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How Dan Bilzerian’s Ignite Cannabis is Dealing with Canada’s Cannabis Act and Health Canada

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This month Dan Bilzerian’s Ignite International will take over Canada. Ignite’s team has worked hard to comply with restrictions implemented by Canada’s Cannabis Act and Health Canada.

Despite the obstacles, Ignite is accomplishing goals to ensure the trust of customers globally. Being a horizontally integrated company, Ignite has solidified partnerships with exceptional growers and manufacturers in Canada. Dan Bilzerian and his team want the best, and their search to obtain and maintain quality and dosage are not finished.

Ignite’s Global Head of Cannabis, Gene Bernaudo, discussed some of the challenges the brand has faced and how they are overcoming each, to show how consistent Ignite is in all aspects of the business.

Q: What was the process and timeline for CX Industries to sign the exclusive agreement with Ignite International Brands to supply premium cannabis & CBD products?

Bernaudo: As some may have heard, we are no longer doing business with CX Industries. I can’t really discuss the circumstances of the split. What I can tell you is, we have since partnered with CannMart a leading processor and distributor of cannabis in Canada. This was very strategic in nature. One of the reason we chose CannMart as a partner is because they do not have a grow. I bet you a bunch readers are scratching their heads right now. Yes, you read that right, we did not want to partner with a large commercial Licensed Producer, producing the same mediocre product as everyone else in the industry. A partnership with CannMart solidified processing and distribution channels which allowed my team and I to focus on sourcing product from craft growers who are producing small batch, high-end cannabis. With this strategy we were able to move very quickly. We finalized our partnership with CannMart in Dec 2019 and are launching Canada with 10 skus on March 13, 2020. We chose to start with the infamous BC market and scale our way across Canada.

Q: Canada’s ad industry has strict laws against celebrity endorsements for pot products. Did this play a factor in the naming of the company? Has Dan Bilzerian had to make any sacrifices to get Ignite into Canada?

Bernaudo: Dan is the CEO of Ignite International Brands, Ltd. This allows us some leeway in how he can speak about the products. I would say our approach is similar to the approach Bruce Linton took back in the early days when he was out doing roadshows and promoting Tweed. As far as sacrifices go, I wouldn’t call them sacrifices I would call them strategic adjustments. We have had to adjust the type of content we post and ensure we are compliant in all markets we do business in. To me this is a great sign, it means we continue to grow as a global brand and evolve as a business. At the end of the day, we are a cannabis company but we are also an International FMCG company (Fast moving Consumer Goods) which means we have to be able to pivot and adjust strategies based on regulations in jurisdictions we are doing business in. When you have one of the best marketing teams in the world backed by a social media genius it’s easier to get the job done.

Q: Ignite has plenty of celebrity endorsements posts on social platforms such as Nikita Dragun, Cardi B, and Jake Paul. Is this the most effective marketing strategy for Ignite? If so, how has Canada’s Cannabis Act been an issue? 

Bernaudo: The celebrity endorsements you are referring to are not for our cannabis products. Most, if not all of your references endorse our CBD line and in the U.S. there is no rule against that. It’s a pretty level playing field up here, the only real issue the Cannabis Act has imposed on us is we cannot use our iconic Goat Head logo as it depicts an animal or fictional character and can be deemed to appeal to children. Rules are rules and we have been happy to abide by them.

Q: Dan Bilzerian highlighted having one proprietary device that holds THC, CBD, and Nicotine all in one so, he decided to attack the Juul market. How will this translate in Canada, knowing they have a temporary halt on the production of flavored e-cigarette pods? 

Bernaudo: Great question, the vape market in Canada from a nicotine perspective has been a disaster from the start. I 100% agree with Health Canada’s stance here. Nicotine use amongst young people is the highest it’s ever been and its largely due to flavored e-liquid in all its forms. I don’t agree with a ban, but what I can tell you is Health Canada is consistent in how they regulate. Similar regulations will apply to nicotine. E-liquid flavors and or packaging/logos cannot “evoke a positive or negative emotion or ‘way of life’ such as one that includes glamour, recreation, excitement, vitality, risk or daring.” We do have a nicotine strategy for Canada, its largely based on waiting for regulations to be implemented, waiting for trade to open up again in China (due to Coronavirus) and of course, for the ban to be lifted. We have made major headway with the device in question and it will most likely be introduced first in Canada with THC and CBD pods as regulations permit its use.

Q: Dan Bilzerian markets Ignite Cannabis as an active lifestyle to sway from the original stigma of laziness. Canada’s Cannabis Act prohibits pot companies to “evoke a positive or negative emotion or ‘way of life’ such as one that includes glamour, recreation, excitement, vitality, risk or daring.”  Luckily, Ignite is still able to conduct this kind of promotion in the US. Do you believe this was a loophole that helped the brand’s message reach Canadians?

Bernaudo: I think having a social reach of 43 million followers definitely helps get our message out there in any form we want to deliver it. I wouldn’t call it a loophole as we are not using it as such. We are an International company and post content and product placement ads on social channels conforming to regulatory requirements where the particular product we are advertising is being sold.

Q: What other obstacles have Ignite faced in expanding into Canada? 

Bernaudo: The only obstacle we have faced in Canada is product procurement. The biggest challenge has been securing products out here that meet our team, including Dan’s, criteria. We are happy to recently have forged some solid partnerships with amazing craft growers that will ensure we are able to distribute quality, consistent cannabis products across Canada. All the retailers and Provincial boards have been very supportive, and we look forward to working closely with them to bring our products to consumers.

Q: What are Ignite’s launch plans for this week in Canada? Will Dan Bilzerian be in attendance? 

Bernaudo: Our BC launch event will be held this Friday, March 13th, at Bar None in Downtown Vancouver. Dan will be on the ground the day prior to meet with partners and industry leaders as we continue to grow relationships north of the border. He will also attend the launch event alongside hundreds of partygoers eager to celebrate Ignite’s Canadian Launch.

Jenny is one of the oldest contributors of Bigtime Daily with a unique perspective of the world events. She aims to empower the readers with delivery of apt factual analysis of various news pieces from around the World.

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World

TRG Chairman Khaishgi and CEO Aslam implicated in $150 million fraud

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In a scathing 52-page decision, the Sindh High Court has found that TRG Pakistan’s management was acting fraudulently and that Bermuda-based Greentree Holdings historic and prospective purchase of TRG shares were illegal, fraudulent and oppressive. 

The Sindh High Court has further directed TRGP to immediately hold board elections that have been overdue and illegally withheld by the existing board since January 14, 2025. 

In the landmark ruling, the Sindh High Court has blocked the attempted takeover of TRG Pakistan Limited by Greentree Holdings, declaring that the shares acquired by Greentree, nearly 30% of TRG’s stock, were unlawfully financed using TRG’s funds in violation of Section 86(2) of the Companies Act 2017.

“Having concluded that the affairs of TRGP are being conducted in an unlawful and fraudulent manner and in a manner oppressive to members such as the Petitioner (Zia Chishti), the case falls for corrective orders under sub-section (2) of section 286 of the Companies Act,” Justice Adnan Iqbal Chaudhry concluded.

The case was brought by TRGP former CEO and founder Pakistani-American technology entrepreneur Zia Chishti against TRG Pakistan, its associate TRG International and TRG International’s wholly-owned shell company Greentree Limited.  In addition, the case named AKD Securities for managing Greentree’s illegal tender offer as well as various regulators requiring that they act to perform their regulatory duties.

The case centred around the dispute that shell company Greentree Limited was fraudulently using TRG Pakistan’s own funds to purchase TRG Pakistan’s shares in order to give control to Zia Chishti’s former partners Mohammed Khaishgi, Hasnain Aslam and Pinebridge Investments.

According to the case facts, the Chairman of TRG Pakistan Mohammed Khaishgi and the CEO of TRG Pakistan Hasnain Aslam masterminded the $150 million fraud. They did so together with Hong Kong based fund manager Pinebridge who has two nominees on TRG Pakistan’s board, Mr. John Leone and Mr. Patrick McGinnis.

According to the court papers, Khaishgi, Aslam, Leone, and McGinnis set up a shell company called Greentree which they secretly controlled and from which they started buying up shares of TRG Pakistan.  The fraud was that Greentree was using TRG Pakistan’s funds itself.  The idea was to give Khaishgi, Aslam, Leone, and McGinnis control over TRG Pakistan even though they owned less than 1% of the company, lawyers of the petitioner told the court. 

This was all part of a broader battle for control over TRG Pakistan that is raging between Khaishgi, Aslam, Leone, and McGinnis on one side and TRG Pakistan founder Zia Chishti on the other side.  Zia Chishti has been trying to retake control of TRG Pakistan after he was forced to resign in 2021 based on sexual misconduct allegations made by a former employee of his.  This year those allegations were shown to be without basis in litigation that Chishti launched in the United Kingdom against The Telegraph newspaper which had printed the allegations.  The Telegraph was forced to apologize for 13 separate articles it published about Chishti and paid him damages and legal costs.

After Chishti resigned in 2021, Khaishgi, Aslam, Leone, and McGinnis moved to take total control over TRG Pakistan and its various subsidiaries including TRG International and to block out Chishti.  The Sindh High Court’s ruling today has reversed that effort, ruling the scheme fraudulent, illegal, and oppressive.  

It now appears that Zia Chishti will take control of TRG Pakistan in short order when elections are called.  He and his family are now the largest shareholders with over 30% interest.  He is closely followed by companies related to Jahangir Siddiqui & Company which have over a 20% interest.  The result appears to be a complete vindication for Zia Chishti and damning for his rivals Aslam, Khaishgi, Leone, and McGinnis who have been ruled to have been conducting a fraud.  

TRG Pakistan’s share price declined by over 8% on the news on heavy volume.  Market experts say that this was because the tender offer at Rs 75 was gone and that now shares would trade closer to their natural value.  Presently the shares are trading at Rs 59 per share.

According to the court ruling, since 2021, shell company Greentree had purchased approximately 30% of TRG shares using $80 million of TRG’s own money, which means that that the directors of TRG Pakistan allowed company assets to be funneled through offshore affiliates TRG International and Greentree for acquiring TRG’s shares – a move deemed both fraudulent and oppressive to minority shareholders.  The Sindh High Court also found illegal Greentree’s further attempt to purchase another 35% of TRG shares using another $70 million of TRG’s money in a tender offer. 

The ruling is a major victory for the tech entrepreneur Zia Chishti against his former partners and the legal ruling paves the way for him to take control of TRG in a few weeks.

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