MjLink Cannabis Business News and Press

What keeps the illicit cannabis market thriving, even in states with legal and regulated adult-use sales?

A new report in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs points to higher prices and inconvenience associated with legal cannabis sales as barriers that send consumers to illegal providers instead, according to a press release announcing the report.

Investigators from the University of Waterloo in Ontario analyzed data from the 2019 and 2020 International Cannabis Policy Study, where participants reported how much of the cannabis they used in the past 12 months was purchased from legal sources. If respondents entered a value less than 100%, the survey prompted them to select from a list of reasons why they purchased cannabis illegally.

The number one answer in Canada in 2019 and 2020 for why respondents purchased cannabis on the illicit market was that “legal sources had higher prices,” with 35.9% of respondents choosing that answer in 2019 and 34.6% selecting it in 2020, according to the press release.

Convenience ranked highly as well, with 10.6% to 19.8% of respondents selecting either “legal sources were less convenient” or “legal stores were too far away/there are none where I live” as reasons for their illegal cannabis purchases.

Allegations of rules violations against an Oklahoma City-based medical cannabis testing laboratory have resulted in a suspended license as state regulators have recalled 99 products.

The Oklahoma Commissioner of Health issued an emergency order May 20, temporality suspending Scale Laboratories’ testing license in connection with the alleged violations after three inspections by the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) last month.

Scale is the trade name for Shiv Krupa LLC, OMMA License No. LAAA-C8NH-JZ02.

In addition to the suspended license, OMMA officials issued the 99-product recall May 19 for medical cannabis products related to the lab’s alleged violations. That recall includes flower, concentrates/extracts, infused prerolls, trim, vape cartridges, ice water hash and live rosin.

The full list of the 99 products with batch IDs is available here.

“We are first and foremost concerned about the health, safety and welfare of patients who might consume harmful marijuana products,” OMMA Executive Director Adria Berry said in a news release.

LAFAYETTE, Colo., May 23, 2022 -- PRESS RELEASE -- urban-gro, Inc., a fully integrated architectural design, engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPC) design-build firm specializing in horticulture, and more specifically, indoor controlled environment agriculture (CEA), announced the hiring of Arie Kamp as Managing Director of its Netherlands-based European entity, urban-gro Europe B.V.

Bradley Nattrass, chairman and chief executive officer of urban-gro, commented, “We are thrilled to welcome Arie to our executive team. He brings extensive experience as a leader in the horticulture space, especially around automation and system integration within indoor CEA. In addition to his valuable experience within the European market, the breadth of his relationships and deep knowledge in facility logistics automation will further enhance the expansion of our service capabilities for our North American clients. We are looking forward to his contributions as we continue to bolster our reputation as the premier turnkey solution provider in the indoor CEA industry.”

Kamp brings over two decades of combined agriculture, technology, and sales experience to urban-gro. Most recently, Kamp was the Director of the Fresh Produce and Logistics unit of Viscon Group – a leading horticulture systems integrator based in the Netherlands. During his more than 25-year tenure at Viscon, Kamp has participated in a variety of roles, helping propel Viscon into the European agriculture powerhouse that it is today.

Kamp stated, “I am excited to join the urban-gro team and bring my experience in AgTech to energize urban-gro’s European growth strategy. Europe has a long history of driving CEA innovations and recent consumer visibility of the improvements in product quality is enticing significant capital investment in the industry. With urban-gro’s full suite of capabilities and an underserved market, I see a compelling opportunity to service clients and provide needed expertise to help accelerate the indoor CEA industry in Europe."

The Vermont Cannabis Control Board (CCB) has issued three more cultivation licenses for individuals looking to participate in the state's nearing adult-use market, bringing the total to four. 

The CCB issued the first license to an indoor grower in Rutland County May 16—well after the May 1 deadline. 

According to WCAX, all four licenses have been awarded to social equity applicants. 

“They have been torn from their communities, they have been incarcerated, and really putting them at the forefront of the market,” said James Pepper, chair of the CCB. “Trying to correct some of those harms or at least mitigate some of the harms that were caused by cannabis prohibition.”

According to the news outlet, 22 out of 104 retail applicants have been pre-qualified thus far; however, official retail proposals are not expected to be accepted until Sept. 1–exactly one month before adult-use sales are supposed to launch.

AKRON, Ohio, May 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PRESS RELEASE -- Klutch Cannabis, one of Ohio's Medical Marijuana Cultivators and Processors, announced today that its sister company, The Citizen by Klutch, won two dispensary licenses in the Ohio Board of Pharmacy's second request for applications, which concluded in a Special Board meeting on Monday, May 16th, 2022.

The Ohio Board of Pharmacy, which is charged with licensing and regulating medical marijuana dispensaries in the state, received almost 1,500 applications for a total of 73 available dispensary licenses. The Citizen by Klutch turned in 73 individual applications in its pursuit of these licenses--more than any other applicant in the state.

The Citizen by Klutch dispensaries will be located at:

The stores will feature a wide variety of Klutch-branded products, as well as Kiva Confections' line of award-winning edibles, which Klutch manufactures under an exclusive license in Ohio. Dispensary menus will also feature a full line of premium products manufactured by other state-licensed Cultivators and Processors. The company also announced the hiring of two pharmacists, Rony Sinharoy and Lauren Delande, who will each serve as Director of Retail Operations for The Citizen. The pair have extensive experience standing up and operating Dispensaries in Ohio and in other states.

"As a 100% Ohio-owned and operated cannabis company, we see these retail licenses as a critical component of our business model," said Klutch Cannabis founder and CEO Adam Thomarios. "Building on the significant momentum we have in the market, the addition of retail will finally give us the opportunity to speak directly with patients and to have control over how our products are marketed and sold. We have assembled an amazing team, and our sole focus now is on channeling the same level of quality our products are known for into a unique and patient-focused retail experience. Our team worked tirelessly to get us here, and I am extremely proud of their hard work and dedication. We have a lot to look forward to."

Both stores are tentatively slated to open before the end of the year. All new licensees have until February of 2023 to receive a certificate of operation. For more information, please visit www.medicalmarijuana.ohio.gov/dispensaries.

Kansas won’t be keeping up with the Joneses when it comes to cannabis policy reform for yet another legislative session.

State lawmakers adjourned from their final day of work for the year on May 23, as a medical cannabis proposal was left on the table by the Senate, which has continued to stall on making meaningful advances in recent years.

That inaction comes as medical cannabis is legal in 37 states, including a trio of Kansas neighbors: Colorado, Missouri and Oklahoma.

Despite multiple efforts in Kansas to legalize medical cannabis this legislative session, including a House-passed bill that never gained traction in the Senate, and a Senate bill introduced by Republican Sen. Rob Olson in March, priorities were elsewhere when legislators wrapped up 2022 business on Monday.

Olson, who chairs the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee, which met Monday morning, issued a statement apologizing for the lack of movement on legalization.

“Unfortunately, due to the heavy load of the committee, I regret and take responsibility for not getting this measure across the finish line this session,” he said. “I am proud of what has been accomplished since the beginning of this session, but not convinced that we have been able to fully take into account all the complexities presented by all the potential patients, experts (medical, law enforcement, industry, etc.) and agencies that will be responsible to regulate the recommendation, cultivation, production, distribution and safe consumption of substances that come from the cannabis plant.”

NEW YORK, May 20, 2022 - PRESS RELEASE - LeafLink, the world’s largest online wholesale cannabis platform, announced its innovative logistics and payments tools will become available to Colorado’s cannabis industry in June. Beginning next month, cannabis brands, retailers and distributors across the Centennial State will have access to LeafLink’s innovative transportation and payment tools, as well as brand and retail fulfillment offerings. Colorado was the first state where LeafLink launched its marketplace, now the world’s largest cannabis wholesale marketplace processing more than $5 billion in orders annually, when the company was founded in 2016.

“LeafLink is excited to bring our innovative logistics and payment tools to Colorado’s cannabis industry. Our mission is to provide all cannabis companies--from local businesses to industry leading MSOs--with the tools to manage their businesses effectively and accelerate growth. Through our technology-enabled solutions, LeafLink will help brands and retailers across Colorado efficiently create orders, fulfill them, handle transport, and seamlessly process payments so they can focus on doing what they do best and grow their businesses,“ said Ryan G. Smith, co-founder and CEO of LeafLink.

LeafLink’s full service platform, including its marketplace and transportation and payment solutions, currently serves enterprises across the country in California, Oregon, Massachusetts, Michigan and Missouri. The company’s offerings are built specifically for each market and include solutions that enable brands to increase reliability, efficiency and transparency in shipping; retailer-focused solutions for warehousing, fulfillment and restocking of inventory; and technology to help streamline inventory operations and increase margins.

LeafLink is also committed to bringing critical liquidity to the cannabis market. The company previously raised a $250 million credit facility for this purpose, and its payment tools allow buyers and sellers to make and receive payments on their schedule. Tens of thousands of companies utilize LeafLink’s platform, with nearly 1,000 utilizing LeafLink’s logistics and payments offerings, including industry-leading brands and multi-state operators (MSOs) such as Ascend Wellness, Columbia Care, RevClinics, March and Ash, Cannacraft, BellRock Brands, and Summit Brands.

“The Summit team is extremely excited for the launch of LeafLink Logistics in Colorado. LeafLink has a proven track record of providing innovative solutions to the unique challenges that face our burgeoning industry. From B2B transactions, tracking inventory and accounts receivable, to streamlining payment processes, LeafLink has been the industry leader and a trusted partner in simplifying our business. As anyone operating in a highly competitive market knows, the process of order fulfillment, generating manifests, and maintaining expeditious, professional delivery of products to our customers is paramount to growing your business. LeafLink's simplification of this process through integration with their platform will save us time, money, and ensure our brands are being properly represented from the time they leave our warehouse to the time they arrive to our customers,” said Cooper Gillespie, director of sales and marketing for Summit Brands.

LOS ANGELES, CA - May 24, 2022 - PRESS RELEASE - Cure8, a cannabis IT and security services provider in North America, announced today that it was expanding into the Florida cannabis market, one of the world’s largest, with the acquisition of the Coral Springs-based cannabis IT services firm Real Cloud Pros (RCP).

“We see a lot of opportunity in the Florida market,” said Cure8 CEO and CTO Eric Schlissel. “Even with recreational sales remaining illegal for now, it’s still the third largest market in the U.S. with over $1.3 billion in revenues in 2020 and over 400 active dispensaries.”

Schlissel added, “Our services will help the state’s MSOs maintain compliance, stabilize costs, and continue to grow. We’ll also help smaller operators use technology and IT best practices to survive, compete, and punch above their weight. And when new medical and recreational licensing opportunities open up eventually, we’ll be well-positioned to help those licensees get set up and grow quickly.”

Cure8's cannabis IT services include point-of-sale (POS) system installation, surveillance system design and installation, managed IT services (24/7 monitoring, management, and support of a client's IT), cyber security assessments and consulting, cloud consulting and management, and hardware procurement.

Cure8 has supported scores of cannabis dispensary, processing, and grow locations since 2016, working for leading brands such as Canopy Growth, Tokyo Smoke, Superette, and performing artist Drake-affiliated Bullrider.

Many growers entering commercial cannabis from legacy markets or ornamental horticulture come armed with ideas that cannabis requires complicated, labor-intensive nutrient routines. But as commercial cultivation has evolved, so has knowledge about cannabis nutrition at scale.

Growers desiring to simplify their grow—and their nutrient routine—can find support in the science of plant nutrition and a sounder, simpler nutrient product lineup.

The Trend Toward Simplification

Agronomist Jean-Pierre Fortin and horticulturist Shaye Donald have unique perspectives on the complex nutrient programs many incoming growers bring to commercial cannabis grows. As members of the technical services team at Hawthorne Gardening Company, they help growers of all kinds understand plant nutrition, simplify nutrient product lineups, and enjoy the results.

Fortin believes that marketing tactics—rather than plant nutrition—tend to propel many complicated nutrient routines.

“When you look at some of these programs that use so many different products and add up everything they’re adding, we very often can say we can do the same thing with three or four different products,” he says. “It really comes down to the nutritional needs of the plant.”

Fortin stresses that growers from all backgrounds are looking for simpler, more efficient, more cost-effective nutrient programs. One grower, he recalls, used university-devised nutrient formulations requiring 14 different soluble salts: adding more variables into the plan than what otherwise might be necessary for cultivators.

It’s been nearly a decade since Washington and Colorado became the first U.S. states to legalize adult-use cannabis—and almost four years since Canada led the way with nationwide legalization. For commercial cultivators, today’s landscape bears little resemblance to those early days. Current trends in commercial cannabis nutrition are very different from when it all began.

Systems Approach to Growing

With the increase in highly controlled growing environments and technological advances, growers are gravitating toward a more holistic, systems-based approach to growing. Horticulturist Shaye Donald and agronomist Jean-Pierre Fortin, members of the professional technical services team at Hawthorne Gardening Company, work directly with commercial growers to help fine-tune growing practices and product use as part of a comprehensive approach.

While cultivators in the past heavily emphasized nutrition, Donald explains that perspectives are changing. Though nutrition remains integral, it’s being seen as part of the broader whole. More growers are focusing on the integrated growing environment, with nutrition being one piece that works in concert with growing media, irrigation, fertigation, and other aspects of the grow.

“Plants, like any living organism, are complex, and so the environment in which they grow isn’t just one piece. It’s a system where they’re all interconnected and affect each other,” Donald says. At Hawthorne, the concept behind this trend is driven home with the Hawthorne 360 initiative. “It’s all about recognizing that this is a system, so we need to take the systems approach to it,” he adds.

Nutrient-Based Crop Steering

Donald shares that crop steering—managing setpoints or inputs throughout the growing process to trigger specific plant responses—is another emerging trend.

“Crop steering is the human aspect of changing these setpoints to get a response that we desire,” he explains.

Ridgeland was one of the first two cities to opt out of participating in Mississippi’s forthcoming medical cannabis program when its board of aldermen made that decision March 1, well ahead of the May 3 deadline to do so.

Overall, officials from 10 counties and 17 municipalities in the state chose not to allow medical cannabis businesses in their jurisdictions.

But Ridgeland, a city of roughly 24,000 people in the Jackson metropolitan area, might be coming off of that opt-out list sooner rather than later.

On May 21, city residents began receiving knocks on their doors in a signature-gathering effort represented by contractor Voters Choice, the Madison County Journal reported.

That boots-on-the-ground endeavor comes more than two months after the Mississippi Cannabis Trade Association began hosting signature drives March 12 in hopes of bringing medical cannabis to Ridgeland.

Despite the votes of elected city aldermen, 20% or 1,500 of registered voters (whichever is fewer) in state municipalities may petition to put a question on their local ballots in a special election to override an opt-out.

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott vetoed legislation last week that would have created a drug use standards advisory board and expanded eligibility for the expungement of non-violent crimes, according to the Associated Press.

The advisory board, which would have been established within the state sentencing commission, would have been responsible for determining “the benchmark personal use dosage and the benchmark personal use supply” for regulated and unregulated drugs, according to the news outlet.

The board’s work was meant to prevent and reduce the criminalization of personal drug use, AP reported, but Scott said the bill to establish the advisory board “places no limits on which drugs can be contemplated for legalization or the amounts” and incudes “absolutely no recognition” of the health and safety impacts of using drugs such as fentanyl and heroin.

The bill also fails to acknowledge the role of law enforcement in stopping drug dealers, Scott said in his May 19 letter to the General Assembly, according to AP.

On the bill would have expanded eligibility for the expungement of non-violent crimes, Scott said in his veto message that he determined the legislation was “inconsistent with the state’s responsibilities to keep the public safe,” according to AP.

New Jersey’s end to cannabis prohibition came with 67.1% of support from voters in the November 2020 election, but now state lawmakers are attempting to scale back that reform.

Earlier this month, Assemblyman Edward Thomson and Assemblywoman Beth Sawyer—both Republicans—introduced legislation, Assembly Bill 3870, that aims to allow employers the ability to prohibit cannabis use by certain employees, even while they’re not working.

Under the proposed legislation, an employer shall prohibit the personal use of cannabis for the following employees:

“This bill amends the Cannabis Regulatory Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization (CREAMM) Act to prohibit certain categories of employees from the personal use of recreational cannabis,” according to a bill statement from the sponsors. “Specifically, this bill permits an employer to prohibit any use of cannabis if the person operates heavy machinery or weapons, or whose use of cannabis would put the public at risk. Further, this bill permits employers of law enforcement officers to prohibit use of cannabis.”

All employees prohibited from cannabis use under the legislation would be subject to employer policies as it relates to drug testing.

That legislation is just one of three bills introduced this month that attempts to restrict off-the-job cannabis use by certain workers.

Two New Mexico tribes have signed an agreement with state officials on adult-use cannabis sales, which officially launched in the state April 1.

RELATED: New Mexico’s Ultra Health Reflects on First Days of Adult-Use Sales

The agreement, announced May 19, recognizes the tribes’ authority to collect cannabis sales tax, according to the Associated Press.

New Mexico’s 12% tax on adult-use cannabis will not apply to products sold by the tribes, but the agreement allows the Pojoaque and Picuris pueblos to tax cannabis products similarly to cigarettes and gasoline, the news outlet reported.

RELATED: New Mexico Governor, Pueblos Sign Intergovernmental Agreements on Cannabis

BOSTON, May 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Boston Beer Company, Inc. (NYSE:SAM), maker of iconic, high-quality brands such as Samuel Adams, Truly HardSeltzer and Twisted Tea, today announced the launch of TeaPot, a new line ofcannabis-infused iced teas. TeaPot is the company's first infused beverageoffering and will be available in select Canadian provinces beginning in July.

TeaPot blends real tea with specific cannabis strains to enhance specifictimes of the day. The brand's first release is a Good Day Iced Tea, made withreal lemon black tea and infused with Pedro's Sweet Sativa, a unique cultivarwhich is grown in Strathroy, Ontario by licensed producer Entourage HealthCorp. and sold exclusively in Canada under itsretail brand Color Cannabis. Each 12-ounce can of TeaPot contains 5mgof THC and is crafted to minimize any cannabis taste or aroma. TeaPot willintroduce additional varietals in the coming months.

"TeaPot purposefully pairs the right tea with the right pot for theright occasion," said Paul Weaver, Director, Head of Cannabis at TheBoston Beer Company. "Each can is precisely dosed for social gatheringswith friends and family. We think TeaPot is the best-tasting cannabis beverageon the market, and we can't wait for people to try it – we think they'llagree."

Since 2020, Canada's infused beverage market share has increased by nearly850%[1], according to Headset retail data, and is approximatelytwice the size of the U.S. cannabis beverage market.

"Our goal is to be the most innovative consumer-focused beveragecompany on the planet," said Dave Burwick, CEO of The Boston Beer Company."While beer is our middle name, we've also introduced successful hardteas, hard ciders, hard seltzers, and canned cocktails. We're encouraged by thecontinued growth of the cannabis beverage category and we believe it's one ofthe next innovation frontiers. As we await further progress on U.S.regulations, we'll continue to develop an exciting product pipeline in thefederally regulated market of Canada."

TORONTO, May 20, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PRESS RELASE -- The Flowr Corporation (TSX.V: FLWR; OTC: FLWPF) herein announces its financial and operational results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2021. All financial information in this news release is reported in thousands of Canadian dollars and represents results from continuing operations, unless otherwise indicated.

Tom Flow, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Flowr commented, “2021 was a pivotal year for Flowr as we renewed our focus on maintaining our status as a premium cannabis producer and making the necessary changes to our business operations to reach profitability. The company made significant progress towards this objective, as we continue to take the necessary steps to reduce costs and drive revenues. In Q4 2021, we achieved new records in gross and net revenue at $4.4 million and $3.9 million, respectively, contributed by our previously announced strategy of introducing exciting new genetics and formats, enhancing our retail penetration, and solidifying our world class operations out of the K1 facility.

"Operationally, the K1 facility has been now fully operational since the second half of 2021 and each grow room is being utilized to ensure our fixed costs are being spread out over a higher number of production grams. We have increased our product offerings significantly with the launch and success of Strawnana, Sour Sis, BC Dog Walkers, and in 2022 introduced several new exciting strains including BC Clementine Crush, BC Lemon Ice, BC Spiced Grape and BC Mango Melon OG, with more planned for the rest of 2022. We have also seen significant growth in retail penetration across our core markets with store distribution well over 50%.

"Financially, we have strived to improve our financial position by reducing costs, shedding non-core assets and licenses, significantly reducing overall indebtedness, and raising additional equity capital. The sale of the KRS R&D facility and Holigen as previously announced will further reduce the company’s indebtedness to approximately $10 million, including $5.7 million under the senior credit facility and $5 million of convertible debentures, with further paydowns to the senior credit facility expected in the second quarter. The company has reduced SG&A expenses each quarter since the end of 2020 with Q4 2021 SG&A 16% lower than the same period in 2020.

"As previously announced, we have closed the sale of Holigen for what we believe to be favorable terms for Flowr shareholders. The company undertook a robust sale process and was able to transact upon a deal that gave Flowr a significant amount of cash on closing to solidify its balance sheet and also preserve the upside related to our European operations. We still believe the European market is on the cusp of regulatory change and we believe that Holigen will be able to take advantage of those opportunities with the capital and excellent management team from Akanda.

"Although we did not reach our full objectives for 2021, we are encouraged by the positive steps we have taken to position Flowr in 2022. Through the various changes that have been implemented, we believe Flowr is in a better position to realize its full potential and deliver results. The next few quarters will be an exciting time for Flowr as the Company takes the last steps towards profitability.”

Duke Rodriquez laid it out bluntly: New Mexico’s adult-use cannabis retail program underperformed in April, the first month for the new market.

Rodriguez, the president and CEO of Ultra Health, a vertically integrated operator with 38 dispensaries serving both patients and adult-use customers in the state, said the nearly $39.5 million in combined adult-use and medical sales recorded by licensed dispensaries were about 25% short of his expectations.

“I think we’re about $10 million light,” he said. “That’s the concern.”

Specifically, New Mexico retailers recorded more than $22.1 million in adult-use sales and $17.3 million in medical sales in April, according to the state’s Cannabis Control Division.

“The first signs are not all that impressive,” Rodriguez said. “Again, we should have done $20 million falling off a log with medical, and so, literally, we dropped off of medical and made a little bit more room for adult, but the aggregate was not that impressive.”

Rodriguez’s $50-million benchmark for April was two-fold.

Trulieve, a multistate cannabis company, celebrated the grand opening of its third and fourth medical cannabis dispensaries in West Virginia this weekend. 

"Located at 4701 MacCorkle Ave. SW in South Charleston and 152 Park Shopping Center in Parkersburg, both dispensaries opened at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 21," according to a press release.

The grand openings included food, music, giveaways, and product deals and specials. The company also launched two new cultivars Chocolope Newberry Live Budder and Pineapple Upside Down Cake Flower, which are only available at the two new dispensaries, according to the release. 

"We are thrilled to expand medical cannabis in West Virginia and deliver on our commitment to serving patient communities with high quality and reliable medical cannabis products," Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers said. "We look forward to welcoming patients across West Virginia and strengthening community connections in this developing market."

The company also plans on adding five more locations to its West Virginia footprint in the future. According to the release, it has its sights set on Belle, Huntington, Hurricane, Milton and Morgantown-Granville.

CRANFORD, New Jersey, May 23, 2022 - PRESS RELEASE - Bennabis Health, a company filling holes in the health insurance industry for medical cannabis patients, is thrilled to announce a contractual partnership with The Botanist dispensaries of Southern New Jersey as the next step of advancing its mission to increase medical cannabis affordability and growing its membership program.

Bennabis Health is the first company to offer a membership program for patients eligible for a medical cannabis card. The company's leadership is a council of highly experienced NJ-based health insurance and cannabis industry operations professionals whose focus is on easing the financial burdens of those who can benefit from medical cannabis.

Patients who have or get a medical cannabis card will now be able to find Bennabis Health membership program benefits available at The Botanist locations in New Jersey, including Atlantic City, Egg Harbor Township and Williamstown.

"The continuing growth of our membership plan in partnership with The Botanist is the next step in our national rollout plan to increase patient access across the country," said Bennabis Health president Don Parisi. "Expanding access and affordability across our home state has been a top priority."

The Botanist dispensaries are developed by Acreage Holdings, Inc and provide a carefully curated retail and product experience for consumers. They offer high-quality products and pay meticulous attention to every detail, from seed to sale. The Botanist's product line in New Jersey includes a wide variety of whole flower strains, pre-rolls and vape cartridges available in the brand's retail locations and other dispensaries. For more information on The Botanist, visit ShopBotanist.com.

"The Botanist has proudly served New Jersey medical patients for almost five years and is thrilled to partner with Bennabis Health to continue providing access and affordable health coverage to patients across the state," said Brian Sickora, Acreage General manager for the state of New Jersey.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida, May 23, 2022, - PRESS RELEASE - Flora Growth Corp., an all-outdoor cultivator, manufacturer and distributor of global cannabis products and brands, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with cell biologist Annabelle Manalo-Morgan, Ph.D., to acquire her brand Masaya, together with its patent-pending CBD formulations. Created by Annabelle and backed by her research, Masaya’s formulations of pure, potent CBD oil are 100% THC-free. Flora intends to distribute the brand and its formulations worldwide.

Masaya will become an owned Flora brand sold in the US and will be the first offering from Flora Life Sciences. In addition, it is expected that the original patent-pending formulation, Masaya Pure, will be used in Flora’s current clinical trials with the University of Manchester in the UK. The formulation is also in the process of being registered with the Colombian regulatory agency, INVIMA, as one of the first distribution steps beyond the US.

“We are excited to announce the acquisition of Masaya. The brand’s formulation was developed by Annabelle for her son and has since been used by thousands of consumers. Amplifying Annabelle and her son’s beautiful story and improving the well-being of people around the world is our aim,” Flora’s chairman and CEO Luis Merchan said. “This acquisition allows us to deliver on our promise to invest in safe, thorough, cutting-edge scientific research that can bring meaningful change via an efficacious and accessible product offering for people worldwide.”

As a member of Flora’s Board of Directors and as the company’s Scientific Advisor, Annabelle is responsible for leading Flora’s global research initiatives, including Flora’s ongoing clinical trial on the use of cannabinoids with patients who have fibromyalgia in partnership with the University of Manchester in the UK. Those clinical trials are expected to expand into research on the use of cannabinoids for other medical indications in the UK, at Flora’s research facilities in Colombia, and in the US. It is anticipated that proceeds from the sale of Masaya products will contribute to the funding of this vital research.