has five more days before it ends.

Therma Bright, Inc. (TSX.V: THRM) (OTC: THRBF) and TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE: TCAN) hope that the legislators make the best decision within the limited time left so that patients don’t have to wait longer for a treatment option that is already available in other states.

About CannabisNewsWire

CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) CannabisNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. CNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where news, content and information converge.

To receive instant SMS alerts, text CANNABIS to 21000

For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

Do you have a questions or are you interested in working with CNW? Ask our Editor

CannabisNewsWire (CNW)
Denver, Colorado
www.CannabisNewsWire.com
303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com