Marijuana Business Magazine July 2018

COMPANY NEWS & Wheelin' DEAL¬N' By Omar Sacirbey U.S. DEVELOPMENTS Green Thumb Lands Maryland Preapproval Green Thumb Industries, a vertically integrated cannabis cultivator and dispen- sary operator with holdings in several states, will receive preapproval for a grow license in Maryland, thanks to a bill signed by Gov. Larry Hogan in April that grants cultiva- tion permits to companies that qualified for a grower’s permit under the state’s initial merit-based rankings. The bill was created to ensure diversity in the state’s cannabis program. GTI operates two dispensaries in Maryland, with others slated to open this year, as well as a processing facility in partnership with Chesapeake Alternatives. California License Trifecta A diversified cannabis company, mCig, was awarded three licenses from California City, California, for recreational marijuana cultivation, state- wide distribution and manufacturing. The company intends to build a 30,000-square-foot “smart greenhouse” and a 2,000-square-foot manufacturing facility to create extracts as well as a small distribution center that will be used to move products to retailers. California MMJ Firm Partners with Israeli Research Startup Constance Therapeutics, a vertically integrated medicinal cannabis company specializing in extracts, is partnering with Kanabo Research , a startup from Israel that develops clini- cal solutions for extraction and vaporization of medical cannabis. Under the partnership, both companies will operate in the European Union to establish a cannabis cultivation farm. Constance also will market Kanabo Research’s solutions in the U.S. market, where Constance has been operating since 2008. MedMen Switches Canadian Partners MedMen Enterprises signed a $53 million deal to acquire a Florida-based cultivator and the right to open up to more than two-dozen dispensaries across the state. The acquisi- tion of Treadwell Simpson Partnership catapults MedMen, which operates 18 cannabis facilities in California, Nevada and New York, into Florida’s growing medical marijuana market, which is poised to become one of the nation’s largest. Treadwell is one of 13 licensed medical marijuana operators in Florida. Israel-Pennsylvania Partnership Tikun Olam, an Israeli cannabis science company, and Ilera Healthcare, a medical marijuana cultivator, proces- sor and dispenser in Pennsylvania, finalized a deal to bring Tikun proprietary strains to the Keystone State. Packaging Business Buys Extraction Firm California-based packaging company Kush Bottles agreed to acquire Colorado-based Recent deals, acquisitions and other announcements from North American cannabis companies ( ) 112 • Marijuana Business Magazine • July 2018