IM Cannabis announces Focus Medical’s Receipt of Israeli
Ministry of Health Import Permit; Plans to Launch WAGNERS Brand in
Israel
IM Cannabis’ popular recreational cannabis brand WAGNERS will
be available in Israel in 2022, enhancing IM Cannabis’
presence in the market
Toronto, Canada and Glil Yam, Israel – November 29, 2021
– IM Cannabis
Corp. (the “Company” or “IM Cannabis”) (CSE: IMCC, NASDAQ:
IMCC), a leading medical and adult-use recreational cannabis
company with operations in Israel, Canada, and Germany is pleased
to announce that on November 28, 2021, Focus Medical Herbs Ltd.
(“Focus
Medical”) received approval from the Israeli Ministry
of Health (“MOH”) to import premium, indoor
grown medical cannabis from Trichome JWC Acquisition Corp.
(“TJAC”), IM
Cannabis’ wholly-owned Canadian licensed producer that
cultivates and sells the popular WAGNERS brand in the Canadian
recreational market. The MOH permit allows Focus Medical to import
an initial shipment of premium medical cannabis in a quantity
according to the terms of the MOH permit . This initial shipment is
subject to TJAC’s receipt of an export permit from Health
Canada, which is expected in the coming weeks. Focus Medical
expects to import approximately 1,200 kilograms of premium cannabis
from TJAC over the course of 2022, as well as strains from other
licensed producers such as the Flowr Group (Okanagan)
Inc1. IM Cannabis operates in Canada through
Trichome Financial Corp. (“Trichome”) and its subsidiaries
TJAC and MYM Nutraceuticals Inc. (“MYM”, and together with Trichome
and TJAC, “IMC
Canada”).
Launch of WAGNERS in Israel
The
imported medical cannabis from IMC Canada’s TJAC facility
will be sold by Focus Medical to Israeli medical cannabis patients
under the WAGNERS brand, IM Cannabis’ popular Canadian
recreational cannabis brand. In
Ontario, WAGNERS premium, high-THC indoor-grown dried flower was
ranked sixth with 3.8% of the provincial market share for the month
of October 2021, showing strong growth since the launch of the
WAGNERS brand in June 20212. To learn
more about WAGNERS please visit WAGNERS - Well Made
Weed (wagnersweed.com) and follow @wagnersweed on
Instagram.
Oren Shuster, CEO of IM Cannabis stated, “We are
excited that Focus Medical has received approval from the MOH to
import TJAC’s premium, indoor-grown dried flower, allowing
for the launch of the WAGNERS brand in Israel. This launch
underscores the importance of IM Cannabis’ vertically
integrated, multi-country strategy. By leveraging IMC
Canada’s cultivation hub, our supply chain expertise, and our
knowledge of the demands from medical cannabis patients and
recreational cannabis consumers in various markets around the
world, we will soon be able to provide Israeli medical cannabis
patients with the premium quality indoor-grown cannabis that they
demand. This integrated, global cannabis supply chain also enhances
shareholder value by distributing Canadian-grown cannabis in
multiple markets and at high margins.”
About IM Cannabis Corp.
IM
Cannabis (NASDAQ: IMCC, CSE: IMCC) is a leading international
cannabis company providing premium products to medical patients and
adult-use recreational consumers. IM Cannabis is one of the very
few companies with operations in Israel, Germany and Canada, the
three largest federally legal markets. The ecosystem created
through its international operations leverages the Company’s
unique data-driven perspective and product supply chain globally.
With its commitment to responsible growth and financial prudence,
and the ability to operate within the strictest regulatory
environments, the Company has quickly become one of the leading
cultivators and distributors of high-quality cannabis
globally.
1 Focus Medical received import permit from the MOH
for Flowr Group (Okanagan) Inc’s products on November 28,
2021.
The IM
Cannabis ecosystem operates in Israel through its commercial
relationship with Focus Medical Herbs, which cultivates, imports
and distributes cannabis to medical patients, leveraging years of
proprietary data and patient insights. The Company also operates
medical cannabis retail pharmacies, online platforms, distribution
centres and logistical hubs in Israel that enable the safe delivery
and quality control of IM Cannabis products throughout the entire
value chain. In Germany, the IM Cannabis ecosystem operates through
Adjupharm GmbH (“Adjupharm”), where it also
distributes cannabis to medical patients. In Canada, the Company
operates through TJAC and MYM, where it cultivates and processes
cannabis for the adult-use market at its Ontario and Nova Scotia
facilities under the WAGNERS and Highland Grow brands.
About Focus Medical Herbs Ltd.
Focus
Medical is one of eight original licensed producers of medical
cannabis in Israel and has over 10 years of experience growing high
quality medical cannabis in the Israeli market. Focus Medical is an
"investee" of the Company under IFRS due to the Company's "de facto
control" over Focus Medical despite not having any direct or
indirect ownership of it. Focus Medical has an exclusive commercial
agreement with IMC to distribute its production under the IMC
brand. In addition to its own capacity, Focus Medical has supply
agreements with other cultivators for additional supply using its
proprietary genetics and for sale under the IMC brand.
Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Statements
This
press release contains “forward-looking information”
and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of
applicable Canadian and United States securities laws
(collectively, “forward-looking information”).
Forward-looking information are often, but not always, identified
by the use of words such as “seek”,
“anticipate”, “believe”,
“plan”, “estimate”, “expect”,
“likely” and “intend” and statements that
an event or result “may”, “will”,
“should”, “could” or “might”
occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. Forward-looking
information in this press release includes, without limitation,
statements relating tothe import quantities permitted under Focus
Medical’s medical cannabis import permit, the timing of the
initial shipment from TJAC to Focus Medical, the timing of
TJAC’s receipt of an export permit from Health Canada,
anticipated quantities to be imported by Focus Medical in 2022, the
launch and market reception of the WAGNERS brand in Israel, the
demand for premium quality indoor-grown cannabis among Israeli
medical cannabis patients, the enhanced shareholder value achieved
through distribution of Canadian-grown cannabis in multiple markets
and the margins in markets outside of Canada, and the
Company’s business and strategic plans.
Forward-looking
information is based on assumptions that may prove to be incorrect,
including but not limited to the ability of the Company to execute
its business plan, the continued growth of the medical and/or
recreational cannabis markets in the countries in which the Company
operates or intends to operate, the Company maintaining “de
facto” control over Focus Medical in accordance with IFRS 10,
Focus Medical maintaining its existing Israeli medical cannabis
propagation and cultivation licenses and the expected
decriminalization and/or legalization of adult-use recreational
cannabis in Israel. The Company considers these assumptions to be
reasonable in the circumstances. However, forward-looking
information is subject to business and economic risks and
uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results of
operations to differ materially from those expressed or implied in
the forward-looking information. Such risks include, without
limitation: any failure of the Company to maintain “de facto
control” over Focus Medical in accordance with IFRS 10 or any
change in accounting practices or treatment affecting the
consolidation of financial results; the risk that Israeli
regulatory authorities may view the Company as the deemed owner of
more than 5% of Focus Medical in contravention of Israeli rules
restricting the ownership of Israeli cannabis cultivators, and
thereby jeopardizing Focus Medical’s cannabis propagation or
cultivation licenses; any determination that the Company is
directly engaging in the Israeli medical cannabis market; the
ability of the Company to comply with applicable government
regulations in a highly regulated industry; unexpected changes in
governmental policies and regulations affecting the production,
distribution, manufacture, import, export or use of medical and/or
recreational cannabis, as applicable, in Israel and Canada; any
change in the political environment which would negatively affect
the decriminalization and/or legalization of recreational cannabis
in Israel; unexpected changes in governmental policies and
regulations affecting the production, distribution, manufacture,
import, export or use of medical and/or recreational cannabis, as
applicable, in Israel and Canada; any unexpected failure of any of
Focus Medical, Trichome or MYM to maintain in good standing or
renew all required licenses, permits or authorizations to conduct
cannabis activities in their respective jurisdictions; reliance on
the Company’s commercial facilities in Canada and Focus
Medical’s commercial facilities in Israel to conduct medical
cannabis activities and any unexpected failure of the Company, its
subsidiaries or Focus Medical to maintain such commercial
facilities in good standing with all applicable regulations,
including all required licenses and permits; the ability of the
Company, its subsidiaries and Focus Medical to maintain ancillary
business licenses, permits and approvals required to operate
effectively; any adverse consequences as a result of certain legal
proceedings initiated by Israeli municipal authorities against
Focus Medical, Oren Shuster, and certain other shareholders and
stakeholders of Focus Medical (the “Construction Proceedings”);
unexpected disruptions to the operations and businesses of the
Company, Focus Medical, Trichome or MYM as a result of the COVID-19
global pandemic or other disease outbreaks including a resurgence
in the number of cases of COVID-19, which has occurred in certain
locations and the possibility of which in other locations creates
ongoing uncertainty that could result in restrictions to contain
the virus being re-imposed or imposed on a more strict basis,
including restrictions on movement and businesses; unexpected
consequences that may arise if Focus Medical were to lose its
designation as an essential service in the State of Israel during
any current or resurgent COVID-19 outbreak; perceived effects of
medical cannabis products; and the Company’s ability to
maintain or improve the brand position of the IMC brand in the
Israeli medical cannabis markets.
Please
see the other risks, uncertainties and factors set out under the
heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s
management’s discussion and analysis dated November 15, 2021
and annual information form dated April 26, 2021 (the
“AIF”) filed with Canadian securities regulators and
which isare available on the Company’s issuer profile on
SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Any forward-looking statement included in
this press release is made as of the date of this press release and
is based on the beliefs, estimates, expectations and opinions of
management on the date such forward-looking information is made.
The Company does not undertake any obligation to update
forward-looking statements except as required by applicable
securities laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in
this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary
statement.
Investor & Media Contacts:
Maya
Lustig,
Director
Investor & Public Relations
IM Cannabis
|
KCSA Strategic
Communications
|
Tel.
+972-54-677-8100
|
Kathleen
Heaney
|
maya.l@imcannabis.com
|
imcannabis@kcsa.com
|