420 with CNW – Mark Zuckerberg Makes Donation in Support of Oregon Drug Decriminalization Campaign

A foundation run by Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan has made a donation in support of a ballot measure to decriminalize all drugs in Oregon. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Advocacy donated $500,000 in support of Measure 110, a ballot measure “designed to establish a more humane and effective approach to drugs.” On top of that, the measure would use a portion of existing legal marijuana tax revenue to pay for expanded substance misuse treatment services, establishing addiction recovery centers throughout the state.

According to supporters of Measure 110, it is part of an effort to stop seeing drug misuse and addiction as a public health issue rather than a criminal issue. Also called the Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act, the measure has been endorsed by more than 50 organizations including ACLU Oregon, United Seniors of Oregon, Oregon Latino Health Coalition, Oregon State Council For Retired Citizens, the Confederated Tribes of the Brande Ronde, Human Rights Watch and Drug Policy Action. It has also been backed by two currently serving district attorneys as well as two former U.S. attorneys.

If the measure is approved, low-level possession would be considered a civil infraction punishable by a maximum of $100 fine and no jail time. The $500,000 contribution from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Advocacy is the second-largest donation, after the $850,000 donated by the Drug Policy Alliance’s political arm Drug Policy Action. ACLU Oregon also made a donation of $100,000.

The campaign has also received more than 400 individual donations. The median donation amount is around $50, with more than 83% of the contributions being made by Oregonians. “People with addiction need help, not punishment, and we are excited so many people are stepping forward to help win a more humane, equitable, and effective approach to drug addiction in Oregon,” says Peter Zuckerman, Yes on Measure 110’s campaign manager.

In the fiscal year 2018, there were 8,903 simple drug possession arrests, averaging at more than one arrest every hour, according to the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission. “Oregon law enforcement needs to stop making these kinds of arrests, targeting our communities and ruining our lives by giving us criminal records,” says Kayse Jama, executive director of Unite Oregon, which endorsed the measure.

“The need for this measure is more urgent right now more than ever because jails and prisons have turned into contagion hotspots during the pandemic.”

The support that the campaign in Oregon is receiving is likely to be putting a smile on the faces of cannabis companies like Sugarmade, Inc. (OTCQB: SGMD).

About CNW420

CNW420 spotlights the latest developments in the rapidly evolving cannabis industry through the release of two informative articles each business day. Our concise, informative content serves as a gateway for investors interested in the legalized cannabis sector and provides updates on how regulatory developments may impact financial markets. Articles are released each business day at 4:20 a.m. and 4:20 p.m. Eastern – our tribute to the time synonymous with cannabis culture. If marijuana and the burgeoning industry surrounding it are on your radar, CNW420 is for you! Check back daily to stay up-to-date on the latest milestones in the fast -changing world of cannabis.

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420 with CNW – Highest Court in Florida to Revisit Law Establishing Medical Cannabis Program

Although medical cannabis has been legalized in over 30 states for quite a while now, the industry still has plenty of growing pains. Aside from being denied access to banking services, players in the industry across the country have been at loggerheads with authorities over how licenses are awarded. In Florida, for instance, medical cannabis law requires that licensed companies must be able to handle all aspects of the business, including growing, processing, and distributing products.

Referred to as ‘vertical integration,’ the system locks out a large number of cannabis businesses and limits the licenses only to companies that can handle all aspects of the business from cultivation all the way to sales, says cannabis businesses. In 2018, Tampa-based cannabis company Florigrown sued the state, challenging the state law, passed in 2017 requiring licensed cannabis businesses to have a vertically integrated structure.

In May this year, Justices at the Florida Supreme Court heard arguments challenging the constitutionality of the state law that determines licensee’s eligibility. Later in July, the Supreme Court scheduled another round of arguments on whether the 2017 law is an unconstitutional “special’ law, with the arguments set for this week. ‘Special laws’ are policies that are generally intended to benefit specific entities and they are barred by the Florida Constitution.

According to the Florigrown lawsuit, parts of the 2017 law improperly limited firms that could take part in the nascent medical cannabis industry. “This Supreme Court has already held that the controlling question in evaluating whether a law is an unconstitutional special law is closed. Here, the classes are so clearly closed, the legislature might as well have named the licensees in the statute,” Florigrown lawyers wrote in a brief.

However, lawyers for the Florida Department of Health, which oversees the state’s medical cannabis industry responded in a brief that the 2017 law “ultimately establishes a comprehensive and unified statutory system for the statewide licensure and regulation of medical marijuana firms,” otherwise known as medical marijuana treatment centers (MMTCs). “The statute did not create a closed universe of licensed MMTCs. The MMTC licensure statute, viewed properly as a comprehensive and unified whole, does not provide a benefit to private corporations that others, like Florigrown, do not or cannot also receive,” the state brief said.

Florigrown, on the other hand, argues that that was not the intention of the constitutional amendment allowing medical marijuana sales. The firm contends that a vertical integration system limits the number of companies that can take part in the industry, with a better alternative being a “horizontal” structure where different firms could perform different aspects of the business.

Analysts say sector players like Pure Extract Technologies Inc. will be following this case closely as other jurisdictions could take cues from the outcome in Florida.

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CannabisNewsBreaks – Canopy Rivers Inc. (TSX: RIV) (OTC: CNPOF) Provides Update on Portfolio Expansion in the US

Canopy Rivers (TSX: RIV) (OTC: CNPOF), a venture capital firm specializing in cannabis, today provided an update on the progress of three of its portfolio companies in U.S. markets. The updates come only weeks before the U.S. election, where six states will vote on cannabis legalization initiatives and the potential power shift at the federal level could lead to more progressive policies for the industry. Among the highlights, Canopy Rivers announced the following: TerrAscend Corp. commenced sales from its newly expanded State Flower cultivation facility in San Francisco; High Beauty Inc. introduced canBE, a new line of natural, aloe-based products combining hemp seed oil, organic plant oils, essential vitamins, antioxidants, and bioflavonoids; and Headset Inc. launched its competitive intelligence tool, Headset Insights Pulse, in Massachusetts.

To view the full press release, visit https://cnw.fm/pgfhq

About Canopy Rivers Inc.

Canopy Rivers is a venture capital firm specializing in cannabis with a portfolio of 18 companies across various segments of the cannabis value chain. The company believes that bringing together people, capital and ideas raises the potential of the entire cannabis industry. By leveraging industry insights, in-house expertise and thesis-driven approach to investing, Canopy Rivers aims to provide shareholders exposure to specialized and disruptive cannabis companies. Canopy Rivers’ mission is to invest in innovators across the cannabis value chain, help them grow, and ultimately create value by guiding these companies towards a monetization event. Together with its portfolio, the company is helping build the cannabis industry of tomorrow, today. For more information, visit www.CanopyRivers.com.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to CNPOF are available in the company’s newsroom at http://cnw.fm/RIV

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CanadianCannabisWire (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.

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420 with CNW – Tilray, Inc. (NASDAQ: TLRY) Announces Positive Research Results for Cancer Sufferers

Medical cannabis is probably one of the most controversial topics at the moment. Critics of the medical marijuana movement have claimed that there is hardly any evidence of therapeutic benefit and that the hype has far outpaced the science. On the other hand, cannabis reform activists have argued that due to its diverse medicinal properties, medical cannabis can be a great alternative to pharmaceuticals.

Quite recently, Tilray (NASDAQ: TLRY) announced that Australian researchers have found that medical cannabis has shown promise as a treatment for nausea and vomiting for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in a clinical trial. The trial’s preliminary findings, which showed a significant improvement in the control of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, were published in the Annals of Oncology. The pilot phase of the study consisted of 81 patients who had experienced nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy and it ran for two and a half years.

A quarter of the participants taking medical cannabis experienced no vomiting or nausea compared to 14 percent of people who took a placebo. “The side-effects associated with chemotherapy are some of the primary causes of treatment discontinuation,” says Philippe Lucas, Vice President of Global Research and Access at Tilray, “so improving the control of nausea and vomiting can not only improve the quality of life of patients, but by allowing those affected by cancer to complete their treatment it can also potentially save lives.”

At the moment, the most prescribed medicine for chemo-induced nausea is the synthetic drug Marinol, owned by biotech company AbbVie. However, plenty of patients have been unable to continue with it due to side effects such as mood changes, confusion, trouble concentrating, dizziness, and anxiety. “Nausea and vomiting are among the most distressing and feared consequences of chemotherapy,” says Peter Grimson, leader of the study, medical oncologist at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse and Associate Professor at the University of Sidney.

Although side effects such as sedation, drowsiness, and dizziness were present in moderate to severe levels in about one-third of the people using medical cannabis, researchers considered them manageable. “These encouraging results indicate medical cannabis can help improve quality of life for chemotherapy patients,” Grimson says.

“The trial will now move to a larger phase to determine with much more certainty how effective medicinal cannabis is and whether it should be considered for use in routine cancer care. The next phase of the trial is ongoing and will recruit an extra 170 people.” Grimson added.

Experts say this research goes a long way towards confirming what pot companies like Pac Roots Cannabis Corp. (CSE: PACR) have always said about the myriad of benefits of marijuana.

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420 with CNW – Congress Again Includes Cannabis Banking Protections in Third Stimulus Bill

Players in the cannabis space are cautiously optimistic after the House of Representatives approved a wide-ranging coronavirus relief bill containing text from the Secure and Fair Enforcement (“SAFE”) Banking Act. For the longest time, players in the cannabis space have been unable to access banking services due to cannabis’ status as a Schedule I drug, forcing them to rely on cash-only transactions. Not only does this put them at risk of theft and burglary, but it also makes social distancing during the pandemic almost impossible.

Passed by the House last year but held in limbo in Senate, the SAFE Banking Act would protect banking institutions and allow them to serve cannabis businesses without fear of federal reprisal.

This is the second time this year that the House has inserted cannabis banking language in a Coronavirus relief bill. But while cannabis banking is an issue that’s dear to the Democrats, the Republican-controlled Senate has been in staunch opposition to the inclusion of cannabis banking in a coronavirus relief bill. Both Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Vice President Mike Pence have criticized the marijuana components, arguing that they don’t relate to the matter at hand.

Just a day before Thursday’s vote, McConnell took to the floor of his own chamber to say that the House Bill provides “special treatment to the marijuana industry,” adding that the legislation mentions the word ‘cannabis’ more times than the words ‘job’ or ‘jobs.’ And unlike the House, the Republican-held senate did not include cannabis banking language in its own version of the coronavirus relief bill filed back in July.

However, Democratic leaders, as well as cannabis reform advocates, argue that granting cannabis businesses access to banking institutions could reduce the spread of the coronavirus by reducing the industry’s reliance on cash-only transactions. On top of that, allowing small cannabis businesses to bank with financial institutions gives them access to much-needed capital.

“The continued inclusion of my SAFE Banking Act in this package is important for the cannabis industry and its workers,” says Rep. Ed Perlmutter, the lead sponsor of the cannabis banking legislation. “The industry faces an increased public safety risk and public health risk by being forced to make transactions in all cash. The SAFE Banking Act, which already passed the House with a broad bipartisan vote, will take cash off the streets, enable better social distancing in transactions, and support good-paying jobs in communities across the country when we need them most.”

It remains to be seen whether the hopes of cannabis companies like The Alkaline Water Company Inc. (NASDAQ: WTER) (CSE: WTER) will be fulfilled or put on ice yet again.

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CannabisNewsBreaks – The Alkaline Water Company Inc. (CSE: WTER) (NASDAQ: WTER) Announces Board Appointment of Seasoned Retail Veteran

The Alkaline Water Company (CSE: WTER) (NASDAQ: WTER), a producer of premium bottled alkaline and flavored-infused drinking waters and CBD-infused products, today announced the appointment of retail industry veteran Frank Lazaran to its board of directors, effective Oct. 8, 2020. Lazaran will serve on the company’s audit and compensation committees. Simultaneous to the appointment, Bruce Leitch has decided to step down from the company’s board of directors to focus on other business endeavors. “On behalf of the board, we are delighted to welcome Frank Lazaran as a full-time member of The Alkaline Water Company’s Board of Directors,” WTER Chairman of the Board Aaron Keay said in the news release. “Frank is a seasoned industry veteran with experience and knowledge that will be instrumental as we scale our growing lifestyle brands to existing and new trade channels. Also, we want to thank Bruce for his outstanding leadership and guidance since 2016. His various contributions have helped to drive growth and innovation for our core brand, Alkaline88(R), and our emerging portfolio of A88 Infused(TM) and A88CBD(TM) products.”

To view the full press release, visit https://cnw.fm/8o7ab

About The Alkaline Water Company

Founded in 2012, The Alkaline Water Company is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. Its flagship product, Alkaline88(R), is a leading premier alkaline water brand available in bulk and single-serve sizes along with eco-friendly aluminum packaging options. With its innovative, state-of-the-art proprietary electrolysis process, Alkaline88 delivers perfect 8.8 pH-balanced alkaline drinking water with trace minerals and electrolytes and boasts its trademarked label: Clean Beverage. Quickly being recognized as a growing lifestyle brand, Alkaline88 launched A88 Infused(TM) in 2019 to meet consumer demand for flavor-infused products. A88 Infused flavored water is available in seven unique all-natural flavors with new flavors coming soon. Additionally, in 2020, the company launched A88 Infused Beverage Division Inc., which includes the company’s CBD water and flavor-infused water. For the company’s topical and ingestible offerings, A88 Infused Products includes both the company’s lab-tested, full-spectrum hemp salves, balms, lotions, essential oils and bath salts, along with broad-spectrum hemp beverage shots, powder packs, oil tinctures, capsules and gummies. To learn more about the company, visit www.A88CBD.com and www.TheAlkalineWaterCo.com.

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CannabisNewsBreaks – Willow Biosciences Inc. (TSX: WLLW) (OTCQX: CANSF) to Support Research on Therapeutic Potential of Non-Psychoactive Cannabinoids

Willow Biosciences (TSX: WLLW) (OTCQX: CANSF), a Vancouver, Canada-based company focused on manufacturing pharmaceutical-grade cannabinoids via synthetic biology, today announced its partnership with researchers at the University of Lethbridge and the University of Calgary. According to the update, the collaboration is designed to study the therapeutic potential of non-psychoactive cannabinoids in relation to intestinal inflammation, abdominal pain and depression. Alberta Innovates financially supports these studies that involve laboratory testing in preclinical models of disease. Willow will be providing four different, non-plant derived cannabinoids for use in the study, which is set to begin in the fourth quarter of 2020. “Willow is excited to be supporting research on the effects of cannabinoids that could ultimately have an impact on human health,” Willow’s CEO Trevor Peters said in the news release. “Dr. Gruber and his team of Alberta researchers are world renowned for their expertise in neuroscience, pain and the interplay between the gut, brain and endocannabinoid system, that is the target of action of non-psychoactive cannabinoids in the human body.”

To view the full press release, visit https://cnw.fm/IDKfp

About Willow Biosciences Inc.

Willow is a Canadian biotechnology company based in Vancouver, Canada, that produces high purity, plant-derived compounds that provide building blocks for the global pharmaceutical, health and wellness, and consumer packaged goods industries. Willow’s current focus is in the production of cannabinoids for the treatment for pain, anxiety, obesity, brain disorders and other significant indications. Willow’s science team has a proven track record of developing manufacturing technologies for high purity compounds in pain and cancer treatments. Willow’s manufacturing process creates a consistent, scalable and sustainable product that allows for the discovery and development of new life changing drugs. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.WillowBio.com.

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CannabisNewsBreaks – Cannabis Global Inc. (CBGL) and Marijuana Company of America Inc. (MCOA) Enter Strategic Collaboration

Cannabis Global (OTC: CBGL), a cannabinoid and hemp extract science-forward company developing infusion and delivery technologies, has entered into a collaboration and mutual strategic investment with Marijuana Company of America (OTCQB: MCOA), an innovative hemp corporation. As part of the strategic investment, both companies seek to expand the partnership, fully leveraging favorable resources of both companies in response to the diverse market demand for their products. Under the agreement, MCOA and CBGL have agreed to a share exchange arrangement in which both parties received $650,000 in value of shares from each respective company. “We are excited about this strategic partnership and will leverage the strengths of MCOA’s sales and marketing expertise and CBGL’s ability to manufacture CBD infused products,” MCOA CEO Jesus M. Quintero said in the news release. “This will serve us well as we anticipate launching our first ever HempSMART(TM) Private label brand CBD infused beverage line and launching worldwide. This deal makes strategic sense and demonstrates the intrinsic value of our business, our vision and future.”

To view the full press release, visit https://cnw.fm/9bEj0

About Cannabis Global Inc.

Cannabis Global, formerly known as MCTC Holdings Inc., is a fully audited and reporting company with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, trading with the stock symbol CBGL. The company is an emerging force in cannabinoid sciences and highly bioavailable hemp and cannabis infusion technologies. Cannabis Global has an actively growing portfolio of cannabis investments and intellectual property, having filed six provisional patents relative to the areas of cannabinoid delivery systems and cannabinoid polymeric nanoparticles. The company markets its consumer products under the Hemp You Can Feel(TM) brand name. Cannabis Global launched its Project Varin early in 2020 to develop new delivery methods for rare cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabivarin (“THV-C”) and develop products based on this and other rare cannabinoids. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.CannabisGlobalInc.com.

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420 with CNW – FBI Report Indicates That Marijuana Arrests Dropped Nationally

Started by the federal government decades ago, the war on drugs has resulted in the incarceration of millions of Americans. A large number of these arrests have been due to marijuana possession. Over the years, it has become clear that certain communities have been targeted and over-policed due to marijuana prohibition and for many cannabis reform advocates, legalizing cannabis wouldn’t just increase state tax revenue, but it would also help repair the harms done by the war on drugs.

Although advocates hoped that marijuana arrests would reduce with the advent of legal cannabis programs, 2016, 2017, and 2018 each saw an uptick in marijuana arrests year-over-year. This is despite the fact that more states are passing cannabis laws and legalizing medical or recreational sales within their borders. According to a new federal report, however, marijuana arrests in the U.S. reduced for the first time in 2019. The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program states that there were a total of 545,601 marijuana arrests in 2019, representing 35% of all drug arrests.

This was down from 663,367 arrests in 2018 and 659,700 arrests in 2017. “A decline in cannabis-related arrests is better than seeing an increase for the fourth year in a row, but the amount of arrests is still abhorrent,” says Marijuana Policy Project Executive Director Steve Hawkins. “There is no reason to continue punishing adults for consuming a substance that is less harmful than alcohol,” he says.

Hawkins also acknowledges the fact that certain communities are especially over-policed when it comes to marijuana. “Arresting adult cannabis consumers has a dramatically disproportionate impact in communities of color, is a massive waste of law enforcement officials’ time and resources and does nothing to improve public health or safety.”

The data from the FBI shows that on average, police across the country made a cannabis arrest every 58 seconds in 2019, with 92% (500,394) of the arrests being for possession alone. In fact, American police carried out more arrests for marijuana alone than for murder, rape, robbery, burglary, fraud, and embezzlement combined.

“At a time when a super-majority of Americans support marijuana legalization, law enforcement continues to harass otherwise law-abiding citizens at an alarming rate,” says Justin Strekal, Political Director for NORML. “Now is the time for the public to collectively demand that enough is enough: end prohibition and expunge the criminal records to no longer hold people back from achieving their potential.”

Experts say pot companies like Sugarmade, Inc. (OTCQB: SGMD) hope that a time will come when no one will be victimized for possessing or using marijuana.

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420 with CNW – Tobacco Giant Quietly Establishes Foothold in Marijuana Tech

Back in 2018, Tobacco giant Altria invested $1.8 billion in Canadian cannabis company Cronos Group. The very public investment gave Altria a 45% stake in the Canadian firm with an option to increase its stake to 55% over the next five years. Since then, the company, which is the parent firm for cigarette brands like Malboro and Parliament, has been trying to increase its stake in the nascent marijuana industry behind the scenes by patenting cannabis technology.

According to records from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Altria filed two patents for vaporizer devices specifically designed for cannabis in late February this year. It also owns two older vaporizer patents from the same inventor filed before Altria bought a stake in Cronos and Cronos got those patents through a sale, a company spokesman said. Designed by Israel-based inventor Youseff Raichman, the vaporizers have temperature controls meant to allow customers to vaporize and dose THC or CBD.

At the moment, Altria hasn’t made great inroads into the American market, with its efforts being restricted to dabbling in the hemp and CBD markets. Still, the four cannabis-based patents the company has filed so far show that it is serious about investing in marijuana as a new growth area, especially as the sales of traditional cigarettes decline. However, like most firms in the cannabis space, Altria’s investment suffered during the pandemic, losing roughly one-third of its value.

Altria spokesman George Parman points out that although the device descriptions specifically mention cannabis, the company is attempting to patent them as plant “agnostic.” This means they could be used to vaporize other plants, such as loose-leaf tobacco. He adds that the devices will not be on the market any time soon, noting that the company did not submit the devices to the US Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) before a September 9 deadline for “tobacco products.”

The patents for dosing THC and CBD can be extremely useful in the medical cannabis market and if they are awarded, could be quite lucrative for the firm, especially if cannabis is ever removed from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act and made available under a doctor’s prescription.

“It would make sense that Altria would seek patents for dosing and other medical applications as it would help them gain any regulatory approval where applicable in the future,” says Dominick Volpini, vice president of Cloudious 9, a California based company that makes vaporizers. “At some point in the future, the FDA will approve a cannabis vaporizer, after federal regulation changes, and most likely it will be a medically focused device with dosing capabilities.”

It would be interesting to get the views of cannabis industry players like Pure Extract Technologies Inc. regarding the strategic direction that Altria has chosen to take.

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