On June 25, 2020 Plus Products (PLUS.C) expanded its new wellness and relief brand, PLUS CBD Relief, with the introduction of Pomegranate 1:1 CBD to THC ratio.
Without modern products like PLUS CBD Relief, I would not be a cannabis consumer.
Let me explain how I fell in love with pot, fell out of love with it, and how products like Pomegranate 1:1 have re-kindled my affection for the herb.
Back in the day (think 1st televised war), I used to smoke three fat joints on my way home from school, wander into my Dad’s study and start arguing about politics, culture and symbolic logic.
I won about 20% of the arguments – which is a good ratio if you know my father.
Marijuana in the late 1970s had very little THC.
“The main psychoactive compound in cannabis, Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), used to hang around 1-4% of total cannabinoid content in the 1970s,” states Merry Jane, “Now, the average is more like 13%, but in sophisticated markets like Colorado, Washington, and California, you can easily find flowers well above 30% THC potency.
Potency of cannabis began to spike in the 1980s alongside the development of hydroponic systems. This technology allowed people to grow their own cannabis plants at home, and savvy growers quickly learned the secrets of lighting, irrigation, and nutrients, creating ideal standards for the industry well before the push for legalization began.
By 1990, marijuana had become so potent that it was almost a hallucinogen.
On New Years Eve, 1999, I took one tentative toke of a thin joint on my way to see The Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Inglewood Forum in California.
An usher guided me to my seat. A cheerful young woman beside me asked me if this was my first Chili Peppers concert. I started to formulate my answer (“yes”) when I became distracted by the intricate Henna tattoo on her wrists and hands.
Those tiny elliptical drops of ink.
Were they spear-heads or tears?
Are angry people always sad?
By the time I snapped out of reverie, I’d forgotten her question.
I tried to apologize, but my jaw muscles seized.
A pathetic little groan emitted from my throat – like a Dachshund dying.
I felt a trickle of drool creeping down my chin.
The young woman rolled her eyes, turned away, and did not speak to me again. Although I remember her complaining later about Anthony Kiedis’ short hair.
From January 2000 to October 17, 2018 – I quit marijuana completely.
If green-house pot made me too high to say “yes” to a gregarious Chili Pepper fan, then it wasn’t for me.
The legalisation of pot created diversified products, some of which are designed for people who like to get buzzed at dusk – but have zero interest in being completely gooned.
“Last year we partnered with market structure research firm, HJ Rak & Associates, and found that when consumers used cannabis, over one-third of the time it was to address pain, stress or anxiety,” stated Jake Heimark, Plus Products co-founder and CEO. “We sought to satisfy this consumer need state by launching the PLUS CBD Relief line.”
Heimark has a track record of rigorous market research prior to launching products. This research-based approach has reaped dividends in market penetration and revenue growth.
Three weeks ago, Plus Products released its unaudited financial and operational results for the three months ended March 31, 2020, expressed in U.S. dollars.
Q1 2020 Financial Highlights
- Net revenues climbed to USD $4.7 million in representing 46% year-over-year growth.
- Revenue growth driven by core operations in the California adult-use market.
- Nevada adult-use and national hemp CBD markets coming on line.
- Gross profits grew to USD $1.7 million – up 35% from a year earlier.
- Increasing operational efficiencies at the California factory.
- Operating losses were USD $2.1 million – a 31% improvement year-over-year.
- Cash Balance of USD $14.2 on March 31, 2020.
“We launched a second gummies brand, PLUS CBD Relief, mid-way through the first quarter,” stated Heimark, “The new product line, which was developed with minimal capital investment and is designed to serve a subset of cannabis consumers not currently reached by the core PLUS brand, has already sold into over 175 licensed retailers.”
Eighty percent of Plus’s California retail distribution network has picked up PLUS CBD Relief since its launch earlier in 2020.
Product Launch Highlights:
- Market research suggests that over one-third of cannabis use occasions are for relieving pain, stress, and anxiety.
- The initial PLUS CBD Relief product line has sold into over 80% of PLUS’s retail distribution network in California since launching earlier this year.
- The initial brand offerings included two high-CBD, low-THC gummy products specifically formulated for the wellness and relief cannabis user.
The new PLUS CBD Relief 1:1 Pomegranate gummy has 5mg of THC and 5mg of CBD per serving.
For this writer, the CBD is a big selling point: it soothes soccer injuries, while the THC takes the edge off, and still leaves me quite capable of reading a novel in bed.
Pomegranates contain ellagitannins, unique antioxidants that are associated with anti-inflammatory pathways.
“Cannabis research is progressing quickly, and we are driving our product portfolio with innovative science and technologies that we believe will support our customers’ health and wellness goals,” stated Dr. Ari Mackler, PLUS’s Chief Scientific Officer.
PLUS cannabis-infused edibles are currently available in over 360 licensed retailers across the state of California.
PLUS CBD Relief cannabis-infused gummies are currently available in over 240 licensed retailers across the state of California.
PLUS 100% Hemp CBD-infused gummies are available for purchase in 43 states across the country.
In 2004, Chili Pepper frontman Anthony Kiedis wrote a gossipy fast-paced memoir, Scar Tissue in which he described his conversion to complete sobriety on Christmas Eve, 2000.
Thanks to Plus Products, I don’t have to go that far.
Full Disclosure: Plus Products is an Equity Guru marketing client.
