Because cannabis is in a grey area, it’s not treated like an everyday plant or product coming from harvest, but rather something more comparable to a combination of prescription drugs and alcohol.

When you want to partake in the recreational cannabis market, either as a resident or tourist, the newness and novelty of everything could distract you from one very important truth: that marijuana is still an industry, a product, and a part of the consumer system. Because cannabis is in a grey area (outside of its taxation and sale), it’s not treated like an everyday plant or product coming from harvest, but rather something more comparable to a combination of prescription drugs and alcohol.

Even in legal states like Washington, where purchase is perhaps easiest for the layperson, you can see the locked down flower in plastic, labeled with strain analyses — and it’s not as affordable as an equivalent amount of some other substances. Decriminalized places are still worse off, considering even New York still arrests 50 people each day for cannabis possession, use, and sale, enforced primarily on New Yorkers of color. The issue of purchasing and using cannabis in a fully legal and normalized way still bears weight on a few of society’s most crucial concerns.

Farm Integrity

Make sure that the places you patronize are not only treating the cannabis plant with respect and care, but their staff and community as well. Dr. Jon Vaught, CEO of Front Range Biosciences tells The Fresh Toast how this practice pushes fans forward:

“Consumers can influence cultivation practices by purchasing products that are certified pesticide and pathogen free. One way to do this is to ask your dispensary agent which products have a third-party certification showing that the grower is transparent about their cultivation methods, practice sustainability and have fair labor conditions. Supply is directly impacted by demand, and consumer voice and purchase decisions have the power to drive producers to implement standards and certifications.”

Being careful where you spend is an essential tool for keeping your dollars in the right hands. Farms that have ethical programs will always perform in today’s awakened buyer market.

Social Justice

As a customer you don’t always have to think about what your purchase means, but knowing how many people are still in prison or encumbered by cannabis charges is a chief concern of many cannabis activists. Sharpen that activism so that your love of cannabis can help those who have suffered to make sure that you can enjoy it.

On the less considered side of the coin, think about how the widespread and standardized use of cannabis could help so many people around the globe. Magical Butter CEO, Garyn Angel, envisions a patient-first future. He says:

Allowing reimbursement would reduce long-term insurance costs. Cannabis is a dietary essential and if consumed regularly may prevent disease- medical marijuana recommendations from physicians is frequently for ailments. Cannabis is a tool to improve public health we need to utilize it efficiently. The opioid epidemic is a significant social cost. Legalize cannabis because it reduces inflammation. Allow non-addictive plant-derived alternatives to disrupt the big pharma model.

Recycle

And how can we forget Mother Earth? Sure it’s exciting to run in the store and buy all of these products, but what about all of the packaging? Angel talks about this pile, saying, “Dispensary waste is out of control! Every gram of concentrate is individually packaged to be childproof creating an abundance of garbage. Vaporizer cartridges are not being recycled, reused, or refilled.”

Dr. Vaught agrees that this is a problem that we may not have fully considered in our excitement to get the good stuff. Another way that consumers can be conscious is to purchase products that are stored in environmentally friendly packaging. He says, “States with strict requirements on packaging materials make it difficult at times, but not impossible. Look for products housed in recyclable, compostable, child-resistant cannabis packaging, like that from Sana Packaging.”

Get stoked about cannabis, but like everything we consume, we should hold it to a certain standard. If anything, cannabis standards should be even higher, considering we have a chance to build the industry up from illegal to global, it should invoke everything we know about ethics until now.

Less than a month after Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf called on state lawmakers to draft a bill to legalize recreational cannabis, Senators Sharif Street and Daylin Leach have delivered. And what the two Democrat lawmakers are proposing with SB350 could be the most comprehensively progressive marijuana legalization bill to date. The bill includes provisions for home grow, total expungement of prior cannabis-related convictions and delivery services. It also opens the door to the industry, making it easy for individual and small-scale growers and retailers to open businesses and placing checks on large out-of-state corporations.

Advocates of recreational legalization in Pennsylvania, an issue which enjoys majority support among state residents, are praising how SB350 centers criminal justice reform and focuses on equity in the industry. Even out-of-state cannabis officials are impressed with the bill. But the question is whether Sens. Street and Leach can win the support of the Republican opposition. When Gov. Wolf announced his support for recreational legalization late last month, Republic representatives in the House responded by saying they had “no plans or interest” to pursue a legalization agenda.

New Pennsylvania Legalization Bill is Progressive Cannabis Advocates’ Dream

Throughout 2019, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman embarked on a statewide “cannabis listening tour.” Fetterman held public discussion forums online and in each of the state’s 67 counties, and in September, the governor’s office released a report on the tour’s findings. That report showed overwhelming support among Pennsylvanians for significant cannabis reforms, from criminal record expungement to decriminalization and recreational legalization. The overwhelming show of support ultimately pushed Gov. Wolf, who had yet to take a definitive stance on adult-use cannabis, to support legalization efforts.

At a press conference announcing his new position and the release of the listening tour report, Gov. Wolf issued three broad recommendations to legislators: decriminalization, expungement and a “serious debate” about recreational legalization. SB 350 gives Gov. Wolf what he wants, and then some.

Home grow? No problem; a $50 annual permit fee allows anyone to cultivate up to 10 plants and gift or use that cannabis for personal use. That’s more than any other state that allows home grow. Support for local small businesses and entrepreneurs? Absolutely; microgrowers and craft cultivators can grow up to 150 plants to sell raw cannabis to processors and dispensaries for just a $250 per year permit.

Compare that to the license fees for bigger growers, which the bill sets at $100,000 with an annual renewal of $10,000. The bill would also cap large cultivators at 150,000 sq. ft. of outdoor and 60,000 sq. ft. of indoor grow space. But in perhaps the biggest check on Big Cannabis, no one grower could have an ownership stake in more than one grow facility.

Radical Social Justice Provisions Included in New Legalization Bill

The support for small growers and small businesses, however, aren’t even the centerpiece of Street and Leach’s proposal; it’s their criminal and social justice provisions. The bill would support education through the Department of Agriculture, which would help schools offer classes to train students for careers as cannabis industry entrepreneurs. And colleges and universities could grow and process cannabis as part of any cannabis-industry related courses and curriculums.

The bill also aims to redress the past and ongoing harms of prohibition. SB 350 wouldn’t just expunge cannabis-related criminal offenses, it would actually commute sentences. And that means people who are behind bars right now for weed would regain their freedom. The bill would furthermore end state supervision of people on probation due to cannabis-related offenses. And state prosecutors would have to drop all pending criminal cases and charges related to marijuana.

To support equity, the state would also provide, under the bill, $2 million in interest-free loans for low-income Pennsylvanians previous convicted on marijuana charges who want to become entrepreneurs in the new legal industry.

Along with earmarking cannabis tax revenue for public schools, allowing public consumption lounges and more, these provisions add up to a highly comprehensive and progressive legalization package. But it’s one that is certain to cause serious debate between its sponsors and the GOP lawmakers staunchly opposed to cannabis reform.

In a move uncharacteristic of the cannabis market in Florida, an Atlanta broker is searching for the next owners of two highly sought Florida medical marijuana licenses.

Aubrey Logan-Holland, the CEO of a relatively new firm called Blue Dream Industries, is listing the licenses, or “paper” in industry speak, for about $95 million in total.

One license is going for $40 million and allows the owner to operate no more than 30 retail stores. The other license is selling for about $55 million, with the rights to open up to 35 retail stores. In addition to the actual license, this deal includes a greenhouse for cultivation.

“Whoever acquires this asset will get a chance to stake their claim in one of the biggest medical markets in the world,” Logan-Holland told the Miami Herald. “It’s a good state to do business.”

The process of acquiring a medical marijuana license in Florida is arduous, and running the company is also challenging. Florida’s medical marijuana industry is vertically integrated, meaning the license holder is responsible for growing, processing, testing, marketing and selling the product without middlemen or contractors.

Marijuana licenses in Florida have been historically scarce and expensive. Until April, there were just 14 businesses licensed to sell medical marijuana in the state. Now there are 22, but only 13 are active. Eight more were awarded as a result of a settlement in a suit that applicants filed against the state Department of Health after being denied licenses the first time they applied.

Licenses in Florida have been flipped for as much as $67 million, making it attractive for those looking to invest.

Once acquired, the licenses are lucrative. The Florida medical marijuana industry is projected to generate more than $1.1 billion in annual revenue by 2022, according to Arcview Market Research, a subsidiary of an investment group for the cannabis industry.

According to the most recent weekly update from the state’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use, more than 270,000 Floridians are card-holding medical marijuana patients, and that number continues to grow.

Logan-Holland says his company has a 50-50 partnership with a group called Young America Capital, with whom he’ll split the 10% commission made “on the back end.”

Logan-Holland said the two licenses for sale are from inactive license holders. He didn’t say which ones, citing a non-disclosure agreement.

He added that the license holders are looking for majority cash offers. One publicly traded company was being considered but had too few liquid assets.

Two private companies have already expressed interest, Logan-Holland said.

The fact that these licenses are being marketed for sale may not be such a good sign for the state.

While the licenses have value, finding a buyer willing to front the cost is getting harder and harder. Stock in publicly traded cannabis companies has plummeted, and big, multistate operators able to front a cash offer have either looked or bought licenses in Florida already.

When licenses first went on the market, companies were standing in line.

“The acquisitions are not as attractive as they were last year,” said Jeff Sharkey, lobbyist and director of the state’s Medical Marijuana Business Association. “All of (the licenses) have been shopped for sale, to my knowledge.”

He said the fact that someone is brokering the deal and taking a cut of the money may reflect a shift in the market.

“It’s really interesting,” said Sharkey, who has helped companies through license sales himself. “Maybe the market has really softened.”

Most cannabis stocks are listed in Canada, which has become a top market for the industry following the country’s legalization of recreational marijuana sales last year. But the total market value of Canada’s cannabis market, dominated by five main companies, plunged from about $40 billion in September 2018 to roughly $17 billion this month.

In the United States, the use, sale or possession of marijuana is illegal under federal law.

The fast pace of change in the cannabis market is also a cause for concern among buyers. According to John Lockwood, a lawyer who represents medical marijuana operators and license seekers, “what worked in January doesn’t work anymore.”

“Everyone went into this thinking all these [licenses] would be sold,” he said. “But a lot of things changed.”

The most active buyers in the cannabis market are the large, multistate operators like Trulieve, Surterra and Curaleaf, and those companies already operate in Florida. Those that aren’t operating in the state yet surely have looked into it, he added.

“There’s not too many people out there with $50 million that haven’t heard of the Florida cannabis market,” he said.

Europe is at risk of losing the market share to Africa in the medicinal cannabis industry, and Eco Equity have spotted the global potential.

There is a reluctance by some European policy and law makers to embrace the economic potential of medicinal cannabis and as a result they are seeing opportunities lost to more progressive markets. Europe could lose more ground following Lesotho and Zimbabwe’s decisions to allow cultivation of medicinal cannabis for mass export.

African and Caribbean countries such as Zimbabwe and Antigua have identified the economic opportunity of supporting the growth of the growing global medicinal cannabis industry. Whilst in parts of Europe, some parliamentarians and policy makers have been slower in spotting the commercial benefits of supporting a new industry, governments across the developing world are embracing the export potential, income and job creation that the industry brings.

In order to deliver maximum benefit to national economies, governments are partnering with the private sector in order to ensure these projects are successful.

London-based Eco Equity has spotted the global potential and is at the heart of supporting governments around the world, turning their policy ambitions into a reality.

There is no dispute that the medicinal cannabis industry is one of the fastest emerging markets globally, and the UK – along with other European nations – are only now starting to sit up and take notice.

Zimbabwe is a pioneer of the cultivation of medicinal cannabis with many elements suitable for treatments including cannabidiol (CBD Oil). Facing the prospect of an international ban on one of its largest exports, the tobacco industry, the Zimbabwean government has been proactive in finding an alternative in the form of cannabis and related products. The government realised the economic opportunities in the emerging market, and Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa announced in August that law changes are set to be introduced to legalise the mass-produced hemp for export overseas.

Governments of any nation will be aware of the challenges surrounding the legalisation of cannabis or any of its derived products. Cannabis for medicinal use is different to recreational use and the stronger strains, but the stigma remains. This arguably explains the reluctance of some European nations to support the industry, but the economic opportunities are sizeable. Governments are turning to experts to help cultivate, manufacture and produce cannabis and its derived products for medicinal use, and the relationship between the Zimbabwean government and Eco Equity is the perfect example of this.

European policy makers need to catch up with public opinion. Eco Equity are seeing the public appetite for medicinal cannabis and the opportunities to get ahead in Africa and the Caribbean, with ambitions to become the lead exporter to Canada, the US and Europe.
Eco Equity was borne out of a common goal from a set of highly skilled business experts and the generosity of several investors; to become a driving force in the medicinal cannabis industry. The company was formed in 2018 and has since become the first cannabis company to have acquired a licence for the cultivation of cannabis, manufacture of products, supply, store, import and export for medicinal purposes and or scientific use in Zimbabwe.

Why Zimbabwe?

The answer is quite simple. Africa has proven itself more progressive in terms of cannabis, particularly in terms of cultivation, and there is plenty of opportunity to grow, which the continent will benefit from. There is a deep and respectful relationship between policy makers and Eco Equity following the recognition of the need for expert assistance and the decision by military to seek out expertise will only provide benefits to both the country and Africa as a whole.

Eco Equity can highlight recent examples of European countries’ struggles with cultivating cannabis, such as in Italy where the army were instructed to grow their own cannabis, resulting in very little actual growth. The Italian government has since been forced to tender for a cultivator, again highlighting the difference between the attitude and proactivity of policy and law makers in Africa and those in Europe.

There is plenty of work to be done. Eco Equity has learnt from the mistakes of others and looks to use the industry expertise of its various consultants to find the best land, economy and regulations to begin its journey. The company is intent on investing in communities and economies in every country it acquires a licence to aid them in the long term.

The African medicinal cannabis industry is still expanding, and consultancy firm Prohibition Partners estimated that the legalisation of growing cannabis for medicinal use across the continent could result in the market growing to $7.1bn (~€6.4bn) annually.

African countries are learning faster than their European counterparts and with Zimbabwe following Lesotho as the second country on the continent to permit the growth of cannabis for medicinal use, the tools and desire have always been there, they just needed to be utilised. With the proven effects of CBD oil as a medicinal treatment in other countries such as the US and Canada, the willingness of the Zimbabwean government provides an excellent opportunity for Eco Equity to grow.

The company is not working by itself in Zimbabwe. The process of acquiring a licence requires a lot of vetting and Eco Equity had to prove it was the right company for the job. An intimate knowledge of Zimbabwe’s landscape – the place of birth of company CEO and founder Jon-Paul Doran – and strong governmental ties, has placed Eco Equity in a unique position to achieve its mission of growing one of the best medical cannabis products and to be able to provide high-quality infused products to all qualified dispensaries and retail stores on a global scale.

The opportunity in Zimbabwe has never been greater as cannabis is set to compete with tobacco to become the country’s second largest export. The willingness of the Zimbabwean government to amend laws to allow industrial production and export of cannabis shows how serious the government is regarding policy in the cannabidiol industry.

Eco Equity and Zimbabwe

In 2019, Eco Equity Limited acquired a licence for the cultivation of cannabis, manufacture of products, supply, store, import and export for medicinal purposes and or scientific use. The company owns up to 2,000 hectares of long-term leased land in Marondera, approximately 40 miles east of Harare.

The facility is the ideal location for travel to and from the nation’s capital and the perfect setting for a cannabis plant facility, thanks to ideal climate conditions. Eco Equity has acquired a licence to produce ‘export only,’ distribution of Cannabis products to international regulated markets.

The company has set itself the target to be one of Africa’s largest licensed producers of cannabis seed, medicinal extracts, Africa’s leading exporter of CBD and extract into regulated international markets. The company wants to build a successful commercial cultivation facility and build a recognisable brand in a rapidly growing industry, whilst becoming fully compliant with all Zimbabwe state and local municipalities.

Further to the growing of cannabis, Eco Equity is looking to create a long-term legacy by rolling out new initiatives, including plans for university research centres and establishing a well-integrated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program in collaboration with and benefiting the Zimbabwean people and government.

Eco Equity also works alongside partners to help build their greenhouses and sites as well as promote the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use in various countries. Partners Delta Tetra have long been involved in advocating medicinal cannabis as a treatment to be legalised in Australia, and the two companies will work alongside each other to implement Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) with teams on the ground in Zimbabwe to ensure the site is ready.

The GMP processes include manufacturing, operational and security standard operating procedures (SOP) and Eco Equity has partnered with other cannabis companies to ensure the best practice is in place at the facility.

Eco Equity’s link to Zimbabwe is not solely business driven either, as Doran also believes in the importance of investing in the community in which the country operates, creating 100 new jobs in Zimbabwe. Returning to the country of his birth to give back to the community and help rebuild the economy was an important part of the process in Doran’s decision making.

As one of the fastest emerging markets, the medicinal cannabis industry is a new concept to the Zimbabwean government and Eco Equity is helping to shape policy, aiding them through every step of the process, such as measuring quantities of CBD.

Eco Equity

The acquisition of a licence from the Zimbabwean government for the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes is only the beginning for this team of ambitious directors. The company has already laid out its blueprint for success with the cannabis markets booming across Europe and the Caribbean.

In an industry full of creative, successful entrepreneurs, Eco Equity had to make its mark early, and the licence acquisition in Zimbabwe is reflective of the drive and expertise of the company’s directors. Coming together from different sectors such as finance, media and the medicinal cannabis industry itself, the team of directors and consultants understand that CBD and its derivative products could help millions of people recover from illness.

Eco Equity has partnered with the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health to develop, own and operate a medicinal cannabis facility in Zimbabwe with the objective to export the products derived from the facility to Canada, USA and Europe. Combining research, development, cultivating, growing and manufacturing, Eco Equity’s mission is to advance the medical extracts, related products and sector as a whole and developing products that are safe, effective and affordable for export.

Doran has over 10 years’ experience in finance having started his career at Citigroup. In 2018 he set up his own wealth management and private equity firm Axium Capital and through Axium has successfully raised capital and taken part in some of the UK’s biggest IPO’s of the last two years. He was born in Zimbabwe and through his strong connections in the region has enabled eco-equity to navigate a successful licence application.

Doran said, “I and the team of directors at Eco Equity are committed to producing the highest quality cannabis and CBD oil for medical treatments. We chose Zimbabwe as the ideal location for our first plantation due to the progressive nature and willingness of the government to allow cannabis cultivation. Our goal is to expand our operations to other markets including the Caribbean and Europe. Our current belief is that European governments are not acting quickly enough to realise the benefits of medicinal cannabis or CBD oil, and hopefully our success in this field will create opportunities for the industry to grow.”

Who are Eco Equity?

Eco Equity is run by a team of highly motivated, driven business experts with a common interest; cannabis. The company has pulled together various specialisms and used the extensive knowledge of the markets to transform Eco Equity into a force in the cannabis market.

Eco Equity has a team of 11 based in London, Zimbabwe and Antigua headed by Doran, Timothy Ambrose and Soheil Ghaffari as Master Horticulturist.

Ambitions for the future

Having already formed partnerships with renowned cannabis companies in DutchGreenhouses and Delta Tetra in Holland and Australia respectively, Eco Equity is continuing to attract investors and potential future partners. A team from Delta Tetra is on the ground and is actively assisting Eco Equity with the process of writing, implementing and training the Eco Equity team on GMP certification is critical in attracting the right partners to continue the grow the company into the appropriate markets.

Eco Equity is at the forefront of the medicinal cannabis industry revolution in Africa, and with a new licence acquired in Antigua and new opportunities in North American markets, the future is bright for the company and as policy makers begin to take notice of the growing industry, it is set to become one of the most respected and renowned cannabis companies in the UK and on the continent.

JPD Capital fund

The continued work of Eco Equity in Zimbabwe from its headquarters in London has not gone unnoticed. The medicinal cannabis industry growth in the UK – from zero to £300 million – is reflective of the global acknowledgment of cannabidiol as a treatment. The Guernsey based UK hedge fund counts Eco Equity as part of its portfolio, as well as other ventures in Europe, the UK and Antigua.

The growth in the market shows that investing in the medicinal cannabis industry will result in positive returns and the time is right to invest as the market diversifies, leaving plenty of opportunities across Europe as it plays catch up to the other markets.

The strong belief that medicinal cannabis has the potential to save lives forms the sole investment policy of the capital fund. It is accessible for many and has the potential to provide a natural cure for people in need.

Contact details

Working with Eco Equity is an opportunity to increase your returns as well as contributing to an industry that can help save and better lives. To find out more information about working with Eco Equity, or investing with the JPD Capital Fund, please call the London office on +44 (0)207 043 1541 or email: info@eco-equity.com.