Hero Technologies Optimistic about US Cannabis Market

Market momentum, increasing legalization in US states, and federal legislation supported by President Biden bode well for Hero Technologies' growth prospects.

DOVER, DE / ACCESSWIRE / November 22, 2022 / Hero Technologies (OTCQB:HENC)(Twitter: @heroicmindtech), a cannabis company focused on a "seed-to-sale" vertical integration strategy, today presented a positive outlook for the legal marijuana market in the US.

Hero Technologies' CEO, Gina Serkasevich, noted, "According to the research firm BDSA, legal cannabis sales in the US will reach $27 billion by the end of 2022, and an average compound annual growth rate of about 15% is expected for the rest of the decade."

In Michigan, where the company is in the process of establishing cannabis growing, processing, and distribution operations, the cannabis market has surged 27% in the past year. According to the Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency, legal marijuana sales in the state should approach $2.3 billion in 2022, up from $1.8 billion in 2021. This rapid growth has been driven by adult recreational use, which has generated 88% of the state's year-to-date cannabis revenue. The company's subsidiary, BlackBox Systems and Technologies LLC, has pre-qualification approval in Michigan to produce and market cannabis for both adult recreational and medicinal use.

"The broad US cannabis market has strong growth prospects, not just because of organic increases in demand, but also because more states continue to legalize marijuana," said Serkasevich. Currently, 37 states, the District of Columbia, and three territories (Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) allow medicinal use of cannabis, and 24 of those jurisdictions have also legalized adult recreational use.

"The main obstacle to a truly national cannabis market in the US it that marijuana is still a controlled substance under federal law," continued Serkasevich. "That complicates banking and other financial services for cannabis companies looking to launch and expand their business around the country."

"Fortunately, significant winds of change are finally sweeping across the federal political landscape," added Serkasevich. "For example, President Biden has committed to pardoning prior federal offenses for simple marijuana possession, called on state governors to issue similar pardons, and asked the US Attorney General, Merrick Garland, and Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, to review federal marijuana laws."

The US Congress has also made progress on legislation that would pave the way for more states to legal cannabis across the country.

In April 2022, the US House of Representatives passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act to decriminalize marijuana by removing it from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. Although the MORE Act did not pass through Senate committee review, in July 2022 the Senate introduced its own bill, the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity (CAO) Act, to accomplish similar ends.

According to one of the CAO Act's sponsors, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, that bill will not be voted on as written, but the Senate will consider a version of another House-approved bill, the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act.

The bipartisan SAFE Banking Act provides safe harbor to financial institutions and other entities that work with cannabis-related firms, giving them better, safer access to financial services.

In addition, in June 2022, the House introduced the Capital Lending and Investment for Marijuana Businesses (CLIMB) Act, which, like the SAFE Banking Act, seeks to enable "public or private financial capital sources for investment in and financing of" cannabis businesses. The CLIMB Act would also amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to create a safe harbor for national securities exchanges to list state-legal marijuana-related businesses.

"All these developments, at both the state and national levels, give us great optimism about the future of the US cannabis market and the growth prospects for Hero Technologies," concluded Serkasevich. "We remain committed to the company's integrated ‘seed-to-sale' strategy, with an initial focus on developing operations in the strong Michigan market. We look forward to reporting further to our shareholders as we make progress on our goals."

About Hero Technologies

Hero Technologies Inc. is a cannabis company working toward a vertically-integrated business model. The company owns a majority stake in BlackBox Systems and Technologies LLC, an aeroponic cannabis cultivation system that provides optimal growing conditions to enhance photosynthesis and cultivation of large flowering plants, creating increased harvest efficiencies. The company's strategic business plan includes cannabis genetic engineering, farmland for both medical and recreational cannabis cultivation, production licenses, distribution licenses, consumer packaging, and retail and dispensary operations that make the company a multi-state operator (MSO).

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements may include: management plans relating to the proposed project; the expected timing of the completion of the proposed project; the ability to complete the proposed project; any statements of the plans and objectives of management for future operations, products or services, including the execution of plans proposed project; any statements of expectation or belief; projections related to certain financial metrics; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "outlook," "plan," "project," "seek," "should," "target," "will," "would" and other similar words and expressions or negatives of these words. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, which change over time and are beyond our control. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Neither Hero Technologies Inc. nor its holding company or subsidiaries assumes any duty and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements. Because forward-looking statements, by their nature, are uncertain or assumptive to varying degrees, actual results or future events could differ, possibly materially, from those that Hero Technologies Inc., its holding company or subsidiaries anticipated in the forward-looking statements, and future results could differ materially from historical performance.

Hero Technologies Contact:

Ms. Gina Serkasevich, CEO
(302) 538-4165 | gs@herotechnologiesinc.com

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SOURCE: Hero Technologies Inc.