Innovative Cannabis Players Offer Promising Entry
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NetworkNewsWire Editorial Coverage: It is no secret that the legal marijuana market is exploding in North America. Analysts have predicted the cannabis market in the United States could reach $24.1 billion by 2025, and recent polls indicate 61 percent of Americans now believe marijuana use should be federally legalized1. Measures are currently being taken in Canada to legalize recreational marijuana by 2018. On a global scale, the worldwide cannabis market has been projected to reach up to $55.8 billion USD by 20252. A wide variety of players have been scrambling to stake a claim in this booming market, whether through directly handling the marijuana plant or by serving those who do. Unique standouts in this burgeoning market include ChineseInvestors.com, Inc. (CIIX) (CIIX Profile), CV Sciences, Inc. (CVSI), Terra Tech Corp. (TRTC), Medical Marijuana, Inc. (MJNA) and Hemp, Inc. (HEMP).
ChineseInvestors.com, Inc. (CIIX) is tapping into a profitable niche market as it serves Chinese-speaking consumers throughout the world and aims to become the largest publicly traded Chinese medical marijuana company.
CIIX is focused on the research, development and distribution of legalized cannabidiol (CBD) to the global Chinese-speaking community. Already one of the fastest growing segments in the U.S. hemp and legal marijuana industry, application of CBD is also gaining traction in China. CIIX operates an online store in the free trade zone of Shanghai, China, where CBD sales are legal, though marijuana use is not. CIIX also recently established, through its wholly owned subsidiary ChineseHempOil.com, Inc., a club-style Hemp Education Center in the company’s home market of San Gabriel, California, to educate interested parties regarding the potential health benefits of non-industrial hemp and hemp-derived CBD (http://nnw.fm/oV4Ga).
CIIX recently engaged Arizona-based Launch Haus LLC, a holding company that specializes in digital direct-to-consumer marketing and product branding, to aid in growing the company’s worldwide sales of hemp-based CBD products (http://nnw.fm/RVz21). In June 2017, the company further incorporated CBD Biotechnology Inc. in British Columbia, Canada, as part of its efforts to enter the medical marijuana market there. Medical marijuana has been federally legal in Canada since 2001, and the Canadian government is now making strides toward the national legalization of recreational marijuana.
“The incorporation of CBD Biotechnology Inc. is a promising step forward toward CIIX’s goals to enter the medical marijuana industry. Through its expansion into Canada, CIIX aims to generate significant revenues through sales of CBD-based health products, while helping the nearly one million Chinese in Canada to improve their overall health,” Warren Wang, founder and CEO of CIIX, stated in a news release (http://nnw.fm/9y0Dc).
In December 2016, CIIX entered into a wholesale agreement with a well-known CBD health brand and formally launched a website for its subsidiary, ChineseCBDoil.com, which went live in January 2017. This launch marked the introduction of the world’s first Chinese language online store for CBD health products. At that same time, CIIX debuted the first Chinese language Yelp-style social media app where users can discuss and review cannabis services and products, as well as find locations of dispensaries.
The company has built a widespread user base of more than 100,000 individuals, and it continues its focus on investing in both the R&D and distribution of CBD products. Corporate objectives include plans to further its study into the effectiveness of CBD for medicinal purposes in an effort to become the first company in China to employ CBD oil as a means of mitigating the suffering of epilepsy and Alzheimer’s patients. The application period for such new drugs in China is only two to four years—significantly shorter than the time it often takes companies to fulfill regulatory requirements in the United States.
As CIIX continues to penetrate new markets, others are taking notice. Consilium Global Research recently projected a CAGR of almost 100 percent for CIIX through 2026 (http://nnw.fm/e5EiK), predicting revenues of up to $14.8 million.
Another standout cannabis player is CV Sciences, Inc. (CVSI), which operates two distinct divisions: pharmaceuticals and consumer products. The company’s pharmaceuticals division is focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics that utilize synthetic CBD. Its consumer products division manufactures, markets and sells plant-based CBD products to various market sectors, distributing these products nationally through the Internet as well as through health food stores and health care provider offices. The company’s divisions are backed by a medical and scientific advisory board, as well as state-of-the-art production facilities, and its consumer products are supported by formal safety reviews, increasing case reports and recommendations from physicians. CV Sciences is pursuing FDA approval for drugs with particular indications, featuring CBD as the active pharmaceutical ingredient, and the company has achieved promising preclinical results. CV Sciences’ initial drug candidate is CVSI-007, a chewing gum that contains nicotine and synthetic CBD to aid individuals in quitting tobacco use and escaping addiction.
Vertically integrated, cannabis-focused agricultural company Terra Tech Corp. (TRTC) is another interesting marijuana play, operating through various subsidiaries including Blüm, IVXX Inc., Edible Garden and MediFarm LLC. Three of these subsidiaries are cannabis-focused. Blüm operates retail and medical cannabis facilities that deliver high-quality medical marijuana products to patients seeking alternative treatments for chronic medical conditions, as well as premium cannabis for Nevada’s adult-use market. IVXX, Inc. produces cannabis-extracted products for regulated medical marijuana dispensaries throughout California and adult-use and medical cannabis dispensaries in Nevada. Under the IVXX brand, Terra Tech recently filed a patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for cannabis-infused rolling papers, which are anticipated to be released in 2018. The company’s MediFarm LLC subsidiaries are focused on medical and adult-use cultivation and permitting businesses in Nevada.
Medical Marijuana, Inc. (MJNA) stood out as the first company to offer hemp-based CBD products in the United States. The company accomplished this by offering cannabis-derived products that exploit the health properties of non-psychoactive cannabinoids, like CBD, which are legal in the U.S. The company uses cannabis varieties (hemp) that are grown outside the U.S. and either have very low tetrahydrocannabinol levels or no THC at all. Carefully cultivated CBD hemp oil and hemp oil products, offering a full range of phytocannabinoids and high CBD content, are created and then imported into the U.S. In addition to being the first publicly traded cannabis company in the U.S., MJNA has stood out as the first company to bring legal medical cannabis products to Mexico, Brazil, Puerto Rico and Paraguay; the first company to offer government-subsidized botanical cannabis-based products; the first company to deliver prescription CBD products to treat epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, chronic pain and migraine; the first company to deliver cannabis brands across U.S. state lines and international borders; and more.
Hemp, Inc. (HEMP) is an industrial hemp-focused company that aims to become a leader in the industrial hemp market through a portfolio of synergistic businesses formed through purchase, acquisition or joint venture with companies across various hemp industry sectors. Hemp, Inc.’s mission is to offer green solutions through its hemp products, which are eco-friendly and can often be used in place of petroleum-based products. The American hemp fiber industry has been estimated at over $500 million, and a hemp crop is known to be more economical and ecological than cotton or trees, reducing water, energy and pesticide use. Hemp, Inc.’s products include DrillWall lost circulation material for oil field drilling application and Spill-Be-Gone and SpillSuck for large- and small-scale oil spill cleanup. The company is also developing SpillMaster for offshore oil spill cleanup.
For investors seeking play in the cannabis market, the mentioned companies offer intriguing and varied opportunities. As this burgeoning market continues its forward drive, these companies may provide promising opportunities to climb aboard.
Editorial Sources:
1) CBS News: http://nnw.fm/5Qh2x
2) Grand View Research: http://nnw.fm/Gf3dQ
For more on CIIX please visit: ChineseInvestors.com (CIIX) or www.ChineseInvestors.com
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