Vireo Health’s Patent Application For Less Harmful Tobacco Products Infused With Cannabis Is Approved By USPTO
Potential benefits associated with cannabinoid additives in tobacco products include the reduction of irritation, inflammation and carcinogenicity
MINNEAPOLIS, April 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Vireo Health International, Inc. (“Vireo” or the “Company”) (CSE: VREO), a leading science-focused, multi-state cannabis company, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) has issued a Notice of Allowance for its patent application titled, “Tobacco Products with Cannabinoid Additives and Methods for Reducing the Harm Associated with Tobacco Use.”
“This patent is a component of our strategy to disrupt the tobacco industry and help save lives,” said Chief Executive Officer, Kyle Kingsley, M.D. “As a physician, I am passionate about finding ways to use cannabis to reduce the harmful effects of tobacco. We look forward to collaborating with research institutions and tobacco companies committed to developing less harmful tobacco products.”
Vireo’s allowed patent application covers cannabis-based additives that can be formulated into tobacco products to reduce the harm associated with tobacco use. This novel application of cannabis covers the use of one or more carefully formulated cannabinoids as harm reducing agents in tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco and smokeless tobacco products. A Notice of Allowance is issued after the USPTO determines that a patent can be granted from the application, which was filed in March 2017.
Potential benefits associated with cannabinoid additives in tobacco products include the reduction of irritation, inflammation, and carcinogenicity. According to a 2016 study, scientific evidence supports that cannabinoids may have substantial anti-cancer effects.
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention report that the use of tobacco is not only the leading cause of preventable disease in the U.S., but also imposes significant economic costs. Specifically, smoking-related illness in the United States costs more than $300 billion a year, including nearly $170 billion in direct medical care for adults. In 2017, an estimated 14.0% (34.3 million) of U.S. adults were cigarette smokers.
About Vireo Health International, Inc.
Vireo Health International, Inc.’s mission is to build the cannabis company of the future by bringing the best of medicine, engineering and science to the cannabis industry. Vireo’s physician-led team of more than 300 employees provides best-in-class cannabis products and customer experience. Vireo cultivates cannabis in environmentally-friendly greenhouses, manufactures pharmaceutical-grade cannabis extracts, and sells its products at both company-owned and third-party dispensaries. The Company currently has operations in ten states including Arizona, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. For more information about the company, please visit www.vireohealth.com.
Contact Information
Investor Inquiries
Sam Gibbons
Vice President, Investor Relations
samgibbons@vireohealth.com
(612) 314-8995
Media Inquiries
Albe Zakes
Vice President, Corporate Communications
albezakes@vireohealth.com
(267) 221-4800
This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.