The state House gave initial approval Tuesday to a bill transferring responsibility for inspecting marijuana testing laboratories from the state medical marijuana program to the state environmental laboratory.

Under Montana law, laboratories that test marijuana products for levels of THC, cannabidiol and contaminants must be inspected annually. A person with a “financial interest” in a laboratory cannot also have a financial interest in one of its provider clients.

House Bill 598, carried by Rep. Mike Hopkins, R-Missoula, returned from the Senate for its second turn on the House floor Tuesday and passed 90-9 on second reading. 

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Cafina is one of three companies in Spain authorized to cultivate, distribute and export cannabis containing more than 0.2% of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) for medicinal and research purposes, and does so today in a 1,600 sq. ft. greenhouse. It is also licensed to conduct hemp cultivation. With this acquisition and planned corresponding expansion in Spain, Canopy Growth improves its long-term positioning to address demand across Europe for medical cannabis and CBD products. Canopy Growth is also partnered with a second licensed producer in Spain that produces cannabis flowers for the Company under an existing supply arrangement.

"Operating multiple production assets within Europe will allow us to increase revenue in the EU free of supply constraints," commented Mark Zekulin, President & Co-CEO, Canopy Growth. "This strategic acquisition in a scalable, low-cost production environment diversifies our owned production capabilities in Europe, similar to our approach in Canada where we have production facilities in seven different provinces. Adding Cafina will allow us to quickly build out our presence in Spain using its existing cultivation licence as a launch pad, while ensuring our Canadian footprint – the largest in the world – can continue to serve the medical and recreational needs of Canadians."

Founded in 2014, Cafina is based in the Province of Alicante in Spain. With a focused team, Cafina has already established a small greenhouse for research-related medical cannabis production in addition to focusing on crop-related R&D and the sale of hemp seed. Cafina received its general and research licence in November 2018 from the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) and had previously been granted a hemp licence which authorized the cultivation of cannabis sativa (<0.2% THC) and small-scale extraction of cannabinoids for research purposes. Cafina CEO, Xavier Delas Martinez will continue managing the site as Canopy Growth injects capital in order to scale the operation through calendar 2019.

Canopy Growth continues to strategically deploy its substantial cash reserves to acquire assets that will allow the Company to scale efficiently and into global markets.

ESCONDIDO, Calif., April 17, 2019 -- PRESS RELEASE -- Marijuana Company of America, a hemp and cannabis corporation, has announced that the company has officially acquired a 20-percent ownership interest in Natural Plant Extract of California (NPE).

Under the terms of the agreement, Marijuana Company of America has committed to contribute $2,000,000 in total cash to the project, as well as common shares of the company with a value of $1,000,000. In exchange, the company will own a 20-percent equity position in NPE. In addition, MCOA and NPE have also officially signed a Joint Venture Agreement (JV) to establish Viva Buds as a premier cannabis delivery company. Both NPE and MCOA will share in the profits on a 50/50 basis.

Viva Buds Inc. will serve as the marketing arm for NPE subsidiary Northern Lights Distribution’s (NLD) new retail cannabis delivery service in California, first starting with delivery services to Los Angeles County and then rolling out to other major cities throughout the state. NLD will contribute up to $300,000 in inventory of cannabis products to assist in the start-up of this venture, and MCOA will provide a vast array of marketing services and technology to promote and build its Viva Buds brand.

NPE owns both state and city licenses for volatile manufacturing, distribution and retail delivery of cannabis products. NPE will manage all operations pertaining to distribution, manufacturing and delivery of cannabis products, and MCOA will provide capital, consulting and marketing services. NPE is currently operating as a distributor and is completing the build-out of its manufacturing facility, which is expected to be completed and fully operational in August 2019.

Regarding the acquisition, Alan Tsai, CEO of NPE, stated, “We are excited to be one of the first California licensed cannabis companies to partner with a publicly traded company in the US. We believe that partnering with an established company such as Marijuana Company of America will help to build Viva Buds and establish our foothold early by securing manufacturing and distribution contracts with key players in the California cannabis market. We expect that this strategic partnership will be mutually beneficial to both companies.”

Don Steinberg, MCOA CEO, stated, “After a great deal of due diligence and strategic planning, we are happy to execute an agreement to purchase ownership in NPE. This is a major step in staying true to our name Marijuana Company of America and entering into the marijuana industry in California. We have aspirations of becoming a major distributor, delivery service and manufacture in California. NPE is ahead of most of the competition in the state in terms of permitting, build-out and licensing."

LOS ANGELES, April 17, 2019 (Newswire.com) - PRESS RELEASE - StrainRx is a cannabis intelligence platform that facilitates the identification and location of cannabis products that are ideally suited for users' complex and nuanced needs. To further the platform's expertise and understanding of the cannabis plant and its pharmacological potential, StrainRx is announcing the appointment of Justin Tran to the executive team as the head of clinical research.

Justin is a clinical research professional with over 10 years of experience in all stages of the drug development life cycle. In this role, Justin will work with the team to discover, refine and develop solutions to unmet clinical needs with a global perspective.

Throughout his distinguished career, Justin has worked on concept development, patenting and technological licensing. He also has direct knowledge of the patient and provider experience. By joining StrainRx, Justin says that he is looking forward to playing a key role in the future of cannabinoid therapeutics and the creation and integration of clinical solutions using evidence-based medicine.

"We are positioned between the world of sourcing (the cultivators) and the world of academia and as such, StrainRx has an opportunity to become a major player in guiding the future of cannabis R&D," said StrainRx CEO Alec Perelman. "We're here to make a meaningful and lasting difference and I am honored to work alongside such talented individuals."