International Cannabis Legalization to Spur Global Medical and Recreational Sales

NEW YORK /PRNewswire/ -- According to a research report provided by European investment bank, Bryan, Garnier & Co., the legal global cannabis market is expected to grow more than 1,000% over the next decade and could reach USD 140 Billion dollars by 2027. Data by Arcview Market indicates that while California gets the media attention and Canada gets the investment dollars, as the country expects to legalize cannabis for recreational use, it's the recent changes in European nations that made the biggest news of 2017 from a worldwide perspective. For example, Germany's move to make cannabis flower available for medical use in pharmacies. WeedMD Inc. (OTC: WDDMF), Cara Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: CARA), GW Pharmaceuticals plc (NASDAQ: GWPH), 22nd Century Group, Inc. (NYSE: XXII), Zynerba Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZYNE)

In the U.S., the potential financial benefits from legalization are important economically as well as politically. Earlier this year California had started legal sales of recreational cannabis. While sales are rising, there are fears that supply will fall short of demand. According to a report by the Chicago Tribune, Charles Boldwyn, Chief Compliance Officer of ShowGrow in Santa Ana, explained, "We're looking at … hundreds of licensed cultivators and manufacturers coming out of an environment where we literally had thousands of people who were cultivating and manufacturing… So the red tape is a bit of a bottleneck in the supply chain." Despite the concerns, the market in California is expected to witness strong growth. The State Department of Finance expects Californians to purchase about 1 million pounds of cannabis over the first full -year of legalization, between July 1st, 2018, and June 30th, 2019.

WeedMD Inc. (OTC: WDDMF) also listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange Venture under (TSX-V: WMD). Just earlier today, WeedMD Inc. and Revive Therapeutics Ltd. (TSX-V: RVV) (OTCQB: RVVTF) (FSE: 31R), a company focused on the research, development and commercialization of novel cannabinoid-based therapies, announced that, "they have entered into medical cannabis research and development supply and collaboration agreements (the "Agreements").

Under the Agreements, WeedMD will supply Revive with cannabidiol ("CBD") for the research program evaluating CBD in the treatment of liver disease, specifically non-alcoholic steatohepatitis ("NASH") and autoimmune hepatitis ("AIH"). Working alongside Revive, WeedMD will support the research, development and potential commercialization of CBD in the treatment of liver disease. Additionally, Revive and WeedMD will identify opportunities for developing and commercializing medical cannabis products and therapies for potential collaboration in other treatments.

"The relationship with WeedMD represents a significant milestone for Revive as we have secured a strategic supply of medical-grade CBD for our research, development and commercialization efforts for liver diseases," said Fabio Chianelli, President of Revive. "With WeedMD's commitment to the research, development and commercialization of medical grade cannabis, they are the ideal strategic partner for Revive to accelerate the execution of our business plan in commercializing novel cannabinoid-based therapies and to validate our commercial development efforts in the medical cannabis market."

"WeedMD continues to push ahead with its research and development initiatives, both independently and with research institutions to accelerate cannabinoid applications and delivery system innovations, in addition to collecting valuable data about strains and their effects," said Dr. Luc Duchesne, Chief Scientific Officer of WeedMD. "Both WeedMD and Revive are making advances as participants in the pharmaceutical cannabis market which begins with the validation of new products and innovations through clinical-evidence and the establishment of intellectual property."

Having recently secured the intellectual property for its own delivery systems, Revive has assembled a diversified pipeline of pharmaceutical, prescription, and over the counter (OTC) products and together with WeedMD, they will evaluate the efficacy of CBD in the treatment of NASH and AIH, in addition to other potential indications in the future."

Cara Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: CARA) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing new chemical entities designed to alleviate pruritus and pain by selectively targeting peripheral kappa opioid receptors (KORs). Studies on the effects of cannabis (marijuana) have led to the recent discovery of an endogenous system of ligands in humans involved in a number of physiological processes including pain and inflammation. Cara is developing lead molecules that selectively modulate peripheral CB receptors without targeting CNS cannabinoid receptors. Peripheral CB receptor modulators will be initially developed as a novel therapeutic approach for neuropathic pain, a condition currently without consistently effective therapies.

GW Pharmaceuticals plc (NASDAQ: GWPH), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel therapeutics from its proprietary cannabinoid product platform, along with its U.S. subsidiary Greenwich Biosciences announced earlier in April that the Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unanimously recommended supporting the approval of the New Drug Application (NDA) for the investigational cannabidiol oral solution (CBD), also known as Epidiolex®, for the adjunctive treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) and Dravet syndrome in patients two years of age and older. If approved, Epidiolex would be the first pharmaceutical formulation of purified, plant-based CBD, a cannabinoid lacking the high associated with marijuana, and the first in a new category of anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). This public meeting was presented live through FDA's website.

22nd Century Group, Inc. (NYSE: XXII), a plant biotechnology company that is focused on tobacco harm reduction and cannabis research, announced last year, that the Company's research collaboration with strategic partner Anandia Laboratories, Inc. in Vancouver, Canada, has resulted in new industrial hemp plants that have zero tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the principal psychoactive constituent in cannabis. "We are delighted that our exciting research with Anandia Labs has created zero THC plants and altered levels of cannabinoids suitable for both industrial hemp and medical marijuana," explained Dr. Paul Rushton, 22nd Century's Vice President for Plant Biotechnology. "We anticipate that our zero THC hemp plants will form the basis of a new generation of industrial hemp and medical marijuana varieties. These markets are projected to be multi-billion dollar markets in the near term."

Zynerba Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZYNE), a clinical-stage specialty neuropsychiatric pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing innovative pharmaceutically-produced transdermal cannabinoid treatments for rare and near-rare neurological and psychiatric disorders with high unmet medical needs, announced on March 26th, that researchers at The Scripps Research Institute and the University of Maryland have generated preclinical data from a study funded by NIH grants that suggest potential value in using transdermal cannabidiol (CBD) (ZYN002) to reduce the risk of relapse among recovering drug and alcohol addicts. ZYN002, which was provided by the Company for use in the study, is the first and only pharmaceutically-produced CBD formulated as a patent-protected permeation-enhanced transdermal gel. The results have been published in a paper entitled, 'Unique Treatment Potential of Cannabidiol for the Prevention of Relapse to Drug Use: Preclinical Proof of Principle' (Gonzalez-Cuevas, G et al.) in Neuropsychopharmacology, the official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP).


 

Please Note: FinancialBuzz.com is not a financial advisory or advisor, investment advisor or broker-dealer and do not undertake any activities that would require such registration. The information provided on http://www.FinancialBuzz.com (the 'Site') is either original financial news or paid advertisements provided [exclusively] by our affiliates (sponsored content), FinancialBuzz.com, a financial news media and marketing firm enters into media buys or service agreements with the companies which are the subject to the articles posted on the Site or other editorials for advertising such companies. We are not an independent news media provider and therefore do not represent or warrant that the information posted on the Site is accurate, unbiased or complete. FinancialBuzz.com receives fees for producing and presenting high quality and sophisticated content on FinancialBuzz.com along with other financial news PR media services. FinancialBuzz.com does not offer any personal opinions, recommendations or bias commentary as we purely incorporate public market information along with financial and corporate news. FinancialBuzz.com only aggregates or regurgitates financial or corporate news through our unique financial newswire and media platform. For WeedMD Inc. financial news dissemination and PR services, FinancialBuzz.com has been compensated five thousand dollars by the company. Our fees may be either a flat cash sum or negotiated number of securities of the companies featured on this editorial or site, or a combination thereof. The securities are commonly paid in segments, of which a portion is received upon engagement and the balance is paid on or near the conclusion of the engagement. FinancialBuzz.com will always disclose any compensation in securities or cash payments for financial news PR advertising. FinancialBuzz.com does not undertake to update any of the information on the editorial or Site or continue to post information about any companies the information contained herein is not intended to be used as the basis for investment decisions and should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation. The information contained herein is not an offer or solicitation to buy, hold or sell any security. FinancialBuzz.com, members and affiliates are not responsible for any gains or losses that result from the opinions expressed on this editorial or Site, company profiles, quotations or in other materials or presentations that it publishes electronically or in print. Investors accept full responsibility for any and all of their investment decisions based on their own independent research and evaluation of their own investment goals, risk tolerance, and financial condition. FinancialBuzz.com. By accessing this editorial and website and any pages thereof, you agree to be bound by the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, as may be amended from time to time. None of the content issued by FinancialBuzz.com constitutes a recommendation for any investor to purchase, hold or sell any particular security, pursue a particular investment strategy or that any security is suitable for any investor. This publication is provided by FinancialBuzz.com. Each investor is solely responsible for determining whether a particular security or investment strategy is suitable based on their objectives, other securities holdings, financial situation needs, and tax status. You agree to consult with your investment advisor, tax and legal consultant before making any investment decisions. We make no representations as to the completeness, accuracy or timeless of the material provided. All materials are subject to change without notice. Information is obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy and completeness are not guaranteed. For our full disclaimer, disclosure and Terms of Use, please visit: http://www.financialbuzz.com.

Media Contact:
info@financialbuzz.com
+1-877-601-1879

Url: http://www.FinancialBuzz.com


SOURCE FinancialBuzz.com

Nice Insight

Nice Insight, established in 2010, is the research division of That’s Nice, A Science Agency, providing data and analysis from proprietary annual surveys, custom primary qualitative and quantitative research as well as extensive secondary research. Current annual surveys include The Nice Insight Contract Development & Manufacturing (CDMO/CMO), Survey The Nice Insight Contract Research - Preclinical and Clinical (CRO) Survey, The Nice Insight Pharmaceutical Equipment Survey, and The Nice Insight Pharmaceutical Excipients Survey.

FinancialBuzz.com

FinancialBuzz.com, a leading financial news informational web portal designed to provide the latest trends in Market News, Investing News, Personal Finance, Politics, Entertainment, in-depth broadcasts on Stock News, Market Analysis and Company Interviews. A pioneer in the financially driven digital space, video production and integration of social media, FinancialBuzz.com creates 100% unique original content. FinancialBuzz.com also provides financial news PR dissemination, branding, marketing and advertising for third parties for corporate news and original content through our unique media platform that includes Newswire Delivery, Digital Advertising, Social Media Relations, Video Production, Broadcasting, and Financial Publications.

Q: