Cannabis Science, Harvard Medical School's Global Health Catalyst, Elpasso Farms (South Africa), and American States University Partner to Strengthen Africa's Economic and Healthcare Infrastructure

IRVINE, CA, July 09, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cannabis Science, Inc. (CBIS), a U.S. company specializing in the development of cannabinoid-based medicines, is pleased to announce Harvard Medical School’s Global Health Catalyst (GHC), American States University (ASU), and Elpasso Farms (South Africa), and Cannabis Science (CBIS) announce the signing of a historic collaboration agreement for development initiatives throughout Africa to strengthen its economic and healthcare infrastructure through education, agriculture, technology, and food security. This collaboration was initially discussed during the recently concluded GHC Summit at Harvard Medical School on May 25-27, 2018.

One initial outcome of the collaboration will be the creation of a new University, the Pan African Agriculture and Commerce University (PAACU), with world-class education and research, focused on agriculture, food security, and healthcare accessibility throughout the African continent.

“Our collaboration with CBIS, ASU, and Elpasso Farms will help to significantly elevate phytomedicines in global health, consistent with the goals of the Harvard GHC to promote improvements in global healthcare, and eliminate global health disparities using innovative and low-cost approaches. This collaboration will establish a platform through which faculty at Harvard and partner institutions will provide the best in education and training via PAACU, and cutting-edge research ‘From Farm to Bedside’ with support from GHC,” stated Dr. Wilfred Ngwa, GHC Director at Harvard Medical School. “Given PAACU’s pan-African focus on education, agriculture, food security, and healthcare throughout the African continent, PAACU will also provide a platform for establishing a center of excellence in phytomedicines care, research and education, building on some of the recent work at Harvard in this area, including research done by Harvard faculty in collaboration with CBIS, and other collaborative initiatives.”

Working through the new PAACU platform, the parties will initially focus on:

1. Education: GHC, CBIS, ASU, and Elpasso Farms will collaborate through PAACU to develop and implement educational initiatives globally, with a particular focus on initiatives in Africa. GHC and ASU will leverage their existing facilities and resources, as appropriate, to implement education initiatives, including the establishment of a Global Center of Excellence for Phytomedicines under PAACU. Activities of this Global Center of Excellence will include the growing and testing of various indigenous medical plants. GHC will provide full access to its resources, including library, educational materials, medical resources, and personnel. Harvard faculty, via the GHC, will assist in the development of curricula, educational materials and teaching of courses for PAACU, ASU, and their students, with exchange programs and co-mentored research involving Harvard and PAACU faculty and students. This will also include access to GHC’s resources for tele-medicine and tele-education to train post-graduate doctors in specialized fields where there is a lack of available healthcare professionals throughout Africa.  PAACU and ASU will provide the platform to develop and deliver healthcare, agriculture, and other related courses to students throughout Africa.
2. Research:  GHC, CBIS, ASU, and Elpasso, through PAACU, will collaborate on research and development initiatives and will utilize their respective networks to support collaborative research activities.  GHC will bring the best of science and technology from Harvard to investigate and translate plant-based medicines from farm to bedside, leveraging world-class library of resources, personnel, and network necessary to support the research activities to be undertaken by the parties to this agreement.  CBIS, as a drug-development company, will provide access to its Global Medical Consortium, comprised of universities, foundations, corporations, and other stakeholders, to support the research activities to be undertaken by the parties to this agreement.  Elpasso, as one of the most successful commercial farms in South Africa, will leverage its expertise to support the research activities to be undertaken related to agricultural security and food security.
3. Agriculture and Food Security: GHC, CBIS, ASU, and Elpasso Farms will collaborate through PAACU to develop and implement initiatives to promote agriculture and food security throughout Africa. In the area of food security, the parties will emphasize and promote the importance of micronutrients in helping to improve the overall health of Africa’s population. The approach will include education, training, and promoting the establishment of farms owned and operated by Africans and the African Diaspora, as well as promoting crop diversity and increasing locally grown and nutrient-rich crops.
4. Global Consortium Building: The parties will build and promote a Global Consortium with stakeholders from government, private sector, and academia. Collaboration will be developed with relevant individuals and organizations that can provide technical and financial resources to support the activities of the parties. The intent of GHC, CBIS, ASU, and Elpasso Farms will be to initially develop initiatives in South Africa that can be successfully replicated throughout Africa.
5. Advocacy: GHC, CBIS, ASU, and Elpasso Farms will work to develop and finance projects throughout Africa, and will leverage their collective experience, expertise, resources, and networks to design, develop, and implement projects that strengthen healthcare infrastructure throughout Africa through education, training, and food security.

“I am extremely excited about our new collaboration with GHC, ASU, and Elpasso Farms,” stated Mr. Raymond C. Dabney, President, CEO, and Co-founder of CBIS. “The foundation of our agreement will be the formation of PAACU, which will be the home of the Global Center of Excellence for Phytomedicines and a platform to support CBIS’ drug development initiatives in Africa. This should help accelerate our plans throughout Africa and ultimately add considerable value to our Company for the benefit of our patients, shareholders, and stakeholders.”

GHC, CBIS, ASU, and Elpasso Farms will initially focus on the following activities:

1. Implement agricultural and food security programs to improve the overall health of Africa’s population. The food security programs will focus on micro-nutrients including implementation of: 
   
   1. educational programs for food security and safety.
   2. educational programs for indigenous agriculture/farming.
   3. educational programs to promote the importance of micro-nutrients to help improve the overall health of Africa’s population.
2. Implement tele-education, non-traditional hybrid, and traditional educational programs to strengthen Africa’s healthcare infrastructure.
3. Improve access to higher quality healthcare for all people in Africa.
4. Develop and offer educational courses to specifically increase the number of skilled healthcare resources, including the number of nurses and physicians, working throughout Africa.
5. Reduce healthcare disparities between developed and developing countries.
6. Implement the use of phytomedicines that are developed and manufactured in Africa for patients throughout Africa and globally.
7. Develop and implement financial endowment programs, grants, and leverage existing relationships with stakeholders (government, private sector, academia, civil society, bilateral and multilateral development agencies, international finance institutions, etc.) to fund activities developed by GHC, CBIS, ASU, and Elpasso Farms.

“Elpasso Farms is in a unique position to have a positive impact in South Africa and throughout Africa,” stated Dr. Brylyne Chitsunge, CEO of Elpasso Farms and the first Pan African Ambassador for Food Security. “With the tremendous expertise available from GHC, CBIS, and ASU, we can help bring more focus to the importance of sustainable indigenous farming and food security as they contribute to the overall health of Africa’s population.”

About the Global Health Catalyst
The GHC at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., is dedicated to the overall goal of eliminating global health disparities, with current focus on cancer and other non-communicable diseases. To realize this goal, the GHC has adopted a transformative approach for global health based on the value of human connectedness espoused by Ubuntu (popularized by African Nobel Laureates Nelson Mandela/Desmond Tutu) and implemented by the GHC in catalyzing and supporting high impact international collaborations in healthcare education and research, with unprecedented engagement of the diaspora, industry and government leaders. In this approach, the GHC also leverages advanced information and communication technologies (ICTs) to increase access to quality healthcare via telemedicine, online learning and ICTs powered research, altogether, reducing global health disparities, saving lives.

About Cannabis Science, Inc.
Cannabis Science, Inc. takes advantage of its unique understanding of metabolic processes to provide novel treatment approaches to a number of illnesses for which current treatments and understanding remain unsatisfactory. Cannabinoids have an extensive history dating back thousands of years, and currently, there are a growing number of peer-reviewed scientific publications that document the underlying biochemical pathways that cannabinoids modulate. The Company works with leading experts in drug development, the characterization of medicines, and clinical research to develop, produce, and commercialize novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment for illnesses caused by infections as well as for age-related illness. Our initial focus is on cancers, pain, HIV/AIDS, and neurological conditions. The Company is proceeding with the research and development of its proprietary drugs as a part of this initial focus: CS-S/BCC-1, CS-TATI-1, and CS-NEURO-1, respectively.

About American States University
ASU is based in the U.S.A. and offers thirty-seven (37) state-approved, post-secondary educational programs in the Departments of Agriculture, Arts, Business, Certified Professional, and Technology in a unique hybrid structure of online, in-class, and in-field education. Its primary purpose is to provide professional training in agricultural hemp research and development for pharmaceutical drugs targeting critical ailments such as Cancer, Epilepsy, Chronic Pain, Parkinson's Disease, Arthritis, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD), and HIV/AIDs. ASU aims to provide affordable and quality education to its students so as to help them achieve their career goals and excel in their chosen professions.

About Elpasso Farms
Elpasso is considered one of the most successful farms in South Africa. This 1,000-acre farm is located in Cullinan, a small town approximately 30 kilometers east of Pretoria. Elpasso grows hybrid crops and a wide range of quality vegetables which are supplied to national supermarket chains and restaurants throughout South Africa. Elpasso Farms also partners with schools and universities to promote a sustainable farming culture. The farm regularly welcomes decision-makers, heads of government, parliamentarians, European Union delegates, International Federation of Agriculture Journalists, primary, high school and university students, giving them a profound and educational on-site experience of farming. Elpasso will facilitate the agriculture and food security initiatives proposed in this Agreement, in collaboration with GHC, CBIS, and ASU. Through its current initiatives in South Africa, Elpasso promotes the importance of micro-nutrients as a critical component of overall good health.

Forward-Looking Statements
This Press Release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. A statement containing words such as "anticipate," "seek," intend," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "project," "plan," or similar phrases may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Some or all of the events or results anticipated by these forward-looking statements may not occur. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company's reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based drugs. Cannabis Science, Inc., does not undertake any duty nor does it intend to update the results of these forward-looking statements. Safe Harbor Statement. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a 'safe harbor' for forward looking statements. Certain of the statements contained herein, which are not historical facts are forward looking statements with respect to events, the occurrence of which involved risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements may be impacted, either positively or negatively, by various factors. Information concerning potential factors that could affect the company is detailed from time to time in the company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Contact Information
Cannabis Science, Inc.
Mr. Raymond C. Dabney
President & CEO, Co-Founder
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Tel: 1-888-263-0832