“Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear. We must, therefore, be on our guard against extremists who urge us to adopt police state measures. Such persons advocate breaking down the guarantees of the Bill of Rights in order to get at the communists. They forget that if the Bill of Rights were to be broken down, all groups, even the most conservative, would be in danger from the arbitrary power of government.”—Harry S. Truman, Special Message to the Congress on the Internal Security of the United States (August 8, 1950)
Nothing good can come from allowing the government to sidestep the Constitution.
Unfortunately, the government has become an expert at disregarding constitutional roadblocks intended to protect the rights of the citizenry.
When these end-runs don’t suffice, the government hides behind the covert, clandestine, classified language of national security; or obfuscates, complicates, stymies, and bamboozles; or creates manufactured diversions to keep the citizenry in the dark; or works through private third parties not traditionally bound by the Constitution.
This last tactic is increasingly how the government gets away with butchering our freedoms, by having its corporate partners serve as a front for its nefarious deeds.
This is how the police state has managed to carry out an illegal secret dragnet surveillance program on the American people over the course of multiple presidential administrations.
Relying on a set of privacy loopholes, the White House (under Presidents Obama, Trump and now Biden) has been sidestepping the Fourth Amendment by paying AT&T to allow federal, state, and local law enforcement to access—without a warrant—the phone records of Americans who are not suspected of a crime.
The government used a similar playbook to get around the First Amendment, packaged as an effort to control the spread of speculative or false information in the name of national security.
As the House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on Weaponization of the Federal Government revealed, the Biden administration worked in tandem with social media companies to censor content related to COVID-19, including humorous jokes, credible information and so-called disinformation.
Likening the government’s heavy-handed attempts to pressure social media companies to suppress content critical of COVID vaccines or the election to “an almost dystopian scenario,” Judge Terry Doughty warned that “the United States Government seems to have assumed a role similar to an Orwellian ‘Ministry of Truth.’”
Restricting access to social media has become a popular means of internet censorship.
Dare to voice politically incorrect views in anything louder than a whisper on social media and you might find yourself suspended on Twitter, shut out of Facebook, and banned across various social media platforms. This authoritarian intolerance masquerading as tolerance, civility and love is what comedian George Carlin referred to as “fascism pretending to be manners.”
Social media censorship runs the gamut from content blocking, throttling, and filtering to lockouts, shutdowns, shadow banning and de-platforming.
In fact, these tactics are at the heart of several critical cases before the U.S. Supreme Court over who gets to control, regulate or remove what content is shared on the internet: the individual, corporate censors or the government.
Yet what those who typically champion the right of corporations to be free from government meddling get wrong about these cases is that there can be no free speech when corporations such as Facebook, Google or YouTube become a front for—or extensions of—government censors.
This is the very definition of technocensorship.
On paper—under the First Amendment, at least—we are technically free to speak.
In reality, however, we are now only as free to speak as a government official—or corporate entities such as Facebook, Google or YouTube—may allow.
Clothed in tyrannical self-righteousness, technocensorship is powered by technological behemoths (both corporate and governmental) working in tandem to achieve a common goal: to muzzle, silence and altogether eradicate any speech that runs afoul of the government’s own approved narrative.
This is political correctness taken to its most chilling and oppressive extreme.
This authoritarian impulse to censor and silence “dangerous” speech masquerading as tolerance, civility and a concern for safety (what comedian George Carlin referred to as “fascism pretending to be manners”) is the end result of a politically correct culture that has become radicalized, institutionalized and tyrannical.
You see, the government is not protecting us from “dangerous” disinformation campaigns. It is laying the groundwork to insulate us from “dangerous” ideas that might cause us to think for ourselves and, in so doing, challenge the power elite’s stranglehold over our lives.
Thus far, the tech giants have been able to sidestep the First Amendment by virtue of their non-governmental status, but it’s a dubious distinction at best when they are marching in lockstep with the government’s dictates.
As Philip Hamburger and Jenin Younes write for The Wall Street Journal: “The First Amendment prohibits the government from ‘abridging the freedom of speech.’ Supreme Court doctrine makes clear that government can’t constitutionally evade the amendment by working through private companies.”
It remains to be seen whether the Supreme Court can see itself clear to recognizing that censorship by social media companies acting at the behest of the government runs afoul of the First Amendment.
Bottom line: either we believe in free speech or we don’t.
The answer to the political, legal and moral challenges of our day should always be more speech, not less.
Any individual or group—prominent or not—who is censored, silenced and made to disappear from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram for voicing ideas that are deemed politically incorrect, hateful, dangerous or conspiratorial should be cause for alarm across the entire political spectrum.
To ignore the long-term ramifications of such censorship is dangerously naïve, because whatever powers the government and its corporate operatives are allowed to claim now will eventually be used against the populace at large.
These social shunning tactics borrow heavily from the mind control tactics used by authoritarian cults as a means of controlling its members. As Dr. Steven Hassan writes in Psychology Today: “By ordering members to be cut off, they can no longer participate. Information and sharing of thoughts, feelings, and experiences are stifled. Thought-stopping and use of loaded terms keep a person constrained into a black-and-white, all-or-nothing world. This controls members through fear and guilt.”
This mind control can take many forms, but the end result is an enslaved, compliant populace incapable of challenging tyranny.
As Rod Serling, creator of The Twilight Zone, once observed, “We’re developing a new citizenry, one that will be very selective about cereals and automobiles, but won’t be able to think.”
The problem is that we’ve allowed ourselves to be persuaded that we need someone else to think and speak for us, and we’ve bought into the idea that we need the government and its corporate partners to shield us from that which is ugly or upsetting or mean. The result is a society in which we’ve stopped debating among ourselves, stopped thinking for ourselves, and stopped believing that we can fix our own problems and resolve our own differences.
In short, we have reduced ourselves to a largely silent, passive, polarized populace incapable of working through our own problems and reliant on the government to protect us from our fears.
As Nat Hentoff, that inveterate champion of the First Amendment, once observed, “The quintessential difference between a free nation, as we profess to be, and a totalitarian state, is that here everyone, including a foe of democracy, has the right to speak his mind.”
What this means is championing the free speech rights of those with whom we might disagree.
That’s why James Madison, the author of the Bill of Rights, fought for a First Amendment that protected the “minority” against the majority, ensuring that even in the face of overwhelming pressure, a minority of one—even one who espouses distasteful viewpoints—would still have the right to speak freely, pray freely, assemble freely, challenge the government freely, and broadcast his views in the press freely. He understood that freedom for those in the unpopular minority constitutes the ultimate tolerance in a free society.
The government has no tolerance for freedom or free speech of any kind that challenges its chokehold on power.
At some point or another, depending on how the government and its corporate allies define what constitutes “disinformation,” “hate” or “extremism, “we the people” might all be considered guilty of some thought crime or speech transgression or other.
Yet as I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and in its fictional counterpart The Erik Blair Diaries, it’s a slippery slope from censoring so-called illegitimate ideas to silencing truth.
Eventually, as George Orwell predicted, telling the truth will become a revolutionary act.
Ultimately, the government’s war on free speech—and that’s exactly what it is—is a war that is driven by a government fearful of its people.
As President John F. Kennedy observed, “[A] nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
WC: 1556
ABOUT JOHN W. WHITEHEAD
Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute. His most recent books are the best-selling Battlefield America: The War on the American People, the award-winning A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State, and a debut dystopian fiction novel, The Erik Blair Diaries. Whitehead can be contacted at staff@rutherford.org. Nisha Whitehead is the Executive Director of The Rutherford Institute. Information about The Rutherford Institute is available at www.rutherford.org. Publication Guidelines / Reprint Permission
John W. Whitehead’s weekly commentaries are available for publication to newspapers and web publications at no charge. Please contact staff@rutherford.org to obtain reprint permission.
Researchers at UBC’s faculty of medicine are launching a new, unique clinical trial to investigate the potential of cannabidiol (CBD) as a treatment for bipolar depression.
The new trial is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and approved by Health Canada. The goal of the research will be to investigate if CBD can help manage acute bipolar depression alongside primary courses of treatment.
The trial will enroll approximately 360 participants spanning multiple sites across Canada, including the UBC Mood Disorders Centre in Vancouver, BC, and sites in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia.
If proven effective, this has the potential to provide significant benefits to patients by helping effectively managing their symptoms and improving their overall quality of life
Dr. Lakshmi Yatham, UBC Department of Psychiatry
“Bipolar disorder is a complex condition, with depression often posing the greatest burden for patients,” says Dr. Lakshmi Yatham, professor and head of UBC’s Department of Psychiatry and the study’s principal investigator. “This trial marks a significant step forward in exploring innovative, much-needed treatments for bipolar disorder.”
Bipolar disorder is a chronic mental health condition characterized by extreme changes in mood that cycle through periods of intense highs (mania) and lows (depression). Depressive episodes present a considerable challenge for people living with the condition and are associated with feelings of sadness and hopelessness, loss of interest in activities, trouble sleeping and increased risk of suicide. Despite available treatments, a persistent unmet need exists for more effective and well-tolerated therapies.
The new trial, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and approved by Health Canada, will explore whether CBD can help manage acute bipolar depression alongside primary courses of treatment.
No large clinical studies have been conducted to assess the safety and efficacy in bipolar depression.
In a small pilot study published last year, UBC researchers found that CBD did not show significantly higher adverse effects than placebo. Despite this, an exploratory analysis also suggested that cannabidiol should be further studied in bipolar depression in higher doses of at least 300 mg/day and under research designs that could better control for high placebo response.
“Our pilot trial showed signals for efficacy of CBD which provided an impetus for this large trial,” says Dr. Yatham. “If proven effective, this has the potential to provide significant benefits to patients by helping effectively managing their symptoms and improving their overall quality of life.”
This new, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study will evaluate the safety, efficacy and tolerability of a CBD product (ProZ-001) manufactured and supplied by PBG Biopharma Inc.
The research team says they anticipate that the outcomes will provide valuable insights into the development of novel and improved therapeutic options for people living with bipolar disorder.
In Antarctica, I was separated from the world by a ring of water: tumultuous indigo seething.
In alchemy, there is an uncertain art of hydromancy: it teaches how to see in water closed and sealed letters, and persons who are travelling in distant places. Paracelsus defines this operation as proceeding from the constellation of the new firmament by means of imagination.
There, I prepared carefully to practise this art. On each landing I began to sip the cold ice seawater. I would cup my hand full with water and swallow it before I would begin my gaze of the ocean. The salt always burned my lips. At first, I would choke on the water. But I wanted to become one with it. I also believed that if I metabolized this brine my body would preserve what I would see. I A wanted to see anything, flecks of sun, the sprung offspring of the virgin, visions of A manyness. I wanted to see what ‘it is,’ Antarctica.
I did not see other travellers, but after a while I saw strange A formulaic ‘words’, signs of an invisible order. I would sit on the shore and watch them float into the liquid shore-space, or I would watch the open sea from topside of the ship and look out for them floating just beneath the transparent water-surface. These signs appeared as A negative/solarized images. I knew their source was A virgin-Antarctica. I knew instantly their translations.
I do not remember them all.
¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶
In Antarctica, except for the last day, ice crystals and clouds always separated me from the sun. Inversely, they joined me to my eye. So much was in-substantial. And this is the triumph of the insubstantial — that there is so much of it.
Except for the last day, the sun, when it was visible, appeared as a soft pale glow. Its cycle was annular.
What is the meaning of the word ‘around’, the disclosure of orbit, of locating this continent not on an x/y axis, getting unborn, the inside-out ‘prospect’ …
YOU ARE INCLUDED IN THE SUN
I have read many works of Antarctic science, geography, and politics. I have viewed drawings, maps, films, the diaries of polar explorers. But what ‘constellates’ at the south pole? Waves of light and water. Cosmic dust. Elsewhere A in my travels I have stepped over ‘the threshold’ into the ‘watching’ world and for an infinite moment I became transit (the larger sphere): but this time here I am that which is transited. And so, here I am the smaller sphere A
twining images
silhouetted understandings
A
Is ink more sacred than blood? A
When I was in Antarctica I often sensed that I was somewhere where nothing is. There, I had vaguely remembered how the alchemists had repeated the act of creation in their laboratories. I had determined to try this after one of the landings. I carried a small glass of water up the gangway. With the other hand I accepted the glass of mulled wine which the steward always offered us on reboarding. This time I did not drink it. Without stopping to remove my lifevest, I walked through to the port side and found a secluded space. I placed both glasses gently on the deck and let the water and wine absorb the polar light. I hoped this gesture would concentrate the liquids in some way. I knelt beside them. Using the point of my pocket knife, I lifted a drop of the red wine and let it fall into the glass which held the water. There was red fog and red darkness on the water’s surface. After a few moments I put in two drops. A Light came through the darkness. I waited, then I put in three drops, four drops, five drops, six drops. Then I stopped. I do not know what the alchemists saw when they performed this experiment.
I saw form’s motion, a misty atmosphere, red and silver threads of light, and dark purple at the entre which suddenly burst into an ignis humidis. lens an eye
I let the mixture stand for half an hour, watching it all the while. The alchemists were correct: when this time period was over, all that I had seen beginning disappeared.
Vivian Darroch-Lozowski has had the privilege of travelling widely (not as a tourist) before the world entered its present globalization period. These experiences allowed her to consider the deep nature of humans and to attempt to understand our human relations with each other and with all other life. Some of these experiences are recorded in her works. Her writings and visual works cover different genres: scholarly, literary, creative non-fiction, artist books, painting/drawing, and film. She is a Professor Emerita with the University of Toronto and now lives and works In Moose Jaw, Treaty 4 Territory, Saskatchewan. Her recent project, with the help of others, was returning 160 acres of agricultural land to natural prairie with wetlands and placing these acres under conservation. It was this and her daily walks in the Wakamow Valley, along with her internal-sense-memories, that contributed inspiration for the thoughts and writings she has gathered in Searchlights in People’s Hands, her most recent work published by Penumbra Press.
Since 1979, Penumbra Press books have been garnering praise for both their content and their elegance. We are confident that you will find much that is similarly rewarding in the handful of new titles I will introduce you to in the coming weeks as we celebrate our 45th anniversary.
As a small press publisher with a niche in northern and aboriginal subjects, we are offering a slight deviation from the norm with this season’s titles, looking both to the past and to the future for an understanding of who we were and who we are as global citizens in a troubled world.
The first 45 individuals who order books from our website will each receive a gratis copy of Volume 1, Then & Now, in the Bookmark Readerity Series, Readers & Writers on Books & Reading, which I wrote for Dan and Marlene MacDonald, proprietors of Bookmark in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Please visit our website, penumbrapress.com, or email me at john@penumbrapress.com for assistance in finding the right Penumbra Press book for you.
— John Flood, Publisher & Producer john@penumbrapress.com
Ontario cannabis retailer Stok’d Cannabis has released a series of ads it says circumvent social media platforms’ restrictions on cannabis advertisements by promoting neighbouring brands.
The retailer, with five locations in Ontario, collaborated with several local businesses to mention the store in relation to their own business, often employing cheeky puns throughout the ad.
The ads included businesses like a bookstore, an electrician, a nail shop, and a sandwich shop, all located near or affiliated with the cannabis store.
The campaign ran in January as sponsored posts on several platforms, a transit shelter, and local radio.
Lisa Bigioni, co-founder and CEO of Stok’d, says they are still collecting data from the campaign to see how effective it was, but notes she has already seen increased foot traffic, and customers have told her they have seen the ads.
She says the ads all went out on accounts connected to the local businesses, not their account.
She explains that the biggest challenge they were seeking to circumvent is not federal ad restrictions but enforcement of social media policies.
“I think that the Health Canada restrictions I understand, and I think we did our part to not go against those restrictions. It’s the social media challenges that we have that I think was the bigger win. The ads were put out almost a month ago, and no one caught that there was this cheeky innuendo about a cannabis store.
“And we know that social media accounts shut down cannabis advertising as soon as they see it and none of them caught it, and I think that was the bigger win.”
Erin Kawalecki, partner and chief creative officer at Angry Butterfly, who partnered with Stok’d on the project, says that the local businesses appreciated the approach.
“While our goal was to promote Stok’d, it was also important to be authentic to the different businesses we were partnering with,” says Kawalecki. “Finding that common language that promoted both was key, and a lot of fun, too.”
“The trickiest part was while we thought this could work, we weren’t entirely sure until the ads went live and passed through all the different filters,” adds Bernice Lo, VP, Executive Creative Director, Angry Butterfly, “We had plan B and C ready to go, just in case.”
The geo-targeted, 21+ campaign launched last month across multiple channels including paid/sponsored posts and prerolls, evening radio, and select TSAs, but Angry Butterfly says the story was kept out of the ad industry press until the media finished its run to ensure the news didn’t reach the likes of Meta, Google, etc. to avoid pushback.
The legal status of cannabis remains complex in the United States, with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) playing a central role. For years, the agency has maintained that cannabis is a highly dangerous and addictive drug and lacks medical value, despite contrary evidence from public opinion, medical research and state laws.
This has led to a situation where marijuana is readily accessible in certain states, heavily penalized in others and federally illegal throughout the country. According to Carmel Shachar, a professor at Harvard School of Law, the U.S. courts or Congress could resolve this confusion, but so far, there’s been limited action.
Currently, the DEA classifies cannabis as a Schedule I substance, alongside ecstasy, heroin and LSD. This classification indicates that the substances have a high addiction and abuse potential with no recognized medical benefits. Shachar points out the irony of cannabis being more restricted than substances such as morphine and cocaine, which are classified as Schedule II and acknowledged to have medical uses.
Marijuana’s Schedule I classification presents significant barriers to research into its potential medical benefits, creating a cycle where its value cannot be proven due to federal restrictions. Cannabis has remained under this classification since 1971, when it was initially added to the list under President Richard Nixon. According to experts, Nixon’s decision was influenced more by political motives than scientific evidence.
At the moment, the next potential development involves the DEA considering reclassifying cannabis to a lower schedule, though this wouldn’t federally legalize the substance. Advocates view this as a symbolic step in the right direction while also recognizing that it falls short of meaningful change.
Reclassification to Schedule III would allow for medical prescriptions but wouldn’t resolve the conflict between federal and state laws. To fully address this conflict, though still distant, cannabis would need to be removed from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) altogether, according to experts. This means cannabis would be regulated in the same way as tobacco and alcohol.
National polls indicate that public support for cannabis legalization is high, with 70% of U.S. citizens in favor, according to a Gallup survey. Additionally, only 10% of people, according to a 2022 Pew Research Center poll, think the substance should be outlawed. By contrast, 30% favor legalization for only medical purposes, while 59% favor legalization for recreational and medical purposes.
Despite the overwhelming support, legalization progress is slow because of several factors, including differing opinions among legislators and concerns about potential health risks. As advocates note, while rescheduling is a positive step, it’s insufficient, and there’s no justification for marijuana to remain under federal regulation.
The cannabis industry, including entities such as Green Thumb Industries Inc. (CSE: GTII) (OTCQX: GTBIF), is focused on operating within the existing regulatory frameworks at state and federal level as it advocates for further reforms to be enacted.
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An unlicensed cannabis store in New Brunswick have been fined $20,000 following a raid in 2022, while charges against two men connected to the company have been withdrawn.
That search, in coordination with Peace Officers with the Department of Justice and Public Safety and with support from the Codiac Regional RCMP, resulted in the seizure of more than a dozen kilograms of cannabis, 1.5 kg of hash, 91 disposable vape pens, 130 vape carts, 255 grams of live resin, 52 grams of RSO, 200 grams of edibles, and about $10,400 in cash.
First reported by the Telegraph-Journal, Donald Matthew Scott, 42, of Fredericton, and G. James McEwen, 45, were both charged with possessing cannabis for the purpose of selling, in violation of the Cannabis Act. On Tuesday, February 27, Department of Justice and Public Safety officers laid a new charge against the Monctonbased company, H.C.A. Wellness Inc.. Charges against Scott and McEwen were withdrawn.
Enforcement of New Brunswick and federal cannabis regulations has been an ongoing effort. Most recently, peace officers with the New Brunswick Department of Justice and Public Safety say they arrested a man and woman and seized contraband cannabis and other illegal products from a store in Saint John on January 9.
Last November, Officers from the New Brunswick Department of Justice and Public Safety seized cannabis products at an unlicensed dispensary in Saint John, with one man arrested.
The federal House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance is recommending a change to how cannabis excise taxes are applied.
The change calls for moving from a rate of $1 per gram rate or 10% of a producer’s selling price (whichever is higher) to a 10% ad valorem rate. This rate currently applies to dried or fresh cannabis, cannabis plants and cannabis plant seeds.
Tax on cannabis extracts, edibles and topicals are a flat rate of $0.01 per milligram of the total THC of the cannabis product. These products would not be subject to an ad valorem duty rate, unlike dried cannabis, fresh cannabis, cannabis plants and cannabis plant seeds.
The recommendations from the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance (FINA) are part of their recent Report of the Standing Committee on Finance. The report is based on meetings launched in June 2023 in anticipation of the 2024 budget due in April.
The Committee also held pre-budget hearings in the fall between September 21, 2023 and November 17, 2023. In addition to meetings in Ottawa, the committee travelled across Canada to hear from a range of Canadians.
The Committee also invited other House of Commons standing committees for the purpose of holding meetings and providing recommendations for its pre-budget consultations.
The committee heard nearly 170 presentations and received over 850 written briefs, the largest number ever received for that process.
The most recent figures show the federal government has collected more than $2.5 billion in cannabis excise tax. Nearly $2 billion of tax has gone back to the provinces, which collected 75% of the excise, while more than $566 million went to the federal government.
Also, the Canada Revenue Agency is owed more than $200 million in unpaid taxes.
“As at March 31, 2023, the total amount receivable for Cannabis duties is $221,238,299,” Sylvie Branch, a CRA spokesperson, told StratCann earlier this year. “This outstanding balance represents funds owed to the CRA and is not broken by federal, provincial, and territorial components.”
A recent report also says that the CRA is now calling on provinces to garnish payments to cannabis producers who have not paid their excise taxes.
In a statement to the committee last October, then-President and Chief Executive Officer, Cannabis Council of Canada’s (C3) George Smitherman told the committee the issue with cannabis taxes was dire.
“We need adjustments to the excise tax formula and to costly matters about how the formula operates. We need the elimination of a special tax of 2.3% in the name of a regulatory fee charged by Health Canada that neither alcohol nor tobacco pay. This is about $75 million off the bottom line of companies.”
Smitherman also called for the elimination of Health Canada’s 2.3% regulatory fees on cannabis products, as well. He recently stepped down from his role with C3.
Budget 2022 called for a more streamlined approach to the cannabis industry, which included the creation of a “Cannabis Strategy Table” led by the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED), with the goal of providing an opportunity for the federal government to hear from industry leaders and identify ways to work together to grow the legal cannabis sector in Canada.
Astrotech reported financial results for the quarter ended December 31, 2023, recording year-to-date revenue of $1,540,000
The company attributed the growth to the successful fulfillment of two significant purchase orders for the TRACER 1000(TM), the world’s first mass spectrometer-based explosive trace detectors (“ETD”), to customers in Romania
Astrotech is focused on commercializing its innovative platform mass spectrometry technology through its wholly owned subsidiaries 1st Detect Corp., AgLAB Inc., Pro-Control Inc., and BreathTech Corp.
The company and its subsidiaries are positioned to capitalize on burgeoning markets, including the global mass spectrometry market, expected to grow from an estimated $6.77 billion in 2024 to $9.17 billion by 2029
Astrotech (NASDAQ: ASTC), a science and technology development and commercialization company, focused on commercializing its innovative platform mass spectrometry technology through its wholly owned subsidiaries, recently released financial results for the three months ended December 31, 2023 (“Q2 2024”).
The company recorded a 512% jump in its year-to-date (“YTD”) revenue to $1,540,000 from $301,000 in the comparative period a year before. Astrotech attributed this growth primarily to two significant purchase orders for the TRACER 1000(TM) explosive trace detectors (“ETDs”) to customers in Romania, which the company, through 1st Detect Corp., successfully delivered on (https://cnw.fm/bDHtl).
The subsidiary 1st Detect develops, manufactures, and sells mass-spectrometer-based trace detectors – including the TRACER 1000(TM), the world’s first mass spectrometer-based ETD – for use in the security and detection markets. It is one of Astrotech’s wholly owned subsidiaries formed to explore and capitalize on opportunities in disparate markets. The other subsidiaries include Astrotech Technologies Inc, AgLAB Inc., Pro-Control Inc., and BreathTech Corp.
A recent SNS Insider article (https://cnw.fm/4ermr) confirms that “the Explosive Trace Detection Market is witnessing significant growth driven by increasing security concerns, particularly in transportation, critical infrastructure, and public spaces”. Specifically, it indicates: “The Explosive Trace Detection Market, valued at USD 1137.50 million in 2022, is projected to achieve a significant milestone, reaching USD 2250.60 million by 2030.” This market is yet another fast-growing and important opportunity for 1st Detect and the superior mass spectrometry technology it offers. The article continues that “there is a growing demand for advanced ETD systems that offer higher sensitivity, faster detection times, and improved ease of use”, the very capabilities that 1st Detect represents. In particular, 1st Detect holds an exclusive AMS Technology license from ATI for air passenger and cargo security applications.
For its part, AgLAB has developed a mass-spectrometer-based chemical analyzer, the AgLAB 1000 series, and the AgLAB Maximum Value Process(TM) (“AgLAB MVP for use in botanical distillation and specifically, the hemp and cannabis sectors. AgLAB uses its proprietary mass spectrometry instrumentation on the manufacturing floor to test and analyze distilled cannabidiol (“CBD”) and tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”) oils quickly, easily, and continually, providing immediate information that not only maximizes potency but also improves the ending weight yields of every batch. According to AgLAB’s analysis, its mass spectrometers improve yields by an average of 34% (https://cnw.fm/2bp9w).
The U.S. cannabis market, which combines the recreational cannabis, medical cannabis, and therapeutic cannabis segments, is expected to experience significant growth in the coming years, according to Statista, reaching a projected $39.85 billion in revenue in 2024 and $67.15 billion by the end of 2028. The market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 13.93% during this forecast period (https://cnw.fm/SApA8). Globally, the cannabis market is projected to reach revenue of $60.79 billion in 2024 and $102.90 billion by 2028, representing a CAGR of 14.06% (https://cnw.fm/AksQn).
Beyond the U.S. cannabis and cannabinoids markets, Astrotech is positioned to capitalize on and benefit from the growth in the global mass spectrometry market, which is expected to grow from an estimated $6.77 billion in 2024 to $9.17 billion by 2029, representing a CAGR of 6.25%. “One of the major driving factors for the growth of the mass spectrometry market is the technological advancements in mass spectrometer devices,” wrote Mordor Intelligence in its report (https://cnw.fm/ZARLT).
Pro-Control subsidiary is expected to benefit from the global industrial automation and control systems market that is valued at USD 172.26 billion in 2022 with a compound annual growth rate (“CAGR”) of 10.5% from 2023 to 2030. The Pro-Control 1000(TM) mass spectrometer is designed to measure, test, and increase efficiencies in the chemical manufacturing processes.
Pro-Control MVP(TM) uses mass spectrometry instrumentation to monitor and control the fractional distillation of bulk chemicals using real-time in-process samples. “The Pro-Control subsidiary was launched late Q2 2024, and we look forward to introducing Pro-Control to chemical manufacturers who are using all types of distillation,” said Thomas B. Pickens, III, Astrotech’s Chairman, CEO, and CTO.
The BreathTech subsidiary is continuing its development of a breath analysis device that can provide early detection of lung diseases so that targeted antibiotics can be administered within minutes vs. days under current lab conditions. “The early BreathTech work was focused on COVID, but as vaccines were introduced and the effect of the disease outbreaks diminished, we have expanded our breath work to include other lung diseases that would benefit from early identification,” said Mr. Pickens.
The BreathTech subsidiary is continuing its development of a breath analysis device that can to provide early detection of lung diseases so that targeted antibiotics can be administered within seconds vs. days under current lab conditions. “The early BreathTest work was directed exclusively to COVID, but as the vaccines too effect and the disease outbreaks diminished, we have expanded our breath work to include other lung diseases that would benefit from early identification. The testing of these diseases is ongoing and we remain optimistic over our most recent results,” said Mr. Pickens.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to ASTC are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/ASTC
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A recent CNN report has highlighted how several athletes used psychedelics to overcome life-changing injuries and the myriad of mental-health challenges these injuries caused.
Canadian Daniel Carcillo began playing professional ice hockey after graduating high school and broke into the National Hockey League (NHL) by age 20. After a decade-long career that saw him play for the Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers, Carcillo was a two-time Stanley Cup winner on the cusp of a well-earned retirement.
However, he says, seven diagnosed concussions left him with headaches, anxiety, depression and “dementia-like” symptoms, rendering him suicidal. The retired hockey player says he also suffered from severe insomnia and disrupted sleep, spending nights awake and sleeping during the day.
Carcillo spent more than half a million dollars on prescription treatments and medications at brain centers, concussion centers and stroke rehabilitation centers but did not find any relief. He finally tried psilocybin in what he called a “last-ditch effort” and notes that he felt “the way he should” and had a zest for life for the first time in quite a long time.
A growing body of literature has connected various psychedelics with significant improvements in mental health, especially in patients suffering from conditions that are typically hard to treat. Harvard Health describes psychedelics as a class of drugs that can induce sensory perceptions and altered thoughts.
Some clinical studies have found that psilocybin, the main psychoactive agent in magic mushrooms, can produce significant and long-term changes in people with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder in only one or two doses.
Although most psychedelic research is still in preliminary stages, and researchers still don’t fully understand how psychedelics deliver their benefits, people are increasingly using drugs such as psilocybin (magic mushrooms), LSD and MDMA in place of traditional mental-health treatments. However, experts say psychedelic use may be associated with potential risks, including heart rate abnormalities, high blood pressure and mental issues, such as psychosis.
NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers is an outspoken supporter of the legalization of certain hallucinogenic drugs. He claims a psychedelic concoction called ayahuasca has helped boost his performance on the field. During last year’s Denver psychedelic conference, Rodgers said it was ironic how substances that could “expand your mind” are illegal, while more harmful substances have been “legal for centuries.”
Former boxing champion Mike Tyson has also spoken in favor of magic mushrooms, claiming they saved his life. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White noted in 2021 that the UFC would dive into researching the impact of psychedelic drug therapy on the brain health of its athletes.
As more companies such as atai Life Sciences N.V. (NASDAQ: ATAI) enter the psychedelic drug-development space, more is likely to be unveiled about how athletes and other groups of patients can benefit from different hallucinogenic compounds.
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(Globe Newswire) Toronto — Lifeist Wellness Inc., a health-tech company that leverages advancements in science and technology to build breakthrough ventures that transform human wellness, is pleased to report that its wholly owned subsidiary CannMart Inc. recorded strong unit sales growth in 2023 across both in-house brands Roilty and Zest Cannabis.
“CannMart achieved significant growth in 2023 with its in-house brands, Roilty and Zest Cannabis,” said Daniel Stern, CEO of CannMart. “Roilty became the second best-selling concentrate brand in Canada, showcasing impressive unit sales and capturing additional market share across key provinces of Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. Zest Cannabis also outperformed market growth in Ontario and Alberta, driven by innovative products and an expanded SKU count. The brands’ steady month-over-month growth and expanded distribution efforts position CannMart for continued success in 2024.”
Roilty 2023 Highlights:
The Big 3 (ON, AB, BC): second best-selling concentrate brand with 13 per cent market share,
Ontario: second in category with 11 per cent market share with a 1154 per cent year-over-year increase in concentrate unit sales driven by the addition of new SKUs across the provincial boards,
Alberta: second in category with 15 per cent market share and a 334 per cent year-over-year increase in concentrate unit sales,
British Columbia: fourth in category with 6 per cent market share and a 354 per cent year-over-year increase in concentrate unit sales.
Roilty posted an average of 20 per cent month-over-month increase in overall unit sales across the portfolio in 2023 experiencing steady brand growth and market share capture through expanded distribution efforts. It also beat industry trends across several cannabis categories in 2023, posting an 82 per cent increase in total unit sales in 2023 versus 2022. Roilty specifically dominated in live resin and was the number one selling live resin brand in Alberta and number two in Ontario.
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In 2024, year-to-date, Roilty shatter sits in the number two position in both Ontario and Alberta, while sugar wax which currently ranks number one in both provinces, was number one in Alberta and number two in Ontario for 2023. In 2024 Roilty will introduce new SKUs in Ontario, Alberta and Quebec, and is expected to build upon the strong growth posted in 2023.
Zest Cannabis also showed strong growth in 2023. Unit sales for Zest pre-rolls increased in 2023 compared to 2022 driven by new product availability growing from 3 SKUs available upon the brand launch in July 2022 to 15 SKUs in December 2023. After 18 months in operation Zest has several top-performing products and ranked 34th out of 82 brands across Alberta and Ontario combined in 2023, placing Zest in the top 25 per cent of brands by unit sales in the sub-segment for infused pre-rolls. Zest has also grown into the top 20% brand by unit sales in vapes, one of the most competitive segments in cannabis with nearly 300 brands participating.
Lifeist also reports, further to its June 30, 2023 news release, as required by the approval of the TSXV in connection with the Consulting Agreement dated June 30, 2023 entered into by the Company with Singular Narrative Management Ltd. for the provision of strategic business consulting, product development, and brand marketing services to the Company as well as other services that do not include investor relations or promotional activities, that is has issued an aggregate of 4,824,528 common shares and 1,200,000 common share purchase warrants to acquire up to 1,200,000 common shares as payment to Singular of the monthly fee of $20,000 for services provided in each of the months of October, November, and December 2023, calculated in accordance with the Consulting Agreement. The common shares were issued at deemed prices per share ranging from $0.0108 to $0.015. The warrants have an exercise price of $0.05 per share and expire 5 years from their respective date of issuance.
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