Cannabis business, investment news you may have missed last week

First Harvest complete at Flower One’s 455,000 square-foot cannabis facility, greenhouse now fully canopied with 100,000-plant inventory (CNW Group/Flower One Holdings Inc.)

THC BioMed has announced that it is the “first Canadian Licensed Producer to automate the pre-rolling of cigarettes containing 100% cannabis,” called the “Pure Cannabis Cigarettes.” In the same way automation changed the tobacco industry, THC BioMed is “confident the automation of Pure Cannabis Cigarettes will bring meaningful changes to the current cannabis industry and its bottom line,” a release notes. “We promise our Pure Cannabis Cigarettes will offer the same potency as our regular best-selling pre-rolls. I am predicting consumers will gravitate towards this finished type of product and the old way of rolling joints will be something of the past,” said John Miller, President and CEO of THC BioMed.

TruTrace Technologies Inc. has announced Deepak Anand, CEO and Co-Founder of Materia Ventures, will become an advisor to the company. “Mr. Anand brings significant experience having worked closely with senior government officials, politicians, policy makers, health professional organizations, clinical practitioners, educators and investors,” a TrueTrace release notes. “Mr. Anand can provide business development leadership and direction, particularly with respect to engagement with governmental bodies and regulatory agencies in jurisdictions in Canada, Europe and South America.” TruTrace notes that as Materia Ventures continues to build out its infrastructure and technology assets across Europe, “there will be opportunities for expanding the partnership and strategic opportunities.” Anand has held several roles of importance within the global cannabis sector, including serving on the boards of the Center for Medicinal Cannabis in the UK and he is also on the board of CFAMM (Canadians for Fair Access to Medical Marijuana) and the National Association of Cannabis Professionals.

CannaOne Technologies has announced it has garnered well in excess of the initial 10,000 member sign-up target it had set for the BWell CBD Online Marketplace 10 day pre-launch referral campaign. “The pre-launch campaign adopted a referral based sign-up initiative to ensure the marketplace would possess the foundation of a truly authentic community of highly engaged customers,” CannaOne states in a release. “There was no better way to make certain those are the types of members registering for the marketplace, that to work from the premise that the most powerful and effective way to introduce a new company to a diverse clientele was by way of a credible referral.” The referral campaign will remain an “on-going business strategy. The BWell CBD Online Marketplace will be launching later this month with a “significant customer base eager to purchase the plethora of premium CBD products to be offered.”

Loyalist College is the recipient of a $1,750,000 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada College and Community Innovation Program grant over five years to launch Canada’s first Technology Access Centre for natural products and cannabis. In addition, Loyalist received $1M through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s College-Industry Innovation Fund to add specialized equipment to the TAC.

Sunniva and CannaPharmaRx have announced that they have entered into a share purchase agreement dated, pursuant to which Sunniva has agreed to sell Sunniva Medical Inc. (SMI) to CannaPharmaRx in an all-cash transaction for CAD $20 million. SMI owns the Sunniva Canada Campus, which includes construction assets for a planned 759,000 square foot greenhouse located on an approximately 114-acre property in Okanagan Falls, British Columbia.

Pasha Brands Ltd. has announced the appointment of Jamie Shaw as its new Chief Communications and Culture Officer. “Shaw brings decades of experience in management, messaging, and organizing in the cannabis and multimedia industries to her role at Pasha,” a press release notes. “Both effective and disruptive in her advocacy, she is the only court-certified expert in the dispensary industry in Canada, and was an expert witness in the Allard trial that won patients the right to grow for themselves. Shaw also successfully lobbied for dispensary regulations in Vancouver, Victoria, and other Canadian municipalities under prohibition, and has consulted at length with all levels of government on cannabis regulations. In addition to Shaw’s extensive experience in the cannabis space, her transferable skillsets from years as a business owner and professional in the performing arts and creative industries make her invaluable to Pasha.”

Trait Biosciences Inc., a North American research laboratory in hemp and cannabis innovations, has announced that it has completed the first-ever successful stable genetic transformation of the cannabis sativa (hemp) plant. “The achievement was completed by Trait’s team of more than 40 scientists and researchers, led by Dr. Richard Sayre, from its licensed facility in Los Alamos, New Mexico,” a release notes. “While efforts have been made by other researchers and companies to metabolically engineer the Cannabis sativa plant, Trait’s achievement is believed to represent the first time a hemp plant has been stably transformed and successfully grown roots and stems.”

Flower One Holdings has announced the completion of its inaugural cannabis harvest at the company’s 455,000 square-foot commercial-scale greenhouse facility in Nevada. “With the greenhouse now 100 per cent canopied, the Company has commenced an expected ongoing harvest averaging 10,000 high-quality, hydroponically-grown cannabis plants per zone,” according to a release. “This, in conjunction with the completion of the greenhouse’s adjoining 55,000 square-foot cannabis production facility, has well positioned Flower One for the active cultivation and processing of over 100,000 plants housed in eight flower zones, per crop cycle, amounting to an expected 140,000 lbs (or 62,500 kg) of dry flower per year.”

48North Cannabis Corp. has partnered with The New Farm and Farms for Change in support of Community Food Centres Canada, an organization focused on “increasing access to healthy organic food, and organic farms across Canada.” 48North and The New Farm states in a release they “are steadfast in their commitment to promoting environmental stewardship. Both organizations share a belief that sustainable, profitable farms are the foundation of healthy communities, and that local, organic agricultural products should be available to everyone.”

Rapid Dose Therapeutics Corp., a Canadian life sciences company focused on innovative drug and active ingredient delivery solutions, has announced that Chemesis International has begun commercialization of QuickStripOral Thin Strips. Chemesis will deliver CBD infused strips across the United States as well as THC and CBD infused strips in Puerto Rico.