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What The Cannabis Merger Of The Year Means For The Industry
Plus, how cannabis fits into the incoming administration's plans on obesity, and more
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Happy Friday! As we wrap up the week and head into the holidays, here is some cannabis news you’ll want to take along for the ride.
In today's issue:
Cansortium Inc. (CSE: TIUM.U) (OTCQB: CNTMF) AKA “FLUENT” and RIV Capital Inc. (CSE: RIV) (OTC: CNPOF) completed its previously announced arrangement with RIV Capital in which FLUENT acquired all of the issued and outstanding Class A common shares of RIV Capital in exchange for FLUENT shares.
Robert Beasley, CEO of the combined company sounded quite enthusiastic about Thursday’s news. “Together, we have created one of the most well-positioned cannabis operators in the industry, with a strategic footprint in four key growth markets and a strong balance sheet which will allow us to act on accretive growth opportunities.”
David Vautrin, former chief revenue officer and interim CEO of RIV Capital called the merger transformational. “As evidenced by past performance, we believe FLUENT is one of the most fundamentally sound and now one of the most well-positioned multi-state operators in the United States.”
It seems that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of Health and Human Services, believes that lifestyle changes need to part of the solution to the country’s severe obesity epidemic.
While Elon Musk, the billionaire tech entrepreneur and seemingly one of Trump’s closest advisers, is calling for easier access to weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, produced by Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO). Musk, who has used Wegovy said "nothing else is even close" when considering how to address obesity. “Nothing would do more to improve the health, lifespan, and quality of life for Americans than making GLP inhibitors super low cost to the public,” he wrote on X.
It is worth mentioning that recent studies have suggested that "cannabis and subproducts could be considered adjuncts in obesity treatment by helping to reduce relevant anthropometric measurements."
There’s no doubt that whichever path forward is chosen in this important debate could have a lasting impact on public health in the U.S.
Two men from Rochester, New York, died after developing a "rare fungal lung infection" linked to using bat guano, or feces, as fertilizer for the cannabis they were growing for their personal use.
The University of Rochester wrote about the cases in a report published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases, warning that "exposure to bat guano among cannabis growers appears to be a recent trend that can lead to histoplasmosis cases and outbreaks." Histoplasmosis is a lung infection caused by inhaling spores of the Histoplasma fungus. It is also known as the “cave disease.”
Authors of the report stressed the urgent need for public awareness, particularly as cannabis legalization and the promotion of bat guano fertilizers grow.
Cannabis regulators and industry advocates have, for a long time, contended that licensed marijuana products are safer and cleaner than those circulating on the illicit market. Logical, right? Not necessarily.
It turns out that, according to an analysis published Thursday by the Los Angeles Times challenges that claim and reveals comparable pesticide contamination rates in legal and illicit cannabis.
The Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907–1954), known for her resilience and iconic self-expression, is the inspiration behind a new cannabis brand Alas Pa' Volar (Wings to Fly) launched this week in California. The brand, founded by Marisela Nuño, CEO of the Los Angeles-based Hierba Buena, had a soft launch on Dec. 16 and will formally open for business in early 2025.
Frida Kahlo contracted polio at age six, which left her with a distinct limp. At the age of 18, she moved to Mexico City to study medicine. Shortly after, a devastating bus accident changed the course of her life.
The crash left her with multiple fractures, a punctured uterus and a broken spinal column. During her lengthy recovery period, she began painting self-portraits that reflected her mental state and suffering. According to her great-grandnieces, Kahlo turned to topical cannabis remedies to manage her suffering.
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