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Mota Schedules Conference Call to Discuss Recent Announcements $MOTA.ca $APH.ca $GBLX $PFE $ACG.ca $ACB.ca $WEED.ca $HIP.ca $WMD.ca $CGRW

Posted by AGORACOM at 5:20 PM on Tuesday, May 19th, 2020
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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 19, 2020 / MOTA VENTURES CORP. (CSE:MOTA)(FSE:1WZ)(OTC:PEMTF) (the “Company) a direct to consumer provider of a wide range of CBD products globally, is pleased to announce it will be hosting an investor conference call on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 with Mota Ventures management, Ryan Hoggan, CEO and Joel Shacker, President to discuss recent announcements.

The call will be held on May 20, at 1:15 pm Pacific Time.

Conference details:

Canada/USA TF: 1-800-319-4610
International Toll: 1-604-638-5340
Germany TF: 0800-180-1954

Callers should dial in 5 – 10 min prior to the scheduled start time and simply ask to join the call.

Conference replay

Canada/USA TF: 1-800-319-6413
International Toll: +1-604-638-9010
Replay Access Code: 4620

About Mota Ventures Corp.

Mota is an established eCommerce, direct to consumer provider of a wide range of CBD products in the United States and Europe. In the United States, the company sells a CBD hemp-oil formulation derived from hemp grown and formulated in the US through its First Class CBD and Nature’s Exclusive brands. Within Europe, its Sativida brand of award winning 100% organic CBD oils and cosmetics are sold throughout Spain, Portugal, Austria, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. Mota Ventures is also seeking to acquire additional revenue producing CBD brands and operations in both Europe and North America, with the goal of establishing an international distribution network for CBD products. Low cost production, coupled with international, direct to customer, sales channels will provide the foundation for the success of Mota Ventures.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MOTA VENTURES CORP.
Ryan Hoggan
Chief Executive Officer

For further information, readers are encouraged to contact Joel Shacker, President at +604.423.4733 or by email at [email protected] or www.motaventuresco.com.

Battery Metals Demand to Soar 500% in 30 Years SPONSOR: Gratomic $GRAT.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca #TODAQ $NMI.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 3:46 PM on Tuesday, May 19th, 2020
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  • Production of battery metals such as graphite, lithium and cobalt will need to ramp up in a big way

Production of so-called battery metals, such as graphite, lithium and cobalt, will have to increase by nearly 500% by 2050 to meet the growing demand for clean energy technologies, the World Bank said on Monday.

According to the global lender, over 3 billion tonnes of minerals and metals will be needed to deploy wind, solar and geothermal power, as well as energy storage required for transitioning to a low-carbon economy.

Many of the critical minerals used to make batteries for electric vehicles are found in developing nations. The World Bank’s goal is to help those nations to mine those commodities in a sustainable way to avert major ecological damage.

Mining the vast amount of key commodities the world will need in 30 years is seen as the only path to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. The accord seeks to limit global warming to 2°C or less.

Source: World Bank 2019.

Getting to that point, the World Bank said in a new report, will require global carbon emissions of greenhouse gases to be deeply reduced by 50% by 2030 and to net-zero by 2050.

The latest findings confirm the premise of a report published in 2017, which warned that the more ambitious the climate targets become, the more minerals and metals will be needed.

While renewables and energy storage technologies require more minerals, the carbon footprint of their production — from extraction to end-use — would account for only 6% of the greenhouse gas emissions generated by fossil fuels, the study said.

The Minerals for Climate Action report also calls for more recycling and reuse of minerals, saying it will play a key role in meeting increasing mineral demand.

It also noted that, even if recycling rates for minerals like copper and aluminum are scaled up by 100%, recycling and reuse would still not be enough to meet the demand for renewable energy technologies and energy storage.

Virus ambush

Some minerals, like copper and molybdenum, will be used in a range of technologies, the report noted. Others, such as graphite and lithium, may be needed for just one technology: battery storage.

That means that any changes in clean energy technology deployments could have significant consequences on demand for certain minerals, it said.

The lender warned about the disruptions COVID-19 is causing and will continue to trigger in the global mining industry.

In addition, developing countries that rely on minerals are missing out on essential fiscal revenues.

As their economies start to reopen, the bank said, they will need to strengthen their commitment to climate-smart mining principles and mitigate any negative impacts.

“COVID-19 could represent an additional risk to sustainable mining, making the commitment of governments and companies to climate-smart practices more important than ever before,” said Riccardo Puliti, World Bank Global Director for Energy and Extractive Industries and Regional Director for Infrastructure in Africa.

“This new report builds on the World Bank’s long-standing expertise in supporting the clean energy transition and provides a data-driven tool for understanding how this shift will impact future mineral demand,” he said.

The World Bank’s predictions echo a February report by Moody’s, which indicated that green, social and sustainability bond issuance is expected to hit a combined record of US$400 billion in 2020 alone. That’s up 24% from the previous record of US$323 billion achieved in 2019.

SOURCE: https://smallcappower.com/expert-articles/battery-metals-demand-surging/

Tesla’s ‘Million Mile’ Battery Could Change the EV World SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals $LMR.ca $CJC.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 1:46 PM on Tuesday, May 19th, 2020

SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomik has an option for 100% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information

  • Experts say it would allow Tesla to sell electric vehicles for the same prices as gasoline-powered ones

A “million mile” battery that will lower the cost of EVs to the same as gasoline-powered ones?

Apparently Tesla and CEO Elon Musk are looking at exactly that for China later this year, according to a report in The Verge sourced from Reuters.

The battery is being co-developed with Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) and was designed in part by battery experts recruited by Tesla’s Musk, the report said.

Tesla is already the industry leader when it comes to squeezing range out of lithium-ion batteries in electric cars, and it’s expected to reveal more about the new technology at an upcoming “Battery Day” for investors.

Musk told investors and analysts earlier this year that the information “will blow your mind. It blows my mind.”

The company originally planned to hold the event in April, but has had to reschedule it until at least late May thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, the report said.

The battery is expected to lower the cost per kilowatt hour (the unit of energy most commonly used to measure the capacity of the battery packs in modern electric vehicles) to under US$100.

Many experts believe that reaching that mark would allow Tesla or other automakers to sell electric vehicles for the same prices as gasoline-powered ones, thereby making them far more accessible, the report said.

That Tesla is reportedly planning to bring the technology to China first demonstrates the nation’s importance when it comes to electric vehicles.

Meanwhile, General Motors is also trying to hit that mark in its work with battery maker LG Chem, as it recently shared during its own big “EV Day” event in March, though the automaker is not expected to get there until the mid-2020s.

GM said last month that its new generation of batteries will use 70% less cobalt, an expensive and precious material that is often mined by workers who are subject to brutal conditions, the report said.

Musk has long sought to remove cobalt from the equation entirely, and Tesla is getting closer to doing that in its work with CATL, according to Reuters.

Information about Tesla’s next-generation batteries has steadily trickled out over the last year or so thanks to the experts Musk hired and their public works, like patents, academic papers, and university presentations. The group has been funded by Tesla since 2016, according to Reuters.

Tesla has also bought up a small handful of companies that are contributing to its battery advancements, like Maxwell Technologies, the report said.

And its former CTO, JB Straubel, is leading a battery recycling company called Redwood Materials that Reuters says is an “affiliate” of Tesla’s.

According to TechXplore, earlier this year, Musk told investors, “We’ve got to really make sure we get a very steep ramp in battery production and continue to improve the cost per kilowatt-hour of the batteries—this is very fundamental and extremely difficult. We’ve got to scale battery production to crazy levels that people cannot even fathom today.”

At the end of 2019, battery prices were about $156/kWh; it’s widely thought $100/kWh is the number the auto industry needs to reach to make electric cars’ cost on par with gasoline cars, Driving.ca reported.

CATL’s cobalt-free lithium-iron-phosphate battery packs have just recently fallen below $80/kWh, with battery cells dropping below $60/kWh. CATL’s low-cobalt NMC battery packs have almost reached that magic $100/kWh number.

SOURCE: https://asiatimes.com/2020/05/teslas-million-mile-battery-could-change-the-ev-world/

Here’s 5 Reasons Why Gold Miners Have Massive Outperformance in the Tank SPONSOR: Labrador Gold $LAB.ca $RIO.ca $WHM.ca $SIC.ca $NXS.ca $NVO.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 11:57 AM on Tuesday, May 19th, 2020

SPONSOR: Labrador Gold – Two successful gold explorers lead the way in the Labrador gold rush targeting the under-explored gold potential of the province. Exploration has already outlined district scale gold on two projects, including a 40km strike length of the Florence Lake greenstone belt, one of two greenstone belts covered by the Hopedale Project. Recently acquired 14km of the potential extension of the new discovery by New Found Gold’s Queensway project to the south. Click Here for More Info

As I write this note on a dreary Friday afternoon from Boulder, CO I am reminded of my town’s origin. Its first non-native settlers established the town 1858 as a base camp for gold and silver miners. Nestled literally at the foot of the Rockies, its location was ideal for supplying the Colorado mining boom at that time and by 1871 a railroad had been built to connect Denver, Golden, Boulder and the mining operations directly to the West of Boulder. One such mining operation was in what is still known as Gold Hill, which I highly recommend visiting for a live music and BBQ event the next time you are in Colorado (COVID permitting).

Today we may be in the early days of a different kind of gold boom. This time the boom isn’t because there are new gold reserves to be dug out of the ground. Rather, the steady supply of gold compared to the extraordinary growth of new money requires that the dollar value of the former must rise to keep parity with the latter. Indeed, the US money supply has grown by approximately 23% over the last 65 days, or about a 90% annualized rate. No wonder the price of gold is sitting near a cycle high of $1743/oz as of this writing. But even as the price of gold has risen in recent months, the gold miners themselves may be even larger beneficiaries of the US dollar supply shock. Below, we’ll list 5 simple reasons the gold miners could be in for a period of massive outperformance.

  • The price of gold miners relative to the price of gold is basically at a 25 year low. This implies quite a catch up trade if the price of the commodity produced by the miners remains at elevated levels or even rises from here. The price performance of the miners would have to outperform the price of gold by 500% to reach the old 2011 highs in relative performance.
  • The relative performance of gold miners relative to the S&P 500 remains at near a 25 year low. Gold miners would have to outperform the S&P 500 by 400% to get back to the 2011 highs in relative performance.
  • Valuation. Based on the price to EBITDA ratio (and about all the other valuation ratios), gold miners are cheaper than the overall market. From 2005-2016 gold miners pretty much always traded at a premium to the S&P 500, but now the miners are trading at a 15% discount.
  • Liquidity. In the age of COVID, stocks with the ability to service their debt obligations should arguably trade at a premium to the market. The gold miners have a current ratio (current assets/current liabilities) nearly twice that of the S&P 500 as a whioe (2.06 vs 1.28).
  • Solvency. In the age of COVID, stocks with balance sheets in line with their income statements should arguably trade at a premium to the market. The gold miners have debt to EBITDA about 75% lower than the overall market (1.16 vs 4.69).
  • Bonus chart. The global aggregate market value of gold miners is $260bn. This compares to the aggregate market value of the FAAMG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Google) stocks of $5.4tn and the market value of US Treasury debt outstanding of $25tn. So the gold miners, in aggregate, are worth about 5% of the value of just those 5 FAAMG stocks and 1% of the value of all the Treasury debt outstanding. What do you think would happen to the price of the gold miners if some of that capital left the FAAMGs or Treasury bonds and flowed into the gold miners?

SOURCE: https://www.knowledgeleaderscapital.com/2020/05/15/heres-5-reasons-why-gold-miners-have-massive-outperformance-in-the-tank/

Mota Ventures $MOTA.ca Announces Completion Of Audit For Nature’s Exclusive Brand $APH.ca $GBLX $PFE $ACG.ca $ACB.ca $WEED.ca $HIP.ca $WMD.ca $CGRW

Posted by AGORACOM at 11:31 AM on Tuesday, May 19th, 2020
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VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA / ACCESSWIRE / May 19, 2020 / Mota Ventures Corp. (CSE:MOTA)(FSE:1WZ1)(OTC PINK:PEMTF) (the “Company“) is pleased to announce completion of an audit of the financial results of its Nature’s Exclusive brand through the twelve-months ended December 31, 2019.

  • 2019 audited financial results:
  • Revenue of Cdn$29,034,000
  • Associated expenses of Cdn$25,530,000
  • Net income of Cdn $3,505,000

“Completion of the 2019 audit is a culmination of an extensive team effort, and represents a significant milestone in the validation of our eCommerce business. The 2019 figures, where we achieved over 12% net income, provides us with a benchmark from which to measure our success in the 2020 fiscal year as we continue to build on the strong results generated by Unified,” noted Ryan Hoggan, Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

Throughout the 2019 calendar year, the Nature’s Exclusive brand was operated as a separate business segment of Unified Funding, LLC (“Unified“). The Company completed the acquisition of the brand, and the associated business line, on January 17, 2020. The audit was completed on carve-out financial statements of Unified, which present the standalone financial results of the brand. Figures presented in this news release were translated from US dollars into Canadian dollars using the Bank of Canada average annual exchange rate of US$1.00:Cdn$1.3269 for 2019.

The Company also announces that it has reached an agreement with Unified to amend the thresholds necessary for Unified to earn a bonus based on the financial results generated by the Nature’s Exclusive brand in the 2020 calendar year. Unified is entitled to earn a bonus payment based on the terms of the original transaction in which Mota acquired control of the brand, and the associated business line.

Under the terms of the amendment, Unified will continue to be entitled to a one-time bonus payment (the “Bonus Payment“) based on the revenue and profitability of Nature’s Exclusive in the 2020 calendar year. The Bonus Payment will be: (i) US$5,000,000, in the event gross revenue exceeds US$40,000,000 with a profit margin of at least ten percent; (ii) US$10,000,000, in the event gross revenue exceeds US$45,000,000 with a profit margin of at least ten percent; or (iii) US$15,000,000, in the event gross revenue exceeds US$50,000,000. The Bonus Payment will be payable in common shares of the Company (the “Bonus Shares“) based on an exchange rate of US$1.00 to C$1.30 and the greater of: (i) C$0.80; and (ii) the volume-weighted average closing price of the common shares of the Company on the Canadian Securities Exchange in the ten trading days prior to the last trading day of 2020. Any Bonus Shares issuable by the Company will be subject to the terms of a thirty-six month time release pooling arrangement, with applicable release dates calculated from the date of issuance of the Bonus Shares.

For further information regarding the Bonus Payment, and the acquisition of Nature’s Exclusive, readers are encouraged to review the Company’s news release of January 17, 2020.

“Revising the 2020 performance bonus will help to align our interests with Unified, and ensure they remain incentivized in the development of Nature’s Exclusive in the context of the current market. The brand has demonstrated strong financial results through 2020 to date, in spite of economic volatility and we look forward to continued success leading into the second half of 2020,” commented Ryan Hoggan, Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

About Mota Ventures Corp.

Mota is an established ecommerce, direct to consumer provider of a wide range of CBD products in the United States and Europe. In the United States, the company sells a CBD hemp-oil formulation derived from hemp grown and formulated in the US through its Nature’s Exclusive brand. Within Europe, its Sativida brand of award winning 100% organic CBD oils and cosmetics are sold throughout Spain, Portugal, Austria, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. Mota Ventures is also seeking to acquire additional revenue producing CBD brands and operations in both Europe and North America, with the goal of establishing an international distribution network for CBD products. Low cost production, coupled with international, direct to customer, sales channels will provide the foundation for the success of Mota Ventures.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MOTA VENTURES CORP.

Ryan Hoggan

Chief Executive Officer

For further information, readers are encouraged to contact Joel Shacker, President at +604.423.4733 or by email at [email protected] or www.motaventuresco.com

Mota Ventures $MOTA.ca Enters into Binding Term Sheet to Acquire 110,000 Square Foot European Pharmaceutical Manufacturer of Natural Psilocybin Products $APH.ca $GBLX $PFE $ACG.ca $ACB.ca $WEED.ca $HIP.ca $WMD.ca $CGRW

Posted by AGORACOM at 12:47 PM on Saturday, May 16th, 2020
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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2020 / Mota Ventures Corp. (CSE:MOTA)(FSE:1WZ:GR)(OTC PINK:PEMTF) (the “Company“) announces that it has entered into a binding term sheet (the Term Sheet“), dated May 14, 2020, with Verrian Ontario Limited (“Verrian“), pursuant to which it proposes to acquire all of the outstanding share capital of Verrian (the “Transaction“). The Term Sheet replaces the previous preliminary letter of intent entered into with Verrian on May 11, 2020. Verrian is an arms’-length privately-held company that is focused on delivering and developing products related to addiction reduction, with a focus on alcohol and opiates.

ESTABLISHED EUROPEAN PSYCHEDELIC MEDICINE COMPANY

Verrian owns and operates an EU-GMP, ISO 14001 compliant 110,000 square foot pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Radebeul, Germany. Verrian purchased the facility from a major global pharmaceutical manufacturer in 2019. Both the facility and equipment are independently appraised at Cdn$10,600,000, including an analytical laboratory, and full pharmaceutical manufacturing suite.

Verrian will operate three distinct business segments:

  • Pharmaceutical Manufacturing – A portfolio of medical & wellness products
  • Phyto API – API creation from medical plants
  • Analytical Testing – European Medicine Agency Standards

PRODUCTS FOCUSED ON OPIATE ADDICTION REDUCTION

Verrian’s singular focus is rewiring the mind to overcome addiction through natural medicine. Specifically, the micro dosing of psilocybin demonstrates potential to remove the dopamine reward of addictive substances, potentially diminishing the desire for addictive substances, thereby reducing or eliminating the need for the addictive substance.

To date Verrian has developed two psilocybin products: PSI GEN and PSI GEN+. These Psilocybin products are focused on opiate addiction reduction. As natural psilocybin extracts, from organically cultivated mushrooms, combined with metabolism enhancing natural herbs, they are ideal for individuals commencing micro-dosing and capable of being combined with additional anti-addiction therapies.

All of Verrian’s compounds are derived from organic, glyphosate free naturally occurring plants, grown specifically for its own purposes.

GOALS AND VISION

In addition to the the facility and equipment outlined above, Verrian has invested approximately Cdn$2,400,000 in clinical trial design and development of proprietary formulations for its psilocybin trademarked PSI-GEN products, and cannabis products, including trademarked CBDaily and CBNight.

Verrian’s world renowned addiction medicine experts are moving ahead to develop new potential treatments for therapy, with rigorous clinical research. Once EU GMP and narcotics handling recertification are secured, capabilities will extend to: specialty pharmaceutical formulations; and psilocybin refinement and production for micro dosing.

“Signing this binding term sheet is an important step towards Mota’s goal of becoming a leader in the natural health space. Verrian’s significant investment into its licensing, research, equipment and facilities have made it one of the top psychedelic medicine companies. Mota is poised to capitalize on an emerging industry and will continue to expand its North American and European operations to ensure a strong distribution network is in place once this line of product is approved to go to market,” stated Ryan Hoggan, CEO of the Company.

The binding Term Sheet contemplates that the Company would acquire all of the outstanding share capital of Verrian in consideration for Cdn$20,000,000, which will be satisfied through the issuance of common shares (the “Consideration Shares“) to the existing shareholders of Verrian. The Consideration Shares will be issued at a deemed price of equivalent to the volume-weighted average closing price of the common shares of the Company in the ten trading days immediately prior to the entering into of definitive documentation in respect of the Transaction.

The Consideration Shares will be subject to terms of a thirty-six month time release pooling arrangement, during which time they may not be transferred, assigned, pledged or otherwise traded. The Consideration Shares will be released from the pooling arrangement in tranches, of which ten-percent will be released after four months, fifteen percent after six months, and the balance in five equal tranches every six months thereafter. In addition to the Consideration Shares, upon closing of the Transaction, the Company will arrange for repayment of existing shareholder loans of Verrian totaling approximately Cdn$1,100,000.

The Company is at arms-length from Verrian, and each of its shareholders. The Transaction does not constitute a fundamental change for the Company, nor is it expected to result in a change of control of the Company, within the meaning of applicable securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange. Upon completion of the Transaction, an administrative fee of $422,000, payable in common shares of the Company, will be owing to a consultant who assisted with the Transaction.

The Transaction remains subject to a number of conditions, including completion of due diligence, receipt of any required regulatory approval and the negotiation of definitive documentation, which is expected to include warranties, representations, covenants, terms and conditions which are customary and consistent with industry standards for a transaction of this nature, as a well as a mutual break fee in the event of termination. The Transaction cannot be completed until these conditions have been satisfied.

We encourage shareholders and prospective investors to visit the Company’s AGORACOM Discussion Forum, a moderated social media platform that enables civilized discussion and Q&A between Management and Shareholders.

About Mota Ventures Corp.

Mota Ventures is an established eCommerce, direct to consumer provider of a wide range of CBD products in the United States and Europe. In the United States, the company sells a CBD hemp-oil formulation derived from hemp grown and formulated in the US through its Nature’s Exclusive brand. Within Europe, its Satavida brand of award winning 100% organic CBD oils and cosmetics are sold throughout Spain, Portugal, Austria, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. Mota Ventures is also seeking to acquire additional revenue producing CBD brands and operations in both Europe and North America, with the goal of establishing an international distribution network for CBD products. Low cost production, coupled with international, direct to customer, sales channels will provide the foundation for the success of Mota Ventures.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MOTA VENTURES CORP.

Ryan Hoggan
Chief Executive Officer

For further information, readers are encouraged to contact Joel Shacker, President at +604.423.4733 or by email at [email protected] or www.motaventuresco.com

The Canadian Securities Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the Transaction, and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release, which has been prepared by management.

People are choosing #cannabis over cocktails because it’s healthier – SPONSOR: Hollister Biosciences $HOLL.ca $WEED.ca $CGC $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $OGI.ca $FAF.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 6:05 PM on Friday, May 15th, 2020

SPONSOR: Hollister Biosciences Inc. (HOLL:CSE) A vertically integrated cannabis company with products in 220 California dispensaries and joint ventures, licensing agreement & partnerships with global brands. The company recently closed $20 MILLION deal with Venom Extracts adding $CDN 16.4 million in revenue and $CDN 2.48 million in EBITDA. Learn More

People are choosing cannabis over cocktails because it’s healthier

  • What’s a safer, healthier option to alcohol? That would be cannabis, say 90 per cent of Americans asked about their use of substances last year.
  • The findings seem to reflect that people trying to adopt healthier lifestyles are thinking cannabis could be a better fit than alcohol, suggests an article by Merry Jane.

By Angela Stelmakowich

A healthier lifestyle was among four factors associated with more people consuming weed in 2019 than in 2018. The other three factors include there being less stigma around cannabis, legalization and decriminalization efforts, and pot from legal U.S. states being sold on the black market in states where cannabis is still a no-no.

The National Cannabis Study, released last month by marketing research firm MRI-Simmons, notes the single-year jump in cannabis consumption between 2018 and 2019 was significant. About 22 per cent of surveyed Americans consumed weed at least once in 2019 compared to 16 per cent in 2018. That represents a 38 per cent hike.

Of those who used cannabis in 2019, the survey shows 17 per cent consumed once a month or more, while seven per cent consumed daily.

Cannabis, herbal supplements and vitamins were all up from 2018 to 2019. / Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

While consumption of cannabis, herbal supplements and vitamins were all up from 2018 to 2019, caffeine and alcohol consumption dropped slightly, both by about three per cent.

About 58 per cent of respondents also said that marijuana should be legal, up from 56 per cent in 2018, and almost two-thirds, 64 per cent, over the age of 18 expect marijuana to become legalized in all states within the next five years.

The study used a nationally representative online sample of more than 5,000 respondents.

Source: https://www.thegrowthop.com/cannabis-news/cannabis-continuing-to-mainstream-with-more-americans-using-weed-in-2019

Lack of New Major Gold Deposits: Discovery Numbers Dive in the Last Decade SPONSOR: Loncor Resources $LN.ca $ABX.ca $TECK.ca $RSG $NGT.to $GOLD $NEM

Posted by AGORACOM at 12:13 PM on Friday, May 15th, 2020

Sponsor: Loncor, a Canadian gold explorer controlling over 3.6 million high grade ounces outside of a Barrick JV. The Ngayu JV property is 200km southwest of the Kibali gold mine, operated by Barrick, which produced 814,000 ounces of gold in 2019. Barrick manages and funds exploration at the Ngayu project until the completion of a pre-feasibility study on any gold discovery meeting their Tier One investment criteria. Newmont $NGT $NEM owns 7.8%, Resolute $RSG owns 27% Management owns 29% Click Here for More Info

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Loncor-Small-Square.png

New major gold discoveries have been on a decline this past decade, according to a report by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

During the past three years there were no major new gold discoveries, the report said. And during the past decade, there were only 25 new major discoveries.

Dwindling numbers are due to miners focusing on exploration around older mines, S&P Global said.

“The lack of new discoveries is the result of exploration focusing on older discoveries and later-stage assets,” wrote S&P Global principal research analyst Kevin Murphy. “While there are still plenty of gold assets to be developed, the lack of new major deposits being discovered means that the project pipeline is increasingly short of large, high-quality assets needed to replace ageing major gold mines.”

The 25 major deposits discovered in the last decade represent 154.3 million ounces or only 7% of all gold discovered since 1990. According to the S&P Global data, there were 278 major new gold deposits found between 1990-2019, totaling 2.19 billion ounces of gold reserves.

A major factor responsible for the drastic decline in the last ten years is the budget dedicated to new discoveries, Murphy pointed out. Instead of looking for new discoveries, explorers were zeroing in on known deposits around operating mines.

“The total for the past decade might only rise to about 266 million ounces once subsequent exploration efforts are completed,” Murphy noted. 

On top of lower budgets for new explorations, the COVID-19 outbreak is likely to negatively contribute to the lower discoveries rate going forward. 

“We do not expect the trend to reverse in the near term,” Murphy stated. “We expect quite the opposite in 2020 as COVID-19 impacts exploration plans by companies of all sizes.”

The junior miners’ exploration programs are likely to be affected the most by the coronavirus. “The largest impact will be reductions due to lockdowns or companies exercising caution with their personnel. We expect gold budgets to decline about 20% in 2020,” Murphy said. 

And this is not just in the gold sector with Murphy estimating total mining exploration spending to fall in 2020.

“Producers will not be spared, as they face lower metals prices and country-wide closures in areas in which they operate, sending their budgets an estimated 23% lower. As a result, we now expect global exploration budgets to fall 29% in 2020 to a total of US$6.9 billion,” Murphy said in another report published in April.

SOURCE:https://www.kitco.com/news/2020-05-14/-Lack-of-new-major-gold-deposits-Discovery-numbers-dive-in-the-last-decade-S-P-Global-Market-Intelligence.html

Baby Meals Growing by 153% as Parents Stock Up on Infant Nutrition – SPONSOR: Else Nutrition $BABY.ca $MAT $KMB $BMY $ABT $WYE

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 5:46 PM on Thursday, May 14th, 2020

SPONSOR: Else Nutrition Holdings Inc. (TSX-V: BABY)The award winning, plant-based nutrition company for small cap investors. The company has a $10,000,000 cash balance for US product launch In Q2 2020 with International agreements in Q3. Learn More

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Baby Meals Growing by 153% as Parents Stock Up on Infant Nutrition

  • The COVID-19 outbreak caused many consumers to stock up on essentials as they feared an indefinite lockdown
  • Baby food is one essential item that has seen soaring demand during the pandemic

Many consumers have struggled to find items like canned or jarred baby foods and infant formula in stores and online as manufacturers like Similac and Enfamil work to increase their production and restock shelves.

There has also been rising demand for organic baby foods as consumers are more concerned about ensuring their children have access to healthy foods that can help boost their personal immunity. All of this has led to a rising interest in baby meal delivery services like Yumi and Little Spoon which provide a weekly menu of freshly prepared meals suitable for babies and toddlers.

Read More: https://www.researchandmarkets.com/issues/baby-meals-growing-by-153pct?utm_source=dynamic&utm_medium=GNOM&utm_code=4bbmhbutm_campaign=1385666+-+Baby+Food+Sees+Soaring+Demand+During+COVID-19+Pandemic&utm_exec=joca220gnomd

Could #COVID19 be telehealth’s big moment? #Mhealth – SPONSOR: CardioComm Solutions $EKG.ca – $ATE.ca $TLT.ca $OGI.ca $ACST.ca $IPA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:27 AM on Thursday, May 14th, 2020

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Could COVID-19 be telehealth’s big moment?

  • Over the five-year period that the analysis looks at, the U.S. telehealth market could see a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38.2%
  • This year alone, the analysts expect the market to experience year-over-year growth of 64.3%

By Sean Whooley

Frost & Sullivan announced today that recent analysis finds that the demand for telehealth technology is expected to rise amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The analysis, titled “Telehealth — A Technology-Based Weapon in the War Against the Coronavirus, 2020,” revealed that, as COVID-19 continues to disrupt the practice of medicine and the delivery of healthcare, the U.S. telehealth market will experience seven-fold growth by 2025.

Over the five-year period that the analysis looks at, the U.S. telehealth market could see a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38.2%. This year alone, the analysts expect the market to experience year-over-year growth of 64.3%.

“The critical need for social distancing among physicians and patients will drive unprecedented demand for telehealth, which involves the use of communication systems and networks to enable either a synchronous or asynchronous session between the patient and provider,” Frost & Sullivan healthcare principal analyst Victor Camlek said in a news release. “However, all stakeholders need to remember that many people use the terms ‘telehealth’ or ‘telemedicine’ without understanding the ecosystem that is involved. This study will clarify the many components that are needed in order to implement telehealth.”

Camlek said that virtual visits and remote patient monitoring will propel the telehealth market, then mHealth and personal emergency response systems will come into play as well.

The analysis hypothesizes that the opportunity for telehealth to become the standard of care is growing amid the pandemic and the main challenge for providers is the capabilities for scaling up during the increase in demand.

Frost & Sullivan expects growth to be sustained beyond the pandemic by vendors who deliver user-friendly sensors, practical applications of artificial intelligence, interactive virtual assistants and robotics, as well as use of big data analytics and adherence to cybersecurity, among other things.

Source: https://www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com/could-covid-19-be-telehealths-big-moment/