Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. conducted its annual and special meeting of shareholders on September 9, 2021.

At the Meeting, the number of directors on the board of directors of the Company for the ensuing year was fixed at nine by the shareholders and the following nominees for election as directors of the Company were elected by a majority of votes cast by the shareholders virtually present or represented by proxy at the Meeting: Boris Jordan; Joseph Lusardi; Dr. Jaswinder Grover; Karl Johansson; Peter Derby; and Mitchell Kahn.

Further, Antares Professional Corporation, Chartered Professional Accountants was reappointed as the Company’s auditor for the ensuing year.

Finally, at the Meeting, the shareholders approved the amendment (the “Amendment”) to the articles of the Company in order to extend the automatic termination of the dual-class structure of the Company and to maintain such dual-class structure of the Company until the earlier to occur of (i) the transfer or disposition of the multiple voting shares in the capital of the Company by Mr. Boris Jordan, the Executive Chairman of the Company, to one or more third parties (which are not Permitted Holders (i.e. members of his immediate family and entities controlled by Mr. Jordan and members of his immediate family)); (ii) Mr. Jordan or his Permitted Holders no longer beneficially owning, directly or indirectly and in the aggregate, at least 5% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company; and (iii) the first business day following the first annual meeting of shareholders of the Company following the subordinate voting shares of the Company being listed and posted for trading on a United States national securities exchange such as The Nasdaq Stock Market or The New York Stock Exchange.

Sanded Fruit Salad Candies on a White Background

In accordance with the corporate and securities legislation, the special resolution authorizing the Amendment was duly approved at the meeting by:

(i) 99.53% of the votes cast at the Meeting by all holders of subordinate voting shares and multiple voting shares present in person or represented by proxy, voting together as a single class;

(ii) 100% of the votes cast at the Meeting by all holders of multiple voting shares present in person or represented by proxy, voting as a class;

(iii) 97.528% of the votes cast at the Meeting by all holders of subordinate voting shares present in person or represented by proxy, voting as a class; and

(iv) for the purpose of confirming the requisite minority approval under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Securityholders in Special Transactions has been obtained, a majority of the votes cast at the Meeting by the holders of subordinate voting shares, excluding the votes attached to 59,235,411 subordinate voting shares beneficially owned or over which control or direction is exercised by Mr. Jordan as at the record date; and the Subordinate Voting Shares beneficially owned or over which control or direction is exercised by related parties of Mr. Jordan and persons acting jointly or in concert with Mr. Jordan (including affiliates and associated).

The Company expects to file a notice of alteration with the British Columbia Registrar of Companies declaring that the articles of the Company have been amended in accordance with the Amendment on September 10, 2021, the first business day following the Meeting, and the date on which the Amendment will become effective.



By Carol Newman

Dr. Jeff Konin

Dr. Jeff Konin, a Clinical Professor in the Department of Athletic Training in the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Florida International University (FIU) is spearheading the efforts for the recently established Global Initiative for Cannabinoid Research and Education.

“We are excited to devote a sincere interest and multi-disciplinary effort toward the study of cannabinoid science and the timely and much needed education for our community,” Konin emphasized. To date, faculty from the areas of athletic training, nursing, analytical chemistry, epidemiology, occupational therapy, speech/language pathology, public health, and psychology comprised the initiative’s team.

The stated mission reads as follows: “The Global Initiative for Cannabinoid Research and Education is committed to high-quality education, contemporary and evidence-based research and creative activity, and collaborative engagement with our local and global communities.”

Dr. Konin also speaks to the fact of how important it is to build partnerships with this initiative as the cannabis space is growing so rapidly. “There is so much we want to do, and so many areas that could benefit from the research ideas and educational dissemination that we have planned. It is not only essential, but we welcome with open arms anyone in the industry that has an interest in collaborating with us,” Konin added.

The Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences’ vision is to be globally recognized as the higher education destination organization that is innovative, inquiry-driven and technologically advanced, drawing diverse top-class faculty, students, staff and others for positive transformation of society with a focus on the healthcare needs of underserved populations. The University was just named as the #78 best public University in the nation according to the U.S. News and World Report 2022 National University Rankings.

Dr. Ora Strickland, Dean of the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences at FIU excitedly shared, “The work of our Athletic Training faculty and students to gain evidence about the effective use of cannabinoid products is crucial for the quality of care of athletes and others that are faced with pain from injuries or who have anxiety or sleep disturbances. This database evidence will provide guidance for use of these products.”

Additionally, the initiative is being facilitated by the efforts of the Department of Athletic Training and under the guidance of its Doctoral program. FIU’s Doctor of Athletic Training (DAT) degree is one of only 8 in the entire country, and the only one that has a focused effort on cannabis research and education. This exciting endeavor has fostered the ability to recruit some of the very best individuals from all over the country to pursue FIU’s innovative degree and have the opportunity to work with industry leaders.

Dr. Michelle Odai, the Chair of the Department of Athletic Training stated, “This initiative adds to the rich history of success and innovation within the Department of Athletic Training at FIU. We look forward to research and educational outcomes that will enhance the field of sports medicine and beyond.”

To learn more about FIU’s cannabinoid research and education initiative visit their website at go.fiu.edu/GlobalCannabis. Anyone wishing to collaborate and partner with the program can contact Dr. Konin at jkonin@fiu.edu.



Harvest Health & Recreation Inc., a vertically integrated cannabis company and multi-state operator in the U.S., announced the opening of a new medical dispensary in Jacksonville, FL.

Harvest of South Jacksonville is located at 10339 San Jose Blvd, Jacksonville and is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm and Sunday from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm. Additional Harvest dispensaries in Florida are located in Gainesville, Kissimmee, Lehigh Acres, Longwood, North Jacksonville, North Miami Beach, North Port, Olympia Heights, South Miami Beach, Tallahassee, and West Palm Beach.



Ayr Wellness Inc. announced the opening of Liberty Health Sciences (LHS) Port Richey, the Company’s 42nd operating dispensary in Florida.

The dispensary is located at 9314 US Highway 19, Port Richey within Pasco County, which is home to a population of 560,000 people, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. The store brings LHS to the Gulf Coast city, which attracts visitors from throughout Florida and the U.S. for its lush landscapes and well-known 8,300-acre wilderness park.

The new location features LHS’s expanded selection of flower strains, in addition to the Company’s recently launched Origyn concentrates, Big Pete’s Cookies and Secret Orchard vape cartridges.

Jonathan Sandelman, CEO of Ayr, said, “We appreciate the wonderful reception that we’ve received from the people of Port Richey and look forward to introducing them to our high-quality offerings. We now have 42 stores open in the state, thanks to the hard work from our Florida team which continues to find excellent locations to plant our flag.”



The U.S. House approved the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act recently in a bipartisan 316-113 vote as part of the latest National Defense Authorization Act, a military spending bill. It’s the fifth time the legislation has been approved in the House as a standalone bill or an amendment as part of larger legislation. Since statewide cannabis reform has been enacted over the past four decades, cannabis businesses still are not fully tolerated, most evidently in federal restrictions, such as the way banking is restricted.

Representative Ed Perlmutter re-introduced the bill, as promised, saying that it would allow cannabis businesses to access the banking system—like any other industry—and would bring more money into the economy and offer the opportunity to create good-paying jobs. On September 21, the House Rules Committee approved the SAFE Banking Act as they sifted through over 800 amendments filed for the $778 billion FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to determine which ones will get a floor vote. As Representative Perlmutter sits in the Rules Committee, the move suggests he has influence.