Full Press Release Details
canopy growth corporation
amended and restated MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF THE FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
For the three and nine months ENDED december 31, 2018
amended and restated as of february 20, 2019
Canopy Growth Corporation ("the Company" or "Canopy Growth") is a publicly traded corporation, incorporated in Canada, with its head office located at 1 Hershey Drive, Smiths Falls, Ontario. Common shares of Canopy Growth trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") under the ticker symbol "WEED" and on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") under the symbol "CGC".
Please be advised that the following change was made to the management's discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2018 ("MD&A") as previously filed.
The unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2018, filed on February 14, 2019, were unaffected by the formula error. Further, the Adjusted EBITDA loss for the three months ended as December 31, 2018 was correct as reported, as were all prior quarters as released. Other than as expressly set forth above, the revised MD&A does not purport to update or restate the information in the original MD&A or reflect any events that occurred after the date of the filing of the Original MD&A other than changes to the sections entitled Results of Operations, Third Quarter Review, and Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP Measure).
This Management's Discussion and Analysis of the Financial Condition and Results of Operation ("MD&A") is amended and restated as of February 20, 2019. It should be read in conjunction with the Company's unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements (the "Interim Financial Statements") for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2018, including the accompanying notes.
This MD&A was prepared with reference to National Instrument 51-102 - Continuous Disclosure Obligations of the Canadian Securities Administrators. Under the U.S./Canada Multijurisdictional Disclosure System, we are permitted to prepare this MD&A in accordance with Canadian disclosure requirements which may differ from U.S. disclosure requirements. This MD&A provides information for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2018 and up to and including February 14, 2019 other than as expressly set forth above.
The Interim Financial Statements and this MD&A have been reviewed by the Company's Audit Committee and were approved by the Company's Board of Directors on February 20, 2019.
The accompanying Interim Financial Statements were prepared in compliance with International Financial Reporting Standards 34 - Interim Financial Reporting ("IAS 34"), in accordance with subparagraph 3.2(1) (b) of NI 52-107 and include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries and the Company's interests in affiliated companies (see page 5). All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated on consolidation.
Additional information including this MD&A, the Interim Financial Statements, and press releases have been filed electronically through the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval ("SEDAR") at www.sedar.com or at www.sec.gov/edgar and also on the Company's website at www.canopygrowth.com.
Canopy Growth does not engage in any unlawful U.S. marijuana-related activities as defined in Canadian Securities Administrators Staff Notice 51-352. While the Company has several partnerships with U.S.-based companies that may themselves participate in the U.S. cannabis market, these relationships are licensing relationships that see intellectual property developed in the United States brought into Canada, and in no manner involves Canopy Growth in any unlawful US activities respecting cannabis. Where a non-controlled affiliate has expressed an intent to enter the U.S. cannabis market, the Company has taken steps to insulate itself from all economic and voting interests until such time that U.S. federal laws change in favour of cannabis related activities. (See Corporate Position on Conducting Business in the United States)
Financial information contained herein is expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars, except share and per share amounts, or as otherwise stated.
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This MD&A contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including but not limited to statements relating to:
The words "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates" "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or variation (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or statements that certain actions, events, or results "may", "could", "would", "might", or "will" be taken, occur or to achieve are all forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, internal and external analysis and opinions of management made considering its experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable at the date that such statements are made. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. This MD&A should be read in conjunction with the risk factors described in the "Risk and Uncertainties" section of this MD&A and as described in the Company's annual information form for the year ended March 31, 2018. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events, or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as at the date of the MD&A. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws.
Canopy Growth, an early mover in Canadian and international markets, is a multi-brand cannabis and hemp company that management believes its strong focus on and investment in the development of intellectual property, domestic and international markets, differentiated products, brands, increased cannabis and hemp supply, securing channels to market, and education, to help citizens safely, effectively and responsibly use cannabis and hemp, will create a dominant global business with the potential to generate a significant and sustained return on invested capital over the long-term.
To achieve this, the Company will continue making deliberate investments, including via acquisition and entering into strategic partnerships to:
In the third quarter, Canopy Growth closed the previously announced strategic $5 billion investment from Fortune 500 beverage leader Constellation Brands. These funds will be deployed towards the Company's core strategic objectives of (i) intellectual property development or acquisition, and (ii) replicating the Company's Canadian platform for success across many international markets. These objectives will be achieved through international acquisitions as well as continued internal investments across the globe.
In the period leading up to legalizing recreational cannabis in Canada on October 17, 2018, while operating in an existing medical cannabis market, the Company began expanding its Canadian business model from business to consumer ("B2C") transactions to a hybrid-business model dominated by business to business ("B2B") transactions in a new expanded market, both through provincial on-line and brick and mortar stores as well as continuation of B2C online medical sales and introducing brick and mortar retail stores where permitted in a recreational market.
From inception of the Company's business up to the launch of the recreational market in Canada on October 17, 2018, the Company has been in control of every aspect of the sales process to the Company's Canadian end customers, from product selection, to inventory management and logistics, to the operation of the Company's online medical cannabis sales portal.
With the opening of the new recreational cannabis market in Canada on October 17, 2018, the Company's business transitioned largely to a B2B model. Being a brand new market, it will take some time for Licensed Producers ("LP"), including Tweed Inc. ("Tweed"), and provincial/territorial agencies to develop an understanding and readiness for the real demand profile for regulated recreational cannabis products, including the type/strain and quantity of products.
Evidence of these early challenges were observable on launch of recreational cannabis on October 17, 2018 and through to December 31, 2018. Management believes these challenges throughout the sector supply chain will continue in the months to come before stabilizing.
In transitioning to a largely B2B model in Canada, the Company wholesales large quantities of cannabis as requested by provincial/territorial agencies for distribution to new brick & mortar and online retail stores. In this model, sales of the Company's products are impacted by many factors that are beyond the Company's control including the profile of cannabis products (type/strain) being purchased by provincial/territorial agencies, the size and frequency of wholesale cannabis orders received from provincial/territorial agencies, the effectiveness of inventory and distribution management systems operated by provincial/territorial agencies, the size of brick & mortar retail networks and the quality of the shopping experience delivered by online and brick and mortar retail stores.
| CORPORATE STRUCTURE | ||||||||
| Controlled subsidiaries | ||||||||
| Legal entity | Defined as | % Ownership | Accounting method | |||||
| Tweed Inc. | Tweed | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| Tweed Farms Inc. | Tweed Farms | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| 1955625 Ontario Inc. | 1955625 Ontario Inc. | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| Spectrum Cannabis Canada Ltd. (formerly Mettrum Ltd.) | Spectrum Cannabis | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| BC Tweed Joint Venture Inc. | BC Tweed | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| Tweed Grasslands Cannabis Inc. | Tweed Grasslands | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| Mettrum Hempworks Inc. | Mettrum Hempworks | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| Hiku Brands Company Ltd. | Hiku | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| POS Holdings Inc. | POS | 0.0% | consolidation | |||||
| Spektrum Cannabis GmbH | Spektrum Cannabis | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| Vert Cannabis Inc. | Vert Cannabis | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| 11065220 Canada Inc. | 11065220 Canada Inc. | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| 2344823 Ontario Inc. d/b/a Bodystream | Bodystream | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| Apollo Applied Research Inc. and Apollo CRO Inc. | together "Apollo" | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| EB Transaction Sub I, LLC | Transaction Sub I | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| Spot Therapeutics Inc. | Spot | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| Spectrum Cannabis Australia PTY Ltd. | Spectrum Australia | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| Spectrum Cannabis Farms Australia PTY Ltd. | Spectrum Australia Farms | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| Spectrum Cannabis Czech s.r.o | Spectrum Czech | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| Spectrum Cannabis Chile SpA | Spectrum Chile | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| Spectrum Cannabis (Lesotho) PTY Ltd. (formerly DaddyCann Lesotho PTY Limited) | DCL | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| Storz & Bickel GmbH & Co, KG | S&B | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| Canopy Health Innovations Inc. | CHI | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| Canopy LATAM Corporation | Canopy LATAM | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| Spectrum Cannabis Colombia S.A.S. | Spectrum Colombia | 100.0% | consolidation | |||||
| Les Serres Vert Cannabis | Vert Mirabel | 66.7% | consolidation | |||||
| Spectrum Cannabis Denmark Aps | Spectrum Cannabis Denmark | 82.0% | consolidation | |||||
| Grow House JA Limited | Tweed JA | 49.0% | consolidation | |||||
| Canopy Rivers Corporation | Canopy Rivers | 27.2% | consolidation | |||||
| Investments in affiliates | ||||||||
| Legal entity | Defined as | % Ownership | Accounting method | |||||
| Agripharm Corp. | Agripharm | 40.0% | equity | |||||
| 10730076 Canada Inc. | PharmHouse | 49.0% | equity | |||||
| Bedrocan Brasil S.A. | Bedrocan Brasil | 39.4% | equity | |||||
| Entourage Phytolab S.A. | Entourage | 40.0% | equity | |||||
| N49AROW Global Ventures, ULC | N49AROW | 25.0% | equity | |||||
| Beckley Canopy Therapeutics | BCT | 42.2% | equity | |||||
| AusCann Group Holdings Ltd. | AusCann | 11.1% | FVTOCI and FVTPL | |||||
| Vapium Incorporated | Vapium | 12.2% | FVTOCI | |||||
| Headset Inc. | Headset | 7.9% | FVTOCI | |||||
| HydRx Farms Ltd. (operating as Scientus Pharma Inc.) | HydRx | 9.6% | FVTOCI | |||||
| Slang Worldwide Inc. | Slang | 0.0% | FVTPL | |||||
| TerrAscend Corp | TerrAscend | 0.0% | FVTPL | |||||
| Civilized Worldwide Inc. | Civilized | 25.5% | equity | |||||
| CanapaR Corp. | CanapaR | 46.0% | equity | |||||
| James E. Wagner Cultivation Ltd. | JWC | 14.2% | FVTOCI | |||||
| Radicle Medical Marijuana Inc. | Radicle | 23.8% | equity | |||||
| LiveWell Foods Canada Inc. | LiveWell | 10.0% | FVTOCI | |||||
| Solo Growth Corp. | Solo Growth | 9.7% | FVTOCI | |||||
| Good Leaf, Inc. | Good Leaf | 8.8% | FVTOCI and FVTPL |
Third Quarter Fiscal 2019 Highlights
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities
EVENTS SUBSEQUENT TO QUARTER-END
DESCRIPTION OF THE BUSINESS
CANNABIS REGULATORY FRAMEWORK IN CANADA
On October 17, 2018, the Cannabis Act went into effect which governs both the medical and recreational regulated markets in Canada.
Prior to October 17, 2018, legal access to and use of medicinal cannabis in Canada was regulated by the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations ("ACMPR"). The Cannabis Act now applies to both medical and recreational use of cannabis. Medical patients are required to obtain a medical approval from their healthcare practitioner and provide a medical document to the licensed producer from which they wish to purchase cannabis. Health Canada recently reported that over 342,000 patients had enrolled by September 30, 20182. By 2024, Health Canada estimates that the number of patients using medical cannabis will grow to 450,000 creating a market worth an estimated $1.3 billion3, estimates that management believes is conservative considering the growth in patient enrollment that has been experienced to date in the program.
At the onset of the regulated recreational cannabis market, permitted products are essentially the same as what is currently offered in the medical cannabis market - dried flowers, oils and soft-gel with the addition of pre-rolled cannabis products. As this product offering represents only a portion of the products available on the illicit market, the federal government has indicated that value-added products including higher concentrated oils and ingestibles will be permitted
for sale within a year of the opening of the regulated recreational cannabis market. Federal legislation gives responsibility for regulating the distribution and retail of recreational cannabis to the provinces and territories.
CIBC World Markets reports estimates of the potential value of the regulated recreational cannabis market in Canada range from $5.0 billion to $10.0 billion per year. To put the potential size of the Canadian regulated recreational market in context, Statistics Canada valued the beer market in Canada, in 2014, at $8.7 billion.4
LEGALIZAtiON/permissibility Of CANNABIS in international jurisdictions
In 2014, a limited number of countries in the world, in addition to Canada, specifically, Israel, Czech Republic, Netherlands and Uruguay had established federally legal cannabis access regimes.
Since 2014, the actions of governments around the world have signaled a significant change in attitudes towards cannabis. To date, federal governments in over 30 additional countries including Argentina, Austria, Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Chile, Colombia, England, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Lesotho, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Switzerland and Turkey have formally legalized medicinal cannabis access to either foster research into cannabis-based medical treatments and/or towards increasing legal access to medical cannabis for their citizens.
In addition, many other countries including Belgium, Ireland, France, Portugal, Spain, India, Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand have established formal government efforts to explore the legalization of medicinal cannabis access.
In the United States of America, multiple legislative reforms related to Cannabis are currently being considered by the federal government. On December 20, 2018, the Agricultural and Nutrition Act, H.R. 25 (the "Farm Bill"), which included the language of the Hemp Farming Act of 2018, legalize the cultivation of Hemp to produce the CBD and other cannabinoids, except for THC. Further, management believes The Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States Act (the "States Act"), S.30326, if passed in its current form, would make cannabis federally permissible (not illegal) in US states where cannabis is state legal.
Figure 1: Map of countries with/exploring federally legal cannabis access regimes in 2018
The forty-first meeting of the Expert Committee on Drug Dependence ("ECDD") was held in Geneva, Switzerland, November 12 to16, 2018. At that meeting, the ECDD undertook a critical review of whole-plant cannabis and cannabis extracts. The Director-General of the World Health Organization sent a letter to the UN Secretary General on January 24, 2019, outlining its recommendations that included the recommendation that cannabis be removed from Schedule IV of the 1961 Convention on Narcotic Drugs. The UN's Commission on Narcotic Drugs may decide to consider, and vote upon, those recommendations at its next annual session, which will be held March 22 to 26, 2019, in Vienna, Austria, however since the recommendations were only released in January it's possible that consideration will be postponed until 2020.
Canopy Growth will only conduct business activities related to growing or processing cannabis or hemp in jurisdictions where it is federally lawful to do so.
OVERVIEW OF CANOPY GROWTH CORPORATION
At December 31, 2018, there were approximately 2,700 full-time employees in the Company as compared to approximately 2,000 at September 30, 2018 and approximately 700 at December 31, 2017.
Canopy Growth is a multi-brand cannabis and hemp company that management believes its strong focus on and investment in the development of intellectual property, domestic and international markets, differentiated products, brands, increased cannabis and hemp supply, securing channels to market, and education, to help citizens safely, effectively and responsibly use cannabis and hemp, will create a dominant global business with the potential to generate a significant and sustained return on invested capital over the long-term.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY - PATENT PORTFOLIO
The Company's intellectual portfolio has increased to 32 issued patents and over 140 patent applications with more applications under development. Protectable inventions cover cannabis-based beverage production, cannabis-based medical treatments, device & delivery technologies, large-scale cannabis processing and plant genetics. The portfolio features broad geographic coverage.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY - RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Management believes a significant potential future opportunity exists, within an appropriate regulatory framework, to improve the Company's profit margins by vertically integrating up the value chain towards products that treat cannabis and cannabinoids as ingredients rather than the base product. This view applies to the medical and regulated recreational cannabis/cannabinoid markets. The Company has been investing for over two years in research and development activities related to the development of medical and recreational products.
Development of Cannabis-Based Medical Therapies - Canopy Health Innovations
Canopy Growth established the cannabis research incubator and now wholly-owned subsidiary Canopy Health, to develop and research clinically ready cannabis drug formulations and dose delivery systems. Canopy Health has put a team in place to evaluate, prepare for, and develop cannabis drug formulations and dose delivery systems. The role of the Canopy Health is to act as the pre-clinical and clinical research arm of the Company, which would include elements of product design and ingredient selection, formulation, safety and efficacy testing, and pre-clinical and clinical trials (to the extent required), for a range of products which are anticipated to be developed as the regulatory framework and market evolve. Canopy Health established a division called Canopy Animal Health ("CAH") to create Cannabis-derived products for applications in veterinary medicine.
The development and maintenance of a robust IP program, including filing provisional applications, conversion of provisional applications into non-provisional utility filings, prosecution of utility filings through to issuance, and extending filings into various additional countries, is a key element of the Canopy Health's strategy. IP is important in order to create competitive advantage in the marketplace and provide an opportunity to earn appropriate economic returns on R&D investments.
To date, Canopy Health has filed forty-three (43) US provisional patent applications, across a range of cannabis and cannabinoid uses, compositions, formulations, indications, methods of delivery, and dosing regimens.
On June 12, 2018, the Company announced that Canopy Health has received approval from Health Canada to proceed with Phase IIb "in-human" clinical trials to evaluate the use of medical cannabis in the treatment of insomnia. The trial is being conducted in collaboration with a leading Canadian research institution.
On August 8, 2018, the Company announced that CAH has received approval from the Veterinary Drug Directorate of Health Canada to research the effectiveness of cannabidiol to treat anxiety in certain animals. Canopy Health has a total of 15 clinical trials underway or planned.
Development of Cannabis-based Consumer Recreational Products
The Canadian federal government has indicated that the sale of value-added cannabis-based Consumer Recreational products will be permitted within one of year of the opening of the legal recreational cannabis market in Canada. These products can be expected to include higher concentrated vaping oils (along with related device hardware), edibles and beverages.
Canopy Growth is actively laying the foundation for these products through investment in a range of research and development efforts, the licensing of intellectual property from innovative entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry, the acquisition of select technologies and investing in and constructing and outfitting edible and beverage production facilities.
Development of Cannabis-based Beverages
Management believes the benefits that cannabis-based beverages can offer consumers including tailored consumption experiences, consumption with reduced/no weight gain, no "hangover", and limited/no negative interaction with traditional pharmaceutical medications, could cause significant demand to develop for cannabis-based beverages and resulting disruption to traditional alcohol beverage markets.
Canopy has invested significant resources in researching and developing technologies, processes and applications involved in the creation of clear, shelf-stable cannabis-based beverages that offer a social experience that is superior to that of traditional sugar-based alcoholic beverages, specifically, a rapid on-set and shorter duration. Like the IP program at Canopy Health, Canopy Growth has built, or otherwise secured, protected status, through pending patents and other IP forms.
The Company has taken steps to diversify its cannabis-related business into the development, production and sale of hemp-based medical, regulated recreational and industrial products. Hemp and cannabis come from the Cannabis sativa L specie but are genetically distinct and are further distinguished by use, chemical makeup and cultivation methods. Hemp, which refers to the non-psychoactive (less than 0.3% THC) varieties of Cannabis sativa L, is a renewable raw material used in thousands of products including health foods, body care, clothing, construction materials, biofuels and plastic composites. The Company believes that entry into the regulated hemp market, whose regulations allow for more robust consumer-facing brand marketing, advertising and retail channels, will serve to strengthen the Company's consumer facing brands in the future.
Management believes the Company's expertise in large-scale cannabinoid extraction processes with its unique whole-plant hemp harvesting knowledge and library of stable CBD-rich hemp genetics, acquired through the acquisition of Green Hemp Industries Ltd. in fiscal 2018 and its relationship with POS Holdings Inc. ("POS") described below, positions Canopy Growth as a leader in low-cost, high yield CBD production.
On November 23, 2018 the Company acquired effective control for accounting purposes over the operations of POS, a bio-processing facility located in Saskatchewan, Canada as a result of a debenture financing transaction which was entered concurrent with the grant of an option to acquire POS.
In July 2018, prior to completing the transaction, the Company had entered into an agreement whereby the Company was granted an option to acquire all the assets of POS in exchange for $6,000. The amount advanced for this option was to be applied against the purchase price of the assets of POS when the option was exercised and had been recorded as a deposit. In addition, the Company had entered into an agreement for processing services to be conducted by POS on behalf of the Company and had made advances of $13,864 under this agreement. Since processing under this agreement has not yet commenced, all the amounts advanced prior to November 23, 2018 had been recorded as a prepaid expense. The deposit and prepaid amounts form part of the consideration transferred. On closing November 23, 2018, the Company advanced a further $109,094 pursuant to a convertible debenture for total cash consideration of $128,958.
The acquisition of ebbu with research and resultant IP related to hemp-based CBD and other non-THC cannabinoids along with receiving a hemp license in the State of New York (See EVENTS SUBSEQUENT TO QUARTER-END) are other key elements in the deployment of Canopy Growth's hemp and CBD product strategy.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Management believes that a significant opportunity exists today to leverage the Company's intellectual property, expertise, financial strength and business model in federally legal/permissible cannabis markets around the world. In addition, management believes future opportunities are likely to exist for the Company in jurisdictions where governments are actively moving towards such a legal framework. Subject to regulatory approval, strategic international business opportunities pursued by the Company could include:
Canopy Growth, with the assistance of international subsidiaries or partners, has secured the necessary agreements to export cannabis to Australia, Brazil, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Spain and certain Caribbean countries. Management believes that an opportunity will exist, for some time to come, to export medical cannabis to countries that require a secure supply of medicinal cannabis but have yet to develop domestic production capabilities.
Further, management believes that over time many countries will move to establish domestic production capabilities, in part due to the economic development opportunities that this represents. Many countries are looking to Canada, and its regulatory framework for the production and commercialization of medical cannabis, with much interest and respect. As Canada has developed an enviable regulatory model, companies acting within that framework have expertise, knowledge and potentially product to share with the global community.
To date, the Company has announced subsidiaries, partnerships or business activities in Germany, Chile, Peru, Columbia, Denmark, Jamaica, Lesotho, Australia, Brazil, Czech Republic, the UK, Poland Spain, and the United States as described below.
Figure 2: International subsidiaries, partnerships or business activities
Spektrum Biomedical UK
Subsequent to the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2019, the Company announced Spectrum Biomedical UK, a new company focused on providing access to cannabis-based medicinal products to UK patients with a wide range of symptoms. Spectrum UK aims to provide patients reliable access to Spectrum Cannabis products and information physicians can use to support them in their practice.
Spektrum Cannabis GmbH
Spektrum Cannabis GmbH ("Spektrum") is a German-based pharmaceutical distributor. Spektrum has the necessary approvals in Canada and Germany to export/import medical cannabis for sale to German patients. To date, Spektrum distributes cannabis products to over 1,200 pharmacies across Germany. Spektrum's processing facility is GMP certified by Regierungspraesidium T bingen.
Spectrum Denmark ApS
Spectrum Denmark ApS ("Spectrum Denmark") was established to produce, cultivate and distribute medical cannabis products in Denmark. Spectrum Denmark will also seek to establish operations in other jurisdictions in Europe where federally lawful and regulated. In fiscal 2018, Spectrum Denmark purchased a 430,000 sq. ft. operating greenhouse facility in Odense, Denmark ("Odense") and received a cannabis production license by Laegemiddelstyrelsen, Denmark's Medicines Agency. The license was issued without conditions, meaning that Spectrum Cannabis Denmark will not be limited to a production cap or limited to the product formats it can produce. Spectrum Denmark recently received clones from our Spanish partner for purposes of testing and are now held as mother plants.
In the first quarter of fiscal 2019, the Company acquired Annabis Medical s.r.o ("Annabis Medical"). Annabis Medical is the leader in the Czech Republic's medical cannabis industry and currently imports and distributes cannabis products pursuant to federal Czech licenses, with products for sale through pharmacy channels across the Czech Republic. Annabis Medical was renamed Spectrum Czech ApS.
Spectrum Cannabis Polska
Subsequent to the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2019, the Company announced that Spectrum Cannabis Polska, after completing a rigorous regulatory approval process, completed its first import of medical cannabis into Poland. According to the Polish Pharmaceutical Chamber, which represents about 15,000 pharmacies in Poland, it is estimated that up to 300,000 patients could qualify for medical cannabis treatment.
In fiscal 2018, the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary Spektrum announced a supply license agreement with Spain's Alcaliber, S.A. ("Alcaliber"). Per the supply license agreement, Canopy Growth and Spektrum will grant Alcaliber a license to use certain strains and seeds to be grown and cultivated at Alcaliber's facilities for sale worldwide. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018, Canopy Growth confirmed that it had completed a transfer of 1,500 cannabis clones to Alcaliber completing the first phase of the partnership announced on September 11, 2017. Alcaliber shipped the first group of clones to Spectrum Denmark in the first quarter of fiscal 2019.
Alcaliber specializes in research and development, breeding and cultivation, and the extraction, purification and preparation of Narcotic Raw Materials ("NRMs") and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients ("APIs"). Alcaliber has been granted a license to cultivate, produce, manufacture, export/import, and commercialize cannabis for medical and scientific purposes by the Spanish Agency of Medicinal Products and Medical Devices.
In the first quarter of fiscal 2019, Canopy Growth and the Victoria State Government announced the launch of Spectrum Australia. The Victoria facility, when completed, will enable domestic cultivation and production of high quality medical cannabis for patients while serving as a distribution hub for other jurisdictions in APAC. It will also operate as the APAC
Research and Development Center for the Company, supporting the ongoing research collaboration between Spectrum Australia and Agriculture Victoria on innovations in medical cannabis cultivation and production.
In fiscal 2018, the Company and the Victorian State Government signed a MOU to further develop research and technical capabilities in the production of medical cannabis in Australia. The work will focus on medical applications for cannabis genetics, strain development, cultivation, and processing. This partnership will directly contribute to the emerging medical cannabis industry in Australia, allowing for improved patient access in that market, creating a leadership position for Australia and Canopy Growth in the Asia Pacific geography.
AusCann Group Holdings Ltd.
In exchange for consultation in several areas including production, quality assurance and operations and strategic advisory services, the Company initially received a 15% interest and options in Auscann (ASX:AC8). Following subsequent dilutive financings, now owns an 11.1% interest.
The Company has an exclusive supply agreement with AusCann, whereby Canopy Growth will act as AusCann's exclusive supplier of medical cannabis for the Australian market, beginning with the transfer of a range of medicines for research and commercialization in Australia.
Spectrum Cannabis Africa
Spectrum Cannabis Africa has received license approval, under the South African unregistered medicines program, to facilitate prescriptions for Spectrum Cannabis Oil products that are necessary to seek a permit to import products into South Africa.
In the first quarter of fiscal 2019, Canopy Growth announced that it had acquired DaddyCann Lesotho PTY Ltd., trading as Highlands ("Highlands") and since renamed Spectrum Cannabis Lesotho (Pty) Ltd ("Spectrum Lesotho"). Based in the Kingdom of Lesotho, Spectrum Lesotho holds a license to cultivate, manufacture, supply, hold, import, export and transport cannabis and its resin.
Combining the domestic and regional knowledge of Spectrum Lesotho with the global experience and expertise of Canopy Growth is the latest example of the Company establishing a meaningful local presence. With the objective of future local production to serve the regional market, these operations are part of Canopy Growth's commitment to the Lesotho economy including supporting job creation and lasting community engagement. All key members of Spectrum Lesotho's management team will continue to lead the organization.
Spectrum Lesotho has commenced cultivation operations at its facility near the Capital City, Maseru. The facility, covering approximately 48,400 sq. ft. includes a propagation room, vegetation greenhouse, and an outdoor growing area.
The Company owns 49% of Tweed JA, a Jamaican company that recently received its cultivation license after completing construction of the greenhouse. Canopy Growth believes that the production and formulation model it has built in Canada, combined with the strength of the existing team in Jamaica, made up of experienced entrepreneurs with substantial cannabis cultivation experience, will drive the national conversation around cannabis forward, and promote Jamaica's well-established and renowned ganja, oils and other cannabis products on a global level. The post-harvest building is expected to be completed in the first half of calendar 2019. The processing license is expected to follow completion of the post-harvest building in the first calendar quarter of 2019. Tweed JA completed a clone transfer of Tweed genetics into Jamaica and has commenced the production of cannabis for medical purposes. Tweed JA expects to be selling medical cannabis in Jamaica by the second half of calendar 2019.
Canopy LATAM, headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil, will focus on advancing medical cannabis through the Spectrum brand and capturing market share across the region comprised of Brazil, Columbia and Chile, home to more than 600 million people, as individual nations modernize their medical cannabis legislation.
Spectrum Cannabis Colombia
Spectrum Cannabis Colombia will serve as a regional production and processing hub for Canopy LATAM. Further, Spectrum Cannabis Colombia owns a uniquely-positioned 126 hectare farm suitable for growing and future operations. This site receives a steady supply of fresh water from a natural lagoon, has favourable electricity rates, and is currently licensed for 126 hectares (4.5 million sq. ft.) of production capacity.