Tag: GGB

420 with CNW – Cannabis College Starts Training Oklahomans to Work in Cannabis Dispensaries

People who would like to work in or own medical cannabis businesses in Oklahoma can now receive the training that they need to succeed. Hempstaff Dispensary Training, aka Cannabis College now organizes classes on different aspects of medical cannabis.

The organizers of these classes say that emphasis is placed on equipping attendees with information on the history, science and laws around medical cannabis so that one is ready to participate in this rapidly growing industry.

The company organizes two four-hour classes through which people get a thorough grounding in the major aspects needed by someone who wants to own or work in a cannabis dispensary.

Students who attended the first training sessions held last weekend say that they got more than they paid for because the content of the course was very rich. For example, the students were told why a patient can be given a particular strain of cannabis and not another for a given medical condition.

Such information is critical because the dispensary staff can help patients to make informed decisions when selecting products to buy. The medical cannabis space isn’t like conventional medicine in which a doctor diagnoses and gives a patient a specific prescription to alleviate his or her condition. Cannabis dispensary staff therefore play a crucial role in making it possible for patients to select what will be most beneficial for them.

Cannabis College decided that it would make its contribution in the medical cannabis space by preparing people to work in this industry. Leaving cannabis companies with the sole responsibility of training their staff is a bit risky, the organizers of the trainings added.

The trainers also say that they put emphasis on the current medical cannabis legislation and the likely changes that are bound to occur. This segment of the training is important because at the moment, Oklahoma is using emergency rules to regulate the medical cannabis industry. One should therefore understand the current legal regime and prepare for the changes that are coming as the industry evolves in the state.

Employers appreciate this training on the rules because an employee who doesn’t know all the applicable legal provisions can make a mistake that can cause regulators to close a dispensary and fine or incarcerate the owners.

The initiative taken by Cannabis College is appreciated by everyone in the cannabis industry, including Green Hygienics Holdings Inc. (OTCQB: GRYN) and Green Growth Brands Inc. (CSE: GGB) (OTCQB: GGBXF) because such efforts make the industry more beneficial to patients.

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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 – Records Show 61 Tons of Medical Marijuana were Consumed in Arizona in 2018

State records that were published on January 14 show that Arizonans set a record in the state by consuming a total of 61 tons of different forms of medical marijuana.

The report shows that Arizona medical cannabis dispensaries sold 2.5 tons of marijuana edibles last year. One interesting thing about this statistic is that in 2012, the entire state consumed that exact quantity of cannabis products. That year was the first full year since the medical marijuana was legalized.

Another comparison with that first year has to do with the number of patients who acquired medical cannabis cards. In 2012, just 40,000 people were enrolled on the program. By the end of December last year, 186,000 patients were actively using their medical cannabis cards.

The report released by the Arizona Department of Health Services shows that patients bought 56 tons of marijuana flower (buds) from the licensed dispensaries in the state. Another 2.5 tons of other marijuana products, such as resins and extracts, were also consumed during the year.

The cannabis edibles sold in 2018 were approximately 34 percent more than the quantity of edibles sold the previous year. Overall, the 61 tons of cannabis sold indicate a 42 percent increase from the quantity of marijuana products that were consumed the year before.

However, cannabis resins saw a sharper rise in the volume sold. The resins sold in 2018 were more than those sold in 2017 by 83 percent.

It is worth noting that the Arizona Court of Appeal ruled that cannabis extracts, such as resins, were not included in the protections offered to patients and doctors who were involved in the medical cannabis industry.

Nonetheless, dispensaries continued to sell the products, and patients continued to buy them as the entire state waited for the Supreme Court in Arizona to make its ruling on the matter. The outcome of the review by the Supreme Court is yet to be announced.

On matters of demographics, the statistics released by DHS show that more women took medical marijuana last year when compared to those registered in 2017. 40.02 percent of all patients on the program in 2018 were women compared to 38.35 percent in 2017.

The figures of the medical marijuana consumed are expected to keep rising, and it is interesting to note that in 2014, the total demand for cannabis in the state (both medical and recreational) was estimated to be 81 tons, just 33 percent higher than what the medical cannabis market has sold in 2018. That means the estimates may have been grossly conservative or off the mark. This positive outlook is good news to the entire cannabis industry, including Green Growth Brands Inc. (CSE: GGB) (OTCQB: GGBXF) and Golden Developing Solutions, Inc. (OTC: DVLP).

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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420 with CNW – Ohio Residents Petition for More Medical Marijuana Qualifying Conditions

Toward the end of this month, a special committee will sit to assess the different petitions that Ohioans submitted calling for additional conditions to be included on the list of ailments for which one can obtain a medical cannabis card.

The meeting this month comes after the end of a window within which people could send in their requests for the conditions they want to see on the qualifying list for access to medical cannabis.

Medical marijuana became legal in 2016 and 21 qualifying conditions were listed in that law. However, the law also granted the Medical Marijuana Board permission to review that list and add more conditions once each year.

The sale of medical marijuana is scheduled to start sometime this month and already more than 4,000 residents have secured medical marijuana cards. According to estimates, three in 10 Ohioans could qualify for a medical marijuana card even if the list of qualifying conditions stays as it was when the enabling law was passed.

The window within which interested parties could submit their petitions for additions to the list of qualifying conditions started on Nov. 1 and ended at the stroke of midnight on December 31. By the close of the window, 110 petitions had been submitted.

Those 110 petitions are now with a committee of lawyers advising the medical board. The lawyers will select some conditions indicated in the petitions and submit their shortlist to a committee that will meet tomorrow (January 9).

That committee will decide which of the conditions on the shortlist can be forwarded to medical experts for additional review and benchmarking in other states where medical cannabis programs exist.

The experts will then report back to the committee so that a report is presented to the full Medical Marijuana Board for a final vote. The Medical Board should have made their final decision by June 30, 2019, so that the list of qualifying conditions can be updated thereafter.

Some of the conditions in the petitions received include insomnia, depression and anxiety. Others are opioid addiction, acne, fibromyalgia and chronic pain. However, it should be noted that some of the petitions mentioned conditions that already appear among the 21 qualifying conditions listed in the 2016 law.

Currently, 33 states plus the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana. That notwithstanding, cannabis remains a Schedule 1 substance under federal law, so it is hard for scientists to study the plant and its derivatives in this prohibitionist legal environment.

Nonetheless, there are signs that the stringent controls will ease up a bit because already, the FDA has licensed a drug derived from cannabis, and permission was granted to a group of researchers at UC San Diego to import cannabis capsules from Canada for research purposes. Green Growth Brands Inc. (CSE: GGB) (OTCQB: GGBXF) and Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTCQX: LXRP) hope that the environment will become conducive soon enough at the federal level so that the industry in the U.S. can grow based on the findings of scientific studies.

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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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US President, Producers Envision ‘Green Acres’ with Signing of Historic Hemp-Legalizing Farm Bill

CannabisNewsWire Editorial Coverage: Moments prior to signing a historic 2018 Farm Bill and effectively legalizing industrial hemp, President Donald Trump tweeted out a video of his performance at the 2005 Emmy Awards, singing the song “Green Acres.” Having already passed through the House of Representatives and the Senate, the bill was met with much fanfare across nearly the entire cannabis sector, including benefactors such as Green Growth Brands (CSE: GGB) (OTCQB: GGBXF) (GGB Profile), Cronos Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRON) (TSX: CRON), Canopy Growth Corporation (NYSE: CGC) (TSX: WEED), Harvest Health and Recreation (CSE: HARV) and MedMen Enterprises Inc. (CSE: MMEN) (OTC: MMNFF).

To view an infographic of this editorial, click here.

Trump’s signature was the last hurdle for the $867 billion bill. Now the market is gearing up for the massive potential of hemp-derived cannabinoids hitting stores. Among the benefactors of the passage is Green Growth Brands (CSE: GGB) (OTCQB: GGBXF), whose goal it is to become the leading retailer of cannabis and CBD products in North America. Under its Seventh Sense brand, the company is about to market its own line of hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) personal care products.

Back in September 2018, the market research firm Brightfield Group published a 2018 market overview and analysis on hemp-derived CBD. Among the observations made in the report was the possibility that the CBD market could eclipse the cannabis market. Less than three months after the report’s release, the Farm Bill’s passage significantly improved this possibility.

According to the Brightfield Group’s analysis, the CBD market is expected to annually grow by 147 percent, from $591 million in 2018 to an estimated $22 billion by 2022.

A ‘Monumental Policy Shift’

Upon the passing of the bill on December 20, 2018, the cannabis retail innovators at Green Growth Brands saw the timing as nearly perfect for their company. Having passed just ahead of the launch of its hemp-derived CBD personal care product line under the Seventh Sense brand, Green Growth Brands announced its goal to become North America’s leading retailer of cannabis and CBD products.

“The new bill is a significant step in America’s acceptance of CBD and the benefits it can provide consumers,” said Peter Horvath, CEO of Green Growth Brands, in the company’s corresponding press release. “This development dramatically accelerates our ability to grow our North American retail network. This piece of legislation provides clarity on how we can build out our operations and logistics, reassures those investing with us in this new, exciting industry and gets us closer to the ultimate goal of giving customers high-quality, CBD-infused personal care products at affordable prices.”

According to an AMA (Ask Me Anything) interview, Horvath expressed his excitement over the company’s current selling of test quantities of the Seventh Sense CBD brand in a couple of national retailers’ stores already. “The selling is surprisingly good for products in the personal care category, exceeding our sell-through expectations,” said Horvath. “These are products never before seen, in a brand that’s totally new, and without any marketing.”

Green Growth Brands expects to roll out bulk orders for the product in 2019 and will announce the wholesale partners it is working with when appropriate. Already the expectation is for the launch of a web store and CBD kiosks, which Horvath deems are a “category killer,” in February 2019.

The company expects to derive up to 39 percent of its annual revenues from the CBD segment in 2019, with the potential for that figure to rise to 43 percent by 2021. Current company estimates place the dollar figure of the annual revenue from this segment at roughly $59 million for fiscal year 2019.

Due to Green Growth Brand’s overwhelming amount of c-level retail sector experience, Horvath and his team have a healthy degree of authority on their expectations. The company roll call includes expertise from several household names, including Victoria’s Secret, Designer Shoe Warehouse, American Eagle Outfitters, Bath & Body Works and more.

Branding is a quintessential aspect of Green Growth Brands’ future success. The team’s strategy is focused around being the best brand, coming from what it calls an “emotional brand” perspective. The company has an array of brands — including Camp, Meri+Jayne, Seventh Sense and Green Lily — all of which will be utilized for both CBD and cannabis purposes.

To move its CBD products to market, the company will have three separate strategies: wholesale, e-commerce and kiosks. The latter strategy is an indication of Horvath and his team’s extensive retail knowledge, as they work to grow their brand. Kiosks help to reduce leasing costs for retail exposure while selling brand-specific emotional brands at a relatively inexpensive price. One executive on the team had significant success with this strategy as a former executive of Sunglasses Hut.

By the end of 2019, Horvath’s company expects to have approximately 1,400 SKUs on the market. Should it reach this goal, Green Growth Brands would have a strong case for dominating the CBD products market. The timely passing of the 2018 Farm Bill may only serve to speed up the process.

Additional Benefactors of the Hemp Bill

Prior to the final signing of the Farm Bill, Canadian cannabis company Cronos Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRON) (TSX: CRON) grabbed headlines by entering into a subscription agreement with tobacco company Altria Group, Inc. Altria agreed to make an equity investment in Cronos of approximately $2.4 billion. The strategic partnership provides Cronos Group with additional financial resources, product development and commercialization capabilities. Cronos is one of the few Canadian producers listed on a major U.S. exchange, while not having any current operations in the country.

Another company that’s been keeping its eye on U.S. regulatory changes is Canopy Growth Corporation (NYSE: CGC) (TSX: WEED). The company wasted no time in commending the passing of the Farm Bill by announcing that “Canopy Growth will participate in the American market now that there is a clear federally permissible path to the market. Consistent with the spirit of the Farm Bill, Canopy Growth will participate in ways that support American farmers.” Canopy already has a deep hemp-specific portfolio of intellectual property through a previous acquisition of Colorado-based ebbu, Inc. In addition, much speculation has surrounded the potential for the company’s ongoing partnership with Constellation Brands to develop new cannabinoid-infused products, which will likely include a line (or multiple lines) of CBD drinks.

Following the closing of a reverse takeover of RockBridge Resources, Inc., vertically integrated Harvest Health & Recreation (CSE: HARV) announced the acquisition of Colorado-based CBx Enterprises, a producer of cannabis products and technologies for extraction and processing. Harvest’s footprint spans across 10 states, including California, Colorado and Massachusetts. The company reported revenue of $29 million in 2017 and has made $18 million in investments resulting in 40 permits and licenses across the United States. Having focused its attention solely in the United States, Harvest has no immediate plans for international expansion. With each regulation change in the Farm Bill, the company’s fortune appears to look brighter.

However, the Farm Bill’s passing may not please companies solely focused on the dispensary side of the sector. After already going through a rigorous process to be licensed in the states that it operates in, groups such as MedMen Enterprises, Inc. (CSE: MMEN) (OTCQX: MMNFF) gained exclusivity to carry and sell legalized cannabis products. Upon hemp-derived CBD becoming legal and available, the door to more open competition in the space could open widely. MedMen doesn’t seem to be fazed by the passing, having recently announced the finalization of the acquisition of Chicago-based PharmaCann, one of the largest medical cannabis providers in the United States, with ten retail stores and three production facilities across multiple states.

Whether or not federal legalization is in the cards for the United States is up in the air. However, the unfettering of CBD could be seen as the first step. Now with the anti-cannabis stance of former Attorney General Jeff Sessions out of the way, the path to legalization starts to get a little bit clearer. With the majority of Americans, including Republicans, now in favor of legalization and a bevy of CBD-infused products on the way, the days of cannabis prohibition may be on their way out. With a soon-to-be-launched line of hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) personal care products, Green Growth Brands is poised to enter the potential billion-dollar CBD market opened up by the Farm Bill’s passage.

For more information on Green Growth Brands, visit Green Growth Brands (CSE: GGB) (OTCQB: GGBXF). Please also visit PotStockNews.com.

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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