TORONTO, Sept. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emblem Corp. (TSXV: EMC, OTCQX: EMMBF) (“Emblem” or the “Company”)
today announced it has completed an equity investment in DriveABLE Assessment Centres Inc. (“DriveABLE”), a global leader in
cognitive-based driving evaluations that measure the risk of impairment. Through this investment – to Emblem’s knowledge, the first
of its kind in the cannabis space – Emblem will support DriveABLE as it seeks to tackle the issue of impairment on roads and in the
workplace with new mobile technology.
Using the knowledge gained from almost two decades of evaluating real world impairment risk in partnership with law enforcement
agencies, universities and other industries that operate in safety-sensitive environments, DriveABLE is now developing a mobile
cognitive evaluation tool that will focus on the risks associated with impairment.
“As each person metabolizes cannabis at different rates, measuring THC levels – one of the main intoxicating compounds in
cannabis – alone should not be used as the sole factor for determining impairment. We believe that a broader approach to evaluating
impairment, regardless of the cause, is critical to making our communities safer,” said Nick Dean, CEO, Emblem Corp. “Impairment –
whether from alcohol, cannabis, fatigue, underlying medical conditions, or narcotics – is a serious issue that affects safety on
roads and in the workplace. We have the responsibility to ensure that people are safe and are committed to working with DriveABLE
to bring additional research and evaluation solutions to the table to address impairment.”
Emblem’s patient and healthcare professional education subsidiary, GrowWise Health Limited (“GrowWise”), intends to support
DriveABLE in its research. The technology is expected to be tested at GrowWise education centres to provide data for DriveABLE’s
research, while helping patients better understand how cannabis therapy may impact their daily tasks.
“With the anticipated legalization of cannabis, the question of how we truly establish impairment has been left mostly
unanswered. While we understand the application of measures offered by saliva swabs, breathalyzers, blood draws and urine samples,
research tells us that we also need to evaluate overall cognitive performance to determine impairment risk,” said Peter-John
Barclay, CEO, DriveABLE. “DriveABLE is leveraging 18 years of expertise in impairment evaluations to develop a new mobile
technology that has a number of applications including driving and operating in safety-sensitive environments. Our technology is by
no means a standalone solution, but rather an important piece to the puzzle to understand and evaluate impairment.”
Why is cognition an important component when looking at impairment?
Cognition encompasses how a person understands the world and acts in it. It is the set of mental abilities or processes that are
part of every human action while they are awake.
In the event that a person’s cognitive skills have been compromised, regardless of the cause, there is an increased likelihood
of the person concerned being unable to complete a task correctly, which could put their life and the lives of others at risk.
Using cognitive science to evaluate impairment is designed to facilitate:
- An objective accurate measure of an individual’s cognitive state
- An understanding of an individual’s established cognitive state to determine their ability to safely operate within a
particular environment
- The ability to identify if an individual is at risk, regardless of potential cause
“Ensuring patients and consumers use cannabis products safely is of the utmost priority to us, and we are supportive of an
evidence-based approach to evaluating impairment,” said Dean. “Our investment and future work with DriveABLE will support much
needed research in this field to help ensure safer communities.”
About Emblem
Emblem, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Emblem Cannabis Corporation, is a fully integrated licensed producer and distributor of
medical cannabis and cannabis derivatives in Canada under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations.
Emblem’s state-of-the-art indoor cannabis cultivation facility and research and development laboratory is located in Paris,
Ontario. Led by an experienced management team of healthcare executives, accomplished marketing professionals, and cannabis
experts, Emblem is focused on driving shareholder value through product innovation, brand relevance, and access to patient and
consumer channels. Emblem is also the ultimate parent company of GrowWise Health Ltd., one of Canada’s leading medical cannabis
education services. Emblem trades under the ticker symbol EMC on the TSX Venture Exchange. For more information, please visit
www.emblemcorp.com
About DriveABLE
DriveABLE (www.driveable.com) combines cutting-edge technology with proven research to deliver predictive
cognitive assessment tools to the medical community, commercial fleets, governments and insurers. It provides software and hardware
solutions that help identify if medications or medical conditions have affected a person’s ability to drive. Established as a
University of Alberta spin-off, DriveABLE has been providing driver risk assessments for 18 years. DriveABLE products are licensed
primarily in North America and in other select countries. It is DriveABLE’s mission to create safer communities by embracing the
power of both science and technology.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Morgan Cates
H+K Strategies
416.413.4649
morgan.cates@hkstrategies.ca
For other inquiries, please contact:
Ethan Karayannopoulos
Investor Relations
Emblem Corp.
647.748.9696
ethank@emblemcorp.com
Alex Stojanovic
Chief Financial Officer
Emblem Corp.
416.923.1331
alexs@emblemcorp.com
Peter-John Barclay
President and Chief Executive Officer
DriveABLE Assessment Centres Inc.
780.628.3641
pjbarclay@driveable.com
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively referred to herein
as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements other than statements of
present or historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the
use of words such as "anticipate", "achieve", "could", "believe", "plan", "intend", "objective", "continuous", "ongoing",
"estimate", "outlook", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should" or similar words, including negatives thereof, suggesting
future outcomes. Management of the Company believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable as
of the date hereof but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking
statements should not be unduly relied upon. Various material factors and assumptions are typically applied in drawing conclusions
or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking statements. Those material factors and assumptions are based on
information currently available to the Company, including data from publicly available governmental sources as well as from market
research and industry analysis and on assumptions based on data and knowledge of this industry which Emblem believes to be
reasonable. However, although generally indicative of relative market positions, market shares and performance characteristics,
such data is inherently imprecise. While Emblem is not aware of any misstatement regarding any industry or government data
presented herein, the medical marijuana industry involves risks and uncertainties and is subject to change based on various
factors.
Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and are subject to and involve a number of known and
unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, which may cause the Company's actual
performance and results to differ materially from any projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risks identified in the Company's
December 31, 2017 Management's Discussion and Analysis, which has been filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators and
available on www.sedar.com. Any forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as
required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise such statements to reflect new information,
subsequent or otherwise.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of
the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.
