420 with CNW – Michigan Judge Halts Cannabis Business Closures

Judge Stephen Borrello of Michigan’s Court of Claims has issued an injunction against the state’s order to close almost 100 medical marijuana businesses that hadn’t met a section of the emergency licensing regulations passed by regulators.

Just over 100 dispensaries had submitted partially completed application forms as the September 15 deadline approached. Only those businesses that had submitted their papers would be allowed to operate until December 15, when the licensing process was expected to be completed.

The judge’s injunction orders the state to allow all cannabis businesses, including those that hadn’t submitted their applications, to stay open until that mid-December deadline.

Denise Pollisella, an attorney acting on behalf of one cannabis dispensary, filed the application for the injunction. Pollisella was convinced that she presented such strong arguments that it would be hard for the regulators to launch a successful appeal against the injunction.

Other dispensaries that would have been affected by the closure orders have contacted Denise Pollisella thanking her for acting the way she did. They revealed that they had wanted to file similar cases but feared any possible reprisals by regulator at the time of processing license applications.

Several individuals have also made personal calls to the attorney to thank her for saving the job of their family members or for ensuring that their family members could continue accessing medical cannabis conveniently.

The registration measures in question came as part of the plans to put in place stricter regulations for medical cannabis dispensaries. The application process was introduced by a law passed in 2016.

Attorney Pollisella says that the regulators seem to regard cannabis businesses as a group of drug dealers instead of treating them as legitimate businesses. She cautioned that more issues will keep arising until the regulators start working with industry players to implement regulatory mechanisms.

For example, she states that many of the businesses that would have been given cease and desist letters were not told that it was acceptable to submit application forms that had incomplete sections. Of specific concern was a form indicating that the cannabis business had the approval of the local authorities at the chosen business location. Companies like Golden Developing Solutions, Inc. (OTC: DVLP) and VIVO Cannabis Inc. (TSX.V: VIVO) (OTCQB: VVCIF) are all too aware of such twists and turns in the path of getting regulatory approval for cannabis businesses.

Only the dispensaries which called the regulator asking about this requirement were informed that it was okay to send in their applications even if some sections were incomplete. Why couldn’t the regulators be proactive and let all of the businesses know?

For now, the regulators are tight-lipped about their next step as they are still studying the injunction issued by the court.

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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.

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420 with CNW – Louisiana Removes Cannabis Patient Cap on Doctors

The state of Louisiana voted to legalize medical cannabis in 2015. However, it has taken years for the laws to evolve and reach a level where patients can start accessing medical cannabis. This is now likely to happen in November of this year. The barrier on how many medical cannabis patients any doctor can handle has now been removed.

Under the 2016 law, doctors with a license to recommend medical cannabis to patients were restricted to a maximum of 100 patients at a time. That limitation was found to be impractical, even before the first medical cannabis dispensaries opened.

This is because only 48 doctors have submitted their applications to join the cannabis program, and just 37 of those have been cleared to write recommendations for patients who wish to use cannabis to treat their health conditions. Approximately 4,000 patients out of the anticipated 100,000 could access a doctor for a recommendation under that restriction.

The Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners saw that bottleneck and voted overwhelmingly (eight to one) to allow qualifying doctors to take on as many patients as they can. This will hopefully reduce the wait lists for patents wishing to access medical cannabis.

Another sticking point that was voted on was the follow up requirement for both medical cannabis patients and doctors. Under the old law, patients were expected to see the doctor who gave them the medical cannabis recommendation every 90 days in order to renew that recommendation.

Patients felt that this requirement was too burdensome, since it would take a lot of time to schedule a doctor’s appointment.

Medical cannabis advocates also felt that the follow up requirement was unnecessary, since the doctor wasn’t responsible for prescribing or overseeing the medical cannabis patient’s treatment. Those visits every 90 days were therefore unnecessary.

The board of medical examiners voted to remove this restriction as well. However, it was a close vote, with five regulators voting in favor while four voted against the removal of that requirement.

However, the removal of those restrictions will not on its own make it easy for patients to get a recommendation for medical cannabis. This is because, as already indicated, the number of doctors signing up for the medical cannabis program is still woefully small.

Advocacy groups are planning to conduct awareness campaigns for doctors in order to address any concerns or information gaps preventing them from joining the medical cannabis program. The state board of medical examiners is supporting this plan, spearheaded by Louisiana State University. Firms like Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions (OTC: REFG) and Sunniva Inc. (CSE: SNN) (OTCQX: SNNVF) must be wishing that all jurisdictions address cannabis issues as progressively as the state of Louisiana is doing.

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Something for Everyone: Baby Boomers Signify Shift in the Cannabis Market

CannabisNewsWire Editorial Coverage: Since they came onto the scene after World War II, baby boomers have heavily impacted the world around them, and their influence is being felt now in the emerging cannabis market.

A recent survey has shown a significant increase in cannabinoid-derived product consumption in the United States, most notably among baby boomers.
With a combination of disposable income, health issues and liberal attitudes towards drugs, baby boomers represent a natural market for cannabis companies.
This trend also signifies wider growth and diversification of products and customers in the industry.

Marijuana Company of America, Inc. (OTC: MCOA) (MCOA Profile) is tapping into this growing market through the production of industrial hemp and the marketing of a wide range of CBD wellness products. Having started out as a medical cannabis company, Organigram Holdings, Inc. (OTC: OGRMF) is adjusting to shifting markets by appealing to recreational consumers while showing loyalty to its existing customer base. A focus on research provides CV Sciences, Inc. (OTC: CVSI) with a growing range of products and the credibility to appeal to health-conscious cannabis consumers. Global innovator and market leader Isodiol International, Inc. (OTC: ISOLF) recently received approval for its cannabidiol (CBD) to be designated as an active pharmaceutical ingredient. And Cannabis Strategic Ventures (OTC: NUGS) just launched a new line of CBD-based luxury skin, hair and body products.

To view an infographic of this editorial, click here.

The Changing Face of Cannabis

It’s hardly surprising to see that baby boomers are an important part of the cannabis and hemp markets. The generation that saw marijuana gain counter-culture popularity in the ‘60s and ‘70s is also a generation with considerable disposable income. As they head into retirement and old age, many baby boomers are looking for ways to enjoy their wealth, as well as ways to manage physical ailments. The growth of both the medical and the recreational cannabis sectors in North America means that this product can cater to both desires.

The growth in cannabinoid consumption by baby boomers is just part of the expansion of the cannabis market. Given the chance to openly research plant and products, manufacturers are vastly increasing the potential of cannabis. Improved strains improve the performance and profitability of the drug, while derivative products and support services turn what was essentially a single product into a whole sector.

Baby Boomers and Cannabis Consumption

For companies such as Marijuana Company of America (OTC: MCOA), baby boomers are an increasingly important market sector. A recent survey of nearly 18,000 adult Americans found that cannabis is becoming increasingly popular among the older generation. The number of cannabis users in the United States has nearly doubled over the past decade, despite it still being illegal in several states and only available for medical use in most. Around 9 percent of those aged 50 to 64 had used cannabis at some point in the year preceding the survey. Among those aged 65 and above, the figure was 3 percent. And while those numbers may not seem impressive, they are steadily growing and represent an increasingly large market for MCOA and its competitors to tap into.

What’s causing this growth in older cannabis users?

Shifting attitudes are clearly a factor. Many baby boomers came of age in the ‘60s and ‘70s, when the hippy movement raised the public profile and popularity of cannabis. They were therefore raised with marijuana as a feature of popular culture, even if they personally didn’t indulge in it. More recently, a shift away from the criminalizing policies of the 1980s towards a more liberal view has started to change attitudes across the generations.

Growing availability is a factor as well. The legalization of medical cannabis in many states has made the drug accessible in ways that it wasn’t before. Given the prevalence of chronic pains and ongoing ailments among those aged 60 and over, it’s relatively easy for seniors in medical cannabis states to get a prescription. And in the states where it’s legal for recreational purposes, the only bar to use is the social attitude of the consumer.

Having grown up during an economic boom and an era with greater government support, baby boomers have emerged with the wealth to enjoy their hobbies in retirement. And for many, cannabis is now one of those hobbies.

Something for Everyone

Baby boomers are just one part of recent growth in the cannabinoid product market. It’s a pattern of growth driven in part by the increasing diversity of cannabis products, sold through separate but interconnected markets.

The first to emerge was the medical cannabis sector. This has grown from a small niche to an important part of the North America market, with cannabis and hemp now legal in parts of the United States and Canada. Millions of people use cannabinoid-based products regularly to help manage chronic pain and treat other ailments, leading to growing recognition that the legal definition of cannabis as having no medical use was both absurd and unscientific.

Medical cannabis has been followed in recent years by the legalization of recreational cannabis. Nine U.S. states and the District of Columbia have taken this step. Canada is following suit on a national level, with legalization coming this October. Strains of cannabis and brands of products aimed at recreational consumers are emerging to cater to a different market from the medical one.

Alongside these products are others related to or derived from other cannabinoids, such as CBD. Industrial hemp, which produces CBD in large quantities, is grown by companies including MCOA, who has the potential to capture a piece of what is projected by The Brightfield Group to be a $22 billion market by 2022. Following trials over the past few years, the cultivation of industrial hemp looks set to become legal across the United States with the upcoming passage of the 2018 Farm Bill.

A wide range of products have been produced using active compounds from hemp. Oils and pills derived from cannabidiol oil (CBD) are increasingly popular in the health and wellness markets, finding their place on the shelves of wholefood shops.

Catering to Varied Needs

One of the reasons for the success of cannabis companies is their ability to manufacture and distribute CBD-related products for vastly different purposes. MCOA’s hempSMART™ product line shows how these companies build up a range of distinct but related products. hempSMART makes use of cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive chemical found in cannabis and widely used in health and wellness products.

HempSMART Pain and hempSMART Pain Cream use CBD for one of cannabis’s most widely recognized uses — pain management in relation to minor physical activity. It’s why cannabis had grown so popular and part of why its derivatives are also proving so popular with a variety of different age groups.

HempSMART Brain, on the other hand, is designed to improve clarity, concentration and alertness. HempSMART Face has found a way to use CBD in a moisturizer that moisturizes and replenishes the skin cells on your face. And hempSMART Pet Drops let people share the benefits of CBD with their animal companions. It’s a level of variety that may allow MCOA to get its products into many niches, increasing brand awareness as well as sales.

By creating a wide range of products, cannabis companies are catering to a growing number of markets. By helping with issues such as alertness and pain management, they’re ensuring their relevance to that crucial baby boomer market.

Expanding the Range of Cannabis Products

That sort of varied approach to cannabis is leading to growth for Organigram Holdings, Inc. (OTC: OGRMF). Once a medical cannabis company, Organigram still has a strong focus on that market and is showing its commitment to patients by covering the cost of excise tax on their cannabis. But it’s also expanding into the recreational market, contributing one of its award-winning flowers to the world’s first recreational cannabis variety kit. Creating products such as variety kits and gift sets turns cannabis into more of a luxury consumer product, one to be purchased for special occasions.

CV Sciences, Inc. (OTC: CVSI) is strongly focused on the research side of cannabis, using this as both a source of new products and a way of validating its work to consumers. It’s the sort of work that adds credibility to arguments that cannabis is safe and useful for consumers.

Isodiol International, Inc. (OTC: ISOLF) is a market leader in pharmaceutical-grade pure, natural CBD and an industry leader in the manufacturing and development of CBD consumer products. The company’s line of consumable and topical skin care products features 99 percent-plus pure, natural isolated CBD, micro-encapsulations, and nano-technology for the highest quality products.

Cannabis Strategic Ventures (OTC: NUGS) is marrying cannabis science with an increasing global demand for luxury personal care products in LYXR, its newest product line. LYXR products are developed from a line of hemp-derived phytocannabinoids combined with other natural ingredients that provide high-performing skin, hair and body topical solutions. LYXR’s inaugural product will be a face mask designed to provide hydrating and anti-aging/age prevention benefits. The LYXR product line will eventually include skin, hair and body products.

The cannabis market is seeing huge growth in the variety of both products and customers. With baby boomers increasingly enjoying cannabis into retirement, marijuana appears to be well on its way to entering the mainstream.

For more information on Marijuana Company of America, visit Marijuana Company of America, Inc. (OTC: MCOA)

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.

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Hydroponic Hardware Key to Tapping Long-Term Profits of Burgeoning Cannabis Market

CannabisNewsWire Editorial Coverage: The North American cannabis market continues to accelerate as Canada rockets towards the October 17 deadline for the nationwide legalization of recreational marijuana.

Hydroponic market trying to keep up with booming cannabis market set to exceed $25 billion by 2021.
Continued expansion of cannabis cultivation and demand for controllable production parameters are a boon to hydroponics industry.
Healthcare sector increasing demand for CBD from sources such as industrial hemp.
Regulatory reform throughout North America and Europe driving change in overall space.

The milestone legislation appears set to open the door wider for companies pursuing a position in the promising sector, including those consolidating vectors within the still highly fragmented hydroponics supply sector. The global hydroponic market alone was worth nearly $3.5 billion last year and is set to break $10 billion by 2023, maintaining a healthy 18.2 percent CAGR. Recently projected revenue growth to more than $30 million next year illustrates the lofty aspirations of hydroponics supplier Sugarmade, Inc. (OTC: SGMD) (SGMD Profile), a company that recently reported a sequential revenue increase of some 215 percent and a year-over-year revenue increase of approximately 228 percent for revenues of just under $3 million in the most recent quarter. Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE: SMG) is another one to watch in this space, with an already well-established presence and the recent announcement that the company will acquire general hydroponics equipment supplier Sunlight Supply, Inc., for $450 million. An acquisition may also benefit Aurora Cannabis, Inc. (OTC: ACBFF), which recently announced its procurement of MedReleaf. The huge announcement of an additional $4 billion investment in researcher, cultivator and seller of extracts/flowers Tilray, Inc. (NASDAQ: TLRY), by beer giant Constellation Brands, Inc., has been unmistakable “handwriting on the wall” to many investors that the cannabis industry is here to stay. And Canopy Growth Corporation (NYSE: CGC) has also been bitten by the sector consolidation bug, as evidenced by the company’s recent snapping up of premium cannabis lifestyle brand Hiku Brands Company Ltd.

To view an infographic of this editorial, click here.

Hydroponic Picks and Shovels

With the North American Marijuana Index up 33 percent over the last month and up nearly 550 percent over the last three years, it appears that this could be the front end of an ongoing boom that may have yet to even see its true heyday — something that could be triggered by the adoption of more widespread legislative reforms across several U.S. states, occurring in ways similar to California’s cannabis reforms.

It is a well-known investing adage that those who developed long-term success during California’s gold rush made their money not from mining claims but from selling the necessary accoutrements miners needed, such as picks and shovels. The same phenomenology holds true today during the ongoing green rush, with hardware manufacturers and suppliers of grow systems poised to reap the rich, long-term rewards of an industry that is still just getting off the ground in many respects. Leading cannabis sector analysts at ArcView recently detailed how the North American market saw sales growth of 33 percent last year and projected that the market will reach $25 billion a year by 2021, maintaining a CAGR of 28 percent.

Cannabis prohibition will most likely come to an end in the United States, just as it has in Canada, echoing what previously occurred with the end of alcohol prohibition. To many analysts in the sector today, the legalization question is not if but when. Savvy investors seem to understand the naked reality that humans have been consuming cannabis for likely well over ten thousand years, stretching back to the apparently widespread consumption of seeds and oils in China, where the first recorded medical uses of the plant occurred almost five thousand years ago. Little wonder that the cannabidiol (CBD) market is growing by leaps and bounds, as the infusion of CBD into healthcare products becomes more prevalent. The Brightfield Group recently projected faster-than-anticipated growth for the CBD market, with sales projected to reach $22 billion or more by 2022.

A Rollup Strategy in Hydro Hardware

Product and brand marketing outfit Sugarmade, Inc. (OTC: SGMD), whose brands include ZenHydro.com, CarryOutSupplies.com and BudLife Cannabis Storage Solutions, is currently focused on increasing revenues by repeating the success of the company’s past strategic moves, such as last year’s master market agreement with BizRight Hydroponics, a highly successful and rapidly growing manufacturer and distributor of intelligently designed hardware geared specifically for the needs of the cannabis cultivation sector. The company recently revealed that, as part of a growing emphasis on exploiting a “picks and shovels” rollup approach to the burgeoning cannabis sector, Sugarmade is in acquisition talks with multiple hydroponic supply companies having parallel competencies.

Sugarmade CEO Jimmy Chan explained in a recent shareholder Q&A that targeting home growers as well as smaller, profitable companies in the sector — companies that already have exceptional hardware offerings for professional cannabis processors and cultivators — is something that looks to be highly accretive. The strategy is quite simple, because while there is an explosion of new cannabis ventures in the market, few of these pioneering entrepreneurs of profitable operations possess access to public markets or equity-financed capital.

Branching Out into CBD and Industrial Hemp

Sugarmade’s revenue generation plan isn’t limited to relying on expanding North American markets either. The company was obviously happy to announce expansion into the European hydroponics supply market recently, through a sizeable order via Amazon UK. This announcement comes amid an ongoing shift for the company from a majority of hydroponic-related revenue growth occurring in California and other West Coast markets to more geographically dispersed growth throughout other U.S. states that are also seeing regulatory easing.

In addition, Sugarmade announced in late August that the company has committed to investing $1 million over the next 12 months in Hempistry, Inc., the privately held cultivator of an ultra-high CBD strain of industrial hemp (less than 0.3 percent THC), which has reserved 23,000 acres of prime Kentucky farmland for the task. Moreover, Chan has been made an advisor of Hempistry, and the company’s investment will be in the form of common shares, positioning SGMD shareholders quite well should a Hempistry IPO ever come to the fore. A cultivation supply agreement signed between the two companies is the icing on the cake and demonstrates to investors how such a rollup strategy also represents additive revenue growth that will magnify Sugarmade’s already robust top-line growth rate.

Sugarmade is already in formal acquisition negotiations with at least two companies in online and retail hydroponics, as well as other agricultural cultivation supplies, and the company has made a special filing with the SEC to formally address these acquisitive ambitions. Together with the industrial hemp and CBD initiative engaged in via the Hempistry investment, SGMD’s management team feels that shareholders are now well-positioned for considerable upside, as the company skillfully manages its aggressively planned growth rate and hones its focus more toward cultivation-related revenue sources.

Cannabis-Related Hydroponics — A Tricky Market

The retail market for hydroponics, generated by cannabis growers who are often highly knowledgeable about different types of grow equipment, is expected to become an increasingly contested arena in the coming years. For a disruption-minded brand marketing company such as Sugarmade, which is now one of the biggest publicly traded companies in cannabis-related hydroponics, the need to speak directly to consumers in a language they understand is readily apparent. The BizRight deal speaks volumes, given that BizRight has developed an impressive rapport with customers and partners over the last seven years, becoming one of the most trusted names today in world-class hydroponics.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE: SMG) had a strong quarter recently, with consumer purchases up 5.4 percent amid continued strength of the company’s core consumer lawn and garden products. The aforementioned acquisition of Sunlight Supply will reportedly bring the company’s Hawthorne Gardening segment up to an estimated $600 million a year in total sales, giving the company an impressive footprint across the general hydroponics supply market.

Aurora Cannabis, Inc. (OTC: ACBFF) is one of the biggest and fastest growing cannabis companies in the game today, with a currently funded capacity of nearly 950,000 pounds of product per year and an annual production target over 1.256 million pounds post-acquisition of Ontario-based MedReleaf. With a production footprint spanning nine Canadian and two European production facilities, Aurora is one of the most enviably positioned cultivators in the industry and has the scale necessary to ensure low production costs as well as consistently high yields. The MedReleaf acquisition brings even more high-yield cultivation technology firepower to the table.

Tilray, Inc. (NASDAQ: TLRY), which is focused on research, cultivation, production and distribution of medical cannabis and cannabinoids, has seen some impressive share price appreciation since the company’s IPO in July. The announcement in September that the company was granted DEA approval to import a cannabinoid study drug to the United States from Canada for use in a neurological movement disorder (essential tremor) study has really attracted a lot of investors to the company’s unique offerings and global reach. Tilray’s sophisticated array of full-spectrum and highly purified extracts deserves a second look from investors who may just be caught up in the hype and do not fully appreciate the company’s portfolio and value proposition.

Canopy Growth Corporation (NYSE: CGC) is riding high on a huge capital injection from Constellation Brands, which controls approximately 38 percent of the company post-expansion of this important strategic partnership, which has also served as something of a watershed moment for the cannabis industry. Canopy is wasting no time when it comes to exploiting this new muscle, recently announcing a multiyear supply and service agreement with Centric Health Corp. Canopy also recently announced that its Tweed Farms subsidiary received license amendments approving all remaining greenhouse space at its primary site, expanding Canopy’s total licensed grow footprint to an impressive 3.2 million square feet.

Lean, Mean, Green Machine

Sugarmade has put together a straightforward revenue growth strategy that has been tried and tested in other markets. Successfully executing a rollup strategy in the highly fragmented hydroponics space will come down to the company’s ability to continue picking superb targets that will be genuinely accretive to shareholder value over the longer term and directly additive to the company’s already impressive top-line growth. The Hempistry investment, as well as further expansion into hydroponics supply, is a win-win for both target companies and investors alike.

For more information on Sugarmade, visit Sugarmade, Inc. (OTC: SGMD)

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420 with CNW – Study Suggests CBD Could Treat Psychosis

Researchers from King’s College London have found that a cannabis extract, cannabidiol (CBD), can reset the brain so that the abnormal reactions characteristic of psychosis is reduced.

Their findings were published in the JAMA Psychiatry journal. The researchers were led by Sagnik Bhattacharyya, PhD., who works at King’s College London at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience.

The team recruited 33 young people who hadn’t been diagnosed with psychosis but displayed the classic symptoms of that condition. Nineteen control subjects were also included in the study.

These study subjects were divided into three groups. One group had the control subjects while another group had 16 youths showing symptoms of psychosis. The third group had 17 psychotic youths.

The brain activity of all the study subjects was studied and recorded using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Then, one group of the psychotic subjects was given a single dose of CBD while the other group received a placebo.

The three groups were then given a memory test designed to activate the same areas of the brain that fire abnormally in psychotic individuals. MRI scans were done as the study subjects completed the memory test.

The scan results revealed that the psychotic youth who were given CBD showed a reduced level of abnormal brain activity in the target brain regions. This reduction of abnormal activity brought the performance of those subjects to almost the same level as the level of the control subjects.

The researchers welcomed these results for several reasons. First, CBD seemed to be well tolerated by all the subjects who received it. This is unlike contemporary medicines, which aren’t tolerated by some patients.

Secondly, CBD showed promise as a substance that can be used to treat young people who are at risk of developing psychosis. Currently, there is no medication that can be used for such people, because what is available is too strong and causes several adverse reactions.

Interestingly, an earlier study at the same university established that CBD counteracts the effects of THC (tetrahydrocannabidol), the cannabis ingredient which can cause psychosis.

The King’s College London researchers now plan to conduct a larger clinical trial that will include several trial centers. This follow-up study will provide more concrete answers about the possibility and mechanism of treating psychosis with cannabis extracts.

Such studies that unearth the promising cannabis cures are encouraging to companies like ChineseInvestors.com (OTCQB: CIIX) and SinglePoint, Inc. (OTCQB: SING), which are involved in the young cannabis industry.

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420 with CNW – Coca-Cola May Make Marijuana-Infused Drinks

News coming in about the carbonated beverages giant Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) shows that the company is seriously thinking about a new product line of “wellness” drinks that are infused with cannabidiol (CBD), one of the non-psychoactive ingredients in cannabis.

News of Coca-Cola’s interest emerged after it was revealed that the company was engaged in talks with Aurora Cannabis, Inc. about the possibility of partnering to make those wellness drinks.

Coca-Cola was itself cagey about the possibility of making the drinks, only saying that it was watching with keen interest the development of CBD in the rapidly evolving cannabis industry.

The proposed drinks would be formulated and marketed as “functional recovery drinks” intended to be mild painkillers capable of combatting inflammation, as well as cramping after workouts or heavy physical activity.

It isn’t surprising that Coca-Cola is moving in this direction. Sales of its carbonated soft drinks have been on the decline due to the public’s concerns about the health implications of those soft drinks, particularly as they relate to their high sugar content.

To stay afloat and remain relevant, Coca-Cola has ventured into alcoholic drinks, bottled water, coffee and other beverages. The cannabis-infused wellness drinks would be another addition to its growing product range.

The interest of Coca-Cola in the cannabis industry provides a boost to this controversial industry, which is now gaining more acceptance in regions where it was previously unacceptable. That such a large company is thinking about investing in the cannabis industry shows that the current wave of decriminalization is unlikely to slow down any time soon.

However, Coca-Cola and other companies eyeing the cannabis industry need to tread cautiously, since the U.S. still regards cannabis as a Schedule 1 substance.

It is therefore thought that Coca-Cola may initially make its cannabis drink for the Canadian market while the legal issues in the U.S. shape up. In this sense, Canada can be seen as a testing ground where companies that want to benefit from the growing interest in cannabis can experiment and build their brands while waiting for the large U.S. market to open up at the federal level.

While Coca-Cola claims that no firm decisions have been made about its involvement in the cannabis industry, its talks with Aurora Cannabis show that Coke’s interest isn’t just casual.

What remains to be seen is how soon those drinks will hit the market, and how they will be branded. It would be interesting to know what Global Payout, Inc. (OTC: GOHE) and Golden Developing Solutions, Inc. (OTC: DVLP) are thinking in light of the expected availability of recreational cannabis in Canada less than two weeks from now.

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420 with CNW – Utah Set to Vote on Legalization of Medical Cannabis

Voters in Utah are set to vote on a bill (Proposition 2) that would legalize access to medical cannabis. The polls are slated for November 6, 2018.

Prop 2 is unique from other mid-term issues to be voted upon because it originated from voters themselves rather than from their elected leaders. Over 113,000 voter signatures were collected in order to get this matter on the ballot.

Under the proposed law, individuals with a health condition that meets the requirements stated in the Act can get a recommendation from a doctor. That recommendation can then be used to apply for a medical marijuana card which will be used to purchase cannabis at licensed dispensaries.

HIV/AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are some of the diseases/conditions that qualify for treatment using medical cannabis.

Several opinion polls show that Prop 2 enjoys massive public support, so it stands a high chance of being voted into law early next month.

However, the strong opposition to Proposition 2 cannot be ignored. For example, the Governor has been open about his opposition to the Act. Law enforcement agencies are also against this law.

The Mormon Church has also voiced its concerns about the proposed law. The church insists that the law should not be passed in its present form because it doesn’t contain enough safeguards to prevent medical cannabis from being abused.

For example, one provision in the law grants patients permission to grow up to six cannabis plants for their own use in case such patients cannot find a licensed dispensary within a radius of 100 miles from their residence. How will such cannabis be monitored to ensure that it is used for the right purpose and in the right way?

The Utah Medical Association also opposes the Utah Medical Cannabis Act (Prop 2). They feel that medical cannabis isn’t being treated like the drug it is intended to be. For instance, medicines should be controlled in terms of dosage. The proposed law only sets a limit on how much cannabis a patient may buy within a 14-day period. Who is to stop such a patient from consuming all that cannabis within a few days before waiting for the fortnight to elapse in order to be eligible to buy more?

The rest of the country is watching and waiting to see if Utah will become state number 32 on the list of U.S states where medical cannabis is legal. Youngevity International, Inc. (NASDAQ: YGYI) and Sugarmade, Inc. (OTC: SGMD) must be taking notes as these developments unfold.

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420 with CNW – UC San Diego Researchers to Study Effect of Cannabis on Essential Tremors

Researchers at the University College San Diego have announced their intention to investigate the effect of using cannabis extracts to treat or manage essential tremor.

The announcement came after the group of researchers (led by Dr. Fatta Nahab) got permission from the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) to import capsules of CBD and THC from Tilray, a Canadian-based cannabis company. Tilray conducted an initial public offering (IPO) in the U.S.

The researchers opted to import the capsules since none are available from the sole source of cannabis for research purposes (University of Mississippi). Capsules were preferred for this study because of two main reasons.

The first reason is that it would be easy for the researchers to control how much cannabis the study subjects received. This isn’t easy to do if the subjects smoke or vape the product.

Secondly, capsules were thought to be more acceptable to the study subjects who may have had issues with being asked to smoke or vaporize the cannabis.

The researchers had to jump through numerous hoops in order to get approval for the importation of the cannabis. For example, they had to submit the designs of the study to the research review panel of California as well as explain that the selected ratio of 20:1 CBD and THC was tailored to minimize the high and possible addiction by the patients who consumed the products during the study. The regulatory hurdles faced by the researchers are well known to companies like Lexaria Bioscience Corp (CSE: LXX) (OTC:LXRP) and Phivida Holdings Inc. (CSE: VIDA) (OTC:PHVAF), who have the eagle eye of regulators on everything they do.

The research team hopes to enroll 16 to 20 essential tremor patients to participate in this study that is expected to begin early next year and run for a year or more.

It is hoped that the study will provide scientific evidence for the anecdotal claims that essential tremor patients improved when they consumed cannabis. The researchers want to discover how much cannabis is sufficient to produce the desired results without triggering any adverse effects.

Such a cure would be a major breakthrough, since there is no medication designed for managing or treating essential tremor (ET). Patients are given high blood pressure medication or epilepsy drugs to manage this neurological disorder. The results of such interventions vary widely.

About 10 million Americans suffer from ET, and the condition is often mistaken for Parkinson’s disease. The International Essential Tremor Foundation and Tilray have funded the research. Tilray insists it will not have any say in the outcome of the study.

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420 with CNW – Drama Characterizes Passing of Cannabis Bill by Congressional Committee

The Medical Cannabis Research Act was finally passed by the House Judiciary Committee of Congress. This was the first time in 50 years that a Republican-dominated congressional committee has passed any legal cannabis reform legislation.

Republic Mathew Gaetz and 40 other cosponsors set the momentum rolling for the Thursday vote, which paved the way for additional facilities to get licenses to grow research-grade cannabis.

Congressman Matt Gaetz said that the U.S. had for too long been trapped in a catch-22 situation in which cannabis laws couldn’t be revised due to the absence of sufficient scientific research, yet that needed research could not be conducted due to the existing legal restrictions. Gaetz said that this “logjam” would be untangled by the Act.

Committee chair Bob Goodlatte echoed similar sentiments in his statement on the matter. He said that, while differing opinions exist on the subject of marijuana, there was agreement that scientific information/research was needed to guide the debate.

The statement by Bob Goodlatte could explain why he changed from his opposition to approving any law legalizing any form of cannabis to supporting this Act, which will allow researchers to study the possible medical value of the substance.

The committee sitting did have its share of controversy, however.

Serious objections were mounted to clauses that barred anyone with a drugs-related conviction, whether a misdemeanor or felony conviction, from participating in the legal cannabis industry.

Human Rights Watch, the Drug Policy Alliance and other advocacy groups read statements denouncing those clauses that exclude citizens who have already served punishments for their infractions.

Their view is that ex-convicts should be helped to get employment rather than be hindered from becoming productive members of their communities.

Gaetz shocked committee members when he confessed that the language in question wasn’t in his original draft of the bill. However, he was prevailed upon by cannabis industry firms to include that wording in order to keep “riff-raff” from applying for a cannabis research or cultivation license! Companies like Earth Science Tech, Inc. (OTCQB: ETST) and Pacific Software, Inc. (OTC: PFSF) would certainly not be party to such an action since they believe in free and ethical enterprise.

Committee chairman Goodlatte promised to find a way to address the concerns about that “unacceptable” language/clause before the Act is forwarded to the entire house for a vote.

It is widely believed that the Senate will be an easier ground for the Act to navigate and obtain approval.

What is now left is to wait for the Act to be scheduled on the business of Congress. When will that happen? Your guess is as good as ours.

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420 with CNW – Ottawa Police Department Rejects Cannabis Roadside Test Kits

The police department in Ottawa, Canada, has rejected the roadside test kits which the federal government approved for catching drivers who are impaired by the consumption of marijuana.

DrugTest 5000, already in use in several states across the U.S., was introduced in Canada ahead of the October 17 date when recreational cannabis will be available across the country. The Ottawa P.D. cites a number of reasons for its stance.

First, the police say that the DrugTest 5000 kits are very expensive. Each unit reportedly costs $6,000. The regulations in place require the police to conduct a cannabis test as soon as a driver is suspected of being impaired. This means that every police patrol vehicle would have to be equipped with the test kit, an undertaking that would take a lot of money.

Secondly, the sample of saliva taken must be kept at a certain temperature in order to give reliable results once tested for THC. This is too much of a hassle for the police department to deal with on a daily basis.

More opposition to the test kits is resulting from the information filtering in from across the border in the U.S. Apparently, the devices have been successfully challenged in the courts of law for being unreliable, since so much is left to the subjective assessment of the officer selecting drivers to screen.

Some people have even said the cannabis test process is as effective as “tossing a coin” to determine whether someone was impaired due to the presence of marijuana in their blood.

Another fundamental question that needs to be answered is how much THC (tetrahydrocannabinoid) is sufficient to cause impairment. Experts seem to agree that it isn’t as clear cut as is the case with the blood alcohol level detected during a Breathalyzer test.

In light of the above, it seems that the Ottawa Police Department is onto something by rejecting these roadside test kits, which currently appear to be expensive gadgets whose results may not stand up to legal scrutiny.

The decision to train more drug recognition experts may be a smarter move by the Ottawa Police Department, since it provides a better way to identify and possibly prosecute those who will drive under the influence of marijuana. One is left wondering what the thoughts of companies like Choom Holdings Inc. (CSE: CHOO) (OTC: CHOOF) and Hiku Brands Co. Ltd (CSE: HIKU) (OTC: DJACF) may be on this matter.

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