Posted by AGORACOM
at 12:00 PM on Monday, January 6th, 2020
SPONSOR: Applied BioSciences is a vertically integrated company focused on the development and commercialization of novel, science-driven, synthetic cannabinoid therapeutics / biopharmaceuticals that target the endocannabinoid system to treat a wide-range of diseases across multiple therapeutic areas Click Here for More Info
If you have been studying cannabis products in depth to find out that
one full-spectrum CBD oil that would suit all your needs then you’d
have come across the word terpenes. But what are these terpenes, or as
others refer them, terpenoids?
Of course, if you are looking to buy CBD, you would be aware of what
cannabinoids are. these are compounds found in the cannabis plants, hemp
and marijuana. So now you have two terms cannabinoids and terpenoids –
but what’s the difference between the two? let’s take a look at this
below:
Cannabinoids
Cannabinoids like cannabidiol and tetrahydrocannabinol have
therapeutic properties. They interact with the natural endocannabinoid
system in your body. What they basically do is that they control the
functionality of cells – this means they manage cell signaling.
Cannabinoids regulate the receiving, processing, and sending of
messages between cells. A cannabinoid like CBD can interact with
cannabinoid receptors in the ECS and regulate your mood, anxiety,
inflammatory response, and much more.
While THC and CBD are the most popular cannabinoids that have studies
supporting their effects, there are hundreds of other cannabinoids too.
These include CBG and CBN among others. All cannabinoids come with
distinct features.
Terpenes
Terpenes or terpenoids are aromatic molecules not only found in
cannabis but in several other plants as well. These as well have
therapeutic properties. They are found in fruits as well. Terpenes in
the lavender flower are responsible for its unique aroma and soothing
properties.
Terpenes also found in citrus fruits and berries too. One terpene
that exists in both cannabis as well as a fruit, mango, is myrcene. The
aroma of weed that many people appreciate comes from this very terpene.
Inside plants, terpenes play a very important role. They protect against
the attack of pests, bacteria and other external agents. The amount and
type of terpenes in cannabis plants varies from one strain to another.
The Entourage Effect
Experts recommend you to go for a full-spectrum CBD formula because
it contains cannabinoids as well as terpenes. Cannabinoids and
terpenoids work together to provide better benefits. They have an
entourage effect together which enables you to get better result sooner.
This is because like cannabinoids, terpenes also have health profiting
qualities.
For instance, some terpenes have an anti-inflammatory nature while
others are great for stress relief. As you may already be aware, CBD
also provides these benefits. Of course, when in combination with other
compounds that have similar properties benefits that you drive are more.
Verdict
Cannabinoids and terpenes are compounds found in the cannabis plant. Both have therapeutic properties but are different. Terpenes are aromatic molecules responsible for the flavor of a plant and fragrance. Cannabinoids interact with the ECS of the body. Together they work even better which is why full-spectrum CBD is revered more than CBD isolate.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 11:54 AM on Monday, January 6th, 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. Click Here for More Info
In this update I am not going to repeat the points made in the last
fairly comprehensive update, instead we are going to focus on the
importance of the resistance level just above where the price is now,
and impact of the killing of the Iranian General and its potential
implications for the gold price.
On the latest 10-year chart we can see that gold is making a 2nd
attack on the key major resistance level in the $1530 – $1560 zone,
which is hardly surprising considering what happened last week.
The reason that this resistance level is of such major
importance is made abundantly clear by the following chart made by a
subscriber and kindly forwarded to me, which I reproduce with his
permission. As we can see gold made no less than 5 significant lows at
this level between 2011 and 2013, before it finally crashed this support
and plunged 15% in 2 days, so it is clearly of huge significance and is
the biggest hurdle by far on the way up. Therefore, even given the
latest mayhem in the Mid-East, we should not be surprised if it now
stalls out here and possibly backs off for a while to form a trading
range, which is also made likely by its now being critically overbought
on its RSI indicator and by the latest COTs, which we will look at lower
down the page, coming in with really extreme readings again. This makes
sense given that we now at a time of maximum tension.
From a subscriber – highlighting gold’s key support at the $1530 – $1560 level, which is now of course strong resistance…
Detail showing the plunge that was triggered the failure of this support…
On the 6-month chart we can see how, after breaking out of the
corrective downtrend in force from early September, gold has risen
steeply, without one down day so far to become critically
overbought on its RSI indicator as it drives into the zone of strong
resistance with volume becoming heavy on Friday. This of course
increases the chances of its reacting back the moment tension over the
Mid-East situation eases, even if only slightly.
As for the COTs, they are showing extreme readings once more
(chart is for 24th December), which suggest that, especially if tension
over the Iran situation eases short-term, gold will probably back off
some into a consolidation pattern that will enable it to charge up
sufficiently to take out the key resistance in due course.
Click on chart to popup a larger, clearer version.
Now we come to the possible impact of the US killing of the top
Iranian General. In order to figure out the real motivation for this
act, we simply have to ask the usual question “Who stands to gain?†The
first interest group that stands to gain is the US military, which
receives about $700 billion of taxpayers’ money every year, and probably
about $500 billion of this is in excess of what it needs to defend the
Homeland. So in order to justify this bloated budget it creates enemies
and conflicts around the world. The next interest group is Israel, which
controls the US and uses the US military as a sledgehammer to achieve
its objectives which include dominance of the Mid-East. Iran is the big
prize. Finally the Republicans and Trump himself stand to gain at the
polls later this year as the population will predictably “rally round
the flag†as a result of conflict with Iran. Knowing all this, we can
quickly deduce that the killing of the Iranian General was an act of
extreme provocation designed to trigger some kind of counter attack by
Iran that can then be used as an excuse to launch a bombing campaign
against it. Even if Iran exercises maximum restraint and does nothing
beyond making empty threats to assuage its angry populace, it may still
fall victim to an onslaught after a calculated false flag attack which
is blamed on it. So whatever it does, it loses – it’s been put in a
classic “zugzwang†situation.
For all the bluster, Iran’s military is no match for that of the US
of course, which spends more than the rest of the world put together on
arms. The best way for Iran and Islam in general to “get even†with the
West for all its many decades of Colonial interference in the Mid-East,
exploitation and massive destruction inflicted on places like Iraq and
Libya and the Palestinians therefore (looked at from their point of
view) is to conduct “asymmetrical warfareâ€, invade Western countries and
attack their churches
and institutions etc, and then take them over gradually by outbreeding
them. Western societies are now too corrupt, decadent, morally bankrupt
and weak to stop this happening, and it is happening right now in
Europe, and the only reason it isn’t happening to the same extent in the
US is that it is a lot harder to pilot a rubber dingy across the
Atlantic Ocean than the Mediterranean Sea, although as we know the
Democrats and the Left appear to trying to take up the slack by
destroying the country from within in places like Portland, L.A. and San
Francisco, and this rot will spread unless right minded people take a
vigorous stand.
All this is mentioned because it is clear that the killing of the
Iranian General is the prelude to a military strike against Iran, which
will probably take the form of an extensive and intensive bombing
campaign that both Israel and the US have been looking forward to for
years, because a ground invasion is out of the question due to the
geography and logistics. The goal as usual will be to destroy its
military capability and wreck its infrastructure with the eventual aim
of installing a puppet government and opening up the country to Western
exploitation, and the wild card in all this will be whether Russia and
China will do anything to prevent it, or just stand and watch. It is
thought that they don’t have the nerve to intervene. In any event, if
such a campaign is launched, we can expect the world to be gripped by an
acute sense of crisis and gold will spike. Iran may have the ability to
disrupt the flow of oil out of the Persian Gulf, albeit temporarily,
which would trigger an oil price spike and a stockmarket crash.
Last week’s updates concluded with a look at the highly bullish
charts for gold measured against the Australian dollar and the Japanese
Yen, and this week we will look at gold against the Canadian dollar and
the Swiss Franc.
While many investors are still agonizing about whether gold is in a
bullmarket or not, that is because they are fixated on the charts for
gold in US dollars. When you look at gold in other currencies you
realize that it is already very much in a bullmarket, and recently made
new highs against many currencies, like the Canadian dollar shown below…
Even against the Swiss Franc, which amongst currencies enjoys
some safe haven status, gold is performing better than it is against the
dollar…
…and we should remember that the dollar may not remain as “king
of the hill†forever, especially as a number of major powers in the Asia
especially are preparing to ditch it.
Finally, we are going to take a quick look at an unusual chart for
gold submitted by the same subscriber as some of the charts above. It is
unusual because it is a yearly candlestick chart, meaning that each
candle on it is for an entire year. Its supreme advantage is that it
keeps things simple. The Triangle shown on it is his interpretation, not
mine. It certainly looks positive here with a big white candle for
2019, with the arithmetic version shown looking even more bullish. This
type of chart also has a potential advantage for the writer, as if only
this chart were used, I would only have to write these updates once a
year.
Courtesy of Clive Maund: https://www.clivemaund.com/gmu.php?art_id=68&date=2020-01-05
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 10:34 AM on Monday, January 6th, 2020
SPONSOR:ThreeD Capital Inc. (IDK:CSE)
Led by legendary financier, Sheldon Inwentash, ThreeD is a
Canadian-based venture capital firm that only invests in best of breed
small-cap companies which are both defensible and mass scalable. More
than just lip service, Inwentash has financed many of Canada’s biggest
small-cap exits. Click Here For More Information.
Hundreds of Institutions Are Already Investing in Crypto: Coinbase CEO
According to the CEO of one of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges
globally, institutions are already actively investing in the emerging
asset class and the trend is likely to continue throughout 2020.
Will institutions further bolster the crypto market in 2020?
Prior to 2019, institutional investors only really had Bitcoin
Investment Trust (GBTC) by Grayscale and CME Group’s futures market to
invest in bitcoin.
“We’ve already started to see small institutions enter the
cryptocurrency space. Hundreds have joined Coinbase Custody in the past
18 months. I would expect this rapid growth to continue in 2020, with
larger and larger institutions coming on board. Eventually just about
every financial institution will have some sort of cryptocurrency
operation, and most funds will keep a portion of their assets in
cryptocurrencies, partially due to the uncorrelated returns.â€
“Bakkt will be likely first a trickle and then a flood. The reality
is that most regulated futures contracts get low adoption on day1 simply
b/c not all futures brokers are ready to clear it, many ppl want to
wait and see, the tickers are not even populated on risk systems, etc,â€
Three Arrows Capital CEO Su Zhu said.
Independent funds seeing more institutional inflow
Despite a noticeable decrease in deal value in the latter half of
2019, in October of last year, Anthony Pompliano of Morgan Creek Digital
said that the firm’s crypto fund secured $60 million from institutional
investors.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 1:21 PM on Friday, January 3rd, 2020
Sponsor: Affinity Metals (TSX-V: AFF) a Canadian mineral exploration company building a strong portfolio of mineral projects in North America. The Corporation’s flagship property is the Drill ready Regal Property near Revelstoke, BC. Recent sampling encountered bonanza grade silver, zinc, and lead with many samples reaching assay over-limits. Further assaying of over-limits has been initiated, results will be reported once received. Click Here for More Info
With an impressive start to the year this new heightened geopolitical development could be the catalyst to break out gold to multi year highs. The U.S. strike that killed a key Iranian general could have a ripple effect on the signing of the trade agreement on the 15th as China and Iran have recently worked together on joint military operations along with Russia. Any set back in the trade agreement would severely impact the direction of U.S. equities and the expectations for interest rate decisions globally. Price Analysis and Outlook The daily gold chart shows that momentum indicator slow stochastics are rising steadily and reaching overbought territory giving longer term indication that we have pushed into a Bull Market. While ADX, which measures strength of the trend, has turned up over 40 showing that the driving force behind the recent upward move is very strong. The 2 key levels of support to watch are the November 1st high of $1525.2 and the December 30th high of $1519.1. This should act as a consolidation level while a likely upside target completing this trend would be an objective of $1572
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 12:21 PM on Friday, January 3rd, 2020
SPONSOR: Tartisan Nickel (TN:CSE)
Kenbridge Property has a measured and indicated resource of 7.14
million tonnes at 0.62% nickel, 0.33% copper. Tartisan also has
interests in Peru, including a 20 percent equity stake in Eloro
Resources and 2 percent NSR in their La Victoria property. Click her for more information
THE nickel mining industry group is bracing for the possible increase in the global demand of nickel brought about by the boom of electric vehicles.
“The direction globally is really the EV (electric vehicle) industry and we have that global competitiveness because more than 50 percent of the component of the entire electric vehicle is really nickel. The batteries itself and the body need more nickel,†Philippine Nickel Industry Association (PNIA) Executive director Charmaine Capili said in a press conference, Friday. Capili explained battery companies are currently experimenting on putting more nickel mineral in batteries for electric vehicles.
“At present, the composition of the battery that is being used is six nickel, two cobalt, and two magnesium. [By] Late 2018, they already tried to use eight nickel, one cobalt, and one magnesium because they said it has lower production cost and higher efficiency, but they still have to test the durability and further its efficiency,†she said.
She said the growing demand for nickel is also foreseen in the goal of European countries to have zero-carbon emission by 2030 by shifting to electric vehicles.
She added that the demand is not only exclusive to other countries as it has been observed in the Philippine transportation.
“Daghang mga LGUs (local government units) karon nga naga-shift na especially sa Manila e-trike, e-jeep (A lot of LGUs right now are shifting into using electric-powered tricycle and electric-powered jeepneys),†Capili said.
Apart from batteries, she said the stainless steel used for the body of electric vehicles also has nickel in it.
Although the Philippines is one of the largest producers of the mineral’s ore along with Indonesia which is leading in the industry, she admitted there are still factor preventing the country to compete globally.
She said among the challenges are the limitations of exploring other areas because of the moratorium imposed by Executive Order (EO) 79.
“May limitations po sa explorations, no new permits. Kung ano lang yung na approved [areas] for existing operations, doon lang (We are only allowed to mine on those areas approved for operations),†she said.
“We have 9 million hectares available in the Philippines for minerals that is copper, gold, nickel. But the Philippines right now is only maximizing only 2 percent out of the 9 million [hectares], and out of the 2 percent, only 1 to 1.5 percent is operating. There is a very big potential,†she said citing data from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Mines and Geoscience Bureau (DENR-MGB).
She shared other challenges confronting the industry is the amount of resources, the low grade of nickel, high cost of electricity to process the mineral, and the technologies of extracting ores or for processing it.
Capili bared that to address these issues, PNIA, an association of seven mining companies operating in Surigao, Palawan, and Agusan is working with the DENR and the Department of Trade and Industry to establish a Nickel Industry Roadmap.
She said the roadmap also aims to create stable policies for the nickel mining industry and other industries reliant on nickel as well as programs that promote the sustainability of nickel mining in the country.
She also hoped that the moratorium will be lifted soon for the country to be globally competitive.
“Hopefully, by middle of this year, we can already share and launch the roadmap but we are still creating the composition of the Technical Working Group because we want to get inputs from the government, business sectors, European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, the Electric Vehicles Association of the Philippines, other nongovernmental organizations and academe,†she said.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 10:51 AM on Tuesday, December 31st, 2019
SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko owns 80% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property , Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Click Here For More Information
Volkswagen AG said Friday that its Volkswagen brand has raised the 2025 target for the production of electric cars.
The
German car maker is forecasting that it will have reached its brand
target of one million electric cars by the end of 2023, which is two
years earlier than planned.
The brand now expects 1.5 million electric cars to be produced in 2025, Volkswagen said.
Volkswagen group said earlier this year that it was ramping up its spending on electric and hybrid vehicles and digitalization, with about 33 billion euros ($3 )
Posted by AGORACOM
at 9:20 AM on Tuesday, December 31st, 2019
Cardston, Alberta–(December 31, 2019) – American Creek Resources
Ltd. (TSXV: AMK) (OTC Pink: ACKRF) (“American Creek”) (“the
Corporation”) is pleased to report that Canadian billionaire Eric Sprott
has invested an additional $2,900,000 in our JV partner Tudor Gold for
the upcoming 2020 drill program on Treaty Creek, located in the “Golden
Triangle” of Northwestern British Columbia.
The 2019 drilling at Treaty Creek was very successful and produced
some of the most significant gold intercepts in the exploration
industry. The focus has been on the gold enriched Goldstorm Zone which
is on trend with Seabridge Gold’s Iron Cap Zone located approximately
five kilometers to the southwest. Drilling was designed to define a gold
deposit with the potential of being open pit mined.
The Treaty Creek Project is a joint venture with Tudor Gold owning
3/5th and acting as project operator. American Creek and Teuton
Resources each have a 1/5th interest in the project. American Creek and
Teuton are both fully carried until such time as a Production Notice is
issued, at which time they are required to contribute their respective
20% share of development costs. Until such time, Tudor is required to
fund all exploration and development costs while both American Creek and
Teuton have “free rides”.
Darren Blaney, CEO of American Creek stated: “Mr. Sprott has now made
multiple significant investments in Tudor Gold in 2019 for the
development of the Treaty Creek property. On December 13, 2019 Mr.
Sprott stated: “Treaty Creek has a great shot at having 20 million
ounces, the holes are so deep, they have a thousand-meter holes that are
running close to a gram a ton and it’s wide open, so I’m very excited
about the opportunity there”. He continues to put his money where
his mouth is and has given another huge endorsement to the Treaty Creek
project with this latest significant injection of cash. He also made two
prior $1,000,000 investments in American Creek earlier in 2019.”
The Treaty Creek Project lies in the same hydrothermal system as
Pretium’s Brucejack mine and Seabridge’s KSM deposits however, the
Treaty Creek project has far better logistics.
On December 27, 2019 Sprotts “Weekly Roundup” show hosted Bob
Thompson, Senior Vice President of Raymond James in Vancouver who does
an excellent job at describing where we are on the “Mining Clock” along
with other valuable insights into the precious metals industry.
We highly recommend you take a few minutes to listen:
About American Creek
American Creek is a Canadian mineral exploration company with a
strong portfolio of gold and silver properties in British Columbia.
Three of those properties are located in the prolific “Golden Triangle”;
the Treaty Creek and Electrum joint venture projects with Tudor
Gold/Walter Storm as well as the 100% owned past producing Dunwell Mine.
The Corporation also holds the Gold Hill, Austruck-Bonanza, Ample
Goldmax, Silver Side, and Glitter King properties located in other
prospective areas of the province.
For further information please contact Kelvin Burton at: Phone: 403 752-4040 or Email: [email protected]. Information relating to the Corporation is available on its website at www.americancreek.com
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 5:29 PM on Monday, December 30th, 2019
Investment Highlights
Kenbridge property has a measured and indicated resource of 7.14 million tonnes at 0.62% nickel, 0.33% copper
17.5 (21.8 fully diluted) percent equity stake in Eloro Resources and 2 percent NSR in their La Victoria property
Kenbridge Ni Project (ON, Canada)
Advanced stage deposit remains open in three directions, is
equipped with a 623m deep shaft and has never been mined
Preliminary Economic Assessment completed and updated returned robust project economics and operating costs including a NPV of C$253M and cash costs of US$3.47/lb of nickel net of copper credits
Plans for Kenbridge include updating PEA,
advancing the project through to feasibility and exploring the open
mineralization at depth
Proprietary technology platforms including Electronic Health Records portal and e-Commerce for CBD product distribution
Recently launched CBD extraction facility
First extraction system capacity = 6,000 Kg per year.
CBD based products are poised to be a $20B global industry by 2022
Medical cannabis is poised to be a $100B global industry by 2025
CBD 2020 Outlook: How the Cannabidiol Forecast Looks in the New Decade
The 2020 outlook for CBD forecasts a beautiful and bright upside with a slight chance of raining on the cannabis oil craze parade
As 2019 made cannabidiol a household name, what will the new decade bring in terms of new cannabinoids CBG, CBN and THC-V discoveries, science and regulatory advancements
Cannabidiol, or CBD, won the supplement ingredient of the year by surpassing all other herbal extracts and products in the world in terms of popularity, demand and sales. The impressive rise of CBD cannabis oil extract has been quite an adventure in the past few years and seems to only have more upside in 2020 and beyond.
It was only a year ago now, where the 2018 Farm Bill was passed that
legalized hemp-derived cannabidiol and essentially opened the floodgates
to all kinds of oils, edible gummies and skincare
to name a few. And now, many are projecting the CBD use to continue to
grow in demand, projecting it to be a $22 billion dollar industry by
2022/2023.
The 2020 CBD forecast calls for a bright, sunny and green landscape
as the next few years are set to be highly lucrative and innovative for
the coveted cannabis oil substance. However, let’s focus on the smaller
scope of its industry and talk about the 2020 CBD outlook before we
attempt to paint a ten year prediction.
First, a recap of what happened in 2019, where the CBD craze in
America and the world really picked up momentum, and then a peak around
the corner as to what can happen in 2020 as science, commercial and
consumer interest intensifies across the globe as legal barriers come
down and studies reveal results.
Let’s paint a picture of where CBD is today and what the first year
of a new decade can bring to the emerging cannabis (hemp and marijuana)
markets.
Year 2019 – Strides in CBD
This year came with a lot of major changes for the CBD industry as it
rose to the top of the charts for being the most popular and sold
herbal ingredient. It was the first full year that hemp-based CBD was
legalized after the 2018 Farm Bill, which introduced a wild world of
controversies and other issues, though there have been many supporters
to make big changes. For instance, the legalization of CBD alone has
spurred substantial cannabis reform efforts.
In 2019, cannabis reform legislation was brought forth by 27 states for either recreation or medical use. Arizona was one of the most major states to push for these changes and will see legal recreational use on next year’s ballot. Florida joins Arizona in the efforts, though Mississippi
is amongst the few states that have still yet to legalize medical
marijuana, which could change with this year’s proposal. Other states included in this list are Nebraska, Idaho, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and more.
Politically, many Democratic presidential hopefuls have discussed
legalization, but Bernie Sanders released a comprehensive plan that
would effectively legalize state and federal marijuana use, while
pushing for the expungement of marijuana-related convictions. The plan,
released in October, would take place within 100 days of taking the
presidential office, if Sanders were to be elected.
Lowell Farms was part of the substantial progress of 2019, launching
the first cannabis cafe to ever reach the US market. Located in California,
the new restaurant has been created to offer a safe public place to
cannabis users, while still offering an area for non-users of the
substance. While partaking, patrons can snack on a variety of infused
dishes, including everything from the grilled peach salad to a cold
beer.
Experts from Brightfield believe that this year will reach $5 billion
in the CBD industry for sales alone, increasing by over 2,500% since
2015. The growth that happened this year has been almost unbelievable
and, while 2019 may have come with a few bumps, there have been major
milestones reached by the new industry. But what’s next?
Year 2020 – What’s Coming for CBD?
The cannabis industry already saw a surge in the number of states
seeking legalization, so what might happen to them next? Since 1996,
medical use of cannabis has already been approved by 33 states, and a
third of those states pushed forward even further by legalizing
recreational use. Many huge votes will take place in 2020, and experts
at CBD Origin predict that several states will end up legalizing
recreational cannabis as a result of CBD’s influence – New York, New Mexico, New Jersey, Arizona, Idaho, and Arkansas.
While Florida is still gathering signatures for the Florida Marijuana
Legalization Initiative, it appears as though the efforts will fall
short, meaning that the proposal probably won’t even be on the ballot.
Missouri could end up on the ballot with enough signatures by May 3rd,
the support from local voters has not been strong enough to provide a
clear idea of which side they will choose. South Dakota, while it pushed
to add cannabis legalization to the ballot, fell short, as did Ohio.
The Effects of Regulation on Quality
Right now, there’s a substantial missing piece in the CBD industry –
regulation. Without regulation, many consumers are fearful of even
getting involved, since there are many companies that are publicly
dishonest with their business practices. As a result, there are only a
few brands that can even prove their product’s potency. Based on the
predictions of CBD Origin, it is likely that the public will aim to
learn more about CBD with its legalization, seeking out higher standards
and greater transparency from companies.
Along with the demand for lab tests to come with higher standards,
consumers will likely give more attention to terpenes and cannabinoids.
This information allows consumers to learn more about the products that
they choose, and a common theme throughout the CBD industry will likely
be the desire for quality products and honesty.
New Options and Less Vaping
As CBD blends become more diverse, and as the industry progresses,
the innovations in the market will likely lead to new options for
consuming CBD. Brands will be pushed to offer more value and benefits to
remain competitive, and additional markets will likely be developed to
push for this grown.
With these new options, especially as consumers seek to be excited
about these opportunities, prominent media outlets are predicting that
the strains available to consumers will likely see an extended “dessert
craze,†as products like Gushers and Runtz become more appealing flowers
than the savory flavors, like GMO Cookies. However, with this
opportunity, there’s a chance that CBD will be seen as more of a potent
medicine and wellness product, rather than a recreational option.
Basically, consumers will start to understand what is offered to them
more effectively.
Vaping became a big concern in 2019, and many industry experts and
authoritative publications don’t believe the heat is wearing off any
time soon. Multiple states have already implemented bans, regardless of
the use of cannabis or tobacco vaping products, which will probably push
users to choose edibles and natural options instead. The idea of a
clean and tamper-proof product will be in higher demand. While the FDA is expected to impose on the industry with new vaping regulations, it may still survive at a minuscule level.
Ethical Practices
The CBD market is still filled with a lot of “unknown†factors,
regarding what is actually in the products that consumers use. After
all, this industry is still very new, and the creation of proper
guidelines was rather difficult as the industry started to expand. There
were many brands that manage to have integrity in their work with
ethical business practices, but there are even more brands that directly
went the opposite direction.
Mark Case, the founder and CEO of the International Hemp Auction and
Market in Knoxville, Tennessee, makes a good point about the way that
the market has changed, warning,
“2020 is not a year for gamblers. Rather, it will be successful only
for those who are wise and prudent, fully integrated and who work with a
good business plan to go the long haul.â€
Unethical business practices will likely be more heavily criticized
and regulated through the next year, as consumers start to expect more
reliable lab testing and authentic lab reports with new regulations.
Consumers have educated themselves, and it will become harder to fool
that average CBD user.
CEO of Validcare, Patrick McCarthy, pointed out,
“The U.S. consumer is going to wake up to the fact that certification
and dosing matters. They’re going to get particular, where they’ve been
trying things in the past. They’re going to start really paying
attention to, what is the product I’m taking? How do I know that it’s
safe? How do I know how much that I should take, and who says it’s
safe?â€
Since the market is projected to be more effectively regulated, it
wouldn’t be a stretch to say that major brands and retailers will be
prepared to get involved. The market alone is set to reach over $25
billion by 2025, and companies like Walmart, Amazon, and Whole Foods will likely want a piece of the action.
Move Over CBD, Make Room for CBG, CBN and THC-V Cannabinoids
CBD became the cannabis industry’s global leader in recognition,
sales and popularity – but what about any of the 100 plus cannabinoids
found in marijuana and hemp plants? The new decade may lead with CBD as
the prized cannabis compound, but there are a few cousin cannabinoids
like CBN, CGB and THC-V which may follow CBD’s growth path.
As mentioned, with the passing of the Farm Bill last year and the
constant mention of cannabis in politics, pretty much everyone has
already heard of CBD by now. The non-intoxicating substance comes from
both hemp and cannabis, and it is touted as a solution to wellness,
pain, and a million other purposes. Even when its popularity and
niche-ness wears off, CBD will likely remain a staple of this industry,
just like THC. However, THC and CBD are two of over 100 cannabinoids
that presently exist in the cannabis plant, and others could easily line
up to offer benefits to the public, according to the latest science and
research.
CBG, or cannabigerol, is considered to be the “mother cannabinoid,â€
earning the nickname because nearly all other cannabinoids that are
presently known start with CBG as their preceding letters. Ultraviolet
(UV) light transforms a part of CBGA that then becomes CBCa, CBDA, or
THCA.
The creators of the various cannabinoids and cannabis strains haven’t
been very interested in maximizing this compound since its presence
inherently means that there is less THC. While cannabinoids largely have
the same properties, CBG seems to offer an elevated antibacterial,
antispasmodic, and vasodilation effect, which is why it is the first one
on this list to watch out for. While there’s a possibility that CBG
could take CBD’s place, it is equally likely that the two will be able
to coexist for their various purposes.
CBG has a unique ability to become something much different than its
natural state, according to some growers. Though THC is restricted by
the percentage it offers in a cannabis plant, CBG is not governed by the
same rules, and breeding a genotype with high CBG levels is relatively
easy, as is harvesting it. With the right synthase, making CBG into
multiple other cannabinoids is simple for producers.
CBN, or cannabinol, is another cannabinoid getting a lot of
attention. CBN comes from the degradation of THC-A, which happens as a
result of air and UV light exposure. Part of the reason that attention
has been on this cannabinoid has been for its ability to push users into
sleep, which is why old cannabis tends to make users tired. A dose of 5
mg of CBN was found to be as effective as a 10 mg dose of Diazepam in
making consumers fall asleep. Sleep concerns are among the most common
reasons for non-users to take up cannabis.
THC-V, or tetrahydrocannabivarin, may be currently popular, but it
was originally recognized in 1970 as “skinny weed,†since it helps to
reduce the user’s appetite. It suppresses the CB1 receptor, while THC
and CBG tend to stimulate the appetite. When used with the proper
timing, it can balance the effects of THC and improve insulin
resistance.
Unlike CBD, THC-V offers a clear and focused high with the right
dose, albeit short-lived. There’s very little research on the
cannabinoid, but the information available suggests that the dosage
seems to be the key to actually getting all of the effects that this
compound can offer. With a dose of 3 mg to each kilogram of body weight
in mice, insulin resistance improved, and weight loss was stimulated.
For the average adult, that would mean a 200-mg dose is necessary, which
seems rather difficult to reach in the market today. However, if the
market shifts to the need for this cannabinoid, access to this much
THC-V may become a reality.
For consumers that prefer the lack of intoxication that they get from
CBD, the use of THC-A may hit the spot. This variation of THC is in the
acid form, which basically means that it is structured the same way as
THC before being heated. Research shows that this variation is highly
effective in reducing inflammation, and it offers both neuroprotective
and anti-cancer effects. Plus, the user can take high doses without the
risk of feeling intoxicated.
THC-A has earned a lot of accolades from medical circles, which
source the compound from juicing either fresh or frozen cannabis fan
leaves. Many people believe it is easiest to source THC-A from this
state, comparing it to other foods with broader nutritional profiles
that preserve their nutrients by avoiding heat and creating cold-pressed
juices.
Even the biggest fans of CBD and THC could end up finding a new
favorite as the industry progresses. The stigma surrounding cannabis is
slowly dying down, and the broad legalization happening throughout the
country will likely pave the way for researchers to learn and develop
more options for the public to try.
Get Ready 2020, CBD Is Coming!
It is clear CBD made its mark in 2019, becoming a household name and
topping the charts in terms of most herbal supplement sales. As the
election year begins the new decade, the 2020 CBD outlook has many
catalysts that could kickstart the new calendar year off in a big way.
From new CBD product research and develop innovations
(applications/product types), to accumulating scientific studies and
supportive medical literature, to regulatory clarity and beneficial
policy updates, to advancing third-party lab testing verification and
certification of analysis proof standardization, cannabidiol is bound to
have an incredible 2020 year as the cannabis green rush powers onward
into the new decade.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 12:30 PM on Monday, December 30th, 2019
SPONSOR: BetterU Education Corp.
aims to provide access to quality education from around the world.
The company plans to bridge the prevailing gap in the education and job
industry and enhance the lives of its prospective learners by developing
an integrated ecosystem. Click here for more information.
Entrepreneurs experiment as edtech catches on in India
The need for online intervention has existed for a long time in India, but it’s in the last two years that edtech has scaled up
Edtech has proved to be a slippery slope for entrepreneurs in the past, but 2020 may offer a vision of new horizons
BENGALURU : Chirag Arya comes from a family of
teachers. Now the Georgia Tech graduate is building a “digital
classroom” called PaperVideo, which he launched a few months back.
There are big players in this space, including the unicorn Byju’s
that offers courses from kindergarten to class XII as well as for
competitive exams. Another Bengaluru-based startup Vedantu, catering to
middle and high school students, raised $42 million in a funding round
led by Tiger Global in August. Unacademy, which is also based in
Bengaluru and focuses on competitive exams, had a $50 million funding
round in June.
But Arya feels there remains huge scope for entrepreneurs to
experiment with new technology and design to make online learning more
engaging and effective in such a massive, underserved market.
India has the largest population in the age group of five to 24, with
250 million school-going students, according to the India Brand Equity
Foundation, a government trust.
The poor standard of school education, with a scarcity of good
teachers, also makes a case for online resources. The Annual Status of
Education report for 2018 found that three out of five eighth-graders in
India struggle with simple math, such as subtraction.
One of the ways PaperVideo hopes to make a difference is by using
machine learning to track a student’s activity on the portal.
“Technology can give actionable insights to students and teachers on
skill gaps they need to close,” explains Arya. “We can then create
question sets, explanations and videos very quickly for concept-based
learning.”
DIFFERENTIATION IS KEY
Apart from adaptive learning, a key area for differentiation is the
way that content is delivered to raise the engagement level of students,
doing away with the force-feeding usually associated with study. “The
concepts remain the same, but we’ve done a lot of A/B testing to see how
to present them in a way that students can relate to and retain,” says
Arya.
The need for online intervention has existed for a long time in
India, but it’s in the last two years that edtech has scaled up. This is
reflected in the $1.1 billion that edtech startups in India raised in
2018 and 2019, compared to a little over half a billion dollars in the
previous three years, according to data from Tracxn. One of the main
reasons for the uptick is internet penetration.
“Due to the Jio effect, a large number of people are now on the
internet. That has made it more feasible for edtech companies to scale
than in the past,” says Rutvik Doshi, managing director of VC firm
Inventus. An Inventus portfolio startup, Funtoot, which provides online
tutorials for personalised learning in science and maths, recently got
acquired by Mumbai-based Embibe, which was itself acquired last year by
Reliance. The Mukesh Ambani conglomerate had committed an investment of
$180 million to scale up Embibe, and its acquisitions are a part of that
effort.
Most of the edtech tools in India are outcome-oriented to improve
grades, crack exams or get certifications. Doshi sees that as a natural
offshoot of the market.
“Your marks in school determine where you will do college, and your
marks in college decide what kind of job you end up doing. That part of
India is unlikely to change in the near future. So the primary focus of
any kind of intervention has to be outcome-driven for mass-scale
adoption,” says Doshi.
Where the differentiation comes is in the nature of intervention.
Polish edtech startup Brainly, for example, claims that 20 million of
its 150 million users are in India within a year of its launch in this
country. It’s a crowd-sourced platform where students and teachers post
questions and get answers. Like many other edtech startups, it uses a
freemium model where paying users get special features or freedom from
ads.
FINDING TAKERS ABROAD
The reverse is also happening, where Indian startups find takers
abroad for edtech tools in tune with holistic learning. Bengaluru-based
Quizizz, for example, finds that the largest number of adopters of its
multiplayer quiz game is in US middle schools.
Gurugram-based Studypath has a game-based learning product called
Splash Math for kids in kindergarten to grade 5. It claims to be the
fastest-growing elementary math programme in the US with a presence in
77,000 schools.
Another emerging area is corporate training. MindTickle, which had a
$40 million funding round in July, doubled its revenue this year by
notching up clients like Ola, Cloudera, and MongoDB. Its platform
coaches sales reps with simulated scenarios and gamified lessons.
Edtech has proved to be a slippery slope for entrepreneurs in the past, but 2020 may offer a vision of new horizons.
