Lowell Farms Inc. - Annual Report: 2021 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

☒    ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the year ended December 31, 2021

or

☐    TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from ________ to ________

Commission File Number 000-56254

(831) 998-8214 

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Subordinate Voting Shares

(Title of class)

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐   No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐    No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒    No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒  No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐   No ☒

The aggregate market value of subordinate voting shares held by non-affiliates of the registrant, as of June 30, 2021, the last business day of the registrant’s second quarter, was $89,998,628 (based on the closing price for the registrant's subordinate voting shares as reported by the OTCQX on that date). Shares of subordinate voting shares held by each executive officer, director, and holder of 5% or more of the registrant’s outstanding subordinate voting shares have been excluded in that such persons may be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination for other purposes.

 There were 100,288,094 shares of the Registrant’s Subordinate Voting Shares outstanding as of March 24, 2022.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

None

LOWELL FARMS INC.

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

For the Year Ended December 31, 2021

Table of Contents

Part I

Lowell Farms Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries are collectively referred to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K as the “Company,” “Corporation,” “we,” “us” or “our.”

ITEM 1. Business

General

We are a California-based cannabis company with vertically integrated operations including large scale cultivation, extraction, processing, manufacturing, branding, packaging and wholesale distribution to retail dispensaries. We manufacture and distribute proprietary and select third-party brands throughout the State of California, the largest cannabis market in the world. We also provide manufacturing, extraction and distribution services to select third-party cannabis and cannabis branding companies and sell proprietary bulk flower and broker third-party bulk flower to licensed distribution and manufacturing companies in California.

On February 25, 2021, we acquired the Lowell Herb Co. and Lowell Smokes trademark brands, product portfolio and production assets from The Hacienda Company and its subsidiaries (the “Lowell Acquisition”). The Lowell Acquisition expanded our product offerings by adding a highly regarded, mature line of premium branded cannabis pre-rolls, including infused pre-rolls, to our product portfolio under the Lowell Herb Co. and Lowell Smokes brands. The Lowell Acquisition also expanded our offerings of premium packaged flower, concentrates, and vape products. We believe our pre-existing strengths in cultivation and sourcing will enhance the value of the brands and products acquired in the Lowell Acquisition. Additionally, we presently license the Lowell Herb Co. and Lowell Smokes brands to Ascend Wellness Holdings, LLC at their retail locations in Illinois and Massachusetts, and are in discussion with regard to Michigan.

The Lowell Acquisition also substantially broadened our customer base by adding highly developed direct-to-consumer channels to complement our pre-existing network of retail dispensary customers. This addition to our customer base has resulted in broader geographic coverage in California by the combined business.

On June 29, 2021, we announced the C Quadrant Acquisition, pursuant to which we acquired real property and related assets of a cannabis drying and midstream processing facility located in Monterey County, nearby our flagship cultivation operation. The 10-acre, 40,000 square foot processing facility provides drying, bucking, trimming, sorting, grading, and packaging operations for up to 250,000 pounds of wholesale cannabis flower annually. The new facility will process nearly all the cannabis that we grow at our existing cultivation operations. Additionally, we have commissioned the Lowell Farm Services (“LFS”) business unit, which engages in fee-based processing services for regional growers throughout California.

In addition to the processing facility acquired in the C Quadrant Acquisition, we operate a 225,000 square foot greenhouse cultivation facility in Monterey County, a 15,000 square foot manufacturing and laboratory facility in Salinas, California, a separate 20,000 square foot distribution facility in Salinas, California and a warehouse depot and distribution vehicles in Los Angeles, California.

Product Offerings

Our product offerings include flower, vape pens, oils, extracts, chocolate edibles, mints, gummies, tinctures and pre-rolls. We sell our products under owned and third-party brands.

Brands we own include the following:

The Lowell Herb Co. and Lowell Smokes brands were acquired in the Lowell Acquisition. Our remaining brands were developed prior to such acquisition.

We exclusively manufacture and distribute Dr. May tinctures and topicals in California. We also provide third party extraction processing and third-party distribution services, and bulk extraction concentrates and flower to licensed manufacturers and distributors. Our focus during 2021 was on our owned brands and limiting the number of third-party brands manufactured and distributed. The Lowell Acquisition is a significant expansion of this strategy.

Cultivation

We conduct cannabis cultivation operations located in Monterey County, California. We currently operate a cultivation facility which includes four greenhouses totaling approximately 225,000 square feet sited on 10 acres located on Zabala Road. Farming cannabis at this scale enables us to curate specialized strains and maintain greater control over the quantity and quality of cannabis available for our products, preserving the consistency of our flower and cannabis feedstocks for our extraction laboratory and product manufacturing operations.

The first harvest was in the third quarter of calendar 2017. In 2021 we completed a series of facility upgrades to our greenhouses and supporting infrastructure, which will increase facility output approximately four times from that generated in 2019. These facility improvements include separate grow rooms configured with drop-shades, supplemental lighting, upgraded electrical capability with environmental controls and automated fertigation, and raised gutter height in two of the greenhouses. We harvested approximately 9,000, 17,000 and 32,000 pounds of flower in 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively, and are currently projecting to harvest between 35,000 and 40,000 pounds in 2022 as a result of these facility upgrades and improvements. We have invested approximately $7.2 million in our greenhouse renovations to date. The completion and commissioning of the renovated greenhouses is expected to further reduce unit costs of cultivation and make available additional cannabis flower and feedstocks for our extraction and processing, packaging and distribution operations. In 2022 we expect to complete the headhouse which will include redundant drying and processing capacity should LFS reach processing capacity during the fall outdoor harvesting season.

We maintain a strict quality control process which facilitates a predictable output yield of pesticide-free products.

Extraction

Extraction operations were first launched by us in the third quarter of 2017 with the commissioning of our 5,000 square foot licensed laboratory within our Salinas manufacturing facility. The lab contains six separate rooms that can each house one independent closed loop volatile extraction machine (meaning that the machine does not expose the products to open air), which are designed to process the cannabis through the application of hydrocarbon or ethanol solvents, to extract certain concentrated resins and oils from the dried cannabis. This process is known as volatile extraction, which is an efficient and rapid method of extracting cannabis. These resins, oils and concentrates are sold as ingestible products known as “shatter,” rosin, wax, sugar, diamonds, “caviar,” and “crumble”.

We currently own and operate five closed loop volatile extraction machines, each housed in a separate room, and each having the capacity to process approximately 100 pounds of dry product per day yielding approximately 5 kilograms of cannabis concentrates. We also currently own and operate 14 purge ovens to work in conjunction with the 5 extraction units in the laboratory. Purge ovens, also known as vacuum ovens, are used after the processing by the extraction units to remove the solvents from the end-product in a low pressure and high heat environment.

In 2021 we commenced solventless extraction activities with the capacity to process approximately 120 pounds of biomass daily yielding approximately 4 kilograms of cannabis concentrates. We currently own and operate one extraction unit which works in conjunction with 5 freeze dryers, 2 ice machines, 3 water filtration systems, 1 UV sterilizer, 2 rosin presses and an 80 square foot walk-in freezer. The solventless process yields a superior product to the volatile extraction process and is the fastest growing category in concentrates. 

The extraction operations utilize cannabis feedstocks from our cultivation site, supplemented with feedstock acquired from multiple third-party cultivations. Concentrate production is packaged as branded extracts, such as crumble, shatter, wax and sugar for distribution, incorporated into its manufactured edible products and sold in bulk to other licensed enterprises. In addition, extraction is provided on a fee-based service on third-party material.

Manufacturing

Our manufacturing facility is located in Salinas, California and houses our edible product operations and extraction and distillation operations. The edible product operations utilize internally produced cannabis oil, which can also be supplied from multiple external sources. Our manufacturing operations produce a wide variety of cannabis-infused products and occupies 10,000 square feet in our 15,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Salinas. Our products include chocolate confections, baked goods, hard and soft non-chocolate confections, and topical lotions and balms. Lowell Farms utilizes modern commercial production equipment and employs food grade manufacturing protocols, including industry-leading standard operating procedures designed so that its products meet stringent quality standards. We have implemented updated compliance, packaging and labeling standards to meet all regulatory requirements, including the California Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act.

We also operate an automated flower filling and packaging line and an automated pre-roll assembly line for making finished goods in those respective categories with feedstock grown by the Lowell Farms cultivation operations.

Processing

On June 29, 2021 we announced that we acquired real property and related assets of a cannabis drying and midstream processing facility located in Monterey County, nearby our flagship cultivation operation. The 10-acre, 40,000 square foot processing facility provides drying, bucking, trimming, sorting, grading, and packaging operations for up to 250,000 pounds of wholesale cannabis flower annually. The new facility processes nearly all the cannabis that we grow at our existing cultivation operations. Additionally, we commissioned the new business unit LFS, which engages in fee-based processing services for regional growers from primarily the Salinas Valley area, one of the largest and fastest growing cannabis cultivation regions in the country, as well as throughout California. LFS operations became operational during the third quarter of 2021.

Distribution and Distribution Services

We have a primary distribution center, warehouse and packing facility located in Salinas, California and a service center and distribution depot in Los Angeles, California. We provide physical warehousing and delivery to retail dispensary customers throughout the State of California for our manufactured products as well as third party branded products distributed on behalf of other licensed product manufacturers. Deliveries are made daily to over 80% of the licensed dispensaries in California utilizing a fleet of 21 owned and leased vehicles. We provide warehousing, delivery, customer service and collection services for select third-party brands. We will increase our fleet of vehicles as necessary to meet delivery requirements from increased proprietary and third-party brand sales.

Technology Platform

We maintain an automated, on-demand supply chain logistics platform, utilizing e-commerce, enterprise resource planning and other technology to manage product movement, order taking and logistics needs.

Inventory Management

We have comprehensive inventory management procedures, which are compliant with the rules set forth by the California Department of Cannabis Control (formerly the California Department of Consumer Affairs’ Bureau of Cannabis Control) and all other applicable state and local laws, regulations, ordinances, and other requirements. These procedures ensure strict control over Lowell Farms’ cannabis and cannabis product inventory from cultivation or manufacture to sale and delivery to a licensed dispensary, distributor or manufacturer, or disposal as cannabis waste. Such inventory management procedures also include measures to prevent contamination and maintain the quality of the products cultivated, manufactured or distributed.

Sources, Pricing and Availability of Raw Materials, Component Parts or Finished Products

We presently source flower feedstock for sale primarily from our cultivation facility. We have developed relationships with local cannabis growers whereby flower quantities are readily available at competitive prices should the sourcing need arise. We source our biomass needs in extraction from our cultivation facility and from third-party suppliers. Remaining biomass material is readily available from multiple sources at competitive prices. Lowell Farms manufactures substantially all cannabis oil and distillate needs from its internal extraction operations. A small amount of specialized cannabis oil is procured from multiple external sources at competitive prices. Lowell Farms manufactures all finished goods for its proprietary brands. Third party distributed brand product is sourced directly from third party partners.

U.S. Cannabis Market

The emergence of the legal cannabis sector in the United States, both for medical and adult use, has been rapid as more states adopt regulations for its production and sale. A majority of Americans now live in a state where cannabis is legal in some form and approximately one-third of the population lives in states in which adult or recreational use is permitted as a matter of, and in accordance with, applicable state and local laws.¹  According to Fortune Business Insights, the global legal marijuana market is anticipated to reach a value of US$97.35 billion by the end of 2026 from US$10.60 billion in 2018. The market is predicted to rise at a compounded annual growth rate of 32.6% during the period 2019 to 2026.²

The use of cannabis and cannabis derivatives to treat or alleviate the symptoms of a wide variety of chronic conditions, while not recognized by the FDA, has been accepted by a majority of citizens with a growing acceptance by the medical community. A review of the research, published in 2015 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found solid evidence that cannabis can treat pain and muscle spasms.³ The pain component is particularly important, because other studies have suggested that cannabis can replace pain patients’ use of highly addictive, potentially deadly opiates.⁴ Although hemp, defined as cannabis and derivatives of cannabis with not more than 0.3% THC, has been descheduled from the Controlled Substances Act, the FDA has regulatory oversight over foods drugs and cosmetics containing such products under the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act of 1938. It is possible that as the federal and state agencies legalize certain products, the FDA may issue rules and regulations, including good manufacturing practices related to the growth, cultivation, harvesting and processing of such products, even if they are not marketed as drugs. It is also possible that the FDA would require that facilities where medical-use cannabis is grown to register with the FDA and comply with certain federally prescribed regulations, certifications, testing, or other requirements. The potential impact on the cannabis industry is uncertain and could include the imposition of new costs, requirements, and prohibitions.

Although we are not currently engaged in the production or distribution of medical marijuana products, the FDA has exerted regulatory oversight over hemp-derived CBD products, especially as it pertains to packaging and labeling requirements under the Food & Drug Cometic Act. The FDA is currently taking action in the form of Warning Letters, but may also take more extreme enforcement such as recalls, disgorgement or penalties. If we are unable to comply with regulations or facility registration as prescribed by the FDA, it may have an adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Polls conducted throughout the United States consistently show overwhelming support for the legalization of medical cannabis, together with strong majority support for the full legalization of recreational adult-use cannabis. As of November 11, 2019, “Around nine-in-ten Americans favor legalization for recreational or medical purposes” and “Only fewer than one-in-ten say it should not be legal.”⁵ These are large increases in public support over the past 40 years in favor of legal cannabis use.

Currently, in the United States, the majority of states, as well as the territories of Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis in some form, and 18 states — Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New York, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia — have legalized cannabis for adult or recreational use.

With respect to medical marijuana, as more research centers study the effects of cannabis-based products in treating or addressing therapeutic needs, and assuming that research findings demonstrate that such products are effective in doing so, management believes that the size of the U.S. medical cannabis market will also continue to grow as more States expand their medical marijuana programs and new States legalize medical marijuana. Although the Company only operates in the State of California, it may seek opportunities to expand into other States within the United States that have legalized cannabis use either medicinally or recreationally.

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¹ Nichols, Chris (2018). Do a majority of Americans live in states with legal marijuana. https://www.politifact.com/california/statements/2018/apr/19/john-chiang/do-majority-americans-live-states-legal-marijuana/. See also Fertig, Natalie and Mona Zhang (2020). 1 in 3 Americans now lives in a state where recreational marijuana is legal. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/04/1-in-3-americans-lives-where-recreational-marijuana-legal-434004

² Cannabis/Marijuana Market Size. (August 2019) Retrieved from https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/cannabis-marijuana-market-100219 

³ Grant, Igor MD (2015). Medical Use of Cannabinoids. Journal of American Medical Association, 314: 16, 1750-1751. doi: 10.1001/jama.2015.11429.

⁴ Bachhuber, MA, Saloner B, Cunningham CO, Barry CL. (2014). Medical Cannabis Laws and Opioid Analgesic Overdose Mortality in the United States, 1999-2010. JAMA Intern Med. 174(10):1668-1673. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.4005.

⁵ Pew Research Organization (April 16, 2021).

Americans overwhelmingly say marijuana should be legal for recreational or medical use. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/04/16/americans-overwhelmingly-say-marijuana-should-be-legal-for-recreational-or-medical-use/

Notwithstanding the fact that a majority of states and the District of Columbia have now legalized adult-use and/or medical cannabis, cannabis remains illegal under U.S. federal law with cannabis listed as a Schedule I drug under the CSA. See “United States Regulatory Environment”.

Growth Strategy

While the legalization of cannabis throughout the United States continues to expand both in the adult use (recreational) and medical markets, and the size of the U.S. cannabis market will continue to provide growth opportunities, management believes that focusing on the substantial California market and becoming profitable and self-sustaining is the appropriate near-term growth strategy for the Company.

We plan to capitalize on the significant increase in cannabis consumption in California through the robust marketing of the recently acquired Lowell branded products and our other proprietary brands, the continued expansion of our brand and distribution footprint and the exploitation of our increased cultivation capacity. We will selectively seek opportunities to further expand our brands and operations in California through acquisitions or alliances. We currently license the Lowell brand in Illinois and Massachusetts and we plan on exploring additional licensing of our marque Lowell brand in additional states.

We may also seek to expand our cultivation footprint within California by either purchasing an existing cultivation business or by entering into a lease arrangement with a suitable property to develop cultivation facilities.

We currently have no retail facilities within the state of California but continue to evaluate such opportunities and could seek to enter retail at a future date.

Also, we may consider, but do not currently have definitive plans or timelines for our expansion beyond California as these markets continue to expand.

Competitive Conditions

We compete with other branded licensed cultivators, manufacturers and distributors, offering similar products and services, within California.

Currently, the California cannabis industry is largely comprised of small to medium-sized entities. We believe that the vast majority of our competitors are relatively small operations. Over time, it is expected that within California the industry will begin to consolidate as market-share will increasingly favor larger and more sophisticated operators.

We expect to face additional competition from new entrants. To remain competitive, we expect to invest in scale, people, processes and technology to maintain cost and product leadership over our competitors.

We may not have sufficient resources to maintain research and development, marketing, sales and support efforts on a competitive basis, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects.

Also, we expect to face continued competition from the illicit or “black-market” commercial activities that still operate within the state. Despite state-level legalization of cannabis in the United States, such operations remain abundant and present substantial competition to Lowell Farms. In particular, illicit operations, because they are largely clandestine, are not required to comply with the extensive regulations with which we must comply in order to conduct business, and accordingly may have significantly lower costs of operation. It is estimated that the current illicit cannabis market in California exceeds $8.5 billion.⁶

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⁶ https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/article/business/analyst-california-cannabis-market-isnt-slowed-by-covid-and-should-reach/

Intangible Property

To date, we have 12 registered federal trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, 6 California state trademark registrations and 2 Illinois state trademark registrations. In addition, we have 2 federal trademark applications pending and 2 pending Canadian applications. We own over 100 website domains, including www.lowellfarms.com, and numerous social media accounts across all major platforms. Lowell Farms maintains strict standards and operating procedures regarding its intellectual property, including the regular use of nondisclosure, confidentiality, and intellectual property assignment agreements.

Lowell Farms has developed numerous proprietary technologies and processes. These proprietary technologies and processes include its information system software, cultivation, edible manufacturing and extraction techniques, quality and compliance processes and new product development processes. While actively exploring the patentability of these techniques and processes, Lowell Farms relies on non-disclosure/confidentiality arrangements and trade secret protection. Lowell Farms has invested significant resources towards developing recognizable and unique brands consistent with premium companies in analogous industries.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") may deny federal trademark registration to any name, product, or other assets that violate the law, including cannabis products. However, hemp-derived goods and CBD products with less than 0.3% THC, as well as ancillary products or services, may be eligible for federal trademark registration. Additionally, the USPTO may accept trademark applications for consulting services or goods that do not directly involve the cannabis flower, such as computer software, educational platforms, and brand apparel. Cannabis products, goods, and services that do not meet the USPTO standard for trademark registration may qualify for state trademark registration in states where such products, goods, and services have been legalized.

No guarantee can be given that Lowell Farms will be able to successfully assert its trademark rights, nor can the Company guarantee that its trademark registrations will not be invalidated, circumvented or challenged. Any such invalidity, particularly with respect to a product name, or a successful intellectual property challenge or infringement proceeding against the company, could have a material adverse effect on Lowell Farms’ business.

Employees

Lowell Farms employs personnel with a wide range of skill sets, including those with masters’ and bachelors’ degrees in their respective fields. With respect to cultivation, Lowell Farms recruits individuals with plant science and agricultural experience, and personnel have the practical experience necessary to cultivate high yielding, multiple strain variety cannabis plants and to develop new cannabis strains through selective horticultural practices. With regard to extraction, Lowell Farms recruits individuals with extraction and distillation experience for its product lines, and personnel have the practical experience and knowledge necessary to process the raw, dried cannabis product through volatile and solventless extraction processes, thereby generating high yields of cannabis extracts and distillates. In addition, Lowell Farms personnel have the practical experience and knowledge necessary to conduct secondary processing of cannabis biomass into crude cannabis oil, distillate, and concentrates, including shatter, wax and crystals, and to utilize the natural terpenes in cannabis to formulate premium vaporizer oils. Terpenes are the oils that give cannabis plants their smell. They come from the same components as tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”) and cannabidiol (“CBD”).

With regard to product development and manufacturing, Lowell Farms recruits individuals with professional culinary education for edibles product development for its edibles division, and personnel have extensive experience in confectionary product development and manufacturing, particularly with regard to cannabis edibles, including chocolates, candies, cookies, gummies, beverages and tinctures.

With regard to sales and distribution, we recruit employees who retain a high degree of industry awareness and knowledge who can interface with dispensaries state-wide and introduce our products with the intention of retaining and potentially increasing shelf-space and the intention of maintaining or increasing market share. Our sales and distribution teams are important conduits for collecting intelligence on consumer behavior and trends. Our distribution capabilities are critical to building trust with dispensaries that they will receive inventory on a timely and consistent basis.

Lowell Farms currently possesses all specialized skills and knowledge it requires, but will continue to compete with other cannabis and manufacturing companies to secure and retain such staff.

As of March 15, 2022, we had 201 full-time employees and 2 part-time employees, all of whom are located in California. Additionally, Lowell Farms utilizes contract employees in security, cultivation, packaging and warehousing activities. The use of contract employees enables Lowell Farms to manage variable staffing needs and in the case of cultivation and security personnel, access to experienced, qualified and readily available human resources.

In 2018, the manufacturing personnel of Lowell Farms were organized by UFCW Local 5. In 2020, prior to the completion of a collective bargaining agreement, the union workers voted to decertify UFCW Local 5. Under California law, the holder of a cannabis license with 20 or more employees must enter into a “labor peace agreement” with a union or provide a notarized statement to the Department of Cannabis Control that it will do so. A “labor peace agreement” is a private contract between an employer and a union that requires both parties to waive certain rights under federal labor law in connection with union organizing activities. Following the decertification of UFCW Local 5, Lowell Farms provided such a notarized statement to the Department of Cannabis Control. There has been no further union organizing activity of which the Company is aware involving its employees.

United States Regulatory Environment

Below is a discussion of the federal and state-level U.S. regulatory regimes in those jurisdictions where Lowell Farms is currently involved, directly or through its subsidiaries in the cannabis industry. Lowell Farms is directly engaged in the manufacture, extraction, cultivation, package, sale or distribution of cannabis in the adult-use and/or medical industries in the State of California. The Company derives all of its revenues from the cannabis industry in the State of California, which industry is illegal under U.S. federal law. The Company’s cannabis-related activities are compliant with applicable State and local law, and the related licensing framework, and the Company is not aware of any non-compliance with applicable State and local law, and the related licensing framework, by any of the Company’s clients to whom the Company renders services. Nonetheless, such activities remain illegal under U.S. federal law. The enforcement of relevant laws is a significant risk.

The Company evaluates, monitors and reassesses this disclosure, and any related risks, on an ongoing basis, and the same will be supplemented and amended to investors in public filings, including in the event of government policy changes or the introduction of new or amended guidance, laws or regulations regarding marijuana regulation. Any non-compliance, citations or notices of violation which may have an impact on the Company’s licenses, business activities or operations will be promptly disclosed by the Company.

United States Federal Overview

The United States federal government regulates drugs in large part through the CSA. Marijuana, which is a form of cannabis, is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance. As a Schedule I controlled substance, the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, or DEA, considers marijuana to have a high potential for abuse; no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States; and a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug under medical supervision. According to the U.S. federal government, cannabis having a concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, greater than 0.3% on a dry weight basis is marijuana. Cannabis with a THC content below 0.3% is classified as hemp. The scheduling of marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance is inconsistent with what we believe to be widely accepted medical uses for marijuana by physicians, researchers, patients, and others. Moreover, despite the clear conflict with U.S. federal law, currently the majority of states, as well as the territories of Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis in some form, and 18 states, as well as the District of Columbia, have legalized cannabis for adult or recreational use. As further evidence of the growing conflict between the U.S. federal treatment of cannabis and the societal acceptance of cannabis, the FDA on June 25, 2018 approved Epidiolex. Epidiolex is an oral solution with an active ingredient derived from the cannabis plant for the treatment of seizures associated with two rare and severe forms of epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome, in patients two years of age and older. This was the first FDA-approved drug that contains a purified substance derived from the cannabis plant. In this case, the substance is cannabidiol, or CBD, a chemical component of marijuana that does not contain the psychoactive properties of THC.

Unlike in Canada, which uniformly regulates the cultivation, distribution, sale and possession of marijuana at the federal level under the Cannabis Act (Canada), marijuana is largely regulated at the state level in the United States. State laws regulating marijuana are in conflict with the CSA, which makes marijuana use and possession federally illegal. Although certain states and territories of the United States authorize medical or adult-use marijuana production and distribution by licensed or registered entities, under United States federal law, the possession, use, cultivation, and transfer of marijuana and any related drug paraphernalia is illegal. Although our activities are compliant with the applicable state and local laws in California, strict compliance with state and local laws with respect to cannabis may neither absolve us of liability under United States federal law nor provide a defense to any federal criminal action that may be brought against us.

In 2013, as more and more states began to legalize medical and/or adult-use marijuana, the federal government attempted to provide clarity on the incongruity between federal law and these State-level regulatory frameworks. Until 2018, the federal government provided guidance to federal agencies and banking institutions through a series of Department of Justice, or DOJ, memoranda. The most notable of this guidance came in the form of a memorandum issued by former U.S. Deputy Attorney General James Cole on August 29, 2013, which we refer to as the Cole Memorandum.

The Cole Memorandum offered guidance to federal agencies on how to prioritize civil enforcement, criminal investigations and prosecutions regarding marijuana in all states and quickly set a standard for marijuana-related businesses to comply with. The Cole Memorandum put forth 8 prosecution priorities:

On January 4, 2018, former United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the Cole Memorandum by issuing a new memorandum to all United States Attorneys, which we refer to as the Sessions Memo. Rather than establishing national enforcement priorities particular to marijuana-related crimes in jurisdictions where certain marijuana activity was legal under State law, the Sessions Memo simply rescinded the Cole Memorandum and instructed that “[in] deciding which marijuana activities to prosecute... with the [DOJ’s] finite resources, prosecutors should follow the well-established principles that govern all federal prosecutions.” Namely, these include the seriousness of the offense, history of criminal activity, deterrent effect of prosecution, the interests of victims, and other principles.

Neither Attorney General William Barr, who succeeded Attorney General Sessions, nor any subsequent Acting Attorney General provided a clear policy directive for the United States as it pertains to State-legal marijuana-related activities. Merrick Garland currently serves as Attorney General and it is not yet known whether the Department of Justice will re-adopt the Cole Memorandum or announce a substantive marijuana enforcement policy. Mr. Garland indicated at a confirmation hearing before the United States Senate that it did not seem to him to be a good use of limited resources to pursue prosecutions in states that have legalized and that are regulating the use of marijuana, either medically or otherwise.

Nonetheless, there is no guarantee that state laws legalizing and regulating the sale and use of marijuana will not be repealed or overturned, or that local governmental authorities will not limit the applicability of state laws within their respective jurisdictions. Unless and until the United States Congress amends the CSA with respect to marijuana (and as to the timing or scope of any such potential amendments there can be no assurance), there is a risk that federal authorities may enforce current U.S. federal law. Currently, in the absence of uniform federal guidance, as had been established by the Cole Memorandum, enforcement priorities are determined by respective United States Attorneys.

As an industry best practice, despite the recent rescission of the Cole Memorandum, the Company abides by the following standard operating policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the guidance provided by the Cole Memorandum:

In addition, the Company conducts background checks to ensure that the principals and management of its operating subsidiaries are of good character, have not been involved with other illegal drugs, engaged in illegal activity or activities involving violence, or use of firearms in cultivation, manufacturing or distribution of cannabis. The Company will also conduct ongoing reviews of the activities of its cannabis businesses, the premises on which they operate and the policies and procedures that are related to possession of cannabis or cannabis products outside of the licensed premises, including the cases where such possession is permitted by regulation. See “Risk Factors”.

Significantly, companies authorized to operate in states with medical marijuana laws and robust regulatory schemes enjoy additional protection under the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment (it is also sometimes referred to as the “Rohrabacher-Farr” or “Joyce-Leahy” Amendment) (the “Amendment”). The Amendment was first approved in 2014 and prevents the U.S. Department of Justice from using federal funds to prosecute state-compliant medical marijuana operators in states that have legal (medical) cannabis programs.  Moreover, the Amendment has been included in the federal budget approved by Congress since its introduction. It should be noted; however, that the Amendment must be renewed each fiscal year in order to remain in effect.

United States Border Entry

The United States Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) enforces the laws of the United States as they pertain to lawful travel and trade into and out of the U.S. Crossing the border while in violation of the CSA and other related United States federal laws may result in denied admission, seizures, fines, and apprehension. CBP officers determine the admissibility of travelers who are non-U.S. citizens into the United States pursuant to the United States Immigration and Nationality Act. An investment in our Subordinate Voting Shares, if it became known to CBP, could have an impact on a non-U.S. citizen’s admissibility into the United States and could lead to a lifetime ban on admission.

Because marijuana remains illegal under United States federal law, those investing in Canadian companies with operations in the United States cannabis industry could face detention, denial of entry, or lifetime bans from the United States for their business associations with United States marijuana businesses. Entry happens at the sole discretion of CBP officers on duty, and these officers have wide latitude to ask questions to determine the admissibility of a non-US citizen or foreign national. The government of Canada has previously warned travelers that previous use of marijuana, or any substance prohibited by United States federal laws, could mean denial of entry to the United States. Business or financial involvement in the marijuana industry in the United States could also be reason enough for CBP to deny entry. On September 21, 2018, CBP released a statement outlining its current position with respect to enforcement of the laws of the United States. It stated that Canada’s legalization of cannabis will not change CBP enforcement of United States laws regarding controlled substances and because marijuana continues to be a controlled substance under United States law, working in or facilitating the proliferation of the legal marijuana industry in U.S. states where it is deemed legal may affect admissibility to the United States. As a result, CBP has affirmed that, employees, directors, officers, managers and investors of companies involved in business activities related to marijuana in the United States (such as Lowell Farms), who are not United States citizens, face the risk of being barred from entry into the United States.

Anti-Money Laundering Laws and Access to Banking

The Company is subject to a variety of laws and regulations in the United States that involve anti-money laundering, financial recordkeeping and the proceeds of crime, including the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970 (referred to herein as the “Bank Secrecy Act”), as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by governmental authorities in the United States.

Additionally, under United States federal law, it may potentially be a violation of federal anti-money laundering statutes for financial institutions to take any proceeds from the sale of any Schedule I controlled substance. Banks and other financial institutions could potentially be prosecuted and convicted of money laundering under the Bank Secrecy Act for providing services to cannabis businesses. Therefore, under the Bank Secrecy Act, banks or other financial institutions that provide a cannabis business with a checking account, debit or credit card, small business loan, or any other financial service could be charged with money laundering or conspiracy.

While there has been no change in U.S. federal banking laws to accommodate businesses in the large and increasing number of U.S. states that have legalized medical or adult-use marijuana, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network within the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“FinCEN”), in 2014, issued guidance (the “FinCEN Guidance”) to prosecutors of money laundering and other financial crimes. The FinCEN Guidance advised prosecutors not to focus their enforcement efforts on banks and other financial institutions that serve marijuana-related businesses so long as that marijuana-related business activities are legal in their state and none of the federal enforcement priorities referenced in the Cole Memorandum are being violated (such as keeping marijuana out of the hands of organized crime). The FinCEN Guidance also clarifies how financial institutions can provide services to marijuana-related businesses consistent with their Bank Secrecy Act obligations, including thorough customer due diligence, but makes it clear that they are doing so at their own risk. The customer due diligence steps typically include:

With respect to information regarding State licensure obtained in connection with such customer due diligence, a financial institution may reasonably rely on the accuracy of information provided by state licensing authorities, where States make such information available.

While the FinCEN Guidance decreased some risk for banks and financial institutions considering servicing the cannabis industry, in practice it has not increased banks’ willingness to provide services to marijuana-related businesses. This is because current U.S. federal law does not guarantee banks immunity from prosecution, and it also requires banks and other financial institutions to undertake time-consuming and costly due diligence on each marijuana-related business they accept as a customer.

Those State-chartered banks and/or credit unions that have agreed to work with marijuana businesses are typically limiting those accounts to small percentages of their total deposits to avoid creating a liquidity risk. Since, theoretically, the federal government could change the banking laws as it relates to marijuana-related businesses at any time and without notice, these banks and credit unions must keep sufficient cash on hand to be able to return the full value of all deposits from marijuana-related businesses in a single day, while also keeping sufficient liquid capital on hand to service their other customers. Those State-chartered banks and credit unions that do have customers in the marijuana industry can charge marijuana businesses high fees to cover the added cost of ensuring compliance with the FinCEN Guidance.

As an industry best practice and consistent with its standard operating procedures, Lowell Farms adheres to all customer due diligence steps in the FinCEN Guidance and any additional requirements imposed by those financial institutions it utilizes. However, in the event that any of our operations, or any proceeds thereof, any dividends or distributions therefrom, or any profits or revenues accruing from such operations in the United States were found to be in violation of anti-money laundering legislation or otherwise, such transactions could be viewed as proceeds of crime under one or more of the statutes noted above or any other applicable legislation. This could restrict or otherwise jeopardize our ability to declare or pay dividends or effect other distributions.

In the United States, the “SAFE Banking Act” has been put forth which would grant banks and other financial institutions immunity from federal criminal prosecution for servicing marijuana-related businesses if the underlying marijuana business follows State law. The SAFE Banking Act has been adopted by the House of Representatives multiple times since its initial introduction. Furthermore, the House of Representatives has passed other pieces of legislation key to marijuana reforms, such as the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act. The MORE Act would remove marijuana from the CSA and eliminate criminal penalties for individuals who manufacture, distribute or possess marijuana. While there is strong support in the public and within Congress for legislation such as the Safe Banking Act and the MORE Act, there can be no assurance that any such legislation will be adopted by both the House of Representatives and Senate. In both Canada and the United States, transactions involving banks and other financial institutions are both difficult and unpredictable under the current legal and regulatory landscape. Legislative changes could help to reduce or eliminate these challenges for companies in the cannabis space and would improve the efficiency of both significant and minor financial transactions.

Tax Concerns

An additional challenge for marijuana-related businesses is that the provisions of Internal Revenue Code Section 280E are being applied by the IRS to businesses operating in the medical and adult-use marijuana industry. Section 280E prohibits marijuana businesses from deducting their ordinary and necessary business expenses, forcing them to pay higher effective federal tax rates than similar companies in other industries. The effective tax rate on a marijuana business depends on how large its ratio of non-deductible expenses is to its total revenues. Therefore, businesses in the legal cannabis industry may be less profitable than they would otherwise be. Furthermore, although the IRS issued a clarification allowing the deduction of cost of goods sold, the scope of such eligible cost items is interpreted very narrowly, and the bulk of operating costs and general administrative costs are not permitted to be capitalized as part of inventory cost basis and deducted as part of cost of goods sold, or otherwise deducted from gross profit, in determining taxable income.

The 2018 Farm Bill

CBD is a non-psychoactive chemical found in cannabis and is often derived from hemp, which contains, at most, only trace amounts of THC. On December 20, 2018, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (popularly known as the 2018 Farm Bill) was signed into law. Until the 2018 Farm Bill became law, hemp fell within the definition of “marijuana” under the CSA and the DEA classified hemp as a Schedule I controlled substance because hemp is part of the cannabis plant.

The 2018 Farm Bill defines hemp as the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of the plant with a delta-9 THC concentration of not more than 0.3% by dry weight and removes hemp from the CSA. The 2018 Farm Bill requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, to, among other things: (1) evaluate and approve regulatory plans approved by individual states for the cultivation and production of industrial hemp, and (2) promulgate regulations and guidelines to establish and administer a program for the cultivation and production of hemp in the U.S. The regulations promulgated by the USDA will be in lieu of those States not adopting State-specific hemp regulations. Hemp and products derived from it, such as CBD, may then be sold into commerce and transported across State lines provided that the hemp from which any product is derived was cultivated under a license issued by an authorized state program approved by the USDA and otherwise meets the definition of hemp. The 2018 Farm Bill also explicitly preserved the authority of the FDA to regulate hemp-derived products under the U.S. Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Many have expected that the FDA will promulgate its own rules for the regulation of hemp-derived products. Notwithstanding the anticipated FDA rules, on October 29, 2019, the USDA published its proposed rules for the regulation of hemp, (referred to herein as the “USDA Rule”). The USDA Rule will go into effect immediately upon the conclusion of the public comment period and publication in the federal register by the USDA. The USDA Rule, among other things, sets minimum standards for the cultivation and production of hemp, as well as requirements for laboratory testing of hemp.

State Level Overview and Compliance Summary

In the United States, cannabis is largely regulated at the State level. Although California authorizes medical and adult-use marijuana production and distribution by licensed entities, and numerous other states have legalized marijuana in some form, under U.S. federal law, the possession, use, cultivation, and transfer of marijuana and any related drug paraphernalia remains illegal, and any such acts are criminal acts under U.S. federal law. Although we believe that our business activities are compliant with applicable State and local laws, strict compliance with State and local laws with respect to marijuana may neither absolve us of liability under U.S. federal law, nor provide a defense to any federal proceeding which may be brought against us. Any such proceedings brought against us may result in a material adverse effect on our business.

California Regulatory Landscape

In 1996, California was the first State to legalize medical marijuana through Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996. This provided an affirmative defense for defendants charged with the use, possession and cultivation of medical marijuana by patients with a physician recommendation for treatment of cancer, anorexia, AIDS, chronic pain, spasticity, glaucoma, arthritis, migraine, or any other illness for which marijuana provides relief. In 2003, Senate Bill 420 was signed into law, decriminalizing the use, possession, and collective cultivation of medical marijuana, and establishing an optional identification card system for medical marijuana patients.

In September 2015, the California legislature passed three bills collectively known as the “Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act,” or MCRSA. The MCRSA established a licensing and regulatory framework for medical marijuana businesses in California. The system created testing laboratories and distributors. Edible infused product manufacturers would require either volatile solvent or non-volatile solvent manufacturing licenses depending on their specific extraction methodology. Multiple agencies would oversee different aspects of the program and businesses would require a State license and local approval to operate. However, in November 2016, voters in California overwhelmingly passed Proposition 64, the “Adult Use of Marijuana Act,” or AUMA, creating an adult-use marijuana program for adult-use 21 years of age or older. In June 2017, the California State Legislature passed Senate Bill No. 94, known as Medicinal and Adult-Use Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act, or MAUCRSA, which amalgamated MCRSA and AUMA to provide a set of regulations to govern the medical and adult-use licensing regime for marijuana businesses in the State of California. MAUCRSA went into effect on January 1, 2018. In 2021, the three primary licensing agencies that regulated marijuana at the state level were the Bureau of Cannabis Control, or BCC, California Department of Food and Agriculture, or CDFA, and the California Department of Public Health, or CDPH.

On January 10, 2020, the three cannabis licensing agencies announced that California Governor Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal for cannabis industry regulation and taxation included plans to consolidate the three licensing entities into a single Department of Cannabis Control by July 2021. With the passage of AB 141 on July 12, 2021, the California Licensing Agencies were consolidated into the Department of Cannabis Control (“DCC”).  On September 8, 2021, the DCC announced proposed emergency regulations to move all cannabis regulations into Title 4 of the California Code of Regulations, with a stated goal of consolidating and improving the regulations. The proposed emergency regulations were in the review and comment period which closed on September 20, 2021.

One of the central features of MAUCRSA is known as “local control.” In order to legally operate a medical or adult-use marijuana business in California, an operator must have both a local and State license. This requires license-holders to operate in cities or counties with marijuana licensing programs. Cities and counties in California are allowed to determine the number of licenses they will issue to marijuana operators, or, alternatively, can choose to ban marijuana licenses.

Licenses

Once an operator obtains local approval, the operator must obtain State licenses before conducting any commercial marijuana activity. There are multiple license categories that cover all commercial activity. Lowell Farms and its subsidiaries are licensed to operate Medical and Adult-Use Manufacturing, Nursery, Cultivation, Processing and Distribution facilities under applicable California and local jurisdictional law. Lowell Farms’ licenses permit it to possess, cultivate, process, manufacture and wholesale medical and adult-use cannabis and cannabis goods in the State of California pursuant to the terms of the various licenses issued by the Department of Cannabis Control. The licenses are independently issued for each approved activity for use at the Lowell Farms facilities in California.

The following licenses are held by the Company:

The following license is held by 20800 Spence Road LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lowell SR LLC:

California State and local licenses, including for the City of Los Angeles, are renewed annually. Each year, licensees are required to submit a renewal application per published guidelines. While renewals are annual, there is no limit on the number of permitted annual renewals. To renew a City of Los Angeles license with the Department of Cannabis Regulation, DCR, a renewal application and renewal fee are required to be paid by the licensee no earlier than 120 calendar days before the expiration of the license, and no later than 60 calendar days before the expiration of the license. At the time of a license renewal application, a licensee must include updated annual licensing documents. As part of the renewal process, the DCR may require modification to the licensee’s security plan. To renew a license, a licensee must be in good standing as required by the DCR and shall not be delinquent on any City tax or fee.

In respect of the renewal process, provided that the requisite renewal fees are paid, the renewal application is submitted in a timely manner, and there are no material violations noted against the applicable license, Lowell Farms would expect to receive the applicable renewed license in the ordinary course of business. While Lowell Farms’ compliance controls have been developed to mitigate the risk of any material violations of a license arising, there is no assurance that Lowell Farms’ licenses will be renewed in the future in a timely manner. Any unexpected delays or costs associated with the licensing renewal process could impede the ongoing or planned operations of Lowell Farms and have a material adverse effect on Lowell Farms’ business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects.

California License and Regulations

The Adult-Use and Medicinal Cultivation licenses that have been granted to Lowell Farms permit cannabis cultivation activity, which means any activity involving the planting, growing, harvesting, drying, curing, grading or trimming of cannabis. Such licenses further permit the production of a limited number of non-manufactured cannabis products and the sales of cannabis to certain licensed entities within the State of California for resale or manufacturing purposes.

Lowell Farms’ Adult-Use and Medicinal Manufacturing licenses permit Lowell Farms to extract concentrated cannabis, THC, CBD and other cannabis extracts from cannabis plants, then convert them to cannabis concentrates, edibles, balms, beverages, vapes and a variety of other consumer goods. Lowell Farms also packages and labels these goods, including processed flower (the smokable part of the cannabis plant) for wholesale delivery.

The Adult-Use and Medicinal Distribution licenses permit Lowell Farms to complete cannabis related distribution activity which means the procurement, sale, and transportation of cannabis and cannabis products between licensed entities. Distribution activity is permissible to and from certain Lowell Farms and non-Lowell Farms licensees.

In the State of California, only cannabis that is grown in California can be sold in the state. Although California is not a vertically integrated system, Lowell Farms is vertically integrated and has the capabilities to cultivate, harvest, manufacture and wholesale cannabis and cannabis products to licensed retail dispensaries. Under manufacturing, distribution and cultivation licenses, the State of California also allows Lowell Farms to make a wholesale purchase of cannabis from, or a distribution of cannabis and cannabis product to, another licensed entity within the state.

California – Local Licensure, Zoning and Land Use Requirements

To obtain a State license, cannabis operators must first obtain local authorization, which is a prerequisite to obtaining State licensure. California’s DCC requires confirmation from the applicable locality that an applicant is in compliance with local requirements and has either been granted authorization to, upon State licensure, continue previous cannabis activities or commence cannabis operations. One of the basic aspects of obtaining local authorization is compliance with all local zoning and land use requirements. Local governments are permitted to prohibit or otherwise regulate the types and number of cannabis businesses allowed in their locality. Some localities have limited the number of authorizations an entity may hold in total or for various types of cannabis activity. Others have tiered the authorization process, granting the initial rounds of local authorization to applicants that previously conducted cannabis activity pursuant to the CUA or those that meet the locality’s definition of social equity.

California – Record-Keeping and Continuous Reporting Requirements

California’s State license application process additionally requires comprehensive criminal history, regulatory history and personal disclosures for all beneficial owners. Any criminal convictions or civil penalties or judgments occurring after licensure must promptly be reported to the regulatory agency from which the licensee holds a license. State licenses must be renewed annually. Disclosure requirements for local authorization may vary, but generally tend to mirror the State’s requirements.

Licensees must also keep detailed records pertaining to various aspects of the business for up to 7 years. Such records must be easily accessible by the regulatory agency from which the licensee holds a license. Additionally, licensees must record all business transactions, which must be uploaded to METRC, the statewide traceability system. Lowell Farms is in compliance in all material respects with these record-keeping and disclosure requirements.

Storage and Security

To ensure the safety and security of cannabis business premises and to maintain adequate controls against the diversion, theft, and loss of cannabis or cannabis products, Lowell Farms is required to do the following:

Marijuana Taxes in California

Several types of taxes are imposed in California for adult use sale. For 2020 and 2021, cultivators had the choice of being taxed at $9.65, per dry-weight ounce of cannabis flowers or $1.35 per ounce of wet-weight plants. Further, cultivators were required to pay $2.87 per ounce for cannabis leaves. Effective January 1, 2022, taxes increased to $10.08 per dry-weight ounce of cannabis flowers or $1.41 per ounce of wet-weight plants and cultivators are required to pay $3.00 per ounce for cannabis leaves, representing an increase of 3.2% - 4.5%. California also imposes an excise tax of 15%. Cities and counties apply their sales tax along with the state’s excise and many cities and counties have also authorized the imposition of special cannabis business taxes which can range from 2% to 10% of gross receipts of the business.

The Company has retained legal counsel and/or other advisors in connection with California’s marijuana regulatory program. The Company has developed standard operating procedures for licenses that are operational.

California – Operating Procedure Requirements

License applicants must submit standard operating procedures describing how the operator will, among other requirements, secure the facility, manage inventory, comply with the State’s seed-to-sale tracking requirements, dispense cannabis, and handle waste, as applicable to the license sought. Once the standard operating procedures are determined compliant and approved by the applicable State regulatory agency, the licensee is required to abide by the processes described and seek regulatory agency approval before any changes to such procedures may be made. Licensees are additionally required to train their employees on compliant operations and are only permitted to transact with other legal and licensed businesses.

Lowell Farms complies with these operational and training requirements by systematically training employees in various aspects of regulatory requirements, ensuring that operational and business practices are aligned with regulatory requirements, and by conducting internal audits to ensure compliance and identify areas for further training.

California – Site-Visits & Inspections

As a condition of State licensure, operators must consent to random and unannounced inspections of the commercial cannabis facility as well as the facility’s books and records to monitor and enforce compliance with State law. Many localities have also enacted similar standards for inspections, and the State of California has already commenced site-visits and compliance inspections for operators who have received State temporary or annual licensure.

California – Compliance Procedures

Lowell Farms utilizes MAX ERP, an integrated enterprise compliance platform, which integrates Lowell Farms’ inventory management program and standard operating procedures with the software’s compliance and quality features to facilitate compliance with State and local requirements. MAX ERP features include a compliance software solution that offers lot and batch control, recall management, document control and quality analysis. Additionally, Lowell Farms utilizes standard operating procedure building tools to facilitate the implementation and maintenance of compliant operations and tracks all required licensing maintenance criteria.

City of Los Angeles – Compliance Procedures

Following submission of a pre-application request and once compliance with the business premises location is completed, including all zoning requirements and sensitive use restrictions, the City of Los Angeles DCR will request and review attestations from primary personnel and owner(s) associated with the application. Following such review, the DCR will issue a determination of eligibility/ineligibility for further processing. A determination of eligibility is based on, among other things, an initial inspection and environmental clearance. Following a determination of eligibility, the DCR reviews the application for completeness, including the status of state licenses and verification of local compliance under way with the state agencies. Following temporary approval, applicants may apply for an annual license.

Continued compliance includes ongoing, unannounced inspections, investigations and audits conducted by the employees or agents of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health or the following City departments: the DCR, the Department of Building and Safety, the Department of City Planning, the Police Department, the Fire Department and the Office of Finance. Inspections may include an examination of employee practice; cannabis safety; proper storage; equipment/utensils; facility; plumbing fixtures; sign/license requirements; record keeping; compliance and enforcement; and requirements for manufacturing.

Lowell Farms has developed a robust compliance program designed to ensure operational and regulatory requirements continue to be satisfied, and has retained outside counsel to monitor its compliance with U.S. State and local law on an ongoing basis. Lowell Farms will continue to work closely with its legal counsel to develop and improve its internal compliance program and will defer to their legal opinions and risk mitigation guidance regarding California’s complex regulatory framework. The internal compliance program requires continued monitoring by managers and executives of Lowell Farms to ensure all operations conform to and comply with required laws, regulations and legally compliant standard operating procedures.

ITEM 1A. Risk Factors

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

We Have Limited Access to Capital

The Company’s access to capital is and may continue to be extremely limited, as a consequence of the development stage nature of the Company’s business, the Company’s recent operating results, the Company’s business focus on the cultivation, processing and distribution of cannabis products in violation of the CSA, and the dynamics of the capital markets.  This inhibits the ability of the Company to fund operations and investments in growth initiatives. The Company’s financial results, financial condition, business and prospects are and may continue to be materially adversely affected by its limited access capital. The Company’s inability to access capital required to operate and grow the Company’s business may result in the inability of the Company to meet its obligations to third parties.  In addition, the Company’s Convertible Debentures in the principal amount of $15.5 million mature on October 10, 2023, and there is no assurance that the Company will be able to secure financing to repay the maturing Convertible Debentures or extend the maturity thereof. The inability of the Company to secure additional financing or to refinance or to secure an extension of existing obligations of the Company could lead to the inability of the Company to meet its obligations to third parties and the insolvency of the Company.

Dependency on California Bulk Market Prices

The Company derives a significant portion of its revenues and margin from the bulk sale of cannabis that it cultivates in the State of California and the Company’s business overall is substantially affected by the prices for bulk sales of cannabis in California.  In 2021, the prices of bulk cannabis sales in California deteriorated substantially and at times fell below the Company’s marginal cost of cultivating cannabis.  In the absence of raising external capital, a prolonged continuation of these market conditions may impede the Company’s ability to fund ongoing operations and to meet its financial obligations to third parties, which in turn could lead to the insolvency of the Company.

Cannabis Continues to be a Controlled Substance under the Controlled Substance Act ("CSA") and is Illegal Under United States federal law.

The Company is engaged directly in the medical and adult-use cannabis industry. Excluding brand licensing revenues, the Company derives all of its revenues from the State of California and conducts its activities in accordance with applicable state and local laws. Even though the Company’s cannabis-related activities are compliant with applicable state and local law, such activities remain illegal under U.S. federal law.

In the United States, cannabis is extensively regulated at the state level. The majority of states, as well as the District of Columbia and multiple U.S. territories have legalized medical cannabis in some form. Of these States, 18 States, including California, have legalized cannabis for adult use. Notwithstanding the permissive regulatory environment of cannabis at the state level, cannabis continues to be categorized as a Schedule I controlled substance under the CSA and as such, the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, sale and possession of cannabis violates federal law. Although the Company believes its business is compliant with applicable state and local law, strict compliance with state and local laws with respect to cannabis may not absolve the Company of liability under federal law, nor may it provide a defense to any federal proceeding which be brought against the Company. Any such proceedings brought against the Company may result in a material adverse effect on the Company.

Since the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, sale and possession of cannabis is illegal under federal law, the Company may be deemed to be aiding and abetting illegal activities. Under these circumstances, U.S. law enforcement authorities, in their attempt to regulate the illegal use of cannabis, may seek to bring an action or actions against the Company, including, but not limited to, a claim regarding the possession and sale of cannabis, and/or aiding and abetting another’s criminal activities. The federal law provides that anyone who “commits an offense or aids, abets, counsels, commands, induces or procures its commission, is punishable as a principal.” As a result, the Department of Justice ("DOJ") could allege that Lowell Farms has “aided and abetted” violations of federal law by providing financing and services to its subsidiaries. Under these circumstances, a federal prosecutor could seek to seize the assets of the Company, and to recover any “illicit profits” previously distributed as of such time to shareholders resulting from any of the foregoing. In these circumstances, the Company’s operations would cease, shareholders could lose their entire investment and directors, officers and/or shareholders may be left to defend any criminal charges against them at their own expense and, if convicted, be sent to federal prison. Such potential criminal liability of our shareholders could arise solely by virtue of their activities as shareholders. Such an action would result in a material adverse effect on the Company.

The CBP enforces the laws of the United States. Crossing the border while in violation of the CSA and other related federal laws may result in denied admission, seizures, fines and apprehension. CBP officers administer the Immigration and Nationality Act to determine the admissibility of travelers, who are non-U.S. citizens, into the United States. An investment in the Company, if it became known to CBP, could have an impact on a shareholder’s admissibility into the United States and could lead to a lifetime ban on admission.

Enforcement of U.S. Federal Law Could Damage the Company’s Operations and Financial Position.

Since 2014, the United States Congress has passed appropriations bills that have included the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment. For now, the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment, as discussed above, is the only statutory restraint on enforcement of federal cannabis laws. Courts in the U.S. have construed these appropriations bills to prevent the federal government from prosecuting individuals or businesses when those individuals or businesses operate in strict compliance with state and local medical cannabis regulations; however, this legislation only covers medical cannabis, not adult-use cannabis, and has historically been passed as an amendment to omnibus appropriations bills, which by  their nature expire at the end of a fiscal year or other defined term.

The Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment may or may not be included in future omnibus appropriations packages or continuing budget resolutions, and its inclusion or non-inclusion, as applicable, is subject to political changes. Because this conduct continues to violate federal law, U.S. courts have observed that should the Congress at any time choose to appropriate funds to fully prosecute the CSA, any individual or business - even those that have fully complied with State law - could be prosecuted for violations of federal law and if the Congress restores such funding, the federal government will have the authority to prosecute individuals and businesses for violations of the law while it lacked funding, to the extent of the CSA’s five-year statute of limitations applicable to non-capital CSA violations. The Company may be irreparably harmed by any change in enforcement policies by the federal or applicable state governments, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, revenues, operating results and financial condition as well as the Company’s reputation.

Violations of any federal laws and regulations could result in significant fines, penalties, administrative sanctions, convictions or settlements arising from civil proceedings conducted by either the federal government or private citizens, or criminal charges, including, but not limited to, disgorgement of profits, cessation of business activities or divestiture. This could have a material adverse effect on the Company, including its reputation and ability to conduct business, its holding (directly or indirectly) of cannabis licenses in California, the listing of its securities on any stock exchange, its financial position, operating results, profitability or liquidity or the market price of its shares. In addition, it will be difficult for the Company to estimate the time or resources that would be needed in connection with the investigation of any such matters or its final resolution because, in part, the time and resources that may be needed are dependent on the nature and extent of any information requested by the applicable authorities involved, and such time or resources could be substantial.

As a result of the conflicting views between states and the federal government regarding cannabis, investments in cannabis businesses in the U.S. are subject to inconsistent legislation and regulation. The response to this inconsistency was addressed in the Cole Memorandum, acknowledging that notwithstanding the designation of cannabis as a controlled substance at the federal level in the United States, several U.S. states had enacted laws relating to cannabis for medical purposes. The Cole Memorandum outlined certain enforcement priorities for the DOJ relating to the prosecution of cannabis offenses. In particular, the Cole Memorandum noted that in jurisdictions that have enacted laws legalizing cannabis in some form and that have also implemented strong and effective regulatory and enforcement systems to control the cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, sale and possession of cannabis, conduct in compliance with those laws and regulations is less likely to be a priority at the federal level. Notably, however, the DOJ did not provide specific guidelines for what regulatory and enforcement systems it deemed sufficient under the Cole Memorandum standard.

In light of limited investigative and prosecutorial resources, the Cole Memorandum concluded that the DOJ should be focused on addressing only the most significant threats. States where cannabis had been legalized were not characterized as a high priority. In March 2017, the then newly appointed Attorney General Jeff Sessions again noted limited federal resources and acknowledged that much of the Cole Memorandum had merit; however, he disagreed that it had been implemented effectively. Accordingly, on January 4, 2018, Attorney General Sessions issued the Sessions Memorandum, which rescinded the Cole Memorandum on the basis that the direction provided therein was unnecessary, given the well-established principles governing federal prosecution that are already in place. Those principals are included in chapter 9-27-000 of the United States Attorneys’ Manual and require federal prosecutors deciding which cases to prosecute to weigh all relevant considerations, including federal law enforcement priorities set by the Attorney General, the seriousness of the crime, the deterrent effect of criminal prosecution and the cumulative impact of particular crimes on the community. Due to the ambiguity of the Sessions Memorandum and the lack of clarity provided by the DOJ since then, there can be no assurance that the federal government will not seek to prosecute cases involving cannabis businesses that are otherwise compliant with State law.

The effect of the rescission of the Cole Memorandum remains to be seen. Currently, federal prosecutors are free to utilize their prosecutorial discretion to decide whether to prosecute cannabis activities despite the existence of state-level laws that may be inconsistent with federal prohibitions. No direction was given to federal prosecutors in the Sessions Memorandum as to the priority they should ascribe to such cannabis activities, and resultantly it is uncertain how active federal prosecutors will be in relation to such activities. While some U.S. Attorneys expressed support for the rescission of the Cole Memorandum, numerous government officials, legislators and federal prosecutors in states with medical and adult-use cannabis statutes announced their intention to continue the Cole Memorandum-era status quo.

The impact that this lack of uniformity between state and federal authorities could have on individual state cannabis markets and the businesses that operate within them is unclear, and the enforcement of relevant federal laws is a significant risk. Potential federal prosecutions could involve significant restrictions being imposed upon the Company or third parties, while diverting the attention of key executives. Such proceedings could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, revenues, operating results and financial condition, as well as the Company’s reputation and prospects, even if such proceedings were concluded successfully in favor of the Company. Such proceedings could involve the prosecution of key executives of the Company or the seizure of corporate assets.

With each new administration at the U.S. federal level, it is possible that additional changes (whether positive or negative) could occur. There can be no assurance as to the position any new administration may take on marijuana and a new administration could decide to take a stronger approach to the enforcement of federal laws. Any enforcement of current federal laws could cause significant damage to the Company’s operations and financial position. Further, future presidential administrations may want to treat marijuana differently and potentially enforce the federal laws more aggressively.

Federal and State Forfeiture Laws Could Result in Seizure of our Assets.

As an entity that conducts business in the cannabis industry, the Company is subject to U. S. federal and state forfeiture laws (criminal and civil) that permit the government to seize the proceeds of criminal activity. Civil forfeiture laws could provide an alternative for the federal government or any state (or local police force) that wants to discourage residents from conducting transactions with cannabis related businesses but believes criminal liability is too difficult to prosecute. Also, an individual can be required to forfeit property considered to be the proceeds of a crime even if the individual is not convicted of the crime, and the standard of proof in a civil forfeiture matter is lower than the standard in a criminal matter. Shareholders of the Company located in jurisdictions where cannabis remains illegal may be at risk of prosecution under federal and/or state conspiracy, aiding and abetting, and money laundering statutes, and be at further risk of losing their investments or proceeds under forfeiture statutes. Many states remain fully able to take action to prevent the proceeds of cannabis businesses from entering their state. Because state legalization is relatively new, it remains to be seen whether these states would take such action and whether a court would approve it. Current and prospective securityholders of the Company or any entity related thereto should be aware of these potentially relevant federal and state laws in considering whether to remain invested or invest in the Company or any entity related thereto.

Future Research may Lead to Findings that Vaporizers, Electronic Cigarettes and Related Products are not Safe for Their Intended Use.

Vaporizers, electronic cigarettes and related products were recently developed and therefore the scientific or medical communities have had a limited period of time to study the long-term health effects of their use. Currently, there is limited scientific or medical data on the safety of such products for their intended use and the medical community is still studying the health effects of the use of such products, including the long-term health effects. If the scientific or medical community were to determine conclusively that use of any or all of these products pose long-term health risks, market demand for these products and their use could materially decline. Such a determination could also lead to litigation, reputational harm and significant regulation. Loss of demand for our product, product liability claims and increased regulation stemming from unfavorable scientific studies on cannabis vaporizer products could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Anti-Money Laundering Laws and Regulations May Limit Access to Traditional Banking Funds and Services.

The Company is subject to a variety of laws and regulations in the U.S. and Canada that involve money laundering, financial recordkeeping and proceeds of crime, including the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), the U.S. Anti-Money Laundering Laws, 18 U.S.C. §§ 1956, 1957, the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (Canada), as amended and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, the Criminal Code (Canada) and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by governmental authorities in the U.S. and Canada. Further, under federal law, banks or other financial institutions often refuse to provide a checking account, debit or credit card, small business loan, or any banking services that could be found guilty of money-laundering, aiding and abetting or conspiracy to businesses involved in the cannabis industry due to the present state of the laws and regulations governing financial institutions in the U.S. The lack of banking and financial services presents unique and significant challenges to businesses in the U.S. cannabis industry. While Lowell Farms has maintained bank accounts, the loss of such accounts and the potential lack of a secure place in which to deposit and store cash, the inability to pay creditors through the issuance of checks and the inability to secure traditional forms of operational financing, such as lines of credit, are some of the many challenges presented to U.S. cannabis companies, and which could conceivably impact the Company, by the unavailability of traditional banking and financial services.

Despite these laws, FinCEN issued the FinCEN Guidance in 2014, which as described above, outlines the pathways for financial institutions to bank state sanctioned cannabis businesses in compliance with federal enforcement priorities. The FinCEN Guidance echoed the enforcement priorities of the Cole Memorandum. Under these guidelines, financial institutions must submit a Suspicious Activity Report (“SAR”) in connection with all cannabis-related banking activities by any client of such financial institution, in accordance with federal money laundering laws. These cannabis-related SARs are divided into three categories - cannabis limited, cannabis priority, and cannabis terminated - based on the financial institution’s belief that the business in question follows state law, is operating outside of compliance with state law, or where the banking relationship has been terminated, respectively.

The FinCEN Guidance states that in some circumstances, it is permissible for banks to provide services to cannabis-related businesses without risking prosecution for violation of federal money laundering laws. It refers to supplementary guidance included in the Cole Memorandum. The revocation of the Cole Memorandum has not yet affected the status of the FinCEN Guidance, nor has the United States Department of the Treasury given any indication that it intends to rescind the FinCEN Guidance itself. Although the FinCEN Guidance remains intact, it is unclear whether the current administration or future administrations will continue to follow the guidelines of the FinCEN Guidance. The DOJ continues to have the right and power to prosecute crimes committed by banks and financial institutions, such as money laundering and violations of the Bank Secrecy Act, that occur in any state including states that have in some form legalized the sale of cannabis. Further, the conduct of the DOJ’s enforcement priorities could change for any number of reasons. A change in the DOJ’s priorities could result in the DOJ’s prosecuting banks and financial institutions for crimes that were not previously prosecuted.

In the event that any of the Company’s operations, or any proceeds thereof, any dividends or distributions therefrom, or any profits or revenues accruing from such operations in the United States were found to be in violation of money laundering legislation or otherwise, such transactions may be viewed as proceeds of a crime under one or more of the statutes noted above or any other applicable legislation. Apart from the consequences of any prosecution in connection with such violation, among other things, this could restrict or otherwise jeopardize the Company’s ability to declare or pay dividends, effect other distributions or subsequently repatriate such funds back to Canada.

Restricted Access to Banking Services Could Make Operating our Business and Maintaining our Finances Difficult.

The FinCEN Guidance, as further described above, remains effective to this day, in spite of the fact that the Cole Memorandum was rescinded and replaced by the Sessions Memorandum. The FinCEN Guidance does not provide any safe harbors or legal defenses from examination or regulatory or criminal enforcement actions by the DOJ, FinCEN or other federal regulators, though. Thus, most banks and other financial institutions in the U.S. do not appear to be comfortable providing banking services to cannabis-related businesses, or relying on this guidance, which can be amended or revoked at any time by the current or future federal administrations. In addition to the foregoing, banks may refuse to process debit card payments and credit card companies generally refuse to process credit card payments for cannabis-related businesses. As a result, the Company may have limited or no access to banking or other financial services in the U.S. The inability or limitation in the Company’s ability to open or maintain bank accounts, obtain other banking services and/or accept credit card and debit card payments may make it difficult for the Company to operate and conduct its business as planned or to operate efficiently.

Heightened Scrutiny by Securities Regulatory Authorities in the United States and Canada May Impact Investors’ Ability to Transact in the Company’s Securities.

The Company’s existing operations in the United States, and any future operations or investments, may become the subject of heightened scrutiny by regulators, stock exchanges and other authorities in the United States and/or Canada. As a result, the Company may be subject to significant direct and indirect interaction with public officials. It is impossible to determine the extent of the impact of any new laws, regulations or initiatives that may be proposed, or whether any proposals will become law or otherwise be adopted, and there can be no assurance that heightened scrutiny will not in turn lead to the imposition of certain restrictions on the Company’s ability to operate or invest in the United States or any other jurisdiction, in addition to those described herein.

The Company’s operations in the United States cannabis market may become the subject of heightened scrutiny by regulators, stock exchanges, clearing agencies and other authorities in Canada. It has been reported by certain publications in Canada that the Canadian Depository for Securities Limited is considering a policy shift that would see its subsidiary, CDS Clearing and Depository Services Inc. (“CDS”), refuse to settle trades for cannabis issuers that have investments in the United States. CDS is Canada’s central securities depository, clearing and settlement hub settling trades in the Canadian equity, fixed income and money markets. CDS or its parent company has not issued any public statement with regard to these reports. On February 8, 2018, following discussions with the Canadian Securities Administrators and recognized Canadian securities exchanges, CDS signed the CDS Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with The Aequitas NEO Exchange Inc., the CSE, the Toronto Stock Exchange, and the TSX Venture Exchange. The MOU outlines the parties’ understanding of Canada’s regulatory framework applicable to the rules and procedures and regulatory oversight of the exchanges and CDS as it relates to issuers with cannabis-related activities in the United States. The MOU confirms, with respect to the clearing of listed securities, that CDS relies on the exchanges to review the conduct of listed issuers. As a result, there currently is no CDS ban on the clearing of securities of issuers with cannabis -related activities in the United States. However, if CDS were to proceed in the manner suggested by these publications, and apply such a ban on the clearing of securities of the Company, it would have a material adverse effect on the ability of the Company’s shareholders to effect trades of shares through the facilities of a stock exchange in Canada, as a result of which such shares could become highly illiquid.

The Depositary Trust Company (“DTC”) is the primary depository for securities in the United States. Several major U.S. securities clearing companies that provide clearance, custody and settlement services in the United States terminated providing clearance services to issuers in the cannabis industry, including those that operate entirely outside the United States, in response to the Sessions Memo. As a result of these decisions, U.S. securityholders may experience difficulties depositing securities of cannabis companies in the DTC system or reselling their securities in open market transactions, including transactions facilitated through the CSE. Many larger U.S. broker-dealers own U.S. securities companies that self-clear transactions. However, some U.S. brokerages have adopted policies precluding their clients from trading securities of cannabis issuers.

Changes in State or Federal Political/or Regulatory Climate Could Impact the Company’s Business.

The success of the Company’s business strategy depends on the legality of the cannabis industry in the states in which the Company operates, and the lack of federal enforcement of its laws that make cannabis businesses illegal. The political environment surrounding the cannabis industry in general can be volatile and the statutory and regulatory framework remains in flux. Despite widespread state legalization, the risk remains that a shift in the regulatory or political realm could occur and have a drastic impact on the industry as a whole, adversely impacting the Company’s business, results of operations, financial condition or prospects.

Delays in enactment of or changes in new state regulations, or changes in federal laws or enforcement priorities, could restrict the Company’s ability to reach strategic growth targets and lower return on investor capital. The strategic growth strategy of the Company will be reliant upon state regulations being implemented to facilitate the operation of medical and adult-use cannabis in California. If such regulations are not timely implemented, or are subsequently repealed or amended, or contain prolonged or problematic phase-in or transition periods or provisions, the Company’s ability to achieve its growth targets, and thus, the return on investor capital, could be adversely affected. The Company is unable to predict with certainty when and how the outcome of these complex regulatory and legislative proceedings will affect its business and growth.

Further, there is no guarantee that state laws legalizing and regulating the sale and use of cannabis will not be repealed or overturned, or that local governmental authorities will not limit the applicability of state laws within their respective jurisdictions. If the federal government begins to enforce federal laws relating to cannabis in states where the sale and use of cannabis is currently legal, or if existing applicable state laws are repealed or curtailed, the Company’s business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects would be materially adversely affected. It is also important to note that local and city ordinances may strictly limit and/or restrict cannabis businesses in a manner that will make it extremely difficult or impossible to transact business that is necessary for the continued operation of the cannabis industry, including the Company. Federal actions against individuals or entities engaged in the cannabis industry or a repeal of applicable cannabis related legislation could adversely affect the Company and its business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.

The medical and adult-use cannabis industries are in their infancy and the Company anticipates that the current California regulations will be subject to change as California’s regulation of the cannabis industry matures. The Company’s compliance program emphasizes security and inventory control to ensure strict monitoring of cannabis and other inventory from cultivation to sale or disposal. Additionally, Lowell Farms has created standard operating procedures that include descriptions and instructions for monitoring inventory at all stages of cultivation, processing, manufacturing, distribution, transportation and delivery. The Company will continue to monitor compliance on an ongoing basis in accordance with its compliance program, standard operating procedures, and any changes to applicable regulation.

Overall, the medical and adult-use cannabis industry is subject to significant regulatory change at each of the local, state and federal level. The inability of the Company to respond to the changing regulatory landscape may cause it to be unsuccessful in capturing significant market share and could otherwise harm its business, results of operations, financial condition or prospects.

Investors Could Be Disqualified from Ownership in the Company.

The Company’s business is in a highly regulated industry in which many states have enacted extensive rules for ownership of a participant company. Investors in the Company could become disqualified from having an ownership stake in the Company under relevant laws and regulations of applicable state and/or local regulators, if the applicable owner is convicted of a certain type of felony or fails to meet the requirements for owning equity in a company like Negative Public Opinion and Perception of the Cannabis Industry Could Adversely Impact Our Ability to Operate and Our Growth Strategy.

Government policy changes or public opinion may result in a significant influence over the regulation of the cannabis industry in Canada, the United States or elsewhere. The Company believes the medical and adult-use cannabis industry is highly dependent on consumer perception regarding the safety and efficacy of such cannabis. Consumer perceptions regarding legality, morality, consumption, safety, efficacy and quality of cannabis are mixed and evolving. Public opinion and support for medical and adult-use cannabis has traditionally been inconsistent and varied from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. While public opinion and support appears to be rising for legalizing medical and adult-use cannabis, it remains a controversial issue subject to differing opinions surrounding the level of legalization (for example, medical cannabis as opposed to legalization in general). A negative shift in the public’s perception of cannabis in the United States or any other applicable jurisdiction could affect future legislation or regulation. Among other things, such a shift could cause state jurisdictions to abandon initiatives or proposals to legalize medical and/or adult-use cannabis, or could result in adverse regulatory changes in California, thereby limiting the Company’s growth prospects and number of new state jurisdictions into which the Company could expand. Any inability to fully implement the Company’s expansion strategy may have a material adverse effect on its business, results of operations or prospects.

Significant Licensure Requirements and Limitations in States Where Cannabis is Legal Could Impact the Company’s Ability to Maintain its Operations.

The Company’s business is subject to a variety of laws, regulations and guidelines relating to the cultivation, manufacture, management, transportation, extraction, storage and disposal of cannabis, including laws and regulations relating to health and safety, the conduct of operations and the protection of the environment. Achievement of the Company’s business objectives are contingent, in part, upon compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and obtaining all requisite regulatory approvals. Changes to such laws, regulations and guidelines due to matters beyond the control of the Company may cause adverse effects to the Company.

The Company will be required to obtain or renew government permits and licenses for its current and contemplated operations. Obtaining, amending or renewing the necessary governmental permits and licenses can be a time-consuming process involving numerous regulatory agencies, involving public hearings and costly undertakings on the Company’s part. The duration and success of the Company’s efforts to obtain, amend and renew permits and licenses will be contingent upon many variables not within its control, including the interpretation of applicable requirements implemented by the relevant permitting or licensing authority. The Company may not be able to obtain, amend or renew permits or licenses that are necessary to its operations. Any unexpected delays or costs associated with the permitting and licensing process could impede the ongoing or proposed operations of the Company. To the extent permits or licenses are not obtained, amended or renewed, or are subsequently suspended or revoked, the Company may be curtailed or prohibited from proceeding with its ongoing operations or planned renovation, development and commercialization activities. Such curtailment or prohibition may result in a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects. California state licenses, and some local licenses, are renewed annually. Each year, licensees are required to submit a renewal application per guidelines published by the Department of Cannabis Control (for state licenses) or the applicable local regulatory body (for local licenses), including the DCR. While renewals are annual, there is no ultimate expiry after which no renewals are permitted. Additionally, with respect to the renewal process, provided that the requisite renewal fees are paid, the renewal application is submitted in a timely manner and there are no material violations noted against the applicable license, the Company would expect to receive the applicable renewed license in the ordinary course of business.

Under MAUCRSA, after January 1, 2018, only license holders are permitted to engage in commercial cannabis activities. A prerequisite to obtaining a California state license is obtaining a valid license, permit or authorization from a local municipality. The process associated with acquiring a permanent state license is onerous and there are no assurances that the Company, or any subsidiary or entity to which the Company will provide or intends to provide services, will be granted any licenses or any renewals thereof. Because there are different licenses for different types of commercial cannabis activities, even if the Company, any subsidiary and/or any such entity to which the Company will provide services or intends to provide services is granted one or more licenses, there are no assurances that they will be granted all of the licenses they will need to effectuate the Company’s business plan. Further, as part of the permitting and licensing process in California, state and local officials may conduct both random and scheduled inspections of cannabis operations. The Company is required to comply with both state laws and regulations and applicable local ordinances and codes. Compliance with both state and local laws may be burdensome and failure to do so could result in the loss of licenses, civil penalties and possibly criminal prosecution. While the compliance controls of Lowell Farms have been developed to mitigate the risk of any material violations of any license it holds arising, there is no assurance that the Company’s licenses will be renewed by each applicable regulatory authority in the future in a timely manner. Any unexpected delays or costs associated with the licensing renewal process for any of the licenses held or to be held by the Company could impede the ongoing or planned operations of the Company and have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects.

The Company may become involved in a number of government or agency proceedings, investigations and audits. The outcome of any regulatory or agency proceedings, investigations, audits, and other contingencies could harm the Company’s reputation, require the Company to take, or refrain from taking, actions that could harm its operations or require the Company to pay substantial amounts of money, harming its financial condition. There can be no assurance that any pending or future regulatory or agency proceedings, investigations and audits will not result in substantial costs or a diversion of management’s attention and resources or have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects.

Reclassification of Cannabis in the United States Could Adversely Impact the Company’s Business and Growth Strategy.

If marijuana is re-categorized as a Schedule II or lower controlled substance, the ability to conduct research on the medical benefits of cannabis would most likely be improved; however, if cannabis is re-categorized as a Schedule II or other controlled substance, and the resulting re-classification would result in the requirement for FDA approval if medical claims are made for the Company’s products such as medical cannabis, then as a result, such products may be subject to a significant degree of regulation by the FDA and United States Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”). In that case, the Company may be required to be registered (licensed) to perform these activities and have the security, control, recordkeeping, reporting and inventory mechanisms required by the DEA to prevent drug loss and diversion. Obtaining the necessary registrations may result in delay of the cultivation, manufacturing or distribution of the Company’s anticipated products. The DEA conducts periodic inspections of certain registered establishments that handle controlled substances. Failure to maintain compliance could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations. The DEA may seek civil penalties, refuse to renew necessary registrations, or initiate proceedings to restrict, suspend or revoke those registrations. In certain circumstances, violations could lead to criminal proceedings. Furthermore, if the FDA, DEA, or any other regulatory authority determines that the Company’s products may have potential for abuse, it may require the Company to generate more clinical or other data than the Company currently anticipates in order to establish whether or to what extent the substance has an abuse potential, which could increase the cost and/or delay the launch of that product.

Service Providers May Suspend or Withdraw Services if an Adverse Change in Cannabis Regulation Occurs.

As a result of any adverse change to the approach in enforcement of United States cannabis laws, adverse regulatory or political change, additional scrutiny by regulatory authorities, adverse change in public perception in respect of the consumption of marijuana or otherwise, third party service providers to the Company could suspend or withdraw their services, which may have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, revenues, operating results, financial condition or prospects.

Increasing Legalization of Cannabis and Rapid Growth and Consolidation in the Cannabis Industry may Further Intensify Competition.

The cannabis industry is undergoing rapid growth and substantial change, and the legal landscape for medical and recreational cannabis is rapidly changing internationally. An increasing number of jurisdictions globally are passing legislation allowing for the production and distribution of medical and/or recreational cannabis in some form or another. Entry into the cannabis market by international competitors might lower the demand for our products.

The foregoing legalization and growth trends in the cannabis industry has resulted in an increase in competitors, consolidation and formation of strategic relationships. Such acquisitions or other consolidating transactions could harm us in a number of ways, including by losing strategic partners if they are acquired by or enter into relationships with a competitor, losing customers, revenue and market share, or forcing us to expend greater resources to meet new or additional competitive threats, all of which could harm our operating results. As competitors enter the market and become increasingly sophisticated, competition in the cannabis industry may intensify and place downward pressure on retail prices for products and services, which could negatively impact profitability.

The Company May Encounter Difficulties Enforcing its Contracts in Federal and Some State Courts.

Due to the nature of the Company’s business and the fact that its contracts involve cannabis and other activities that are not legal under federal law, the Company may face difficulties in enforcing its contracts in federal and certain state courts. The inability to enforce any of the Company’s contracts could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, operating results, financial condition or prospects. California enacted a law that provides that notwithstanding any other law, commercial activity relating to medicinal cannabis or adult-use cannabis conducted in compliance with California law and any applicable local standards, requirements, and regulations shall be deemed to be all of the following: (1) a lawful object of a contract, (2) not contrary to, an express provision of law, any policy of express law, or good morals, and (3) not against public policy.

The Company’s articles provide that the Supreme Court of the Province of British Columbia, Canada and the appellate Courts therefrom are the sole and exclusive forum for any derivative action brought on behalf of the Company, which may limit our investors’ flexibility in selecting a forum for any future disputes.

However, the Company’s articles do not limit the ability of investors to bring direct actions outside of British Columbia, Canada, including those arising under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Section 27 of the Securities Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over actions brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder, and Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Neither investors nor the Company and may waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder, and it is therefore uncertain whether the exclusive forum provision of our charter would be enforced by a court as to derivative claims brought under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act. Furthermore, the exclusive forum provision of the Company’s articles may increase the costs to investors in bringing claims, may discourage investors from bringing claims and may limit investors’ ability to bring claims in a judicial forum that they find favorable.

The COVID-19 Pandemic May Adversely Affect Our Business and Financial Condition.

The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted commercial and economic activity and contributed to significant volatility in the equity and debt markets in the U.S. and Canada. In the early stages of the Pandemic many jurisdictions, including the State of California and local municipalities, instituted quarantines, mask mandates, prohibitions on travel and the closure of offices, businesses, schools, retail stores and other public venues. Individual businesses and industries also implemented similar precautionary measures. Those measures, created significant disruption in supply chains and economic activity which were further complicated by the identification of new strains of the virus originating in the U.S. and elsewhere. Increased vaccination rates have coincided with the rollback of certain of these precautionary measures and increased commercial activity. The Company has continuously sought to assess the potential impact of the pandemic on its financial condition and operating results, any assessment is subject to extreme uncertainty as to probability, severity and duration of the pandemic. Despite increased vaccination rates and the rollback of certain precautionary measures, the continued spread of the virus globally could result in a protracted world-wide economic downturn, the effects of which could last for some period after the pandemic is controlled and/or abated and our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially adversely affected. The impact of COVID-19 could have the effect of heightening many of the other risk factors described herein.

Wildfire Risks in Certain Areas of California Could Adversely Impact the Company’s Operations.

Certain areas of California, including certain areas nearby the Company’s cultivation facility in Monterey County, can be negatively impacted by wildfires. Wildfires can cause smoke and ash to pass through greenhouse vents and cause cannabis plants to fail testing. As a result, the Company will close the greenhouse vents when needed to prohibit smoke and ash from entering the greenhouses at its cultivation facility. However, closing the greenhouse vents may cause elevated temperatures within the greenhouses and as a result induced plant stress, thereby negatively affecting plant yields. Wildfires can also cause essential sunlight to be blocked out, thereby negatively affecting plant yields in another manner. Overall, such wildfires can materially disrupt the Company’s ability to harvest cannabis crops, significantly diminishing both the size and quality of the crops harvested, the Company’s supply chain, and other operations and as a result can negatively impact the Company’s business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows. Wildfires that occurred in late summer, early fall 2020 negatively impacted the Company’s business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows during the third and fourth quarters of 2020. In the fourth quarter of 2020, the Company installed automated environmental control systems within individual grow rooms at its cultivation facility. While the Company believes that the addition of such systems should mitigate future negative effects of wildfires that may occur nearby the Company’s cultivation facility, there is no guarantee that such negative effects would in fact be mitigated. The extent to which any such future wildfires or any other natural disaster impacts the Company’s results will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted.  The Company experienced no adverse implications from wildfires in 2021.

The Company’s business is subject to the risks inherent in agricultural operations.

The Company’s business involves the growing of cannabis, an agricultural product. The Company’s business is subject to the risks inherent in the agricultural business, such as insects, plant diseases and similar agricultural risks. Although the Company’s cultivation is substantially completed indoors under climate control, some cultivation is completed outdoors, and there can be no assurance that natural elements will not have a material adverse effect on any future production.

The Company may be adversely impacted by rising or volatile energy costs.

The Company’s cannabis growing operations consume considerable energy, which makes it vulnerable to rising energy costs. Accordingly, rising or volatile energy costs may adversely affect the business of the Company and our ability to operate profitably.

We are dependent on key inputs, suppliers and skilled labor and fluctuations in the cost or availability of materials we use in our products and supply chain could negatively affect our results.

The cannabis industry is dependent on a number of key inputs and their related costs, including raw materials and supplies related to growing operations, as well as electricity, water and other local utilities. Any significant interruption or negative change in the availability or economics of the supply chain for key inputs, such as the raw material cost of cannabis, materials we use in our products and for the construction and development of our facilities, or natural or other disruptions to power or other utility systems, could materially impact our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects. Some of these inputs may only be available from a single supplier or a limited group of suppliers, or be sourced abroad. If a sole source supplier was to go out of business, we might be unable to find a replacement for such source in a timely manner, or at all. If a sole source supplier were to be acquired by a competitor, that competitor may elect not to sell to us in the future. Manufacturing delays or unexpected transportation delays, particularly from materials we source abroad, can also cause us to incur significantly increased costs. Any of these fluctuations may increase our cost of products and have an adverse effect on our profit margins, results of operations and financial condition. Any inability to secure required supplies and services, or to do so on appropriate terms, could have a materially adverse impact on our operations.

Our ability to compete and grow will be dependent on us having access, at a reasonable cost and in a timely manner, to skilled labor, equipment, parts and components. No assurances can be given that we will be successful in maintaining our required supply of skilled labor, equipment, parts and components. The imposition of health mandates due to COVID-19 or any other similar event may impact our ability to retain current employees and attract new employees.

Our sales are difficult to forecast.

As a result of recent and ongoing regulatory and policy changes in the medical and adult use cannabis industries and unreliable levels of market supply, the market data available is limited and unreliable. We must rely largely on our own market research to forecast sales, as detailed forecasts are not generally obtainable from other sources in the states in which our business operates. Additionally, any market research and our projections of estimated total retail sales, demographics, demand and similar consumer research, are based on assumptions from limited and unreliable market data. A failure in the demand for our products to materialize as a result of competition, technological change or other factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Additionally, the U.S. has imposed and may impose additional quotas, duties, tariffs, retaliatory or trade protection measures or other restrictions or regulations and may adversely adjust prevailing quota, duty or tariff levels, which can affect both the materials that we use to package our products and the sale of finished products. For example, the tariffs imposed by the U.S. on materials from China are impacting materials that we import for use in packaging in the U.S. Measures to reduce the impact of tariff increases or trade restrictions, including geographical diversification of our sources of supply, adjustments in packaging design and fabrication or increased prices, could increase our costs, delay our time to market and/or decrease sales. Other governmental action related to tariffs or international trade agreements has the potential to adversely impact demand for our products and our costs, customers, suppliers and global economic conditions and cause higher volatility in financial markets. While we actively review existing and proposed measures to seek to assess the impact of them on our business, changes in tariff rates, import duties and other new or augmented trade restrictions could have a number of negative impacts on our business, including higher consumer prices and reduced demand for our products and higher input costs.

We may complete additional acquisitions, enter into new lines of business and expand into new geographic markets and businesses, each of which may result in upfront costs and additional risks and uncertainties in our businesses.

We intend, if market conditions warrant, to grow our businesses by acquiring additional businesses, expanding existing products lines, entering into new product lines and entering new geographic markets. Attempts to expand our businesses involve a number of special risks, including some or all of the following:

In addition, the acquisition of additional businesses would involve some or all of the integration risks identified below. Not all of our historical acquisitions have been successful. Because we have not yet identified these potential new acquisitions, product line expansions, and expansions into new geographic markets or lines of business, we cannot identify all of the specific risks we may face and the potential adverse consequences on us and their investment that may result from any attempted acquisition or expansion.

The integration of new businesses into the Company’s historical operations may present material challenges, including, without limitation:

Some of these factors are outside of our control, and any one of them could result in delays, increased costs, decreases in the amount of potential revenues or synergies, potential cost savings, and diversion of management’s time and energy, which could materially affect our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.

Risks Related to the Securities of the Company

Unpredictability caused by the Company’s capital structure could adversely impact the market for the Company’s securities.

Although other Canadian-listed companies have dual class or multiple voting and exchangeable share structures, given the other unique features of the capital structure of the Company, including the existence of a significant amount of redeemable equity securities that have been issued by, and are issuable pursuant to the exercise, conversion or exchange of the applicable convertible and exchangeable securities of Indus Holding Company, which equity securities are redeemable from time to time for Subordinate Voting Shares in accordance with their terms, the Company is not able to predict whether this structure will result in a lower trading price for or greater fluctuations in the trading price of the Subordinate Voting Shares or will result in adverse publicity to the Company or other adverse consequences.

Investors Could be Diluted by Future Financings.

The Company may need to raise additional financing in the future through the issuance of additional equity securities or convertible debt securities. If the Company raises additional funding by issuing additional equity securities or convertible debt securities, such financings may substantially dilute the interests of shareholders of the Company and reduce the value of their investment and the value of the Company’s securities.

The Market for Subordinate Voting Shares May be Illiquid and The Market Price of the Subordinate Voting Shares is Volatile.

There may not be an active, liquid market for the Subordinate Voting Shares. There is no guarantee that an active trading market for the Subordinate Voting Shares will be maintained on the CSE. Investors may not be able to sell their Subordinate Voting Shares quickly or at the latest market price if trading in the Subordinate Voting Shares is not active.

The market price of the Subordinate Voting Shares cannot be predicted and has been and may be volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in response to numerous factors, many of which are beyond the Company’s control. This volatility may affect the ability of holders of Subordinate Voting Shares to sell their securities at an advantageous price. Market price fluctuations in the Subordinate Voting Shares may be due to the Company’s operating results failing to meet expectations of securities analysts or investors in any period, downward revision in securities analysts’ estimates, adverse changes in general market conditions or competitive, regulatory or economic trends, adverse changes in the economic performance or market valuations of companies in the industry in which the Company operates, acquisitions, dispositions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, capital commitments or other material public announcements by the Company or its competitors or government and regulatory authorities, operating and share price performance of the companies that investors deem comparable to the Company, addition or departure of the Company’s executive officers and other key personnel, along with a variety of additional factors. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the market price of the Subordinate Voting Shares.

Financial markets have at times historically experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that have particularly affected the market prices of equity and convertible securities of companies and that have often been unrelated to the operating performance, underlying asset values or prospects of such companies. Accordingly, the market price of the Subordinate Voting Shares and any other listed securities of the Company, from time to time, may decline even if the Company’s operating results, underlying asset values or prospects have not changed. Additionally, these factors, as well as other related factors, may cause decreases in asset values that are deemed to be other than temporary, which may result in impairment losses. There can be no assurance that continuing fluctuations in price and volume will not occur. If such increased levels of volatility and market turmoil arise or continue, the Company’s operations may be adversely impacted and the trading price of the Subordinate Voting Shares and such other securities may be materially adversely affected.

Future sales of Subordinate Voting Shares in the public market, or the perception that such sales may occur, could adversely affect the prevailing market price of the Subordinate Voting Shares.

As of March 24, 2022, there were 100,288,094 Subordinate Voting Shares outstanding and the following Subordinate Voting Shares are issuable upon the conversion, redemption, or exercise of derivate securities of Lowell Farms and Indus Holding Company:

  Of our 100,288,094 outstanding Subordinate Voting Shares, 309,981 Subordinate Voting Shares issued in connection with the C Quadrant Acquisition are held in escrow and, absent offsetting claims for indemnification, will be released on June 29, 2022.

The Company has filed resale registration statements under the Securities Act covering the securities issued in the Lowell Acquisition, C Quadrant Acquisition, and PIPE transaction, and such registration statements have been declared effective. Accordingly, such securities may be resold pursuant to such registration statements, as well as any applicable exemption from registration, subject to the trading restrictions and expiration of the escrows noted above.

Future sales of Subordinate Voting Shares in the public market, or the perception that such sales may occur, could adversely affect the prevailing market price of the Subordinate Voting Shares.

The Company has experienced negative operating cash flows throughout its history and had negative operating cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019. Operating cash flows may decline in certain circumstances, many of which are beyond the Company’s control. As a result, the Company may need to allocate a portion of its existing working capital or a portion of the net proceeds of the Offering or any future securities issuance to fund any such negative operating cash flow in future periods.

Loss of Foreign Private Issuer Status

As of January 1, 2021, the Company ceased to meet the definition of a “foreign private issuer” set out in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. As of that date, the aggregate number of Super Voting Shares and Subordinate Voting Shares, held of record, directly or indirectly, by U.S. Residents exceeded 50% of the aggregate number of Super Voting Shares and Subordinate Voting Shares issued and outstanding. As a result of the loss of foreign private issuer status and the filing of our Form 10 that became effective on May 8, 2021, we are subject to SEC disclosure rules and other rules and regulations applicable to domestic issuers. These obligations require significant financial and management resources. We are also subject to liability under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act. Liability under these acts can lead to monetary fines, limitations on future financings and, if imposed, may impede our ability to finance our business.

Risks Related to the Support Agreement

The Company and Indus Holding Company are parties to an amended and restated support agreement dated as of April 10, 2020 (the “Support Agreement”). The purpose of the Support Agreement is to ensure that pro rata ownership of the Company’s operating subsidiaries by holders of Subordinate Voting Shares relative to holders of Indus Redeemable Shares is not diluted as Indus Class B Common Shares and Indus Class C Common Shares are redeemed for Subordinate Voting Shares or as other securities are issued by the Company. In order to avoid such dilution, the Support Agreement provides that upon any redemption of Indus Class B Common Shares or Indus Class C Common Shares for Subordinate Voting Shares, or upon any issuance of additional Subordinate Voting Share by the Company, an equivalent number of Indus Class A Common Shares will be issued to the Company by Indus Holding Company. If the Support Agreement does not operate as intended, and in particular if the Indus Class A Common Shares issued to the Company in the future are not sufficient to maintain an equivalent per share interest of the Subordinate Voting Shares and the Indus Redeemable Shares in the Company’s operating subsidiaries, the participation of holders of Subordinate Voting Shares in any dividends and liquidating distributions by such operating subsidiaries could be adversely impacted.

Risk Relating to Taxation

The Company is a tax resident of both the U.S. and Canada and is, therefore, generally subject to both U.S. and Canadian taxation, which may adversely affect its results of operations.

The Company is treated as a United States company for U.S. Federal income tax purposes under section 7874 of the Code and is subject to United States Federal income tax on its worldwide income. However, for Canadian income tax purposes, the Company is, regardless of any application of section 7874 of the Code, treated as a resident of Canada for purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada). As a result, the Company is subject to taxation both in Canada and the United States, which could have a material adverse effect on its financial condition and results of operations.

ITEM 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

Not applicable.

ITEM 2. Properties

DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY

Lowell Farms presently leases its facilities through its subsidiaries other than the processing facility it owns in Salinas, California. The following table sets forth information about our properties. We believe that these facilities are generally suitable to meet our needs.

_________________

¹ Lowell Farms has two 4-year extension options.

² Lowell Farms has three 2-year extension options.

³ Lowell Farms has five 5-year extension options.

CORPORATE INFORMATION

General

We are governed by the laws of British Columbia, Canada. On April 26, 2019, we completed a reverse takeover transaction (the “Business Combination” or the “RTO”) with Indus Holding Company, a Delaware corporation. On February 25, 2021, we completed the Lowell Acquisition. Effective March 1, 2021, in connection with the Lowell Acquisition, we changed our name to Lowell Farms Inc.

The Company was incorporated under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) on October 27, 2005, under the name Zoolander Corporation and changed its name to “Mezzotin Minerals Inc.” on September 10, 2013.

Prior to the Business Combination, the Company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of properties prospective for rare earth metals in Zimbabwe. In October 2018, the Company sold all of its exploration property interests in Zimbabwe and had no commercial operations or operating revenues at the time of the Business Combination.

Indus Holding Company was formed as a Delaware corporation on January 2, 2015. Indus Holding Company owns all of our operating subsidiaries.

Corporate Structure

Set forth below is the organization chart of the Company, setting out all material subsidiaries of the Company and their jurisdiction of incorporation, formation or organization. Each of the subsidiaries of Indus Holding Company is wholly-owned by it. The Company is presently carrying on active business operations solely in California.

The primary purpose or main business of each entity is as follows:

The head office of the Company is located at 19 Quail Run Circle – Suite B, Salinas, California 93907 USA. The registered office of the Company is Suite 2200, HSBC Building, 885 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 3E8 Canada. Our website address is https://www.lowellfarms.com. No information available on or through our website shall be deemed to be incorporated into this Form 10-K.

The Business Combination

On March 29, 2019, the Company entered into a definitive agreement with Indus Holding Company and certain other parties pursuant to which the Company effected the Business Combination. The Business Combination resulted in a reverse take-over of the Company by the securityholders of Indus Holding Company.

In connection with the Business Combination:

Mezzotin created (i) the Subordinate Voting Shares as a new class of equity securities and all outstanding common shares of Mezzotin were reclassified as Subordinate Voting Shares at a ratio of one Subordinate Voting Share for every 485.3 common shares and (ii) a new class of non-participating securities of Mezzotin designated super voting shares (“Super Voting Shares”) (collectively, the “Share Terms Amendment”).

Indus Holding Company was recapitalized by an amendment and restatement of its certificate of incorporation. Pursuant to the recapitalization, the voting Class A Common Shares (“Indus Class A Common Shares “) and the non-voting Class B Common Shares (“Indus Class B Common Shares “) of Indus Holding Company were created, and all outstanding shares of stock of Indus Holding Company were reclassified as Indus Class B Common Shares on a one-for-one basis. Indus Class B Common Shares are redeemable at the option of the holder for Subordinate Voting Shares on a one-for-one basis or, at Indus Holding Company’s option, for cash.

Simultaneously, the Company subscribed for and became the sole holder of the Indus Class A Common Shares. The purchase price for the Class A Common Shares was paid from the proceeds of a subscription receipts financing conducted in connection with the Business Combination.

The Convertible Debenture Offering

Effective April 16, 2020, in connection with the completion of a private placement of convertible debentures and warrants (the “Convertible Debenture Offering”), the articles of the Company (at that time named Indus Holdings, Inc.) were amended to create a class of non-voting Class C Common Shares. The debentures issued in the Convertible Debenture Offering are convertible into Indus Class C Common Shares. The Indus Class C Common Shares are redeemable at the option of the holder for Subordinate Voting Shares on a one-for-one basis. 

Name Change

Effective March 1, 2021, in connection with the Lowell Acquisition, the Company changed its name from Indus Holdings, Inc. to Lowell Farms Inc. On March 5, 2021, the Subordinate Voting Shares began trading on the CSE under the ticker symbol LOWL and the (“December 2020 Warrants”) issued by the Company (then named Indus Holdings, Inc.) in connection with the December 2020 Unit Offering began trading on the CSE under the ticker symbol LOWL.WT. Also on March 5, 2021, the Subordinate Voting Shares began trading on the OTCQX under the ticker symbol LOWLF.

ITEM 3. Legal Proceedings

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

There are no legal proceedings material to the Company to which the Company or a subsidiary thereof is a party or of which any of their respective property is the subject matter, nor are there any such proceedings known to the Company to be contemplated, and there have been no such legal proceedings during the Company’s most recently completed financial year.

ITEM 4. Mine Safety Disclosure

Not applicable.

Part II

ITEM 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

MARKET PRICE AND DIVIDENDS ON COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

Market Information

The Subordinate Voting Shares are listed for trading on the CSE under the symbol “LOWL” and the warrants are listed on the CSE under the symbol “LOWL.WT.” The Subordinate Voting Shares commenced trading on the CSE effective April 30, 2019. Our shares are also traded over-the-counter in the United States on the OTCQX under the symbol “LOWLF.” Any over-the-counter market quotations reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down, or commission and may not necessarily represent actual transactions.

The following table sets forth trading information for the Subordinate Voting Shares for the periods indicated, as quoted on the CSE.

The following table sets forth trading information for the Subordinate Voting Shares for the periods indicated, as quoted on the OTCQX.

Shareholders 

We had approximately 395 shareholders of record as of March 24, 2022. This does not include shares held in the name of a broker, bank or other nominees (typically referred to as being held in “street name”).

Dividends 

The Company has not paid dividends and currently intends to reinvest any future earnings to finance the development and growth of its business. As a result, the Company does not intend to pay dividends on the Subordinate Voting Shares in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay distributions will be at the discretion of the Board and will depend on the financial condition, business environment, operating results, capital requirements, any contractual restrictions on the payment of distributions and any other factors that the Board deems relevant. Apart from the requirement to comply with applicable corporate law in connection with the declaration of any dividend, Lowell Farms is restricted from declaring any dividends or other distributions pursuant to the terms and conditions of the purchase agreement relating to the Convertible Debenture Offering. 

ITEM 6. [Reserved]

ITEM 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2021, COMPARED TO YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2020 AND THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2020, COMPARED TO YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2019

This management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A") of the financial condition and results of operations of the Company is for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. All dollar amounts in this MD&A are expressed in thousands of United States dollars ("$" or "US$"), unless otherwise indicated.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

In addition to historical information, this Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and, in particular, the risks discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and those discussed in other documents we file with the SEC. We undertake no obligation, and specifically disclaim any obligation, to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these and any other forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

OVERVIEW OF THE COMPANY

We are a California-based cannabis company with vertically integrated operations including large scale cultivation, extraction, processing, manufacturing, branding, packaging and wholesale distribution to retail dispensaries. We manufacture and distribute proprietary and a limited number of third-party brands throughout the State of California, the largest cannabis market in the world. We also provide manufacturing, extraction and distribution services to several third-party cannabis and cannabis branding companies. We operate a 225,000 square foot greenhouse cultivation facility and a 40,000 square foot processing facility in Monterey County, a 15,000 square foot manufacturing and laboratory facility in Salinas, California, a separate 20,000 square foot distribution facility in Salinas, California and a warehouse depot and distribution vehicles in Los Angeles, California. Additionally, we presently license the Lowell Smokes brand to Ascend Wellness Holdings, LLC, at their retail locations in Illinois and Massachusetts.

Our present product offerings include flower, pre-rolls, vape pens, oils, extracts, chocolate edibles, mints, gummies, topicals and tinctures. We sell our products under owned and third-party brands. Brands we own include the following: Lowell Herb Co. and Lowell Smokes (premium packaged flower, pre-roll, concentrates, and vape products); Cypress Reserve (a premium flower brand); Flavor Extracts (crumble and terp sugar products): Kaizen (premium brand cannabis concentrates); House Weed (a value driven flower, vapes and concentrates offering delivering a flavorful and potent experience); Moon (a range of high-potency, high-quality and high-value edibles); Altai (hand-crafted and award-winning edibles); Humble Flower (a premium brand offering cannabis-infused topical creams, balms and oils); Original Pot Company (baked edibles) and CannaStripe (gummy edibles). We also exclusively manufacture and distribute for several third party brands in California and provide third party extraction processing and distribution services and bulk extraction concentrates and flower to licensed manufacturers and distributors.

We conduct cannabis cultivation operations located in Monterey County, California. We currently operate a cultivation facility which includes four greenhouses totaling approximately 225,000 square feet sited on 10 acres located on Zabala Road. Farming cannabis at this scale enables us to curate specialized strains and maintain greater control over the quantity and quality of cannabis available for our products, preserving the consistency of our flower and cannabis feedstocks for our extraction laboratory and product manufacturing operations. We maintain a strict quality control process which facilitates a predictable output yield of pesticide-free products.

Our manufacturing facility is located in Salinas, California and houses our edible product operations and extraction and distillation operations. The edible product operations utilize internally produced cannabis oil, which can also be supplied from multiple external sources. Our manufacturing operations produce a wide variety of cannabis-infused products in our 15,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Salinas. Our products include chocolate confections, tinctures, baked goods, hard and soft non-chocolate confections, and topical lotions and balms. Lowell Farms utilizes modern commercial production equipment and employs food grade manufacturing protocols, including industry-leading standard operating procedures designed so that its products meet stringent quality standards. We have implemented updated compliance, packaging and labeling standards to meet the requirements of the California Medical and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act with the advent of adult use legalization in California.

We also operate an automated flower packaging line and a pre-roll assembly line for making finished goods in those respective categories with feedstock grown at our cultivation operations.

On June 29, 2021 we announced that we acquired real property and related assets of a first-of-its-kind cannabis drying and midstream processing facility located in Monterey County, nearby our flagship cultivation operation. The 10-acre, 40,000 square foot processing facility provides drying, bucking, trimming, sorting, grading, and packaging operations for up to 250,000 pounds of wholesale cannabis flower annually. The new facility processes nearly all the cannabis that we grow at our existing cultivation operations. Additionally, we commissioned a new business unit called Lowell Farm Services (“LFS”), which engages in fee-based processing services for regional growers from primarily the Salinas Valley area, one of the largest and fastest growing cannabis cultivation regions in the country. LFS operations became operational during the third quarter of 2021.

Our business is conducted by the following subsidiaries of the Company:

 The Company's corporate office and principal place of business is located at 19 Quail Run Circle, Salinas, California. As of December 31, 2021, we had 244 full-time employees and 1 part time employee, substantially all of whom are located in California. Additionally, Lowell Farms utilizes contract employees in security, cultivation, processing, packaging and warehousing activities. The use of contract employees enables Lowell Farms to manage variable staffing needs and in the case of cultivation and security personnel, access to experienced, qualified and readily available human resources.

Recent Developments

Acquisitions

On February 25, 2021, we acquired the Lowell Herb Co. and Lowell Smokes trademark brands, product portfolio and production assets from The Hacienda Group, a California limited liability company (“Hacienda”), and its subsidiaries. The acquisition is referred to in this Form 10-K as the “Lowell Acquisition.” The Lowell Acquisition expanded our product offerings by adding a highly regarded, mature line of premium branded cannabis pre-rolls, including infused pre-rolls, to our product portfolio under the Lowell Herb Co. and Lowell Smokes brands. The Lowell Acquisition also expanded our offerings of premium packaged flower, concentrates, and vape products. Upon the completion of the acquisition of certain regulatory assets in the Lowell Acquisition, we acquired certain non-hydrocarbon extraction assets used for the production of oils, water hashish, bubble hashish and rosin. The acquisition was valued at approximately $41 million, comprised of $4.1 million in cash and the issuance of 22,643,678 Subordinate Voting Shares. In connection with this acquisition, the Company changed its corporate name to Lowell Farms Inc. effective March 1, 2021.

On June 29, 2021, we acquired real property and related assets, and commissioned a cannabis drying and midstream processing facility located in Monterey County. The 10-acre, 40,000 square foot processing facility provides drying, bucking, trimming, sorting, grading, and packaging operations for up to 250,000 pounds of wholesale cannabis flower annually. The new facility processes nearly all the cannabis that we grow at our existing cultivation operations. Additionally, we commissioned a new business unit called Lowell Farm Services (“LFS”), which engages in fee-based processing services for regional growers from the Salinas Valley area. LFS operations became operational during the third quarter of 2021.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company has provided certain supplemental non-GAAP financial measures in this MD&A. Where the Company has provided such non-GAAP financial measures, we have also provided a reconciliation below to the most comparable GAAP financial measure, see “Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Financial and Performance Measures” in this MD&A. These supplemental non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered superior to, as a substitute for or as an alternative to, and should only be considered in conjunction with, the GAAP financial measures presented herein.

In this MD&A, reference is made to adjusted EBITDA and working capital which are not measures of financial performance under GAAP. The Company calculates each as follows:

These measures are not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.

The table below reconciles Net loss to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods indicated:

_____________

⁽¹⁾ Non-GAAP measure

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2020 and Year Ended December 31, 2020 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2019

Revenue

We derive our revenue from sales of extracts, distillates, branded and packaged cannabis flower, pre-rolls, concentrates and edible products to retail licensed dispensaries and bulk flower, biomass and concentrates to licensed manufacturers and distributors in the state of California. In addition, we distribute proprietary and several third-party brands throughout the state of California, and commencing in the quarter ended September 30, 2021, we began providing fee services for drying and processing third-party product for licensed cultivators in the State of California and as well as licensing the Lowell Smokes brand in Illinois and Massachusetts. The Company recognizes revenue upon delivery of goods to customers since at this time performance obligations are satisfied.

The Company classifies its revenues into the following major categories: Consumer Packaged Goods (“CPG”) revenue, Bulk revenue, Lowell Farm Services revenue, and Licensing revenue.

Previously the Company categorized its revenues as owned, agency and distributed brands and has reclassified the prior year categorization to conform with 2021 presentation.

Revenue by Category

Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2020:

CPG revenues increased as a result of acquiring the Lowell Smokes and Lowell Herb Co. brands in February 2021. Lowell brand revenues were $17.6 million and represented 52% of CPG revenues. House Weed brand sales increased $4.3 million in 2021 reflecting increased packaged flower sales and introducing new vape and concentrates offerings in the House Weed brand. Offsetting the addition of Lowell brands and increased House Weed sales in 2021 was a decline in third-party agency and distributed brand revenue from $10.7 million in 2020 to $2.7 million in 2021, a $7.3 million decline in Cypress Reserve packaged flower sales which were replaced by Lowell and House Weed flower sales, and a $3 million decline in concentrates brands Flavor and Kaizen as we reorganized our concentrates brand offerings in 2021.

Bulk sales increased in 2021 primarily reflecting increased flower yield from our cultivation as we recovered from the impact from wildfires in 2020. Flower pounds harvested increased from approximately 17,000 pounds in 2020 to over 32,000 pounds in 2021, some of which was sold as CPG packaged flower and some as bulk. Offsetting the increase in flower pounds was a significant industry-wide decline in bulk flower pricing in the second half of 2021 when prices in the third quarter of 2021 declined approximately 70% from the 2020 third quarter and prices sequentially declined approximately 40% in the fourth quarter of 2021 from the third quarter.

LFS and licensing revenues were new activities initiated in the second half of 2021, with LFS generating $3.1 million in revenue in the fourth quarter reflecting the traditional fall harvest season.

A strategic decision was made in 2021 to focus only on agency and distributed brands that realize a higher per order sales level.

Year Ended December 31, 2020 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2019:

CPG revenues increased primarily as a result of an increase of $2.6 million in Cypress Reserve and House Weed packaged flower, $2.1 million in Flavor concentrates revenue and $1.5 million in Kaizen concentrates sales, which was acquired in May 2019, offset by a decline in agency and distributed brand revenues.

Bulk revenues increased $2.7 million reflecting increased flower output from renovated cultivation greenhouses.

Lowell expects to focus on profitable sales growth in 2022 primarily through a full year of LFS, licensing and, to a lesser extent, Lowell brand sales which were acquired February 25, 2021. Flower capacity in 2022 is expected to increase to 35,000 - 40,000 pounds harvested compared to approximately 32,000 harvested pounds in 2021. The increased output also increases internally sourced materials for distillation and concentrate products. Revenues are also expected to increase, although at a slower pace, through improved penetration of Lowell brand pre-rolls, including new infused products, House Weed vapes and concentrates and Kaizen concentrates. LFS revenue is expected to be seasonal with nominal revenue early in the year and begin to ramp up mid-year and peak in the fourth quarter as new customers are onboarded, and third-party outdoor cultivations harvest. We expect bulk flower prices to increase modestly from the lows experienced in December 2021 and be relatively stable throughout 2022.

Cost of Sales, Gross Profit and Gross Margin

Cost of goods sold consist of direct and indirect costs of production processing and distribution, and includes amounts paid for direct labor, raw materials, packaging, operating supplies, and allocated overhead, which includes allocations of right of use asset depreciation, insurance, managerial salaries, utilities, and other expenses, such as employee training, cultivation taxes and product testing. The Company manufactures for several brands and processes for cultivators that do not have the capability, licensing or capacity to process their own products. The fees earned for these activities absorbs fixed overhead in manufacturing and generates service revenue. Our focus in 2022 is expected to be on flower, pre-rolls and concentrates, on processing owned and third party product at our recently acquired processing facility, and on increased vertical integration utilizing greater internally sourced biomass for edible and vape products. We are focusing on executing smaller, more frequent production runs to lower inventory working capital, optimize efficiencies and expedite product getting to the market faster, while continuing to decrease third party manufacturing activities.

Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2020:

Gross margin was 4.6% and 5.2% in the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The change between periods in gross profit and gross margin is primarily due to a significant industry wide reduction in bulk flower pricing of approximately 70% between periods on our approximately 50% greater amount of harvested pounds in the current year, and on start-up costs associated with the new processing facility.

We expect to realize improved gross margin in 2022 as a result of the continuing growth of retail flower and pre-roll products and concentrates from biomass produced at our cultivation facility, the anticipated increase in LFS revenues, and a full year of licensing fees from two states. We expect that bulk flower pricing will remain soft in the first half of 2022 but modestly increase from December 2021 pricing, and maintain relatively stable through the fall outdoor crop harvesting season.

Year Ended December 31, 2020 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2019:

Gross margin was 5.2% and (29.0%) in the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The improvement between periods in gross profit and gross margin is primarily due to efficiencies from the $5.6 million, or 15% increase in revenue, reflecting increased cultivation output of flower and biomass which approximately doubled in 2020 compared to the prior year, on a similar cost base.

Total Operating Expenses

Total operating expenses consist primarily of costs incurred at our corporate offices; personnel costs; selling, marketing, and other professional service costs including legal and accounting; and licensing costs. Sales and marketing expenses consist of selling costs to support our customer relationships, including investments in marketing and brand activities and corporate infrastructure required to support our ongoing business. We expect marketing expenses to decline from 2021 levels while we continue to invest in the development of our proprietary brands. Selling costs as a percentage of retail revenue are expected to decrease as our business continues to grow, due to efficiencies associated with scaling the business, and reduced focus on non-core brands. We expect to incur periodic acquisition and transaction costs related to expansion efforts and to continue to invest where appropriate in the general and administrative function to support the increasing complexity of the cannabis business.

Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2020:

Total operating expenses increased $5.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to the prior year, primarily as a result of our acquisition of the Lowell brands and the associated marketing support and administrative infrastructure. Operating expenses increased as a percentage of sales from 42.3% in the year ended December 31, 2020, to 44.3% in the year ended December 31, 2021. Stock based compensation expense for the year ended December 31, 2021 decreased compared to the prior year by $0.8 million. Operating expenses in 2022 are expected to be relatively flat year over year despite continuing investment in owned brand marketing and infrastructure expenditures in support of revenue increases, and operating expenses as a percentage of retail sales are expected to decline.

 Year Ended December 31, 2020 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2019:

Total operating expenses decreased $16.8 million for year ended December 31, 2020, compared to the prior year. Stock based compensation expense for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased compared to the prior year by $1.2 million as restricted stock unit grants associated with the reverse takeover fully vested in 2020. Operating expenses decreased as a percentage of sales from 94.0% in the year 2019 to 42.3% in the year 2020.

Other Income (Expense)

Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2020:

Interest expense increased $1.2 million in the year ended December 31, 2021 primarily related to mortgage interest on the new processing facility and a full year of convertible debenture interest. Other income (expense) in the year ended December 31, 2020 included a $4.4 million loss on termination of an investment and also includes insurance recoveries of $2.6 million and $1.4 million in 2021 and 2020, respectively, associated with claims filed.

Year Ended December 31, 2020 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2019:

Other income (expense) in the year ended December 31, 2020 included a $4.4 million loss on termination of an investment and also includes a $1.4 million insurance recovery associated with claims filed.

Provision for Income Taxes

Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2020:

Provision for income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2021, is comparable to the prior year and primarily reflect state and franchise taxes due to existing net operating losses.

Year Ended December 31, 2020 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2019:

Provision for income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2020, is comparable to the prior year and primarily reflect state and franchise taxes due to existing net operating losses.

Net Loss

Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2020:

We incurred a net loss of $24.6 million in the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to a net loss of $21.9 million in the prior year, as a result of the factors noted above.

Year Ended December 31, 2020 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2019:

We incurred a net loss of $21.9 million in the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to a net loss of $49.9 million in the prior year, as a result of the factors noted above.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Our primary need for liquidity is to fund the working capital requirements of our business, capital expenditures, general corporate purposes, and debt service. Our primary source of liquidity is funds generated by financing activities. Our ability to fund our operations, to make planned capital expenditures, to make scheduled debt payments and to repay or refinance indebtedness depends on our future operating performance and cash flows, and ability to obtain equity or debt financing, which are subject to prevailing economic conditions, as well as financial, business and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. Cash generated from ongoing operations were not sufficient to fund operations and, in particular, to fund the Company’s cultivation capital expenditures in the short-term, and growth initiatives in the long-term. The Company raised additional funds from a $16.1 million convertible debenture and warrant financing which was initially funded in April 2020 and finalized in May 2020 and $25.0 million and $18.0 million unit financings, (with each unit consisting of one Subordinate Voting Share and one-half of one warrant, each whole warrant exercisable for one Subordinate Voting Share), in December 2020 and August 2021, respectively.

As of December 31, 2021, the Company had $7.9 million of cash and cash equivalents and $21.3 million of working capital, compared to $25.8 million of cash and cash equivalents and $30.9 million of working capital as of December 31, 2020.

The Company is focused on improving its balance sheet by improving accounts receivable collections, right-sizing inventories and increasing gross profits. We have taken a number of steps to improve our cash position and to continue to fund operations and capital expenditures including:

During 2021 the Company substantially completed greenhouse renovations, low profit agency and distributed brands were eliminated, and operational efficiencies improved. The Company anticipates improvement in 2022 due in large part to yield improvements in cultivation, greater revenues from LFS and licensing operations and improved operational efficiency.

Cash Flows

 The following table presents the Company's net cash inflows and outflows from the consolidated financial statements of the Company for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019:

Cash used in operating activities

Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2020:

Net cash used in operating activities was $26.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $7.8 million or (236%) change, for the year ended December 31, 2020. The change was primarily driven by operating losses of $24.5 million, accounts receivable increasing by $4.2 million in the year ended December 31, 2021, reflecting increased sales in the period, compared to a decrease of $1.0 million in the year ended December 31, 2020, and accounts payable and accrued expenses decreasing $6.3 million in the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to excise and cultivation tax payments in the period, compared to an increase of $2.2 million in the year ended December 31, 2020.

Year Ended December 31, 2020 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2019:

Net cash used in operating activities was $7.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, a decrease of $31.6 million or 80%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2019. The reduction was primarily driven by the $28.0 million reduction in net loss. Inventory decreased $0.5 million in the current year compared to a reduction of $1.6 million in 2019, reflecting a continuing focus on reducing inventory days on hand for manufactured product. Accounts receivable decreased by $1.0 million in 2020 compared to an increase of $6.2 million in 2019 reflecting significant collections focus in the current year.

Cash used in investing activities

Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2020:

Net cash used in investing activities was $7.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $5.6 million or a (39%) change, for the year ended December 31, 2020. Cash used in the Lowell brand acquisition was $5.8 million in the year ended December 31, 2021, which was off-set by $2 million in proceeds received from the termination in 2020 of the W Vapes acquisition agreement. Capital expenditures in the year ended December 31, 2021 were $3.6 million, compared to $6.9 million in the year ended December 31, 2020. The capital expenditure decline in 2021 is principally associated with the completion of a substantial portion of the greenhouse renovations in 2020.

Year Ended December 31, 2020 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2019:

Net cash used in investing activities was $5.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, a decrease of $4.5 million, compared to the prior year. Capital expenditures of $6.9 million, principally associated with greenhouse renovations, were comparable to $10.0 million in capital expenditures in the same period last year. Capital expenditures in 2019 included a $4.1 million purchase of a building in Nevada which was sold in 2020, and the Company received $0.5 million of proceeds in the current year and an additional $2.8 million in January 2021. Greenhouse renovations were substantially completed in 2020.

Cash (used in) provided by financing activities

Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2020:

 Net cash provided by financing activities was $16.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to net cash provided by financing activities of $37.8 million or a (58%) change compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. The year ended December 31, 2021 includes $17.9 million in net proceeds from a subordinate share offering. The year ended December 31, 2020 includes $15.3 million in net proceeds from a convertible debenture offering and $25.0 million in net proceeds from a subordinate share offering.

Year Ended December 31, 2020 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2019:

Net cash provided by financing activities was $37.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to $40.4 million in the prior year. The inflow consisted primarily of $15.3 million in net proceeds from the convertible debenture financing and $25.0 million in net proceeds from the subordinate voting share offering. The inflow in 2019 was primarily the result of net proceeds of $38.3 million from a private placement financing.

Working Capital and Cash on Hand

The following table presents the Company's cash on hand and working capital position as of December 31, 2021 and 2020:

_____________

(1) Non-GAAP measure - see Non-GAAP Financial Measures in this MD&A.

At December 31, 2021, we had $7.9 million in cash and cash equivalents and $21.3 million of working capital, compared to $25.8 million of cash and cash equivalents and $30.9 million of working capital at December 31, 2020. The decrease in cash and cash equivalents in the year ended December 31, 2021 was primarily due to funding operational losses and cash used in the Lowell brand asset acquisition, offset in part by proceeds from the $18 million subordinate voting share offering.

The Company’s future working capital is expected to be significantly impacted by the growth in operations, increased cultivation output, and continuing margin improvement.

We expect that our cash on hand and cash flows from operations will be adequate to meet our operational needs for the next 12 months.

CHANGES IN OR ADOPTION OF ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

This MD&A should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2021. See Note 1 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a full description of recently adopted accounting pronouncements.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES

A descriptions of significant accounting policies are described in Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements requires management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect the application of policies and reported amounts of assets and liabilities, and revenue and expenses. Actual results may differ from these estimates. The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognized in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects both current and future periods.

Significant judgments, estimates and assumptions that have the most significant effect on the amounts recognized in the consolidated financial statements are described below.

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL POSITION

OUTSTANDING SHARE DATA

As of March 31, 2022, the Company had the following securities issued and outstanding:

_____________

(1) Class B shares reserved for conversion to Subordinate voting shares.

Seasonality, Cyclicality and Quarterly Revenue Trends

Our quarterly results reflect a pattern of increased customer buying and processing seasonality at year-end, which has positively impacted revenue activity in the fourth quarter. In the first quarter, we generally experience lower sequential customer buying, followed by an increase in buying in the second quarter. Although these seasonal factors are common in the industry, historical patterns should not be considered a reliable indicator of future revenue activity or performance.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

During 2021 and 2020, we did not have any relationships with unconsolidated organizations or financial partnerships, such as structured finance or special purpose entities that would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements or other contractually narrow or limited purposes.

ITEM 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

Risks include, but are not limited to, those discussed in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and, in particular, the risks discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and those discussed in other documents we file with the SEC.

The Company's financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities; current portion of long-term debt; and long-term debt. The carrying values of these financial instruments approximate their fair values.

Financial instruments recorded at fair value are classified using a fair value hierarchy that reflects the significance of the inputs used to make the measurements. The hierarchy is summarized as follows:

The Company has exposure to the following risks from its use of financial instruments and other risks to which it is exposed and assess the impact and likelihood of those risks.

These risks include: market, credit, liquidity, asset forfeiture, banking and interest rate risk.

Credit Risk

Liquidity Risk

Market Risk

Interest Rate Risk

Price Risk

Asset Forfeiture Risk

Banking Risk

ITEM 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The supplementary financial information required by this Item 8 is included in Part II, Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K under the caption “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders

of Lowell Farms, Inc.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Lowell Farms, Inc. as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2021, and the related notes collectively referred to as the financial statements. In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matters

Critical audit matters are matters arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.

LOWELL FARMS INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands)

See Accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

LOWELL FARMS INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (LOSS)

(in thousands, except per share amounts)