Canopy USA
completes acquisition of Jetty and advances acquisition of Wana
SMITHS
FALLS, ON, June 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Canopy
Growth Corporation ("Canopy Growth" or the "Company")
(TSX: WEED) (NASDAQ: CGC), a world-leading cannabis company
dedicated to unleashing the power of cannabis to improve lives,
announced today that the option to acquire all of the issued and
outstanding Class E subordinate voting shares (the "Fixed
Shares") of Acreage Holdings, Inc. ("Acreage") has
been exercised in accordance with the terms of the arrangement
agreement dated April 18, 2019, as
amended, between Canopy Growth and Acreage (the "Acreage Fixed
Share Arrangement Agreement"). In connection with the
arrangement agreement dated as of October
24, 2022, by and among Canopy Growth, Canopy USA, LLC ("Canopy USA") and Acreage, as amended (the
"Acreage Floating Share Arrangement Agreement"), in respect
of the Class D subordinate voting shares (the "Floating
Shares") of Acreage, on closing, Canopy USA will acquire all of the Fixed Shares and
Floating Shares and Acreage will become a wholly-owned subsidiary
of Canopy USA.
In addition, Canopy Growth announced today that it exercised its
option, in part, to acquire certain outstanding debt of Acreage
(the "Debt Acquisition") in connection with the option
agreement dated November 15, 2022
(the "Option Agreement") among a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Canopy Growth (the "Optionor") and the lenders
(the "Lenders") party to Acreage's credit agreement dated as
of December 2021, as amended on
October 24, 2022 and April 28, 2023.
Canopy Growth wishes to congratulate Canopy USA for completing its acquisition of 100% of
two of the three companies in the Wana Brands portfolio, being all
of the equity interests of Wana Wellness, LLC ("Wana
Wellness") and The CIMA Group, LLC ("CIMA") in addition
to the acquisition of approximately 77% of the shares of Lemurian,
Inc. ("Jetty") on May 31,
2024. Canopy USA's
acquisition of Mountain High Products, LLC ("MHP") remains
subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in the
first half of fiscal 2025. Wana Wellness, CIMA, and Jetty are now
subsidiaries of Canopy USA.
Closing of the acquisition of Acreage remains subject to all of
the closing conditions set forth in the Acreage Fixed Share
Arrangement Agreement and the Acreage Floating Share Arrangement
Agreement.
"These are major steps forward and consistent with the strategy
outlined by Canopy Growth to allow our shareholders to benefit from
our ownership of non-voting shares in Canopy USA, and we're excited to see this advancing
as more of Canopy USA's priority
markets come online for adult use across the Midwest and
Northeast," said David Klein, Chief
Executive Officer of Canopy Growth, and member of the board of
managers of Canopy USA. "With the
acquisition of Jetty and two of the three Wana business units now
complete, Canopy USA is
demonstrating its executional capabilities, and we anticipate that
these actions will drive growth and the realization of commercial
synergies across Canopy USA's
operational platform."
Debt Acquisition Terms
The Optionor entered into various agreements in connection with
the Debt Acquisition in order to acquire approximately US$99.8 million of Acreage's outstanding debt
(the "Acquired Debt") from certain Lenders in exchange
for US$69.8 million in cash and the release of approximately
US$30.1 million (the "Option
Premium") that was held in escrow pursuant to the Option Agreement.
As reported in Canopy Growth's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended March 31, 2024, the Option
Premium was not included in Canopy Growth's cash and cash
equivalents as of March 31, 2024.
The Optionor subsequently transferred approximately US$2.2 million of the Acquired Debt to the other
Lender (the "Rolling Lender") and entered into a series of
agreements with the Rolling Lender whereby the Optionor acquired a
call right (the "Call Right") over the Rolling Lender's
US$45.6 million remaining interest in
Acreage's debt (the "Rolling Interest"). If the Optionor
exercises the Call Right before September
15, 2024, the purchase price for the Rolling Interest will
be equal to the amount of the Rolling Interest being acquired;
however if the Optionor exercises the Call Right on or after
September 15, 2024 and on or prior to
January 14, 2025, the purchase price
for the Rolling Interest will be 107.125% of the amount of the
Rolling Interest being acquired; and if the Optionor exercises
the Call Right on or after January 15,
2025, the purchase price for the Rolling Interest will be
114.25% of the amount of the Rolling Interest being acquired. The
Optionor has also granted the Rolling Lender a put right in respect
of the Rolling Interest exercisable on or after January 15, 2025 with a purchase price of 114.25%
of the amount of the Rolling Interest subject to the put right.
The Optionor, the Rolling Lender and Acreage also entered into
an amended and restated credit agreement in respect of the Acquired
Debt, which provides for, among other things, certain interest
payments to be paid-in-kind, revisions to certain financial
covenants and, following certain events, a maturity date
extension.
About Canopy
Growth
Canopy Growth is a leading North American cannabis company
dedicated to unleashing the power of cannabis to improve lives.
Through an unwavering commitment to our consumers, Canopy Growth
delivers innovative products with a focus on premium and mainstream
cannabis brands including Doja, 7ACRES, Tweed, and Deep Space, in
addition to category defining vaporizer technology made
in Germany by Storz & Bickel.
Canopy Growth has also established a comprehensive ecosystem to
realize the opportunities presented by the U.S. THC market through
an unconsolidated, non-controlling interest in Canopy USA which owns and operates Jetty Extracts,
a California-based producer of high- quality cannabis extracts
and pioneer of clean vape technology, in addition to holding rights
for Wana Brands, a leading North American edibles brand, as well as
Acreage Holdings, Inc., a vertically integrated multi-state
cannabis operator with principal operations in densely populated
states across the Northeast and Midwest.
Beyond its world-class products, Canopy Growth is leading the
industry forward through a commitment to social equity, responsible
use, and community reinvestment – pioneering a future where
cannabis is understood and welcomed for its potential to help
achieve greater well-being and life enhancement.
For more information visit www.canopygrowth.com.
Notice Regarding Forward-Looking
Information
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within
the meaning of applicable securities laws, which involve certain
known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking
statements predict or describe our future operations, business
plans, business and investment strategies and the performance of
our investments. These forward-looking statements are generally
identified by their use of such terms and phrases as "intend,"
"goal," "strategy," "estimate," "expect," "project," "projections,"
"forecasts," "plans," "seeks," "anticipates," "potential,"
"proposed," "will," "should," "could," "would," "may," "likely,"
"designed to," "foreseeable future," "believe," "scheduled" and
other similar expressions. Our actual results or outcomes may
differ materially from those anticipated. You are cautioned not to
place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which
speak only as of the date the statement was made. Forward-looking
statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect
to: the acquisition of the Fixed Shares and the Floating Shares by
Canopy USA; expectations regarding
the business of Canopy USA
following the acquisition of Wana Wellness, CIMA and Jetty; the
timing of closing of Canopy USA's acquisition of MHP,
including the receipt of all regulatory approvals; and
expectations regarding the potential success of, and the costs and
benefits associated with, our Canopy USA strategy.
By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to
inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific
and which give rise to the possibility that expectations,
forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will not prove
to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct and that
objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. A
variety of factors, including known and unknown risks, many of
which are beyond our control, could cause actual results to differ
materially from the forward-looking statements in this press
release and other reports we file with, or furnish to, the United
States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and
other regulatory agencies and made by our directors, officers,
other employees and other persons authorized to speak on our
behalf. Such factors include, without limitation, our limited
operating history; the diversion of management time on issues
related to Canopy USA; the risks
relating to the conditions precedent to the acquisitions of Acreage
and MHP not being satisfied or waived; the risks related to
Acreage's financial statements expressing doubt about its ability
to continue as a going concern; the fact that we have yet to
receive audited financial statements from Jetty; the adequacy of
our capital resources and liquidity, including but not limited to,
availability of sufficient cash flow to execute our business plan
(either within the expected timeframe or at all); volatility in
and/or degradation of general economic, market, industry or
business conditions; compliance with applicable policies and
regulations; changes in regulatory requirements in relation to our
business and products; our reliance on licenses issued by and
contractual arrangements with various federal, state and provincial
governmental authorities; inherent uncertainty associated with
projections; future levels of revenues and the impact of increasing
levels of competition; third-party manufacturing risks; third-party
transportation risks; inflation risks; our exposure to risks
related to an agricultural business, including wholesale price
volatility and variable product quality; changes in laws,
regulations and guidelines and our compliance with such laws,
regulations and guidelines; risks relating to our ability to
refinance debt as and when required on terms favorable to us and to
comply with covenants contained in our debt facilities and debt
instruments; risks related to the integration of acquired
businesses; the timing and manner of the legalization of cannabis
in the United States; business
strategies, growth opportunities and expected investment;
counterparty risks and liquidity risks that may impact our ability
to obtain loans and other credit facilities on favorable terms; the
potential effects of judicial, regulatory or other proceedings,
litigation or threatened litigation or proceedings, or reviews or
investigations, on our business, financial condition, results of
operations and cash flows; the anticipated effects of actions of
third parties such as competitors, activist investors or federal,
state, provincial, territorial or local regulatory authorities,
self-regulatory organizations, plaintiffs in litigation or persons
threatening litigation; consumer demand for cannabis; the
implementation and effectiveness of key personnel changes; risks
related to stock exchange restrictions; the risks related to the
Company's exchangeable shares having different rights from our
common shares and the fact that there may never be a trading market
for our exchangeable shares; future levels of capital,
environmental or maintenance expenditures, general and
administrative and other expenses; and the factors discussed under
the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form
10-K for the year ended March 31,
2024 filed with the SEC on EDGAR and with the Canadian
securities regulators on SEDAR+ on May 30,
2024. Readers are cautioned to consider these and other
factors, uncertainties and potential events carefully and not to
put undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
While we believe that the assumptions and expectations reflected
in the forward-looking statements are reasonable based on
information currently available to management, there is no
assurance that such assumptions and expectations will prove to have
been correct. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date
they are made and are based on the beliefs, estimates, expectations
and opinions of management on that date. We undertake no obligation
to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, estimates or opinions, future events or
results or otherwise or to explain any material difference between
subsequent actual events and such forward-looking statements,
except as required by law. The forward-looking statements contained
in this press release and other reports we file with, or furnish
to, the SEC and other regulatory agencies and made by our
directors, officers, other employees and other persons authorized
to speak on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by
these cautionary statements.
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SOURCE Canopy Growth Corporation