UNVC is on the cutting edge of current developments in the hemp and cannabis industry. In 2018, several big-name alcohol and tobacco brands started to hedge sales losses by partnering with cannabis companies or starting their own forays into the industry. Altria, the maker of Marlboro, put $1.8 billion into Cronos Group. Constellation Brands, which produces Corona beer and dozens of other brands, invested nearly $4 billion in Canopy Growth to make a bet on cannabis-infused beverages. Taking a different approach, Heineken developed its own cannabis-infused beverage Hi-Fi Hops.

This year look for pharmaceutical companies to make strategic investments as the population ages and demand for CBD products rise. Pharma and cannabis have natural synergies. People are using CBD for dozens of conditions: Cancer, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, Parkinson’s, glaucoma, and the list goes on and on. I see Merck stepping in to take advantage of this trend, and pharmacies such as Rite-Aid, CVS as well as Walgreens and Walmart will all rush in to carry any and all medicinal aids.

With CBD now legal in 31 states, I predict we’ll begin to see more pharmaceutical companies approaching cannabis companies for strategic partnerships, and this might be what Dalton is trying to cultivate.

But that is not all. I see this year as the year CBD products in particular are prescribed for pet use. Pet treatments amount to around $70 billion dollars a year, and they are showing no end in growth. Pets possess the same cannabinoid receptors people do, and pet responses to these treatments have been remarkable.