Investors look for opportunities to invest in the cannabis sector everywhere: Go Life International in Mauritius, World High Life PLC (NEX: LIFE) in Europe and GreenStar Biosciences Corp. (CSE: GSTR) in North America.
It is not certain whether Go Life International will be able to obtain a guarantee that the Stock Exchange of Mauritius (SEM) will support it if its project to exploit investment opportunities in the medical cannabis sector. In an express statement, Sunil Benimadhu, Director of the SEM, said that the stock exchange could do nothing as long as, legally, the use of cannabis, in any form, was prohibited throughout Mauritius.
Go Life International’s likely entry into the therapeutic cannabis market was reported in February in its financial report to the Mauritius Stock Exchange. Go Life, which is also listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, was incorporated in Mauritius on 1 October 2010. “As a company fully committed to the nutraceutical market, the benefits that the medicinal cannabis market provides can no longer be ignored,” commented Go Life’s directors in the report.
Investors look for opportunities
Mauritius is not the only country where the cannabis sector is trying to take its first steps. In Europe, where medical use of marijuana is broadly allowed but the specific country regulations are not yet defined, cannabis investors are also trying to claim their territory first.
Last month, World High Life PLC (NEX: LIFE)made news by announcing the proposal to acquire all shares of Love Hemp the UK’s leading CBD company, for 9 million GBP. Love Hemp has a significant presence in the UK with their products available at 1200 stores and network shops such as Boots, Superdrug, Tesco and Sainsbury’s. Together with Love Hemp, World High Life plans to expand to other European markets, starting with Germany in 2020, and acquire other promising CBD and medicinal cannabis companies.
Similarly in the US, companies look for investment opportunities. GreenStar Biosciences Corp. (CSE: GSTR)is also building a portfolio of top cannabis companies in North America by partnering with promising local competitors. Their flagship partnership is with a recreational cannabis producer from Washington state, Cowlitz, which has grown significantly in just five years. In 2018, the company recorded a revenue of over $14 million and generates quarterly revenue of $4 million and growing. GreenStar has other aces up their sleeve too, such as a joint venture created with Progressive Herbs Inc. called Capri, that gives them access to a new ground-breaking cultivation technology that allows to harvest cannabis plant quicker, cheaper and with higher quality than anyone else in the market.
However, in Africa, things are more difficult for investors. Although there is no doubt about the potential of the market for cannabis-derived medical products, acceptance of Go Life’s project, even in South Africa, is not certain. The arguments published on the Go Life International website testify to this. “The year 2018 has been proclaimed the ‘year of cannabis’ in South Africa. However, there are still many obstacles before a legally established marijuana industry can operate in the African continent’s economy with an ideal environment for large-scale cannabis cultivation.”
Go Life’s determination to include cannabis derivatives in its existing product line is beyond doubt. Go Life has even shown its predisposition to acquire the majority of the shares of Aziza Healthcare and Choice Organics, the company’s subsidiary in cannabis cultivation. Based in South Africa, Aziza Healthcare is a service provider in the healthcare products sector.
To find out Go Life’s latest position on its plan to market cannabis products, we need to wait until October 31. Indeed, the company obtained official authorization from the SEM to submit, on that date, the audited report for the financial year that ended on February 28. Go Life should, at the same time, submit the unaudited interim financial report for the quarter and six-month period ending August 31.
