TREE OF KNOWLEDGE INTERNATIONAL
CELEBRATES
THE SIGNING OF
THE 2018 US
FARM BILL
AND PROVIDES
OUTLOOK FOR 2019 AND YEAR TO DATE
REVIEW
Toronto, ON --
January
2, 2019 --
InvestorsHub NewsWire -- Tree of Knowledge
International Corp. (CSE:TOKI;
OTC:TRKWF)
(the "Company" or
"TOK")
announced
today that, in celebration of
the 2018
Farm Bill being signed
and Hemp being removed from the US
DEA's
Schedule 1 status
for the
most harmful substances, it is offering
a
discount code for products
featured on the
Company's
product
website
(evrcbd.com) and use code
'2019'
at checkout for 20% off through
January. The Company also
announced its outlook for 2019 and has provided an overview of its
activities to date.
TOK is a
publicly traded, North
American cannabis healthcare platform
led
by physicians,
focused
on formulated product
development and
distribution, and
backed by
cannabis research and education.
With its
head office in Toronto and operations in North York, Ontario and
Spokane, Washington, TOK currently has three primary business
segments.
- Multidisciplinary
specialty pain clinics with a focus on the treatment of chronic
pain, including controlled applications of medical
cannabis in
Canada,
- Development of
formulated products for therapeutic purposes and natural
health product
alternatives at its
manufacturing
facility in Spokane, which provides formulations for the Company's
products and for third parties equivalent to GMP
standards, and
- Distribution
and sale
of products in the United States, Canada, Europe, Brazil
and
China.
Management
believes TOK's
primary competitive
advantage is derived from
its access to patients
and broad distribution
network across North America and international
markets. TOK has one of the
largest patient populations in North America through
its strategic
relationships with physicians in the United States and
Jack
Nathan Health clinics
(both in
Canada and internationally),
among
others. TOK has the ability
to conduct large scale observational studies and
clinical
trials
on
various cannabinoids, generating statistically significant data used
for product
development
which,
in turn,
can be monetized
through the
Company's
patient and consumer
base.
OUTLOOK FOR 2019
Marked as
genuinely historic for the cannabis industry, the passing of the
2018 Farm Bill has removed all confusion associated with
"industrial hemp". While the Company has always utilized
organically sourced US Dept. of Agriculture approved industrial
hemp in its products, "hemp", defined as
"the plant Cannabis
sativa L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds thereof
and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts,
and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with a delta-9
tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than
0.3 percent on a dry
weight basis," has now been
officially removed from the Controlled Substances
Act in the United States.
While the Company is still assessing the various implications of
the new law, the development is extremely positive for the Company
and its future development plans in the U.S. and
elsewhere.
The year
2018 proved to be a wild ride for the Cannabis Industry.
The year
began with unprecedented
valuations and record capital raised for the
industry, only
in
December to face the worst
month for public markets since 1931. Management believes that
despite the challenging and volatile markets, with the passage of
the Farm Bill, demand for cannabis products will continue to expand
and will outstrip current
estimates, however, the market will demand trustworthy, research
based products. The U.S. hemp market
is currently estimated at roughly $800 million, the lion's share of
which is made up of CBD-based products. With the passage of the
Farm Bill, some forecast that the market could increase to $20
billion by 2022. (CNBC, "Hemp legalization
included in new farm bill could 'open the floodgates' on nascent
industry" December 7, 2018).
GOALS FOR 2019:
- The
Company is
currently
working
with several strategic partners and
investors and the new Board will be meeting early in the New Year
to develop a financing
strategy
for the remainder of year. Ultimately,
the Company's
goal is to fund all
future
operations and
development
through
the
sale
of its
products and services.
- The Company intends
to differentiate
the TOK
brands to create a globally
recognized company
and
develop a business to consumer
model, utilizing the depth
of its senior management team's connections
and experience.
- The
Company has made
multiple research and development agreements with major
Universities in
Canada. New formulations and targeted delivery methods are the
focus of research and development in the coming year.
- The
Company is
working
to expand its doctor
networks and intends to pursue
opportunities with several
large retailers
throughout the U.S., South
America and
the
United Kingdom. The Company is also
working on building a sales team in the U.S. and finalizing
its
international
distribution deals. A key part of the
Company's
immediate strategy is to educate
doctors
and patients in the Canadian market on the benefits of TOKI's CBD
products.
- The
Company
intends
to expand
its
proprietary medical cannabis best
practices education and research program to include
all 72
existing Jack Nathan Health clinics in
6 Canadian
provinces.
The Company
intends
to open a new
multi-disciplinary pain clinic in the first quarter of
2019, at the
new
Jack
Nathan Health clinic located
in
Vaughan, Ontario.
- The Company intends
to optimize
its
equipment
utilization at
its
Spokane
manufacturing
facilities and expand its manufacturing capacity
to keep
up with predicted demand.
Jean-Paul
Gaillard, CEO commented: "We are now at a point where we can refine
and execute on our strategy to create globally recognized brands
grounded on our physician-led
cannabis health care platform. We are truly excited to capitalize
on our opportunities in 2019."
YEAR TO DATE
Since
becoming listed on July 9, 2018, TOK has
achieved
the following:
- Completed the
acquisition and merger with Asterion Bio Med Inc. on December 19,
2018. Management believes that this single transaction has
solidified the Company's future as a platform for the
aggregation of
best-in-class partners to build a global biomedical company,
scientifically focussed with proprietary formulations,
and multiple innovative delivery
technologies. The Company has
access to 72
Jack
Nathan Health clinics in six provinces across Canada for its
education and research platform, with over 1.5 million patient
visits annually.
- Raised $2.7 million
in connection with the acquisition of Asterion Bio Med
Inc.
- Developed
world class products, of
which its CBD air metered dosing pens and capsules are approved
for the treatment of
autism,
Parkinson's
disease
and
treatment
resistant epilepsy
by the
Government of Brazil for prescription by physicians.
Current
distribution capability exists in the United States, Brazil, the
United Kingdom and China. Product lines have
been submitted in 3 other countries,
including Italy, for approval,
expected
by the end of Q1 2019.
- Retained
renowned seasoned executive
Jean-Paul Gaillard (former architect and
leader of Nespresso and Marlboro Classics) to spearhead
corporate growth. Also
established
a
world
class Advisory
Board,
staffed by industry-leaders.
- Empowered consumers
with QR code access on smart phones so that customers can review
third party lab results for the products they
purchase.
- Received
certifications from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) and
is currently developing distribution channels for countries in
Europe that will accept FSAI certifications and labelling through
its subsidiary that meets all governmental standards to do business
in the European Union.
- Established
fulfillment centre for its production in the United
Kingdom.
- Established a joint
venture for future manufacturing at a facility in
Macedonia.
About Jack
Nathan Health
Jack
Nathan Health is a privately owned and operated Canadian company
that is dedicated to improving access to health care by partnering
with highly qualified medical staff and delivering consistent,
easy-access, patient-centric quality care in state-of-the-art
medical and dental clinics within local communities where people
live. A proud partner of Walmart Canada, Jack Nathan Health medical
and dental clinics are conveniently located inside Walmart
Supercentres across Canada. Clinics are independently owned and
operated and not affiliated with Walmart. Jack Nathan Health is a
registered trade-mark of Jack Nathan Medical, Inc. All
representations contained herein are made solely by Jack Nathan
Health and are not independently verified by Walmart. All Walmart
trademarks are the property of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and are used
under license. For more information, virtual clinic tours, and
social media links, visit
www.jacknathanhealth.com.
ABOUT TREE OF
KNOWLEDGE
The
Company produces and sells hemp-based cannabidiol
("CBD") products in
certain jurisdictions in the United States, as well as in Europe,
Brazil
and
China. The Company operates multidisciplinary pain clinics through
its subsidiary Asterion Bio Med
Inc. under the banner;
Toronto Poly Clinic
(collectively,
"TPC").
Through
an exclusive strategic alliance agreement with Jack Nathan
Medical Inc., which
operates over 72 Jack Nathan Health
medical and dental
clinics
in six provinces across Canada, Asterion Bio Med
has
access to one of the largest healthcare systems across Canada for
its education and research platform, with over 1.5 million patient
visits annually. TPC
is
a
healthcare leader in the ethical and controlled use
of medical
cannabis, managing
over 4,800
cannabis
patients. TPC has refined its
collective knowledge and focused on the creation of
the MCERP (Medical Cannabis Education, Research and
Best
Practice Platform) and MCORP (Medical Cannabis Opioid
Reduction Program). Currently
TPC has research agreements with multiple
universities for medical cannabis research and new medical grade
products
development. TOK's CBD product
line contains EVR Premium Hemp Oil, which is an organically grown
and handled, gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, synergistic compound that
is derived from U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) approved industrial hemp grown in the United
States. TOK currently offers
several CBD products, which may be used in connection with
the treatment of a number of ailments and for general wellness
purposes.
For
further information about TOK, please contact the
following:
PRESS RELEASES
VIA OTC PR WIRE #1 service in the OTC
Markets
Tree of
Knowledge International Corp.
Michael
Caridi
Tel: +1
(917)
295-1374
michael@tok.ca
www.tok.ca
THE CSE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR
THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE.
Forward Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements relating
to the future operations of TOK as combined with Asterion and other
statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking
statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may",
"should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar
expressions. All statements other than statements of historical
fact, included in this release, including, without limitation,
statements regarding the company and the future
plans and objectives of TOK, are forward looking statements that
involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that
such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and
future events could differ materially from those anticipated in
such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results
to differ materially from TOK's expectations are
risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by TOK with
securities regulations.
The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the
preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be
incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to
differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous
known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of
which are beyond the control of TOK. As a result,
TOK cannot guarantee that the Offer will be completed and that any
forward-looking statement will materialize and the reader is
cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking
information. Such information, although considered reasonable by
management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect
and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated.
Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are
expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The
forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made
as of the date of this news release and TOK will update or revise
publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as
expressly required by Canadian securities law.