Stem Holdings, Inc. - Annual Report: 2022 (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 fiscal year ended September 30, 2022

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: 000-55751

STEM HOLDINGS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

2201 NW Corporate Blvd., Suite 205

Boca Raton, FL 33431

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone Number: (561) 948-5410

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

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 Exchange 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 and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

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

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

State the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold, or the average bid and asked price of such common equity, as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter. $14,404,213 at $0.068 per share.

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date: 238,504,032 shares of common stock par value $0.001 as of January 12, 2023.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE: NONE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I

This Form 10-K contains some forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements give our current expectations or forecasts of future events. You can identify these statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, (a) our projected sales, profitability, and cash flows, (b) our growth strategies, (c) anticipated trends in our industries, (d) our future financing plans and (e) our anticipated needs for working capital. They are generally identifiable by use of the words “may,” “will,” “should,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plans,” “potential,” “projects,” “continuing,” “ongoing,” “expects,” “management believes,” “we believe,” “we intend” or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. These statements may be found under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Business,” as well as in this Form 10-K generally. In particular, these include statements relating to future actions, prospective products or product approvals, future performance or results of current and anticipated products, sales efforts, expenses, the outcome of contingencies such as legal proceedings, and financial results.

Any or all of our forward-looking statements in this report may turn out to be inaccurate. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions we might make or by known or unknown risks or uncertainties. Consequently, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Actual future results may vary materially as a result of various factors, including, without limitation, the risks outlined under “Risk Factors” and matters described in this Form 10-K generally. In light of these risks and uncertainties, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements contained in this filing will in fact occur. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and, except to the extent required by federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as the result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

ITEM 1. DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS.

Corporate Structure

Stem Holdings, Inc. was organized on June 7, 2016, as a Nevada corporation under Chapter 78 of the Nevada Revised Statutes. The Company’s principal office is located at 2201 NW Corporate Blvd, Suite 205, Boca Raton, FL 33431.

Overview of the Business

Stem Holdings, Inc. (“Stem” or the “Company”) is a Nevada corporation incorporated on June 7, 2016, and is a leading omnichannel, vertically-integrated cannabis branded products and technology company with state-of-the-art cultivation, processing, extraction, retail, distribution, and delivery-as-a-service (DaaS) operations throughout the United States. Stem’s family of award-winning brands includes TJ’s Gardens™, TravisxJames™, and Yerba Buena™ flower and extracts; Cannavore™ edible confections; and e-commerce delivery platforms provide direct-to consumer proprietary logistics and an omnichannel UX (user experience)/CX (customer experience).

The Company purchases, improves, leases, operates, and invests in properties for use in the production, distribution and sales of cannabis and cannabis-infused products licensed under the laws of the states of Oregon, Nevada, and California. Stem has ownership interests in 23 state issued cannabis licenses including nine (9) licenses for cannabis cultivation, three (3) licenses for cannabis processing, two (2) licenses for cannabis wholesale distribution, three (3) licenses for hemp production and (6) cannabis dispensary licenses.

The Company has nine wholly-owned subsidiaries, including Stem Holdings Oregon, Inc., Stem Holdings IP, Inc., Opco, LLC, Stem Agri, Inc., Stem Holdings Oregon Acquisitions 1, Corp., Stem Holdings Oregon Acquisitions 2, Corp., Stem Holdings Oregon Acquisitions 3, Corp., Stem Holdings Oregon Acquisitions 4 Corp., 2336034 Alberta Ltd., Stem, through its subsidiaries, is currently in the process of the acquisition of entities or be acquired by entities directly in the production and sale of cannabis. Driven Deliveries, Inc., a former wholly-owned subsidiary, was sold during the quarter ended December 31, 2021 (see Note 3).

The Company’s stock is publicly traded and is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol “STEM” and the OTCQX exchange under the symbol “STMH”.

In June 2021, the Company’s shareholders approved a proposal to amend the Company’s Articles of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized common shares from 300,000,000 shares to 750,000,000 shares.

Regulation of Cannabis in the United States Federally

The cultivation, production, distribution and sale of cannabis and cannabis extracts is illegal under U.S. federal law, and it is listed as a Schedule I substance under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act. A Schedule I drug or substance is deemed to have a high potential for abuse, to have no accepted medical use in the United States, and to lack an acceptable safe use of the drug under medical supervision. The Company believes the U.S. Controlled Substances Act categorization as a Schedule I drug is not reflective of cannabis’ medicinal properties and numerous related studies support rescheduling. Over the past decade, cannabis policy has been moving towards legalization and liberalization of cannabis laws.

In September 2018, Congress approved the Medical Cannabis Research Act. This bill requires the Department of Justice to issue additional cultivation licenses to grow marijuana for federal research. The bill also clarifies that Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) doctors can discuss medical marijuana with their patients and can refer them to participate in scientific studies on the drug’s effects.

The District of Columbia (“D.C.”) and 36 U.S. states, including the states of Oregon, Nevada and California, have legalized cannabis for medical use. D.C. and 15 U.S. states, including the states of Oregon, Nevada and California, have also legalized adult recreational use of cannabis.

As discussed above, marijuana remains a Schedule I substance under U.S. federal law. However, the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) has issued guidance advising prosecutors of money laundering and other financial crimes not to focus their enforcement efforts on banks that serve marijuana-related businesses (“MRBs”), so long as that business is legal in the bank’s respective state and none of the federal enforcement priorities are being violated (such as keeping marijuana away from children and out of the hands of organized crime). This guidance was published on February 14, 2014 and requires banks providing such services to monitor strict compliance with FinCEN’s guidance.

The few credit unions who have agreed to service marijuana businesses are limiting those accounts to no more than 5% of their total deposits to avoid creating a liquidity risk. Because the federal government could change the banking laws as it relates to marijuana businesses at any time and without notice, these credit unions must keep sufficient cash on hand to be able to return the full value of all deposits from marijuana businesses in a single day, while also servicing the needs of their other customers.

In March 2019, a congressional committee approved the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act. Draft legislation of the SAFE Banking Act received a historic hearing in the House Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions Subcommittee in February 2019, where the National Cannabis Industry Association submitted written testimony along with the personal stories about the burdens and safety concerns created by the current banking situation from nearly 100 cannabis industry professionals. On September 25, 2019 the U.S House of Representatives passed the landmark legislation to reform federal cannabis laws and reduce the public safety risk in communities across the country. H.R. 1595, the SAFE Banking Act of 2019 passed by a vote of 321 to 103. This bill generally prohibits a federal banking regulator from penalizing a depository institution for providing banking services to a legitimate marijuana-related business. The Company believes this progressive banking reform for the U.S. cannabis industry reflects a positive trajectory for marijuana banking reform.

The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, also known as the MORE Act, is a proposed 2019 United States federal legislation to legalize cannabis and expunge prior cannabis related convictions that was introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives on July 23, 2019. This would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and impose a 5% tax on cannabis and cannabis products manufactured in or imported into the United States. This tax will be collected by the Treasury of the United States to create a trust fund to be known as the Opportunity Trust Fund. The trust funds the Act would create include the Community Reinvestment Grant, which would provide funding for services such as job training, re-entry services and legal aid; the Cannabis Opportunity Grant, which would provide funds to assist small businesses in the cannabis industry; and the Equitable Licensing Grant, which minimizes barriers to gain access to marijuana licensing and employment for those most impacted by the so-called war on drugs. The act would also establish a Cannabis Justice Office within the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs, responsible for administering the grants. On December 4, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed this legislation by a vote of 228-164.

Both the MORE and SAFE Banking Acts have yet to receive action in the U.S. Senate. However, in late 2020 incoming Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer made multiple comments suggesting that passage of these bills and large-scale federal legalization of cannabis are on his agenda. The Company continues to monitor both of these bills and the general status of cannabis legalization at the U.S. federal level.

On December 14, 2020, former President Trump announced that William Barr would be resigning from his post as Attorney General, effective December 23, 2020. Merrick Garland, President Biden’s nominee to succeed Mr. Barr, has served as the current attorney general since March 2021. It is unclear what specific impact the Biden administration will have on U.S. federal government enforcement policy. 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. Unless and until the United States Congress amends the CSA with respect to cannabis (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.

The Company believes it is too soon to determine if any prosecutorial policy at the federal level will be forthcoming or if the Biden administration will reinstitute the prior posture of the Department of Justice or a similar guidance document for United States attorneys or by executive order. The sheer size of the cannabis industry, in addition to various level of legalization at the State and local governments, suggests that a largescale enforcement operation would possibly create unwanted political backlash for the Department of Justice. Moreover, State and local tax revenues generated by the cannabis business has become an increasingly important source of funding for State and local government programs.

Regulation of the Cannabis Market at State and Local Levels

The following chart sets out, for each of the subsidiaries and other entities through which the Company conducts is operations, the U.S. state(s) in which it operates, the nature of its operations (adult-use/medicinal), whether such activities carried on are direct, indirect or ancillary in nature (as such terms are defined in Staff Notice 51-352), the number of sales, cultivation and other licenses held by such entity and whether such entity has any operational cultivation or processing facilities.

Notes:

California

History

In 1996, California voters passed a medical cannabis law allowing physicians to recommend cannabis for an inclusive set of qualifying conditions including chronic pain and providing immunity/defense to criminal proceedings. The law was amended in 2003 to expand the criminal defense to groups of patients/caregivers, but there was no state licensing authority to oversee the businesses that emerged as a result of the system. In September 2015, the California legislature passed three bills, collectively known as the “Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act” (“MMRSA” later referred to as MCRSA after an amendment changed the word “Marijuana” to “Cannabis”). In 2016, California voters passed the “Adult Use of Marijuana Act” (“AUMA”), which legalized adult-use cannabis for adults 21 years of age and older and created a licensing system for commercial cannabis business. On June 27, 2017, Governor Brown signed SB-94 into law. SB-94 combines California’s medicinal and adult-use regulatory framework into one licensing structure under the Medicinal and Adult-Use of Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (“MAUCRSA”).

Regulatory Summary

Pursuant to MAUCRSA: (i) the California Department of Food and Agriculture, via CalCannabis, issues licenses to cannabis cultivators, (ii) the California Department of Public Health, via the Manufactured Cannabis Safety Branch (the “MCSB”) issues licenses to cannabis manufacturers and (iii) the California Department of Consumer Affairs, via the Bureau of Cannabis Control (the “BCC”), issues licenses to cannabis distributors, testing laboratories, retailers, and micro-businesses. These agencies also oversee the various aspects of implementing and maintaining California’s cannabis landscape, including the statewide track and trace system. All three agencies released their emergency rulemakings at the end of 2017 and have begun issuing licenses.

In July, 2017, the State of California established the MCSB to develop statewide standards, regulations, and licensing procedures in relation to cannabis, and is addressing policy issues in support of cannabis manufacturers. MCSB is responsible for issuing licenses to manufacturers of cannabis products.

To operate legally under state law, cannabis operators must obtain the requisite state licensure and local approval. Local authorization is a prerequisite to obtaining state licensure, and local governments are permitted to prohibit or otherwise regulate the types and number of cannabis businesses allowed in their locality. The state license approval process is not competitive and there is no limit on the number of state licenses an entity may hold. Although vertical integration across multiple license types is allowed under the MAUCRSA, testing laboratory licensees may not hold any other licenses aside from a laboratory license. However, a licensee is not prohibited from performing testing on the licensee’s premises for the purposes of quality assurance of a cannabis product in conjunction with reasonable business operations (testing conducted on a licensee’s premises by the licensee does not meet the testing requirements required under the MAUCRSA). There are also no residency requirements for ownership under MAUCRSA.

California License Types

Once an operator obtains local approval, the operator must obtain state licenses before conducting any commercial cannabis activity. There are 12 different license types that cover all commercial activity. License types 1-3 and 5 authorize the cultivation of medical and/or adult use cannabis plants. Type 4 licenses are for nurseries that cultivate and sell clones and “teens” (immature cannabis plants that have established roots but require further vegetation prior to being sent into the flowering period). Type 6 and 7 licenses authorize manufacturers to process cannabis biomass into certain value-added products such as shatter or cannabis distillate oil with the use of volatile or non-volatile solvents, depending on the license type. Type 8 licenses are held by testing facilities who test samples of cannabis products and generate “certificates of analysis,” which include important information regarding the potency of products and whether products have passed or failed certain threshold tests for pesticide and microbiological contamination. Type 9 licenses are issued to “non-storefront” retailers, commonly called delivery services, who bring cannabis products directly to customers and patients at their residences or other chosen deliver location. Type 10 licenses are known as “Transport-Only” distribution licenses, and they allow the distributor to transport cannabis and cannabis products between licensees, but not to retailers. Type 12 licenses are issued to distributors who move cannabis and cannabis products to all license types, including retailers.

Company Licenses

On March 29, 2019, the Company executed a definitive agreement to acquire Western Coast Ventures, Inc. (“WCV”), an arm’s length private corporation incorporated under the laws of Nevada. Other than approximately $2,000,000 in cash, WCV’s sole asset was a 51% ownership interest in ILCA. ILCA was issued a limited conditional use permit for a cannabis production facility by the City of San Diego. Upon issuance of the final cannabis production facility permit and the completed construction of the facility, the ILCA will: (i) operate an advanced cannabis facility to grow and cultivate cannabis; (ii) manufacture cannabis-derived products; and (iii) distribute cannabis and cannabis-derived products state-wide throughout California. During the year ended September 30, 2021 the Company determined the investment in ILCA was impaired and recognized an impairment expense of $2.2 million for the year ended September 30, 2021.

On March 6, 2020, the Company closed the acquisition of Seven Leaf Ventures Corp. (“7LV”), an arm’s length private corporation incorporated under the laws of Alberta, and its subsidiaries, pursuant to the terms of a share purchase agreement dated March 6, 2020. A subsidiary of 7LV, 7LV USA, owns Foothills Health and Wellness, a medical dispensary, in the greater Sacramento, California area.

The table below lists the licenses directly and indirectly held by the Company in the State of California:

California Agencies Regulating the Commercial Cannabis Industry

From 2015 through July 2021, three agencies were tasked with regulating the cannabis industry in California. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (“CDFA”) which oversaw nurseries and cultivators; the California Department of Public Health (“CDPH”) which oversaw manufacturers, and the Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC) which oversaw distributors, retailers, delivery services and testing laboratories.

In an effort to centralize and simplify regulatory and licensing oversight of the cannabis market, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB-141 into law on July 12, 2021, creating the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC). Assembly Bill 141 consolidates three state cannabis programs – the Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC), the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) CalCannabis Cultivation Licensing Division, and the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) Manufactured Cannabis Safety Branch into the DCC. The law transfers to the DCC all of the “powers, duties, purposes, functions, responsibilities, and jurisdiction” of the BCC, CDFA and CDPH.

California Transportation

Transporting cannabis goods between licensees and a licensed facility may only be performed by persons holding a distributor license. The vehicle or trailer used must not contain any markings or features on the exterior which may indicate or identify the contents or purpose. All cannabis products must be locked in a box, container, or cage that is secured to the inside of the vehicle or trailer. When left unattended, vehicles must be locked and secured. At a minimum, the vehicle must be equipped with an alarm system, motion detectors, pressure switches, duress, panic, and hold-up alarms.

California Inventory/Storage

Each licensee is required to assign an account manager to oversee the track and trace system. The account manager is fully trained on the system and is accountable to record all commercial cannabis activities accurately and completely. The licensee is expected to correct any data that is entered into the track and trace system in error within three business days of discovery of the error. The licensee is required to report information in the track and trace system for each transfer of cannabis or non-manufactured cannabis products to, or cannabis or non-manufactured cannabis products received from, other licensed operators. Licensees must use the track and trace system for all inventory tracking activities at a licensed premise, including, but not limited to, reconciling all on-premise and in-transit cannabis or non-manufactured cannabis product inventories at least once every 14 business days. The licensee must store cannabis and cannabis products in a secure place with locked doors.

California Record-keeping/Reporting

The cultivation, processing, and movement of cannabis within the state is tracked by the METRC system, into which all licensees are required to input their track and trace data (either manually or using another software that automatically uploads to METRC). Immature plants are assigned a Unique Identifier number (UID), and this number follows the flowers and biomass resulting from that plant through the supply chain, all the way to the consumer. Each licensee in the supply chain is required to meticulously log any processing, packaging, and sales associated with that UID.

Retail Compliance in California

California requires that certain warnings, images and content information be printed on all cannabis packaging. BCC regulations also include certain requirements about tamper-evident and child-resistant packaging. Distributors and retailers are responsible for confirming that products are properly labeled and packaged before they are sold to a customer.

Consumers aged 21 and up may purchase cannabis in California from a dispensary with an “adult-use” license. Some localities still only allow medicinal dispensaries. Consumers aged 18 and up with a valid physician’s recommendation may purchase cannabis from a medicinal-only dispensary or an adult-use dispensary. Consumers without valid physician’s recommendations may not purchase cannabis from a medicinal-only dispensary. All cannabis businesses are prohibited from hiring employees under the age of 21.

California Security

Each local government in California has its own security requirements for cannabis businesses, which usually include comprehensive video surveillance, intrusion detection and alarms and limited-access areas where only employees and other authorized individuals may enter. All licensee employees must wear employee badges. The limited-access areas must be locked with “commercial-grade, non-residential door locks on all points of entry and exit to the licensed premises.”

Each licensed premises must have a digital video surveillance system that can “effectively and clearly” record images of the area under surveillance. Cameras must be “in a location that allows the camera to clearly record activity occurring within 20 feet of all points of entry and exit on the licensed premises.” The regulations list specific areas which must be under surveillance, including places where cannabis goods are weighed, packed, stored loaded and unloaded, security rooms and entrances and exits to the premises. Retailers must record point of sale areas on the video surveillance system.

Licensed retailers must hire security personnel to provide on-site security services for the licensed retails premises during hours of operation. All security personnel must be licensed by the Bureau of Security and Investigate Services.

California Inspections

All licensees are subject to annual and random inspections of their premises. Cultivators may be inspected by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the California Regional Water Quality Control Boards, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Manufacturers are subject to inspection by the California Department of Public Health, and Retailers, Distributors, Testing Laboratories, and Delivery services are subject to inspection by the Department of Cannabis Control. Inspections can result in notices to correct, or notices of violation, fines, or other disciplinary action by the inspecting agency.

Cannabis taxes in California

Several taxes are imposed at the point of sale and are required to be collected by the retailer. The State imposes an excise tax of 15%, and a sales and use tax is assessed on top of that. Cities and Counties apply their sales tax along with the State’s sales and use tax, 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.

U.S. Attorney Statements in California

To the knowledge of management of Stem, other than as disclosed in this Document, there have not been any statements or guidance made by federal authorities or prosecutors regarding the risk of enforcement action in California. See “Risk Factors”.

Nevada

History

Nevada’s medical cannabis market was introduced in June 2013 when the legislature passed SB374, legalizing the medicinal use of cannabis for certified patients. The first dispensaries opened to patients in August 2015.

The Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health licensed medical cannabis establishments up until July 1, 2017, when the State’s medical cannabis program merged with adult-use cannabis enforcement under the State of Nevada Department of Taxation, Marijuana Enforcement Division (the “Nevada Taxation Department”). In 2014, Nevada accepted medical cannabis business applications and a few months later the division approved 182 cultivation licenses, 118 licenses for the production of edibles and infused products, 17 independent testing laboratories, and 55 medical cannabis dispensary licenses. The number of dispensary licenses was then increased to 66 by legislative action in 2015. The application process is merit-based, competitive, and is currently closed. Residency is not required to own or invest in a Nevada medical cannabis business. In addition, vertical integration is neither required nor prohibited. Nevada’s medical law includes patient reciprocity, which permits medical patients from other States to purchase cannabis from Nevada dispensaries. Nevada also allows for dispensaries to deliver medical cannabis to patients.

Each medical cannabis establishment must register with the Nevada Taxation Department and apply for a medical cannabis establishment registration certificate. As noted above, the application process is competitive, and, among other requirements, there are minimum liquidity requirements and restrictions on the geographic location of a medical cannabis establishment as well as restrictions relating to the age and criminal background of employees, owners, officers and board members of the establishment. All employees must be over 21 and all owners, officers and board members must not have any previous felony convictions or had a previously granted medical cannabis registration revoked. Additionally, each volunteer, employee, officer, board member, and owner of an effective 5% or greater interest of a medical cannabis establishment must be individually registered with the Nevada Taxation Department as a medical cannabis agent and hold a valid medical cannabis establishment agent card. The establishment must have adequate security measures and use an electronic verification system and inventory control system. If the proposed medical cannabis establishment will sell or deliver edible cannabis products or cannabis-infused products, the proposed establishment must establish operating procedures for handling such products, which must be preapproved by the Nevada Taxation Department.

In response to the rescission of the Cole Memo, then-Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt had issued a public statement, pledging to defend the law after it was approved by voters. Then-Governor Brian Sandoval also stated, “Since Nevada voters approved the legalization of recreational cannabis in 2016, I have called for a well-regulated, restricted and respected industry. My administration has worked to ensure these priorities are met while implementing the will of the voters and remaining within the guidelines of both the Cole and Wilkinson federal memos,” and that he would like for Nevada to follow in the footsteps of Colorado, where the U.S. attorneys do not plan to change the approach to prosecuting crimes involving recreational cannabis.

In determining whether to issue a medical cannabis establishment registration certificate pursuant to NRS 453A.322, the Nevada Taxation Department, in addition the application requirements set out, considers the following criteria of merit:

A medical cannabis establishment registration certificate expires 1 year after the date of issuance and may be renewed upon resubmission of the application information and renewal fee to the Nevada Taxation Department.

The sale of cannabis for adult-use in Nevada was approved by ballot initiative on November 8, 2016, and Nevada Revised Statute 453D exempts a person who is 21 years of age or older from state or local prosecution for possession, use, consumption, purchase, transportation or cultivation of certain amounts of cannabis and requires the Nevada Taxation Department to begin receiving applications for the licensing of cannabis establishments on or before January 1, 2018. The legalization of retail cannabis does not change the medical cannabis program.

In February 2017, the Nevada Taxation Department announced plans to issue “early start” recreational cannabis establishment licenses in the summer of 2017. These licenses, which began on July 1, 2017, allowed cannabis establishments holding both a retail cannabis store and dispensary license to sell their existing medical cannabis inventory as either medical or adult-use cannabis, and expired at the end of the year. As of July 1, 2017, medical and adult-use cannabis have incurred a 15% excise tax on the first wholesale sale (calculated on the fair market value) and adult-use cannabis has incurred an additional 10% special retail cannabis sales tax in addition to any general State and local sales and use taxes.

On January 16, 2018, the Nevada Taxation Department issued final rules governing its adult-use cannabis program, pursuant to which up to sixty-six (66) permanent adult-use cannabis dispensary licenses will be issued. Existing adult-use cannabis licensees under the “early start” regulations must re-apply for licensure under the permanent rules in order to continue adult-use sales.

Under Nevada’s adult-use cannabis law, the Nevada Taxation Department licenses cannabis cultivation facilities, product manufacturing facilities, distributors, retail stores and testing facilities. For the first 18 months, applications to the Nevada Taxation Department for adult-use distribution establishment licenses can only be accepted from existing medical cannabis establishments and existing liquor distributors.

In September 2018, the Nevada Taxation Department accepted applications from existing Nevada medical cannabis establishment certificate owners to be awarded licenses for approximately 65 retail cannabis stores throughout the State. The application period closed on September 20, 2018, and the additional retail store licenses were awarded by the Nevada Taxation Department on December 5, 2018.

Regulatory Overview

The State of Nevada utilizes Metrc as its statewide seed-to-sale tracking system for all cannabis and cannabis products. All licensees within the State system are required, either directly or through third-party software systems that are capable of data integration, to report to the State all creation and transfers of such inventory to other licensees and sales to consumers. CSAC intends to designate a third-party computerized seed-to-sale inventory software tracking system designed to integrate with Metrc via an application programming interface.

Licensing Requirements

There are five certificate/license types issued in the State of Nevada:

“Marijuana cultivation facility” means an entity licensed to cultivate, process, and package cannabis, to have cannabis tested by a cannabis testing facility, and to sell cannabis to retail cannabis stores, to cannabis product manufacturing facilities, and to other cannabis cultivation facilities, but not to consumers. NRS 453D.030(9).

“Marijuana product manufacturing facility” means an entity licensed to purchase cannabis, manufacture, process, and package cannabis and cannabis products, and sell cannabis and cannabis products to other cannabis product manufacturing facilities and to retail cannabis stores, but not to consumers. NRS 453D.030(12).

“Retail marijuana store” means an entity licensed to purchase cannabis from cannabis cultivation facilities, to purchase cannabis and cannabis products from cannabis product manufacturing facilities and retail cannabis stores, and to sell cannabis and cannabis products to consumers. NRS 453D.030(18).

“Marijuana distributor” means an entity licensed to transport cannabis from a cannabis establishment to another cannabis establishment. NRS 453D.030(10).

“Marijuana testing facility” means an entity licensed to test cannabis and cannabis products, including for potency and contaminants. NRS 453D.030(15).

Administration of the regular retail program in Nevada is governed by Nevada Revised Statutes Section 453D and the Adopted Regulation of the Nevada Department of Taxation, LCB File R092-17 (the “Nevada Adult-Use Regulation”). The Nevada Adult-Use Regulation was adopted on February 27, 2018 and is a regulation relating to cannabis responsible for: (i) revising requirements relating to independent testing laboratories; (ii) providing for the licensing of cannabis establishments and registration of cannabis establishment agents; (iii) providing requirements concerning the operation of cannabis establishments; (iv) providing additional requirements concerning the operation of marijuana cultivation facilities, marijuana distributors, marijuana product manufacturing facilities, marijuana testing facilities and retail marijuana stores; (v) providing standards for the packaging and labeling cannabis and cannabis products; (vi) providing requirements relating to the production of edible cannabis products and other cannabis products; (vii) providing standards for the cultivation and production of cannabis; (viii) establishing requirements relating to advertising by cannabis establishments; (ix) establishing provisions relating to the collection of excise taxes from cannabis establishments; (x) establishing provisions relating to dual licensees; and (xi) providing other matters properly relating thereto.

In the State of Nevada, only cannabis that is grown or produced in the state by a licensed establishment may be sold in the state. The Nevada regulatory regime does not mandate or prohibit vertically integrated facilities and only permits the holder of a retail dispensary license and registration certificate to purchase cannabis from cultivation facilities, cannabis and cannabis products from product manufacturing facilities and cannabis from other retail stores, for the sale of such products to consumers.

A medical cultivation license permits its holder to acquire, possess, cultivate, deliver, transfer, have tested, transport, supply or sell cannabis and related supplies to medical cannabis dispensaries, facilities for the production of edible medical cannabis products and/or medical cannabis-infused products, or other medical cannabis cultivation facilities.

The medical product manufacturing license permits its holder to acquire, possess, manufacture, deliver, transfer, transport, supply, or sell edible cannabis products or cannabis infused products to other medical cannabis production facilities or medical cannabis dispensaries.

Medical marijuana establishment certificates and recreational cannabis facility licenses are issued independently to specific owners and at identified locations. Ownership of certificates and licenses is transferable in accordance with the Nevada Taxation Department’s policies and procedures, including completion of a background investigation. Establishment certificates and facility licenses may only be relocated to a new location within the identified local jurisdiction.

All licenses expire one year after the date of issue. The Nevada Taxation Department shall issue a renewal license within 10 days after the receipt of a renewal application and applicable fee if the license is not then under suspension or has not been revoked.

Company Licenses

YMY, in which the Company owns a 50% interest, holds one medical cultivation license and one recreational cultivation license and one medical product manufacturing license and one recreational product manufacturing license in the State of Nevada. The table below lists the licenses indirectly held by the Company:

Note:

Nevada Transportation

In Nevada, cannabis may only be transported from a licensed cultivation or production facility to a licensed retail cannabis establishment by a licensed marijuana distributor. Prior to transporting the cannabis or cannabis products, the distributor must complete a trip plan which includes: the agent name and registration number providing and receiving the cannabis; the date and start time of the trip; a description, including the amount, of the cannabis or cannabis products being transported; and the anticipated route of transportation.

During the transportation of cannabis or cannabis products, the licensed marijuana distributor agent must: (a) carry a copy of the trip plan with him or her for the duration of the trip; (b) have his or her cannabis establishment agent card in his or her immediate possession; (c) use a vehicle without any identification relating to cannabis and which is equipped with a secure lockbox or locking cargo area which must be used for the sanitary and secure transportation of cannabis, or cannabis products; (d) have a means of communicating with the cannabis establishment for which he or she is providing the transportation; and (e) ensure that all cannabis or cannabis products are not visible. After transporting cannabis or cannabis products a licensed marijuana distributor agent must enter the end time of the trip and any changes to the trip plan that was completed.

Each licensed marijuana distributor agent transporting cannabis or cannabis products must report any: (a) vehicle accident that occurs during the transportation to a person designated by the marijuana distributor to receive such reports within two (2) hours after the accident occurs; and (b) loss or theft of cannabis or cannabis products that occurs during the transportation to a person designated by the marijuana distributor to receive such reports immediately after the cannabis establishment agent becomes aware of the loss or theft. A marijuana distributor that receives a report of loss or theft pursuant to this paragraph must immediately report the loss or theft to the appropriate law enforcement agency and to the Nevada Taxation Department. The distributor must report any unauthorized stop that lasts longer than two (2) hours to the Nevada Taxation Department.

A marijuana distributor shall maintain the required documents and provide a copy of the documents required to the Nevada Taxation Department for review upon request. Each marijuana distributor shall maintain a log of all received reports.

Employees of licensed marijuana distributors, including drivers transporting cannabis and cannabis products, must be 21 years of age or older and must obtain a valid cannabis establishment agent registration card issued by the Nevada Taxation Department. If a marijuana distributor is co-located with another type of business, all employees of co-located businesses must have cannabis establishment agent registration cards unless the co-located business does not include common entrances, exits, break room, restrooms, locker rooms, loading docks, and other areas as are expedient for business and appropriate for the site as determined and approved by Nevada Taxation Department inspectors. While engaged in the transportation of cannabis and cannabis products, any person that occupies a transport vehicle when it is loaded with cannabis or cannabis products must have their physical cannabis establishment agent registration card in their possession.

All drivers must carry in the vehicle valid driver’s insurance at the limits required by the State of Nevada and the Nevada Taxation Department. All drivers must be bonded in an amount sufficient to cover any claim that could be brought or disclose to all parties that their drivers are not bonded. Cannabis establishment agent registration cardholders and the licensed marijuana distributor they work for are responsible for the cannabis and cannabis product once they take control of the product and leave the premises of the cannabis establishment.

There is no load limit on the amount or weight of cannabis and cannabis products that are being transported by a licensed marijuana distributor. Cannabis distributors are required to adhere to Nevada Taxation Department regulations and those required through their insurance coverage. When transporting by vehicle, cannabis and cannabis product must be in a lockbox or locked cargo area. A trunk of a vehicle is not considered secure storage unless there is no access from within the vehicle and it is not the same key access as the vehicle. Live plants can be transported in a fully enclosed, windowless locked trailer or secured area inside the body/compartment of a locked van or truck so that they are not visible to the outside. If the value of the cannabis and cannabis products being transported by vehicle is in excess of $10,000 (the insured value per the shipping manifest), the transporting vehicle must be equipped with a car alarm with sound or have no less than two (2) of the marijuana distributor’s cannabis establishment agent registration cardholders involved in the transportation. All cannabis and cannabis product must be tagged for purposes of inventory tracking with a unique identifying label as required by the Nevada Taxation Department and remain tagged during transport. This unique identifying label should be similar to the stamp for cigarette distribution. All cannabis and cannabis product when transported by vehicle must be transported in sealed packages and containers and remain unopened during transport. All cannabis and cannabis product transported by vehicle should be inventoried and accounted for in the inventory tracking system. Loading and unloading of cannabis and cannabis products from the transporting vehicle must be within view of existing video surveillance systems prior to leaving the origination location. Security requirements are required for the transportation of cannabis and cannabis products.

Nevada Inventory

Each cannabis establishment must maintain an inventory control system to monitor and report on chain of custody of cannabis in real-time, from the point of harvest at a cultivation facility until it is sold at a dispensary, or it is processed at a facility for the production of edible cannabis products or cannabis-infused products. For this purpose, Nevada tracks information through METRC which maintains the name of each person or cannabis establishment to cannabis is sold, for dispensaries, the date of sales, quantity, and potency. Cannabis establishments must exercise vigilance to ensure personal identifying information contained in the inventory control system is encrypted, protected and not divulged for any purpose not specifically authorized by law.

Nevada Security

To prevent unauthorized access to cannabis at a Nevada-licensed cannabis establishment, the cannabis establishment must have security equipment to deter and prevent unauthorized entrance into limited access areas. This includes devices or a series of devices interconnected with a radio frequency, such as cellular or private radio signals, or other mechanical device, covering the entirety of the facility. Exterior lighting to facilitate surveillance, video cameras with a recording rate of at least 15 frames per second covering all entrances and exits of the building, any room or area that hold a vault or point-of-sale location and which records 24 hours per day. Recordings must be accessible remotely by law enforcement in real time upon request. Video quality providing coverage of a point-of-sale location must allow for the identification of any person purchasing cannabis. Video recording must be restored for at least 30 days in a secure off-site location or other service that provides on-demand access to the Department Nevada Taxation Department.

Department Inspections

Each establishment that has been granted a provisional operating certificate by the Nevada Taxation Department must undergo facility and audit inspections by the Nevada Taxation Department prior to the issuance of a final registration certificate. Additionally, the issuance of a registration certificate is considered provisional until the establishment is in compliance with all applicable local government requirements including, without limitation, the issuance of a local business licenses.

After an establishment registration certificate has been issued, the cannabis establishment is subject to reasonable inspection from the Nevada Taxation Department and a licensee must make himself or herself, or an agent, available and present for any inspection required by the Nevada Taxation Department.

Delivery and Online Distribution

There are specific situations in which the delivery of cannabis to customers is allowed under the Nevada Taxation Department regulations. Delivery services to customers may only be carried out by retail stores that are licensed properly by the Nevada Taxation Department. Deliveries can only be brought to the residential addresses of customers and only within the State of Nevada. Delivery was allowed as soon as retail cannabis sales began on July 1, 2017, although those regulations were only temporary. Drivers may not deliver more than the legal amount of cannabis, which is currently one ounce, in compliance with the existing seed-to-sale tracking system. Cannabis or cannabis products may not be shipped via the US Postal Service or via any private courier.

U.S. Attorney Statements in Nevada

In response to the rescission of the Cole Memo, Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt had issued a public statement, pledging to defend the law after it was approved by voters. Then-Governor Brian Sandoval also stated, “Since Nevada voters approved the legalization of recreational cannabis in 2016, I have called for a well-regulated, restricted and respected industry. My administration has worked to ensure these priorities are met while implementing the will of the voters and remaining within the guidelines of both the Cole and Wilkinson federal memos,” and that he would like for Nevada to follow in the footsteps of Colorado, where the U.S. attorneys do not plan to change the approach to prosecuting crimes involving recreational cannabis.

In June 2019, incoming U.S. Attorney of the District of Nevada Nicholas Trutanich stated to the Reno Gazette Journal that he would not rule out the possibility of prosecuting cases related to cannabis, but did emphasize that it also was not a priority. He stated cannabis remains illegal under federal law, and his job is to enforce federal law. He stated, however, that one of his main priorities was to tackle the opioid crisis and human trafficking. He further stated that he is following orders from the DOJ.

To the knowledge of management of Stem, other than as disclosed in this Document, there have not been any statements or guidance made by federal authorities or prosecutors regarding the risk of enforcement action in Nevada. See “Risk Factors”.

Oregon

History

Oregon’s medical cannabis program was introduced in November 1998 when voters approved Measure 67, the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act, with 55% of the vote. In November 2014, voters approved Measure 91, the ‘Oregon Legalized Marijuana Initiative,’ which legalized adult-use cannabis in the state. In October 2015, the first adult-use dispensaries opened for sale.

Regulatory Summary

There are four types of adult-use cannabis licenses: producer, processor, wholesaler and retail. Additionally, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (“OLCC”) grants a certificate for research and a hemp certificate. A producer is permitted to cultivate cannabis. A processor is permitted to transform raw cannabis into another product (topicals, edibles, concentrates, or extracts). A wholesaler is permitted to buy cannabis in bulk and sell to licensees but not to consumers. A retailer is permitted to sell cannabis to consumers. A laboratory is permitted to test cannabis based on rules established by the Oregon Health Authority. To receive a laboratory license, the lab must be accredited by the Oregon Environmental Laboratory Accreditation program. The hemp certificate allows persons that are registered with the Oregon Department of Agriculture to transfer hemp flower, extracts, or concentrates to OLCC licensed processors who hold an industrial hemp processor endorsement.

Company Licenses

Pursuant to the purchase of the Operating Companies by the Company, Stem has acquired an interest in five retail licenses, five producer licenses, two wholesaler license and three processing licenses.

The table below lists the licenses that are: (i) directly held by the Company; and (ii) held by the Company’s operating partners:

Oregon Transportation

Licensed producers which transport cannabis to licensed retailers must comply with the following: (a) a licensee must keep cannabis items in transit shielded from public view, (b) the cannabis items must be of secured (locked-up) during transport, (c) the transport must be equipped with an alarm system, (d) the transport must be temperature controlled if perishable cannabis items are being transported, (e) the transport must provide arrival date and estimated time of arrival information, (f) all cannabis items must be packaged in shipping containers and labeled with a unique identifier, and (g) the transport must provide a copy of the printed manifest and any printed receipts for cannabis items delivered to law enforcement officers or other representatives of a government agency if requested to do so while in transit.

Oregon Inventory/Storage

OLCC licensees must report the following to Oregon’s Cannabis Tracking System (“CTS”) (a) a reconciliation of all on-premise and in-transit cannabis item inventories each day, (b) all information for seeds, usable cannabis, CBD concentrates and extracts by weight, (c) the wet weight of all harvested cannabis plants immediately after harvest, (d) all required information for CBD products by unit count, and (e) for retailer license holders, the price before tax and amount of each item sold to consumers and the date of each transaction. The data must be transmitted for each individual transaction before the retailer opens the next business day. All cannabis items on a licensed retailer’s premises must be held in a safe or vault. All usable cannabis, cut and drying mature cannabis plants, CBD concentrates, extracts or products on the licensed premises of a licensee other than a retailer are to be kept in a locked, enclosed area within the licensed premises that is secured with at a minimum, a steel door with a steel frame or equivalent, and a commercial grade, non-residential door lock. All licensees must keep all video recordings and archived required records not stored electronically in a locked storage area. Current records may be kept in a locked cupboard or desk outside the locked storage area during hours when the licensed business is open.

Oregon Record-keeping/Reporting

Oregon uses the METRC trace and tracking system and allows other third-party system integration via an API to track cannabis. The Subsidiaries in Oregon use a third-party trace and tracking system to push the data to the state through an API to meet all reporting requirements. All cannabis products dispensed are documented at point of sale via the track and trace system. License holders must maintain the documentation from the track and trace system in a secure locked location at each dispensing or growing location for three years as required by the OLCC. The OLCC requires all cannabis licensees to have and maintain records that clearly reflect all financial transactions and the financial condition of the business. The following records may be kept in either paper or electronic form and must be maintained for a three year period and be made available for inspection if requested by the OLCC: (a) purchase invoices and supporting documents for items and services purchased for use in the production, processing, research, testing and sale of cannabis items that include from whom the items were purchased and the date of purchase, (b) bank statements for any accounts, (c) accounting and tax records, (d) documentation of all financial transactions, including contracts and agreements for services performed or received, and (e) all employee records, including training.

Oregon Security

A licensed premise must have a fully operational security alarm system, activated at all times when the licensed premises is closed for business. Among other features the security alarm system for the licensed premises must (a) be able to detect unauthorized entry onto the licensed premises and unauthorized activity within any limited access area where mature cannabis plants, usable cannabis, CBD concentrates, extracts or products are present, (b) be programmed to notify the licensee, a licensee representative or other authorized personnel in the event of an unauthorized entry, and (c) either have at least two operational “panic buttons” located inside the licensed premises that are linked with the alarm system that immediately notifies a security company or law enforcement, or have operational panic buttons physically carried by all employees present on the licensed premises that are linked with the alarm system that immediately notifies a security company or law enforcement.

A licensed premise must have a fully operational video surveillance recording system. Among other requirements, a licensed premise must have cameras that continuously record, 24 hours a day, seven days a week: (a) in all areas where mature cannabis plants, usable cannabis, CBD concentrates, extracts or products may be present on the licensed premises; and (b) all points of ingress and egress to and from areas where mature cannabis plants, usable cannabis, CBD concentrates, extracts or products are present. A licensee must keep all surveillance recordings for a minimum of 90 calendar days and have the surveillance room or surveillance area with limited access.

Oregon Inspections

All cannabis licensees may be subject to safety inspections of licensed premises by state or local government officials to determine compliance with state or local health and safety laws. The OLCC also may conduct an inspection at any time to ensure that a registrant, licensee or permittee is in compliance with Oregon state laws. A licensee, licensee representative, or permittee must cooperate with the OLCC during an inspection. If licensee, licensee representative or permittee fails to permit the OLCC to conduct an inspection the OLCC may seek an investigative subpoena to inspect the premises and gather books, payrolls, accounts, papers, documents or records.

U.S. Attorney Statements in Oregon

To the knowledge of management of Stem, other than as disclosed in this Document, there have not been any statements or guidance made by federal authorities or prosecutors regarding the risk of enforcement action in Oregon. See “Risk Factors”.

Compliance with Applicable State Law in the United States

The Company is classified as having both a direct and indirect involvement in the U.S. cannabis industry and is in compliance with applicable state law, licensing requirements and the regulatory framework enacted by each U.S. state in which it operates. The Company is not subject to any citations or notices of violation with applicable licensing requirements and the regulatory framework enacted by each applicable U.S. state which may have an impact on its licenses, business activities or operations.

The Company has in place a detailed compliance program, which oversees, maintains, and implements the compliance program and personnel. In addition to the Company’s robust internal legal and compliance departments, the Company has state and local regulatory/compliance counsel engaged in every jurisdiction in which it operates.

The Company’s compliance department oversees training for all employees, including on the following topics: (i) compliance with state and local laws; (ii) safe cannabis use; (iii) dispensing procedures; (iv) security and safety policies and procedures; (v) inventory control; (vi) quality control; and (vii) transportation procedures. The Company’s compliance department includes the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the Company, as well as the Company’s managers in charge of cultivation, branding and sales.

The Company monitors all compliance notifications from the regulators and inspectors in each market, timely resolving any issues identified. The Company keeps records of all compliance notifications received from the state regulators or inspectors and how and when the issue was resolved.

To ensure compliance with the U.S. federal laws and the regulatory framework enacted by each U.S. state in which the Company operates, the Company adheres to the following procedures and controls:

The Company will continue to monitor compliance on an ongoing basis in accordance with its compliance program and standard operating procedures. While the Company’s operations are in full compliance with all applicable state laws, regulations and licensing requirements, such activities remain illegal under United States federal law. For the reasons described above and the risks further described under “Risk Factors” in this Document, there are significant risks associated with the business of the Company. Readers are strongly encouraged to carefully read all of the risk factors described under “Risk Factors” in this Document

Ability to Access Public and Private Capital

While the Company is not able to obtain traditional bank financing in the U.S. or financing from other U.S. federally regulated entities, the Company currently has access to equity financing through the private markets in Canada and the U.S. Since the use of cannabis is illegal under U.S. federal law, and in light of concerns in the banking industry regarding money laundering and other federal financial crime related to cannabis, U.S. banks have been reluctant to accept deposit funds from businesses involved with the cannabis industry. Consequently, businesses involved in the cannabis industry often have difficulty finding a bank willing to accept its business. Likewise, cannabis businesses have limited access, if any, to credit card processing services. As a result, cannabis businesses in the U.S. are largely cash-based. This complicates the implementation of financial controls and increases security issues.

Commercial banks, private equity firms and venture capital firms have approached the cannabis industry cautiously to date. However, there are increasing numbers of high-net-worth individuals and family offices that have made meaningful investments in companies and businesses similar to the Company. Although there has been an increase in the amount of private financing available over the last several years, there is neither a broad nor deep pool of institutional capital that is available to cannabis license holders and license applicants. There can be no assurance that additional financing, if raised privately, will be available to the Company when needed or on terms which are acceptable to the Company. The Company’s inability to raise financing to fund capital expenditures or acquisitions could limit its growth and may have a material adverse effect upon future profitability. See “Risk Factors”.

History of the Business

The Company was formed to purchase, lease, and improve certain real estate properties (the “Properties”), initially in the State of Oregon, which are or will be utilized as either state-licensed cannabis selling retail establishments or state-licensed cannabis growing and processing facilities. The Company previously operated primarily as a real estate holding company, and now engages in direct operations with respect to its properties and activities other than the leasing of properties, funding of capital improvements, and administration of its leases and provision of financing to certain lessees.

The initial business of the Company was detailed in a multiparty agreement dated as of August 4, 2016, as revised on October 24, 2016 (“Multiparty Agreement”), by and among the Company and the following entities, which are affiliates of the founders of the Company: Oregon Acquisitions, JV LLC, Gated Oregon Holdings LLC, Kind Care Holdings, LLC, and Never Again Real Estate, LLC.

The Multiparty Agreement contemplated that the initial Properties owned by the Company and identified in the Multiparty Agreement (and as further described below) would be leased by the Company to subsidiaries of OpCo Holdings, Inc. (“OpCo”). Opco is a company formed in 2016 by the Company’s founders and their affiliates for the purpose of operating multiple cannabis-related businesses initially in the State of Oregon, and the Company’s founders and their affiliated entities directly and indirectly collectively own approximately 24.06% of the outstanding stock of Opco.

The following is an overview of acquisitions completed by the Company:

Investments in Subsidiaries

In April 2018, the Company received a 37.5% interest in NVD RE Corp. (“NVD”) upon its issuance to NVD of a commitment to contribute $1.275 million to NVD, which included the purchase price of $600,000 and an additional commitment to pay tenant improvement costs of $675,000. As of September 30, 2019, the Company paid $600,000 in cash for the real estate and not only fully funded its commitment but invested an additional $377,000 in capital over and above its original obligation. NVD used the funds provided to date by the Company to construct a cannabis indoor grow building and processing plant located near Las Vegas, Nevada and to continue the buildout of the property. The Company has no further commitment to fund the entity beyond its initial equity purchase commitment. NVD leases its facilities to YMY Ventures, LLC. In the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019, NVD obtained $300,000 in proceeds from a mortgage on its property. The funds from this mortgage were advanced to the Company. As of September 30, 2022, this obligation was paid in its entirety, and $400,000 in additional proceeds were received on new mortgage. In May 2020, the Company acquired an additional 26.25% interest in NVD by issuing 386,035 common shares at par value of $0.001 which resulted in a total investment of 63.75%.

In September 2018, the Company entered into an agreement to acquire 50% of the membership interest of YMY Ventures LLC (“YMY”). YMY is a startup operation located near Las Vegas, Nevada and owns licenses for the production and sale of cannabis. The purchase price for the 50% interest was $750,000, with the first $375,000 paid into escrow upon signing, with the final $375,000 due upon closing, which under the agreement occurs when the license is transferred by the Nevada Department of Taxation and receipt of approval in transfer of ownership by the Division of Public and Behavioral Health of the City of North Las Vegas. As of June 30, 2019, the Company had funded the $375,000 into escrow and had provided the joint venture with additional funds primarily in the form of payments for work performed to acquire four licenses from the Nevada Department of Taxation in the amount of approximately $690,238. As of February 28, 2019, the Nevada Department of Taxation approved the change of ownership for four medical and recreational cultivation and production licenses held by YMY Ventures now owned by Stem Holdings, Inc. Pursuant to the agreement, the escrowed amount of $375,000 was released and an additional payment of $67,500 was issued in August 2019. The balance of $307,500 was being held and negotiated with the partners due to the additional funds over and above the original obligation to provide tenant improvements of $650,000. As of September 30, 2022, the balance has been paid in full.

On October 8, 2018, the Company and Yerba Buena Oregon, LLC (“Yerba”) entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement which provided for the Company to purchase certain assets and assume certain liabilities of Yerba. Yerba is a wholesale producer of recreational marijuana flower, by-product and pre-roll product in the state of Oregon.

On June 24, 2019, Stem received regulatory approval from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission and closed the previously announced acquisition of Yerba. Yerba operates an award-winning state-of-the-art cultivation facility equipped with an in-house genetics program and a cannabis library consisting of a few hundred strains.

Tilstar Medical, LLC

In April 2019, the Company entered into an agreement to acquire 48% of the membership interest of Tilstar Medical, LLC (“TIL”). TIL is a startup operation located in Laurel, Maryland and owns a project management company which assists in procuring licenses for the production and sale of cannabis. The purchase price for the 48% interest was $550,000 to capitalize TIL which under the operating agreement occurs upon the execution of the agreement. As of September 30, 2019, the Company had funded the $550,000 and accounted for its investment using the equity method of accounting. The Company was not made aware at time of its investment in the type and magnitude of expenses that would be funded with its investment capital and is currently in the process of renegotiating the terms of the operating agreement. During the year ended September 30, 2019, Tilstar Medical along with its partner, Stem Holdings, Inc. received a letter from the Maryland Medical Cannabis commission with notification that we received stage one pre-approval for a processor license. The Companies application ranked amongst the top nine highest scoring applications for a medical cannabis processor license. Final awards will be issued during calendar year 2021. During the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company recognized minimal losses on investments related to TIL. During the year ended September 30, 2022, the Company recorded impairment expense of approximately $288,000 related to its investment in TIL.

Community Growth Partners, INC

On January 6, 2020, the Company issued a convertible promissory note to Community Growth Partners Holdings, Inc., (“CGS”) which will act as a line of credit. Subject to the terms and conditions of the note, CGS promises to pay the Company all of the outstanding principal together with interest on the unpaid principal balance upon the date that is twelve months after the effective date and shall be payable as follows: (a)The Company agrees to make several loans to CGS from time to time upon request of CGS in amounts not to exceed the principal sum of $2,000,000, (b) Payment of principal and interest shall be immediately available funds, (c) This note may be prepaid in whole or in part at any time without premium or penalty. Any partial prepayment shall be applied against the principal amount outstanding, (d) The unpaid principal amount outstanding under this note shall bear interest commencing upon the first advance at the rate of 10% per annum through the maturity date, calculated on the basis of a 365-day, until the entire indebtedness is fully paid, Upon the closing of a $2,000,000 financing by the Company, all of the principal and interest shall automatically convert into equity shares of CGS at the price obtained by the qualified financing. As of September 30, 2020, a portion of the note was converted into 7% equity. In March 2021, the balance of a note receivable was converted into an additional 6% equity leaving an equity investment of 13%. During the year ended September 30, 2022, pursuant to a secondary stock purchase agreement, the Company sold its equity investment in CGS in consideration for $1.65 million in cash.

Seven Leaf Ventures Corp. (“7LV”)

On March 6, 2020, the Company closed the acquisition of Seven Leaf Ventures Corp. (“7LV”), a private Alberta, Canada corporation, and its subsidiaries, pursuant to the terms of a share purchase agreement dated March 6, 2020. 7LV owns Foothills Health and Wellness, a medical dispensary, in the greater Sacramento, California area (the “Sacramento Dispensary”). Company management believes that the Sacramento Dispensary is expected to drive synergies with Stem’s premium branded dispensaries in Eugene and Portland, OR.

Company purchase of Opco businesses

As long as the Company has fully satisfied all of its obligations and milestones pursuant to the Multiparty Agreement, the Company had the obligation to acquire the business operations of Opco Holdings and its subsidiaries, and Oregon Acquisitions, Gated Oregon and Kind Care (the “Operating Companies”) has the obligation to sell such operations to the Company, within a reasonable time after the Company receives a legal opinion that the operation of the Opco marijuana businesses in the State of Oregon by Stem will not violate any federal or state laws. On August 12, 2019, the parties agreed to waive this condition with the Company proceeding with the purchase of the operating companies.

Pursuant to the terms of a merger agreement between the parties, Stem acquired Opco Holdings and its subsidiaries, and Oregon Acquisitions, Gated Oregon and Kind Care for a deemed aggregate purchase price of 12.5 million shares of the Company’s common stock. The purchase price was satisfied by releasing the shares which were being held in escrow, to the beneficial owners of above-mentioned entities. As previously disclosed, certain beneficial owners of these entities are also directors, officers and/or shareholders of Stem. The transaction was subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals from government entities of the State of Oregon. Definitive agreements have been executed and filed with the regulatory agency. On September 4, 2020, the Company received all of the necessary regulatory approvals from government entities of the State of Oregon and, pursuant to the Merger Agreements, the transaction was consummated on that date.

NVD RE Corp.

In April 2018, the Company received a 37.5% interest in NVD RE Corp. (“NVD”) upon its issuance to NVD of a commitment to contribute $1.275 million to NVD, which included the purchase price of $600,000 and an additional commitment to pay tenant improvement costs of $675,000. As of September 30, 2019, the Company paid $600,000 in cash for the real estate and not only fully funded its commitment but invested an additional $377,000 in capital over and above its original obligation. NVD used the funds provided to date by the Company to construct a cannabis indoor grow building and processing plant located near Las Vegas, Nevada and to continue the buildout of the property. The Company has no further commitment to fund the entity beyond its initial equity purchase commitment. NVD leases its facilities to YMY Ventures, LLC. In the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019, NVD obtained $300,000 in proceeds from a mortgage on its property. The funds from this mortgage were advanced to the Company. As of September 30, 2022, this obligation was paid in its entirety, and $400,000 in additional proceeds were received on new mortgage. In May 2020, the Company acquired an additional 26.25% interest in NVD by issuing 386,035 common shares at par value of $0.001 which resulted in a total investment of 63.75%.

Michigan RE 1

On January 4, 2021, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (“SPA”) with Michigan RE 1, Inc. (“MRE1”) pursuant to a private placement offering of up to an aggregate amount of $510 comprising up to 510 shares of MRE1’s common stock which represents 51% ownership by the Company. On January 5, 2021, the Company was party to an Asset Purchase Agreement between Leoni Wellness, LLC (“Seller”) and Organic Guyz, LLC (“Purchaser”) whereas the Seller is engaged in the recreational cannabis business and the Purchaser desires to purchase the local municipal license to operate an adult use retailer in the City of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The purchase price to be paid by the Purchaser is $400,000. A non-refundable deposit of $250,000, except in the event of a material breach of the SPA, is due within three days of the executed SPA. The deposit will be acknowledged by an execution of a joint escrow agreement. At closing the Purchaser will pay $250,000 to the Seller by cashiers check or wire transfer. The remaining $150,000 shall be paid by the Purchaser to the Seller in accordance with a promissory note to be executed at closing. The promissory note shall be paid in full on the earlier of the date the Purchaser purchases the real property located at 3928 Portage Street, Kalamazoo, Michigan or eighteen months from the closing date. The promissory note shall be secured by an escrow agent whereby three hundred thousand (300,000) shares (“Shares”) of Stem Holdings shall be held in the benefit of Seller and a Collateral Assignment of Licenses and Permits whereby upon default on the promissory note, the Purchaser shall assign the marijuana business permit back to the Seller. Upon the maturity date of the promissory note, in the event that the borrower has not paid the principal balance of the note in full, Seller shall have the option to receive the Shares as payment or $150,000 by wire transfer. As of September 30, 2021, the buildout of the Michigan retail dispensary has begun, however the project has been delayed due to Department of Zoning and Planning coding issues. Subsequent to further investigation, due to related religious reasons, the Department of Zoning and Planning will not issue a license, therefore, impairing this investment.

Kaya Holdings, Corp.

On April 13, 2021, the Company executed an Investors’ Rights Agreement in conjunction with a Subscription Agreement with Kaya Holdings, Corp. The Company purchased 2,875,000 shares of Class B common stock of Kaya Holdings, Corp for a total investment of $230,000. In addition to the purchased Class B shares, the Company received 500,000 founder Class B shares resulting in a total of 3,375,000 Class B shares. For the year ended September 30, 2022, the Company, pursuant to a securities purchase agreement sold all of these shares to a third party for $200,000, incurring a loss of $30,000.

Principal Products and Markets

The Company’s principal operations have historically related to the leasing of properties, funding of capital, tenant improvements, and administration of its leases and provision of financing to certain lessees, engaged in the production and sale of cannabis. While the Company originally operated primarily as a real estate holding company, it is now engaged in direct operations, primarily the production and sale of cannabis in states where it is legal to do so, with respect to its properties and activities other than the leasing of properties, funding of capital improvements and administration of its leases and provision of financing to certain lessees. Historically, the Company’s principal market has been in the State of Oregon, but it is now engaged in expansion into other markets where sale of marijuana is legal, including California, and Nevada.

Production and Sales

The Company’s business requires that it possess or be in a position to access specialized knowledge and expertise regarding the state-licensed cannabis industry and those persons and entities who are involved in the industry. The Company believes that its management has such specialized expertise and experience, and the Company retains legal counsel that has recognized expertise in the industry. The Company does not believe that any aspect of its business is either: (i) cyclical or seasonal; or (ii) dependent on any particular franchise or license or other agreement to use a patent, formula, trade secret, process or trade name. The Company has not identified any specific environmental protection issues which will affect its business. The Company does not own significant identifiable intangible properties outside of its cannabis licenses.

The Company does not believe that its operations are dependent on any factors within the general economy. However, any material changes in either U.S. federal law enforcement priorities or the law of the State of California, Oregon, and Nevada, or other states where the Company operates affecting the cultivation and sale of cannabis could have a material impact on the Company’s business, particularly since the growth, marketing, sale, and use of marijuana is illegal under federal law.

Company Funding

Private Placement Transactions

The Company has sold shares of its common stock in private placement transactions under the exemption provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Regulation D promulgated thereunder and certain exemptions of the laws of the jurisdictions where any offering is made. In the fiscal years ended September 30, 2022, and 2021, the Company raised gross proceeds of approximately $285,000 and $2,695,000, respectively.

The securities issued in the above-mentioned transactions were issued in connection with private placements exempt from the registration requirements of Section 5 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, pursuant to the terms of Section 4(2) of that Act and Rule 506 of Regulation D. Investors who acquired shares of our common stock in the foregoing private placement transactions were all accredited investors and were required to complete, execute and deliver a subscription agreement and related documentation, which included customary representations and warranties, certain covenants and restrictions and indemnification provisions.

Promissory Note

In January 2020, the Company issued two promissory notes with a principal balance of $500,000 to accredited investors (the “Note Holders”). The note matures in October 2020 and has an annual rate of interest of 12%. In connection with the issuance of the promissory note, the Company issued the Note Holders 100,000 common stock purchase warrants with a five-year term from the issuance date, $0.85 per. As of July 2020, in consideration of the warrants being amended to $0.45 per share with an extended the term from five to a ten-year term, the maturity date has been extended to December 13, 2020. As of September 30, 2021, the obligation outstanding is $425,000 and $358,996, net of debt discount of $66,004. As of September 30, 2022, the obligation outstanding is $250,000 and the balance is $200,548, net of debt discount of $49,452. The Company was notified that the maturity dates on these notes have been extended for the near-term.

In April 2022, the Company has completed a private placement of a $500,000 unsecured promissory note and 500,000 common share purchase warrants to an arm’s length lender. The Note becomes due and payable in three months, subject to extension by the Company for an additional three months upon payment of a $5,000 extension fee to the lender. The Note bears interest at rate of 10% per annum payable at maturity. The Company may prepay the outstanding principal amount of the obligation together with all accrued and unpaid interest, without penalty, at any time prior to the maturity date of the note. Each warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one common share at a price of 0.07 for a period of thirty-six (36) months after closing. As of September 30, 2022, the Company made a payment of $250,000 leaving a balance outstanding of $250,000. A subsequent payment of $250,000 has been tendered satisfying the entire obligation.

Convertible Promissory Notes and Mortgages

Finance liability

In November 2020, the Company executed a mortgage payable on property located in Mulino, Oregon to acquire additional funds. The mortgage bears interest at 15% per annum. The entire unpaid balance is due November 2022, the maturity date of the mortgage, and was secured by the underlying property. The note was cross guaranteed by the former CEO and Director of the Company. On November 23, 2020, the Company executed a real estate purchase agreement related to the Mulino Property which included the sale of the property and payoff of the mortgage. Additionally, the Company entered into a lease agreement whereas the amount of $13,750 required as a rent payment through the lease is being recorded as interest expense and the Company recorded a finance liability of $1,094,989 related to the lease under the guidance of ASC 842 as a failed sale and leaseback transaction. During the year ended September 30, 2022, the Company executed a sale lease back agreement with the Company’s Mulino property, and entered into a 15-year lease with an unrelated third party located in Englewood, CO. The lease requires the Company to pay a starting base rental fee of $29,167 plus additional estimated triple net charges per month including real estate taxes in which the base rental fee escalates each year by approximately 2%. All taxes (including reconciling real estate taxes), maintenance, and utilities are included and paid monthly. This transaction resulted in net proceeds to the Company in the amount of $1.8 million.

Long-term debt, mortgages

In January 2020, the Company refinanced a mortgage payable on property located in Oregon to acquire additional funds. The mortgage bears interest at 15% per annum. Monthly interest only payments began February 1, 2020, payments will continue each month thereafter until paid. The entire unpaid balance was due on January 31, 2022, the maturity date of the mortgage, and is secured by the underlying property. The mortgage terms do not allow participation by the lender in either the appreciation in the fair value of the mortgaged real estate project or the results of operations of the mortgaged real estate project. The note has been cross guaranteed by the former CEO and Director of the Company. As of September 30, 2022, the Company paid off the existing debt of $400,000 and procured another mortgage in the amount of $450,000. This obligation has no personal guarantee; however, a corporate guarantee has been perfected. The new interest is 12% on a three-year term.

In March 2020, the Company executed a $400,000 mortgage payable on property located in Oregon to acquire additional funds. The mortgage bears interest at 11.55% per annum. Monthly interest only payments began May 1, 2020, payments will continue each month thereafter until paid. The entire unpaid balance was due on April 1, 2022, the maturity date of the mortgage, and is secured by the underlying property. The Company paid costs of approximately $38,000 to close on the mortgage. The mortgage terms do not allow participation by the lender in either the appreciation in the fair value of the mortgaged real estate project or the results of operations of the mortgaged real estate project. The note has been cross guaranteed by the former CEO and Director of the Company. As of September 30, 2022, the obligation outstanding is $400,000. Subsequently, the Company has exercised its right to extend the maturity date of the notes which is now on April 1, 2023.

In March 2020, the Company refinanced a mortgage payable on property located in Oregon to acquire additional funds. The mortgage bears interest at 15% per annum. Monthly interest only payments began April 1, 2020, payments will continue each month thereafter until paid. The entire unpaid balance was due on March 31, 2022, the maturity date of the mortgage, and is secured by the underlying property. The mortgage terms do not allow participation by the lender in either the appreciation in the fair value of the mortgaged real estate project or the results of operations of the mortgaged real estate project. The note has been cross guaranteed by the former CEO and Director of the Company. The Company paid off the existing debt of $700,000 and procured another mortgage in the amount of $775,000. This obligation has no personal guarantee; however, a corporate guarantee has been perfected. The new interest is 12% on a two-year term.

In July 2020, the Company executed a mortgage payable on property located in Oregon to acquire additional funds. The mortgage bears interest at 14% per annum. Monthly interest only payments began August 1, 2020, payments will continue each month thereafter until paid. The entire unpaid balance is due on July 31, 2023, the maturity date of the mortgage, and is secured by the underlying property. The mortgage terms do not allow participation by the lender in either the appreciation in the fair value of the mortgaged real estate project or the results of operations of the mortgaged real estate project. The note has been cross guaranteed by the former CEO and Director of the Company. The obligation outstanding is $200,000.

In April 2018, the Company received a 37.5% interest in NVD RE Corp. (“NVD”) upon its issuance to NVD of a commitment to contribute $1.275 million to NVD which included the purchase price of $600,000 and an additional commitment to pay tenant improvement costs of $675,000. In the year ended September 30, 2019, NVD obtained $300,000 in proceeds from a mortgage on its property. The funds from this mortgage were advanced to the Company. The advance is undocumented, non-interest bearing and due on demand. As of September 30, 2019, the balance due totals $300,000. In August 2020, the Company refinanced this obligation and paid the $300,000 balance. The refinanced mortgage term is 36 months and includes and interest rate of 14% and monthly interest only payments of $4,667. The balance due totals $400,000.

The following is a table of the 5-year runoff of our long-term debt as of September 30:

CD Special Warrant Offering

On December 27, 2018, the Company entered into an Agency Agreement (the “Agency Agreement”) for a private offering of up to 10,000 convertible debenture special warrants of the Company (the “CD Special Warrants”) for aggregate gross proceeds of up to CDN$10,000,000 (the “Offering”). The net proceeds of the Offering were used for expansion initiatives and general corporate purposes. The Company’s functional currency is U.S. dollars.

In December 2018 and January 2019, the Company issued 3,121 CD Special Warrants in the first closing of the Offering, at a price of CDN $1,000 per CD Special Warrant, and received aggregate gross proceeds of CDN $3.1 million or $2.3 million USD. In connection with this offering, the Company issued the agents in such offering 52,430 convertible debenture special warrants (the “Broker CD Special Warrants”) as partial satisfaction of a selling commission.

On March 14, 2019, the Company issued 962 CD Special Warrants in the second and final closing of the Offering, at a price of CDN $1,000 per CD Special Warrant, and received aggregate gross proceeds of CDN $1.0 million or $0.7 million USD. In connection with this offering, the Company issued the agents in such offering 5,600 convertible debenture special warrants (the “Broker CD Special Warrants”) as partial satisfaction of a selling commission.

The total aggregate proceeds of the Offering totaled $4.1 million CDN or $3.1 million USD.

Each CD Special Warrant will be exchanged (with no further action on the part of the holder thereof and for no further consideration) for one convertible debenture unit of the Company (a “Convertible Debenture Unit”), on the earlier of: (i) the third business day after the date on which both (A) a receipt (the “Receipt”) for a (final) document (the “Qualification Document”) qualifying the distribution of the Convertible Debentures (as defined below) and Warrants (as defined below) issuable upon exercise of the CD Special Warrants has been issued by the applicable securities regulatory authorities in the Canadian jurisdictions in which purchasers of the CD Special Warrants are resident (the “Canadian Jurisdictions”), and (B) a registration statement (the “Registration Statement”) registering the resale of the common shares underlying the Convertible Debentures and Warrants has been declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Registration”); and (ii) the date that is six months following the closing of the Offering. The Company has also provided certain registration rights to purchasers of the CD Special Warrants. The CD Special Warrants were exchanged for Convertible Debenture Units after six months as U.S. and Canadian registrations were not effective at that time.

Each Convertible Debenture Unit is comprised of CDN $1,000 principal amount 8.0% senior unsecured convertible debenture (each, a “Convertible Debenture”) of the Company and 167 common share purchase warrants of the Company (each, a “Warrant”). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one common share of the Company (each, a “Warrant Share”) at an exercise price of CDN $3.90 per Warrant Share for a period of 24 months following the closing of the Offering.

The Company has agreed to use its best efforts to obtain the Receipt and Registration within six months following the closing of the Offering. If the Receipt and Registration have not been obtained on or before 5:00 p.m. (PST) on the date that is 120 days following the closing of the Offering, each unexercised CD Special Warrant will thereafter entitle the holder thereof to receive, upon the exercise thereof and at no additional cost, 1.05 Convertible Debenture Units per CD Special Warrant (instead of 1.0 Convertible Debenture Unit per CD Special Warrant). Until the Receipt and Registration have been obtained, securities issued in connection with the Offering (including any underlying securities issued upon conversion or exercise thereof) will be subject to a six (6)-month hold period from the date of issue. Since the CD Special Warrants were exchanged for Convertible Debenture Units after six (6) months as U.S. and Canadian registrations were not effective at that time, the holders received 1.05 Convertible Debenture Units per CD Special Warrant.

The brokered portion of the Offering (CDN $2.5 million, $1.9 million USD) was completed by a syndicate of agents (collectively, the “Agents”). The Company paid the Agents a cash commission equal to 7.0% of the gross proceeds raised in the brokered portion of the Offering. As additional consideration, the Company issued the Agents such number of non-transferable broker convertible debenture special warrants (the “Broker CD Special Warrants”) as is equal to 7.0% of the number of CD Special Warrants sold under the brokered portion of the Offering. Each Broker CD Special Warrant shall be exchanged, on the same terms as the CD Special Warrants, into broker warrants of the Company (the “Broker Warrants”). Each Broker Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one Convertible Debenture Unit at an exercise price of CDN $1,000, until the date that is 24 months from the closing date of the Offering. The distribution of the Broker Warrants issuable upon the exchange of the Broker CD Special Warrants shall also be qualified under the Qualification Document and the resale of the common shares underlying the Broker Warrants will be registered under the Registration Statement. The Company also paid the lead agent a commission noted above of CDN$157,290, corporate finance fee equal to CDN $50,000 in cash and as to $50,000 in common shares of the Company at a price per share of CDN$3.00 plus additional expenses of CDN$20,000. In addition, the Company paid the trustees legal fees of CDN$181,365. In total the Company approx. USD $0.32 million in fees and expenses associated with the offering.

The issuance of the securities was made in reliance on the exemption provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), for the offer and sale of securities not involving a public offering, Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act, Regulation S, in Canada to “accredited investors” within the meaning of National Instrument 45106 and other exempt purchasers in each province of Canada, except Quebec, and/or outside Canada and the United States on a basis which does not require the qualification or registration. The securities being offered have not been registered under the Securities Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements.

The Convertible Debenture features contain the following embedded derivatives:

The conversion option, the contingent put feature upon an Event of Default, and the contingent put feature upon a Change in Control should be bifurcated and recognized collectively as a compound embedded derivative at fair value at inception and at each quarterly reporting period.

A five percent penalty assessed for failure to timely file a registration statement to register the stock underlying the CD special warrants.

The Company valued the warrants granted using the Black-Scholes pricing model and determined that the value at grant date was approximately $424,000 USD (this includes the warrants issued as part of the penalty for failure to timely file the required registration statement under the indenture agreement). The significant assumptions used in the valuation are as follows:

The warrants are not indexed to the Company’s own stock under ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging. As such, the warrants do not meet the scope exception in ASC 815-10-15-74(a) to derivative accounting and therefore were accounted for as a liability in accordance with the guidance in ASC 815. The warrant liability was recorded at the date of grant at fair value with subsequent changes in fair value recognized in earnings each reporting period.

In April 2020, the Company received approval of the holders Warrant holders of the warrants and the holders debenture holders of the Convertible Debentures to reprice the convertible securities issued in connection with the Company’s special warrant financing, which closed on December 27, 2018, and June 14, 2019. The share purchase warrants of the Company issued in connection with the financing will be repriced to C$1.50 per Common Share and the convertible debentures of the Company issued in connection with the financing will be repriced to C$1.15 per common share. Additionally, the Debenture holders have approved the following amendments to the terms of the convertible debentures: (i) an extension to the maturity date of the convertible debentures to three years from the date of issuance; and (ii) an amendment to permit the Company to force the conversion of the principal amount of the then outstanding convertible debentures and any accrued and unpaid interest thereof at the new conversion price on not less than June days’ prior written notice if the closing trading price of the shares of common stock of the Company’s common shares exceeds C$1.90 for a period of 10 consecutive trading days on the CSE. The Warrant holders have also approved the inclusion of an early acceleration feature in accordance with the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange, permitting the Company to accelerate the expiry date of the warrants should the closing trading price of the Common Shares exceed C$1.87 for a period of 10 consecutive trading days on the CSE. As of September 30, 2021, the convertible debt related to the above debentures is $2.9 million.

In June 2022, the Company received approval of the holders Warrant holders of the warrants and the holders debenture holders of the Convertible Debentures to reprice the convertible securities issued in connection with the Company’s special warrant financing, which initially closed on December 27, 2018, and June 14, 2019. The share purchase warrants of the Company issued in connection with the financing will be repriced to C$0.20 per Common Share and the convertible debentures of the Company issued in connection with the financing will be repriced to C$0.10 per common share. Additionally, the Debenture holders have approved the following amendments to the terms of the convertible debentures: (i) an extension to the maturity date of the convertible debentures to three years ; and (ii) an amendment to permit the Company to force the conversion of the principal amount of the then outstanding convertible debentures and any accrued and unpaid interest thereof at the new conversion price on not less than 30 days’ prior written notice if the closing trading price of the shares of common stock of the Company’s common shares exceeds C$0.80 for a period of 10 consecutive trading days on the CSE, (iii) the payment of 5% of the principle amount. Share purchase warrants of the Company were issued in connection this repricing at 167 common share warrants for each $1,000 debenture unit held. A debt discount of $1.2 million was recorded and will be amortized over the remaining life of the convertible debt, and as part of the modification of convertible debt. This transaction was accounted for as extinguishment of debt which resulted in a gain of $803 thousand. As of September 30, 2022, the convertible debt related to the above debentures was $1.5 million and $2.9 million, net of a debt discount of $1.1 million and $0, respectively.

The table below shows the warrant liability and embedded derivative liability recorded in connection with the Canaccord convertible notes and the subsequent fair value measurement for the period ended September 30, 2022, in USD, (in thousands):

Merger with Driven Deliveries, Inc.

On October 13, 2020, Stem Holdings, Inc. (“STEM”), Driven Deliveries, Inc. (“DRVD”) and Stem Driven Acquisition, Inc. (“SDA”) and entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) wherein DRVD would merge with and into SDA, with DRVD being the surviving entity and, following closing of the merger transaction, would become a wholly-owned subsidiary of STEM. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, STEM exchanged one newly-issued share of STEM common stock for each issued and outstanding share of DRVD. The merger transaction closed on December 29, 2020 upon satisfaction of all terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement and completion of due diligence by all entities.

STEM is a vertically-integrated cannabis and hemp branded products company with state-of-the-art cultivation, processing, extraction, retail, and distribution operations throughout the United States. DRVD is an e-commerce and DaaS (delivery-as-a-service) provider with proprietary logistics and omnichannel UX/CX technology. At the closing, STEM would be re-named Driven by Stem and would maintain its corporate headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida. Management of both DRVD and STEM believe that following completion of the merger transaction, Driven by Stem will be the first vertically-integrated cannabis company with a DaaS platform, which will meet the needs of all cannabis consumers in markets served.

Presently, STEM is traded on the OTCQX market and Canadian Stock Exchange under the symbols STMH and STEM, respectively. DRVD is presently traded on the OTCQB market. At the effective date of the closing of the merger transaction, all shares of DRVD will be converted into the right to receive shares of STEM Common Stock (the “Merger Consideration”). The Merger Agreement includes interim covenant provisions applicable prior to the earlier of the (i) closing of the Merger or (ii) termination of the Merger Agreement that, among other things, restrict our ability to take certain actions with respect to the Company’s organizational documents, including but not limited to amending the Certificate of Incorporation.

Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, DRVD shareholders received (based on closing share prices as of October 13, 2020) an aggregate purchase price of approximately US$27.5M. Based on the October 13, 2020 closing prices of both DRVD and STEM, Driven by Stem would had a combined market capitalization of approximately US$54 million, based on to closing market price of the Stem Shares and Driven Shares on the OTCQX and the OTCQB, respectively, on October 13, 2020 and 65M Stem Shares and 75M Driven Shares being outstanding on October 13, 2020.

The intent of the merger was to integrate DRVD’s delivery capability and technology in every state in which STEM currently operates. During the later part of 2021, it became obvious to the Company’s management and Board of Directors that the business model of the combined STEM and DRVD entities was not working and, in fact, was generating substantial ongoing losses which could not be ameliorated. Within any reasonable time frame.

As a result, on December 17, 2021, pursuant to a Share Exchange Agreement, the Company sold Driven Deliveries and its subsidiaries to the shareholders of Budee, Inc. in a transaction which STEM fully divested its interest in Driven Deliveries and its subsidiaries. Included in the terms of the Share Exchange Agreement, the shareholders of Budee, and a prior officer of Driven Deliveries returned approximately 11.5 million shares of the Company’s common stock and assumed approximately $7.1 million of the Company’s liabilities. The Company will be responsible for $210,753 of accounts payable assumed in the acquisition of Driven Deliveries which has been subsequently partially satisfied.

Employees

As of September 30, 2022, the Company had approximately one hundred fifty (150) employees, most of whom devote their full time to the Company’s operations. No employee is covered by a collective bargaining agreement.

Website.

The Company operates a website at www.stemholdings.com

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

Smaller reporting companies are not required to provide the information required by this item. Notwithstanding, in addition to risk factors highlighted in previous reports, the Company adds the following additional risk factor:

We could be substantially affected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

In December 2019, an outbreak of a novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) originated in Wuhan, China, and has since spread to a number of other countries, including the United States. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic. In addition, as of the time of the filing of this quarterly report on Form 10-Q, several states in the United States have declared states of emergency, and several countries around the world, including the United States, have taken steps to restrict travel. The existence of a worldwide pandemic, the fear associated with COVID-19, or any, pandemic, and the reactions of governments in response to COVID-19, or any, pandemic, to regulate the flow of labor and products and impede the travel of personnel, may impact our ability to conduct normal business operations, which could adversely affect our results of operations and liquidity. Disruptions to our supply chain and business operations disruptions to our retail operations and our ability to collect rent from the properties which we own, personnel absences, or restrictions on the shipment of our or our suppliers’ or customers’ products, any of which could have adverse ripple effects throughout our business. If we need to close any of our facilities or a critical number of our employees become too ill to work, our production ability could be materially adversely affected in a rapid manner. Similarly, if our customers experience adverse consequences due to COVID-19, or any other, pandemic, demand for our products could also be materially adversely affected in a rapid manner. Global health concerns, such as COVID-19, could also result in social, economic, and labor instability in the markets in which we operate. Any of these uncertainties could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

In July 2016, the Company entered into a 10-year lease for a commercial building from an unrelated third party in Springfield, Oregon. The lease requires the Company to pay a starting base rental fee of $7,033 plus an additional estimated $315 per month in real estate taxes in which the base rental fee escalates each year by approximately 2%. All taxes (including reconciling real estate taxes), maintenance and utilities are included at the end of each year as a one-time payment. In addition, the Company also remitted $14,000 for a security deposit to the landlord. No amounts have been recorded for deferred rent in these financial statements as the amount was deemed immaterial by the Company. The Company has subleased this space pursuant to a 10-year lease. On February 22, 2018, both parties executed a lease addendum that adds contiguous property for 12,322 square feet. The term commences November 1, 2017, and continues through November 31, 2026 at a starting rate of $3,525 a month that escalates after the first year. The Company subleases this property to a related party (see disclosures below under “Springfield Suites”). The Company eliminates this rental income in consolidation.

In January 2019, the Company entered into a 5-year lease for the occupancy of real estate and a building located in Hillsboro, Oregon. The lease requires the Company to pay a starting base rental fee of $9,696 per month with yearly increases thereafter.

In February 2019, the Company entered into a 4-year lease for the occupancy of a store front retail location in California. The lease requires the Company to pay a starting base rental fee of $3,820 per month with yearly increases thereafter.

In September 2019, the Company entered into a 4-year lease for the occupancy of the Company’s new corporate office located in Boca Raton, Florida. The lease requires the Company to pay a starting base rental fee of $4,285 per month with yearly increases thereafter. As of November 23, 2020, the Company added an additional 2,000 rentable square feet to its current lease under the same terms and conditions.

Pursuant to the execution of a sale lease back agreement with the Company’s Wallis property, a/k/a Never Again, the Company in May 2021, entered into a 15-year lease for the Wallis commercial building from an unrelated third party located in New York, NY. The lease requires the Company to pay a starting base rental fee of $31,500 plus an additional estimated triple net charges per month including real estate taxes in which the base rental fee escalates each year by approximately 2.5%. All taxes (including reconciling real estate taxes), maintenance and utilities are included and paid monthly and reserved until payments are due. In addition, the Company also remitted $60,000 for a security deposit to the landlord.

In September 2021, the Company executed an assignment and assumption of lease for the occupancy of a store front retail location in Oregon. The lease requires the Company to pay a starting base rental fee of $4,520 per month with yearly increases thereafter.

In September 2021, the Company entered into a 5-year lease for the occupancy of a store front retail location in Oregon. The first two months of the lease rent is abated. The lease requires the Company to pay a starting base rental fee of $4,505 per month with yearly increases thereafter.

In May 2022, the Company executed a sale lease back agreement with the Company’s Mulino property, and entered into a 15-year lease with an unrelated third party located in Englewood, CO. The lease requires the Company to pay a starting base rental fee of $29,167 plus additional estimated triple net charges per month including real estate taxes in which the base rental fee escalates each year by approximately 2%. All taxes (including reconciling real estate taxes), maintenance, and utilities are included and paid monthly. This transaction resulted in net proceeds to the Company in the amount of $2.2 million.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The Company is subject from time to time to litigation, claims and suits arising in the ordinary course of business. To the best of our knowledge, as of August 10, 2022, the Company was not a party to any other material litigation, claim or suit whose outcome could have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.

D.H. Flamingo, Inc. v. Department of Taxation, et. al.

On February 27, 2020, a subsidiary of the Company (YMY Ventures, LLC) was served with a Summons and Second Amended Complaint in a matter pending in the District Court of Clark County Nevada (Case # A-19-787004-B) which is styled “D.H. Flamingo, Inc. v. Department of Taxation, et. al.” (the DOT Litigation”). In this matter, the Plaintiff is alleging that certain parties (including YMY Ventures, LLC) received Conditional Recreational Marijuana Establishment Licenses, while certain other parties (including Plaintiff) were denied licenses. In the matter, Plaintiff seeks declaratory relief, injunctive relief, relief from violation of procedural and substantive due process, violation of equal protection, unjust enrichment, judicial review of the entire matter, together with a Petition for Writ of Mandamus. The Plaintiff seeks damages in an unspecified amount. Thereafter, on April 20, 2020, YMY Ventures, LLC filed a Notice of Non-Participation and Request for Dismissal. The Company believes it will ultimately be dismissed from the action without any liability exposure. Notwithstanding, there is no guarantee at this time that this will occur, and the ultimate result of the matter could potentially be the loss of YMY Ventures, LLC’s Conditional Recreational Marijuana Establishment License. This matter has now been fully resolved without any financial exposure on the part of the Company.

Chris Hass, et al. vs Brian Hayek, et al.

Plaintiffs filed their initial complaint in the instant action on May 22, 2020. Plaintiffs filed the operative first amended complaint on August 18, 2020. On March 28, 2022, Plaintiffs obtained a stipulated judgment in this action in the amount of $349,876.69 against Defendants Driven Deliveries, Brian Hayek (“Hayek”), and Christian Schenk (“Schenk”) (collectively, “Defendants”). (3/28/22 Judgment.) Plaintiffs declare that during the litigation of the instant action, Baumgartner negotiated the essential terms of a settlement with Driven Deliveries’ President, Salvador Villanueva(“Villanueva”), and Villanueva represented to Baumgartner that he was in charge of the litigation and a deal could be worked out between the two of them to resolve the case. Plaintiffs declare the basic terms of a settlement were reached between Villanueva and Baumgartner, and Plaintiffs signed a settlement agreement (“Settlement Agreement”) on November 24, 2020. Defendants, including Hayek, signed the Agreement on November 30, 2020. Plaintiffs declare they signed the Settlement Agreement because they knew Driven Deliveries was merging with Stem. Plaintiffs declare that for this reason, they made sure to state in the Settlement Agreement that in the event of a merger between Driven Deliveries and Stem, Stem would be bound by the Settlement Agreement and would be named on the Judgment. Plaintiffs also declare that when they signed the Settlement Agreement, they relied on the fact Hayek, Stem’s new Agreement to bind his new company. Plaintiffs declare Defendants made payments on the Settlement Agreement until November 2021, when payments stopped. Plaintiffs declare the settlement checks were mostly written by Villanueva. Plaintiffs declare that shortly after they signed the Settlement Agreement, Driven Deliveries officially completed its merger with Stem, and all of Plaintiffs’ shares in Driven Deliveries were converted to shares of Stem. In January 2022, Villanueva listed himself as President, Secretary, and Treasurer of Driven Deliveries. Plaintiffs filed the instant motion on September 8, 2022. On October 3, 2022, Defendant Driven Deliveries filed its notice of bankruptcy proceedings, and this Court ordered a stay as to Driven Deliveries. On October 20, 2022, nonparty Stem filed its opposition. On October 26, 2022, Plaintiffs filed their reply. At the November 2, 2022 hearing on the instant motion, this Court requested Plaintiffs and Stem submit supplemental briefs on which state law to apply regarding successor liability.

Under California law, Stem as Driven Deliveries’ prior parent company is legally required to assume Driven Deliveries’ debt to Plaintiffs. If a domestic corporation owns all the outstanding shares, or owns less than all the outstanding shares but at least 90 percent of the outstanding shares of each class, of a corporation or corporations, domestic or foreign, the merger of the subsidiary corporation or corporations into the parent corporation or the merger into the subsidiary corporation of the parent corporation and any other subsidiary corporation or corporations, may be effected by a resolution or plan of merger adopted and approved by the board of the parent corporation and the filing of a certificate of ownership as provided in subdivision . The resolution or plan of merger shall provide for the merger and shall provide that the surviving corporation assumes all the liabilities of each disappearing corporation and shall include any other provisions required by this section. Stem’s S-4 Statement to the SEC states, “Driven is surviving the merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of Stem (the ‘Merger’). Stem, together with Driven following the Merger, is referred to herein as the combined company. Following the completion of the Merger, Stem will also assume Driven’s outstanding net indebtedness.” Plaintiffs argue that while the merger with Stem was pending, Driven and Stem’s COO, Brian Hayek agreed to be bound by California law in executing the Settlement Agreement. Accordingly, applying California law, Stem assumed Dirven’s liability to Plaintiffs. Accordingly, Plaintiffs have demonstrated Stem is Driven Deliveries’ successor in interest. In the interest of justice this Court grants Plaintiffs’ motion to amend judgment to add nonparty Stem Holdings Inc. as an additional defendant.

Additionally, the Company is subject from time to time to litigation, claims and suits arising in the ordinary course of business.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable

PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.

The Company’s common stock commenced trading on the OTCQB on May 23, 2018 under the symbol “STMH” and the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) on July 13, 2018 under the symbol “STEM”. On October 3, 2019, the Company commenced trading on the OTCQX. On September 1, 2022, the Company’s listing was assigned to the OTCQB.

The following table shows the high and low prices of our common shares on the OTCQB/OTCQX for each quarter for quarter from October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2022. The following quotations reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down or commission and may not necessarily represent actual transactions:

The market price of our common stock, like that of other early-stage cannabis-related companies, is highly volatile and is subject to fluctuations in response to variations in operating results, announcements of technological innovations or new products, or other events or factors. Our stock price may also be affected by broader market trends unrelated to our performance.

Holders

As of December 5, 2022, there were 227,693,335 shares of common stock par value $0.001 and there were approximately 436 shareholders of record.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

Our transfer agent is Odyssey Stock Transfer, Inc., located at Suite 702, 67 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M5E 1J8.

Dividend Policy

We have never paid any cash dividends on our Common Stock and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our Common Stock in the foreseeable future. We intend to retain future earnings to fund ongoing operations and future capital requirements of our business. Any future determination to pay cash dividends will be at the discretion of the Board of Directors and will be dependent upon our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements and such other factors as the Board of Directors deems relevant.

RECENT SALES OF UNREGISTERED SECURITIES

The following table sets forth all securities issued by Stem between October 1, 2021, and September 30, 2022:

The securities issued in the abovementioned transactions were issued in connection with private placements exempt from the registration requirements of Section 5 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, pursuant to the terms of Section 4(2) of that Act and Rule 506 of Regulation D.

Share Issuances to Consultants, Employees and Directors for Compensation and Severance

During the year ended September 30, 2022, the Company issued 3,267,500 shares of its common stock and recorded compensation expense of $343 thousand.

ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

Pursuant to permissive authority under Regulation S-K, Rule 301, we have omitted Selected Financial Data.

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Factors That May Affect Future Results

This annual report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements regarding our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) encourages companies to disclose forward-looking information so that investors can better understand a company’s future prospects and make informed investment decisions. This annual report on Form 10-K and other written and oral statements that we make from time to time contain such forward-looking statements that set out anticipated results based on management’s plans and assumptions regarding future events or performance. We have tried, wherever possible, to identify such statements by using words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “will” and similar expressions in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance. In particular, these include statements relating to future actions, future performance or results of current and anticipated sales efforts, expenses, the outcome of contingencies, such as legal proceedings, and financial results. Factors that could cause our actual results of operations and financial condition to differ materially are set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of this annual report on Form 10-K.

We caution that these factors could cause our actual results of operations and financial condition to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements we make and that investors should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all such factors. Further, we cannot assess the impact of each such factor on our results of operations or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and the related notes that appear elsewhere in this annual report on Form 10-K.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following comparative analysis on results of operations was based primarily on the comparative consolidated financial statements, footnotes and related information for the periods identified below and should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the notes to those statements for the years ended September 30, 2022, and 2021, which are included elsewhere in this annual report on Form 10-K. The results discussed below are for the years ended September 30, 2022, and 2021 (in thousands).

Revenues

In years ended September 30, 2022, and 2021, the Company engages directly in the cultivation, production and sale of cannabis and related products.

In 2022 and 2021, the Company’s revenue was generated in the states of Oregon, Nevada, and California.

Cost of Revenues

Cost of goods sold for the year ended September 30, 2022, and 2021 totaled approximately $14.4 million and $14.4 million, respectively. The cost of revenue consisted of cannabis product cost, which includes contracted labor, growing, and trimming expenses, and product testing. The Company expects its cost of revenues to grow in line with its future revenue growth.

Operating Expenses

Consulting Fees

Consulting fees for the years ended September 30, 2022, and 2021 totaled approximately $0.7 million and $2.9 million, respectively. The decrease of $2.2 million is primarily related to stock-based compensation expenses recognized during the year ended September 30, 2021, for restricted stock awards and warrants to acquire the Company’s common stock issued to consultants.

Professional Fees

Professional fees for the years ended September 30, 2022, and 2021 totaled approximately $2.7 million and $3.2 million, respectively. The decrease of $.5 million is primarily related to legal, accounting, and other professional fees incurred as a result of acquisitions during the year ended September 30, 2021. We expect our professional fees to increase as we continue to grow our business.

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses for the years ended September 30, 2022, and 2021 totaled approximately $11.1 million and $11.8 million, respectively. The decrease of approximately $0.7 million is primarily related to a decrease in costs related to advertising and promotion, office expenses, and salaries.

Impairment Expense

Impairment expense – investments totaled approximately $795,000. The Company recorded impairment expense of approximately $288,000 related to equity method investments, $250,000 related to recission of a planning and zoning license, $256,725 related to other investments for the year ended September 30, 2022.

During the year ended September 30, 2022, the Company recorded impairment expense to other intangible assets in the amount of $1,968 pertaining to Oregon cannabis licenses.

During the year ended September 30, 2022, the Company recorded impairment expense to goodwill in the amount of $5,907 pertaining to 7LV.

Other Income

Other income for the year ended September 30, 2022, and 2021 totaled approximately $4.4 and $3.3 million, respectively. Other income in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2022 included primarily a gain on extinguishment of debt of $0.8 million, change in fair value of warrant liability of $2.3 million, other income of $2.0 million, offset by interest expense of $0.7 million.

Loss from Equity Method Investees

Related to the year ended September 30, 2021, the Company recognized a loss $0.2 million from equity method investees.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

On September 30, 2022, we had negative working capital of approximately $802,000, which included cash and cash equivalents of $1.5 million. We reported a net loss of approximately $17.5 million and our net cash used in operating expenses totaled $7.4 million, our cash provided by investing activities was $3.2 million and net cash used in financing activities totaled $0.6 million.

Going Concern

On September 30, 2022, the Company had approximate balances of cash and cash equivalents of $1.5 million, negative working capital of $0.8 million, total stockholders’ equity of $17.0 million and an accumulated deficit of $133 million.

These audited consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which assumes that the Company will be able to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business.

While the recreational use of cannabis is legal under the laws of certain States, where the Company has and is working towards further finalizing the acquisition of entities or investment in entities that directly produce or sell cannabis, the use and possession of cannabis is illegal under United States Federal law for any purpose, by way of Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, otherwise known as the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (the “ACT”). Cannabis is currently included under Schedule 1 of the Act, making it illegal to cultivate, sell or otherwise possess in the United States.

On January 4, 2018, the office of the Attorney General published a memo regarding cannabis enforcement that rescinds directives promulgated under former President Obama that eased federal enforcement. In a January 8, 2018 memo, Jefferson B. Sessions, then Attorney General of the United States, indicated enforcement decisions will be left up to the U.S. Attorney’s in their respective states clearly indicating that the burden is with “federal prosecutors deciding which cases to prosecute by weighing all relevant considerations, including federal law enforcement priorities set by the Attorney General, the seriousness of the crime, the deterrent effect of federal prosecution, and the cumulative impact of particular crimes on the community.” Subsequently, in April 2018, then President Trump promised to support congressional efforts to protect states that have legalized the cultivation, sale and possession of cannabis; however, a bill has not yet been finalized in order to implement legislation that would, in effect, make clear the federal government cannot interfere with states that have voted to legalize cannabis. Further in December 2018, the US Congress passed legislation, which the President signed on December 20, 2018, removing hemp from being included with Cannabis in Schedule I of the Act.

On February 8, 2018 the Canadian Securities Administrators (the “CSA”) published a revised staff notice setting out the CSA’s disclosure expectations for specific risks facing issuers with cannabis-related activities in the United States (“Staff Notice 51-352”). Staff Notice 51-352 confirms that a disclosure-based approach remains appropriate for issuers with U.S. cannabis-related activities. Staff Notice 51-352 includes additional disclosure expectations that apply to all issuers with U.S. cannabis-related activities, including those with direct and indirect involvement in the cultivation and distribution of cannabis, as well as issuers that provide goods and services to third parties involved in the U.S. cannabis industry. The Company views Staff Notice 51-352 favorably, as it provides increased transparency and greater certainty regarding the views of its exchange and its regulation of existing operations and strategic business plan as well as the Company’s ability to pursue further investment and opportunities in the United States.

In December 2019, an outbreak of a novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) originated in Wuhan, China, and has since spread to several other countries, including the United States. On June 11, 2020, the World Health Organization characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic. In addition, as of the time of the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, several states in the United States have declared states of emergency, and several countries around the world, including the United States, have taken steps to restrict travel. The existence of a worldwide pandemic, the fear associated with COVID-19, or any, pandemic, and the reactions of governments in response to COVID-19, or any, pandemic, to regulate the flow of labor and products and impede the travel of personnel, may impact our ability to conduct normal business operations, which could adversely affect our results of operations and liquidity. Disruptions to our supply chain and business operations disruptions to our retail operations and our ability to collect rent from the properties which we own, personnel absences, or restrictions on the shipment of our or our suppliers’ or customers’ products, any of which could have adverse ripple effects throughout our business. If we need to close any of our facilities or a critical number of our employees become too ill to work, our production ability could be materially adversely affected in a rapid manner. Similarly, if our customers experience adverse consequences due to COVID-19, or any other, pandemic, demand for our products could also be materially adversely affected in a rapid manner. Global health concerns, such as COVID-19, could also result in social, economic, and labor instability in the markets in which we operate. Any of these uncertainties could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

On December 14, 2020, former President Trump announced that William Barr would be resigning from his post as Attorney General, effective December 23, 2020. Merrick Garland, President Biden’s nominee to succeed Mr. Barr, has served as the current Attorney General since March 2021. It is unclear what specific impact the Biden administration will have on reinstituting the prior U.S. federal government enforcement policy directives promulgated under former President Obama that eased federal enforcement. 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. Unless and until the United States Congress amends the CSA with respect to cannabis (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.

The sheer size of the cannabis industry, in addition to various level of legalization at the State and local governments, suggests that a largescale enforcement operation would possibly create unwanted political backlash for the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and the Biden administration. Moreover, State and local tax revenues generated by the cannabis business is an increasingly important source of funding for State and local government programs.

These conditions raise substantial doubt as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Should the United States Federal Government choose to begin enforcement of the provisions under the Act, the Company through its wholly owned subsidiaries could be prosecuted under the Act and the Company may have to immediately cease operations and/or be liquidated upon their closing of the acquisition or investment in entities that engage directly in the production and or sale of cannabis.

Management believes that the Company has access to capital resources through potential public or private issuances of debt or equity securities. However, if the Company is unable to raise additional capital, it may be required to curtail operations and take additional measures to reduce costs, including reducing its workforce, eliminating outside consultants, and reducing legal fees to conserve its cash in amounts sufficient to sustain operations and meet its obligations. These matters raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might become necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.

Critical Accounting Policies

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) requires management to make estimates and assumptions about future events that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Future events and their effects cannot be determined with absolute certainty. Therefore, the determination of estimates requires the exercise of judgment. Actual results inevitably will differ from those estimates, and such differences may be material to the financial statements. The most significant accounting estimates inherent in the preparation of our financial statements include estimates associated with revenue recognition, investments, intangible assets, stock-based compensation, and business combinations.

The Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows are impacted by the accounting policies the Company has adopted. In order to get a full understanding of the Company’s financial statements, one must have a clear understanding of the accounting policies employed. A summary of the Company’s critical accounting policies follows:

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

The Company reviews the carrying value of its long-lived assets, which include property and equipment, for indicators of impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset or asset group may not be recoverable. The Company considers the following to be some examples of important indicators that may trigger an impairment review: (i) significant under-performance or losses of assets relative to expected historical or projected future operating results; (ii) significant changes in the manner or use of assets or in the Company’s overall strategy with respect to the manner or use of the acquired assets or changes in the Company’s overall business strategy; (iii) significant negative industry or economic trends; (iv) increased competitive pressures; (v) a significant decline in the Company’s stock price for a sustained period of time; and (vi) regulatory changes. The Company evaluates assets for potential impairment indicators at least annually and more frequently upon the occurrence of such events. The Company does not test for impairment in the year of acquisition of properties, as long as those properties are acquired from unrelated third parties.

The Company assesses the recoverability of its long-lived assets by comparing the projected undiscounted net cash flows associated with the related long-lived asset or group of long-lived assets over their remaining estimated useful lives against their respective carrying amounts. In cases where estimated future net undiscounted cash flows are less than the carrying value, an impairment loss is recognized equal to an amount by which the carrying value exceeds the fair value of the asset or asset group. Fair value is generally determined using the assets expected future discounted cash flows or market value, if readily determinable. If long-lived assets are determined to be recoverable, but the newly determined remaining estimated useful lives are shorter than originally estimated, the net book values of the long-lived assets are depreciated and amortized prospectively over the newly determined remaining estimated useful lives.

Asset Acquisitions

The Company has adopted ASU 2017-01, which clarifies the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as businesses acquisitions. As a result of adopting ASU 2017-01, acquisitions of real estate and cannabis licenses do not meet the definition of a business combination and were deemed asset acquisitions, and the Company therefore capitalized these acquisitions, including its costs associated with these acquisitions.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill. Goodwill represents the excess acquisition cost over the fair value of net tangible and intangible assets acquired. Goodwill is not amortized and is subject to annual impairment testing on or between annual tests if an event or change in circumstance occurs that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying value. In testing for goodwill impairment, the Company has the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances lead to a determination that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If, after assessing the totality of events and circumstances, the Company concludes that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then performing the two-step impairment test is not required. If the Company concludes otherwise, the Company is required to perform the two-step impairment test. The goodwill impairment test is performed at the reporting unit level by comparing the estimated fair value of a reporting unit with its respective carrying value. If the estimated fair value exceeds the carrying value, goodwill at the reporting unit level is not impaired. If the estimated fair value is less than the carrying value, further analysis is necessary to determine the amount of impairment, if any, by comparing the implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill to the carrying value of the reporting unit’s goodwill.

Intangible Assets. Intangible assets deemed to have finite lives are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives, where the useful life is the period over which the asset is expected to contribute directly, or indirectly, to our future cash flows. Intangible assets are reviewed for impairment on an interim basis when certain events or circumstances exist. For amortizable intangible assets, impairment exists when the carrying amount of the intangible asset exceeds its fair value. At least annually, the remaining useful life is evaluated.

An intangible asset with an indefinite useful life is not amortized but assessed for impairment annually, or more frequently, when events or changes in circumstances occur indicating that it is more likely than not that the indefinite-lived asset is impaired. Impairment exists when the carrying amount exceeds its fair value. In testing for impairment, the Company has the option to first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that an impairment exists. If it is determined that it is not more likely than not that an impairment exists, a quantitative impairment test is not necessary. If the Company concludes otherwise, it is required to perform a quantitative impairment test. To the extent an impairment loss is recognized, the loss establishes the new cost basis of the asset that is amortized over the remaining useful life of that asset, if any. Subsequent reversal of impairment losses is not permitted.

During the year ended September 30, 2022, the Company recorded $250,000 related to recission of a planning and zoning license. The Company did not recognize an impairment expense for the year ended September 30, 2021.

Business Combinations

The Company applies the provisions of ASC 805 in the accounting for acquisitions. ASC 805 requires the Company to recognize separately from goodwill the assets acquired, and the liabilities assumed at their acquisition date fair values. Goodwill as of the acquisition date is measured as the excess of consideration transferred over the net of the acquisition date fair values of the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed. While the Company uses its best estimates and assumptions to accurately apply preliminary value to assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date as well as contingent consideration, where applicable, these estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to refinement. As a result, during the measurement period, which may be up to one year from the acquisition date, the Company records adjustments in the current period, rather than a revision to a prior period. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the values of the assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments are recorded in the consolidated statements of operations. Accounting for business combinations requires management to make significant estimates and assumptions, especially at the acquisition date, including estimates for intangible assets, contractual obligations assumed, restructuring liabilities, pre-acquisition contingencies, and contingent consideration, where applicable. Although the Company believes the assumptions and estimates made have been reasonable and appropriate, they are based in part on historical experience and information obtained from management of the acquired companies and are inherently uncertain. Unanticipated events and circumstances may occur that may affect the accuracy or validity of such assumptions, estimates, or actual results.

Contingent Consideration

The Company accounts for “contingent consideration” according to FASB ASC 805, “Business Combinations” (“FASB ASC 805”). Contingent consideration typically represents the acquirer’s obligation to transfer additional assets or equity interests to the former owners of the acquiree if specified future events occur or conditions are met. FASB ASC 805 requires that contingent consideration be recognized at the acquisition-date fair value as part of the consideration transferred in the transaction. FASB ASC 805 uses the fair value definition in Fair Value Measurements, which defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. As defined in FASB ASC 805, contingent consideration is (i) an obligation of the acquirer to transfer additional assets or equity interests to the former owners of an acquiree as part of the exchange for control of the acquiree, if specified future events occur or conditions are met or (ii) the right of the acquirer to the return of previously transferred consideration if specified conditions are met.

Warrant Liability

The Company accounts for certain common stock warrants outstanding as a liability at fair value and adjusts the instruments to fair value at each reporting period. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. The fair value of the warrants issued by the Company has been estimated using a Black Scholes model.

Embedded Conversion Features

The Company evaluates embedded conversion features within convertible debt to determine whether the embedded conversion feature(s) should be bifurcated from the host instrument and accounted for as a derivative at fair value with changes in fair value recorded in the statement of operations. If the conversion feature does not require recognition of a bifurcated derivative, the convertible debt instrument is evaluated for consideration of any beneficial conversion feature (“BCF”) requiring separate recognition. When the Company records a BCF, the intrinsic value of the BCF is recorded as a debt discount against the face amount of the respective debt instrument (offset to additional paid-in capital) and amortized to interest expense over the life of the debt.

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue when its customer obtains control of promised goods or services, in an amount that reflects the consideration which the entity expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. To determine revenue recognition for arrangements that an entity determines are within the scope of Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), the entity performs the following five steps: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer; (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation. The Company only applies the five-step model to contracts when it is probable that the entity will collect the consideration it is entitled to in exchange for the goods or services it transfers to the customer. At contract inception, once the contract is determined to be within the scope of Topic 606, the Company assesses the goods or services promised within each contract and determines those that are performance obligations and assesses whether each promised good or service is distinct. The Company then recognizes as revenue the amount of the transaction price that is allocated to the respective performance obligation when (or as) the performance obligation is satisfied.

Revenue for the Company’s product sales has not been adjusted for the effects of a financing component as the Company expects, at contract inception, that the period between when the Company’s transfers control of the product and when the Company receives payment will be one year or less. Product shipping and handling costs are included in cost of product sales.

Effective October 1, 2019, the Company adopted the requirements of ASU 2014-09 (ASC 606) and related amendments, using the modified retrospective method. The adoption of ASC 606 did not have a significant impact on the Company’s revenue recognition policy as revenues related to wholesale and retail revenue are recorded upon transfer of merchandise to the customer, which was the effective policy under ASC 605 previously.

The following policies reflect specific criteria for the various revenue streams of the Company:

Cannabis Dispensary, Cultivation and Production

Revenue is recognized upon transfer of retail merchandise to the customer upon sale transaction, at which time its performance obligation is complete. Revenue is recognized upon delivery of product to the wholesale customer, at which time the Company’s performance obligation is complete. Terms are generally between cash on delivery to 30 days for the Company’s wholesale customers.

The Company’s sales environment is somewhat unique, in that once the product is sold to the customer (retail) or delivered (wholesale) there are essentially no returns allowed or warranty available to the customer under the various state laws.

Delivery

The Company sells retail products directly to customers. In these sales there is no formal contract with the customer. These sales have commercial substance and there are no issues with collectability as the customer pays the cost of the goods at the time of purchase or delivery.

The Company sells its products directly to consumers. In this case these sales represent a performance obligation with the sales and any necessary deliveries of those products.

The sales that are done directly to the customer have no variable consideration or financing component. The transaction price is the cost that those goods are being sold for plus any additional delivery costs.

For the goods that the Company sells directly to customers, the transaction price is allocated between the cost of the goods and any delivery fees that may be incurred to deliver to the customer.

For the sales of the Company’s own goods the performance obligation is complete once the customer has received the product.

Leases

On October 1, 2020, the Company adopted ASC 842 and elected to apply the new standard at the adoption date and recognize a cumulative effect as an adjustment to retained earnings. Upon calculation the effect on retained earnings was immaterial and no adjustment was deemed necessary. Leases with an initial term of twelve months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet. For lease agreements entered into or reassessed after the adoption of Topic 842, we combine the lease and non-lease components in determining the lease liabilities and right of use (“ROU”) assets.

Our lease agreements generally do not provide an implicit borrowing rate; therefore, an internal incremental borrowing rate is determined based on information available at lease commencement date for purposes of determining the present value of lease payments. We used the incremental borrowing rate on September 30, 2022, for all leases that commenced prior to that date. In determining this rate, which is used to determine the present value of future lease payments, we estimate the rate of interest we would pay on a collateralized basis, with similar payment terms as the lease and in a similar economic environment.

Under Topic 842, operating lease expense is generally recognized evenly over the term of the lease. Lease costs were $1,224 thousand and $599 thousand for the years ended September 30, 2022, and 2021, respectively. There was sublease rental income of $0 and $17 thousand, respectively for the years ended September 30, 2022, and 2021. The Company has ten operating leases consisting with remaining lease terms ranging from 4 months to 177 months.

Lease Costs

Lease positions as of September 30, 2022

ROU lease assets and lease liabilities for our operating leases were recorded in the consolidated condensed balance sheet as follows:

Lease Terms and Discount Rate

Cash Flows

The future minimum lease payments under the leases are as follows:

Disaggregation of Revenue

In the year ended September 30, 2022, and 2021, revenue reported was primarily from the sale of cannabis and related products accounted for under ASC 606.

The following table illustrates our revenue by type related to the years ended September 30, 2022, and 2021:

Geographical Concentrations

As of September 30, 2022, the Company is primarily engaged in the production and sale of cannabis, which is only legal for recreational use in 19 states and D.C., with lesser legalization, such as for medical use in an additional 21 states and D.C., as of the time of these consolidated financial statements. In addition, the United States Congress has passed legislation, specifically the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (also known as the “Farm Bill”) that has removed production and consumption of hemp and associated products from Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act.

Cost of Goods Sold

Cost of sales represents costs directly related to manufacturing and distribution of the Company’s products. Primary costs include raw materials, packaging, direct labor, overhead, shipping and handling and the depreciation of manufacturing equipment and production facilities. Manufacturing overhead and related expenses include salaries, wages, employee benefits, utilities, maintenance, and property taxes. The Company recognizes the cost of sales as the associated revenues are recognized.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

As defined in the authoritative guidance, fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

To estimate fair value, the Company utilizes market data or assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, including assumptions about risk and the risks inherent in the inputs to the valuation technique. These inputs can be readily observable, market corroborated or generally unobservable.

The authoritative guidance establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (“Level 1” measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (“Level 3” measurements). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are as follows:

Level 1 — Observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities.

Level 2 — Other inputs that are observable, directly, or indirectly, such as quoted prices in markets that are not active, or inputs which are observable, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.

Level 3 — Unobservable inputs for which there is little or no market data and which the Company makes its own assumptions about how market participants would price the assets and liabilities.

In instances in which multiple levels of inputs are used to measure fair value, hierarchy classification is based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. The Company’s assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment and considers factors specific to the asset or liability.

Stock-based Compensation

The Company accounts for share-based payment awards exchanged for services at the estimated grant date fair value of the award. Stock options issued under the Company’s long-term incentive plans are granted with an exercise price equal to no less than the market price of the Company’s stock at the date of grant and expire up to ten years from the date of grant. These options generally vest on the grant date or over a one-year period.

The Company estimates the fair value of stock option grants using the Black-Scholes option pricing model and the assumptions used in calculating the fair value of stock-based awards represent management’s best estimates and involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgment.

Expected Term - The expected term of options represents the period that the Company’s stock-based awards are expected to be outstanding based on the simplified method, which is the half-life from vesting to the end of its contractual term.

Expected Volatility - The Company computes stock price volatility over expected terms based on its historical common stock trading prices.

Risk-Free Interest Rate - The Company bases the risk-free interest rate on the implied yield available on U. S. Treasury zero-coupon issues with an equivalent remaining term.

Expected Dividend - The Company has never declared or paid any cash dividends on its common shares and does not plan to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future, and, therefore, uses an expected dividend yield of zero in its valuation models.

Effective January 1, 2017, the Company elected to account for forfeited awards as they occur, as permitted by Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-09. Ultimately, the actual expenses recognized over the vesting period will be for those shares that vested. Prior to making this election, the Company estimated a forfeiture rate for awards at 0%, as the Company did not have a significant history of forfeitures.

Earnings (Loss) per Share

ASC 260, Earnings Per Share, requires dual presentation of basic and diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) with a reconciliation of the numerator and denominator of the basic EPS computation to the numerator and denominator of the diluted EPS computation. Basic EPS excludes dilution. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted into common stock or resulted in the issuance of common stock that then shared in the earnings of the entity.

Basic net loss per share of common stock excludes dilution and is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted net loss per share of common stock reflects the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted into common stock or resulted in the issuance of common stock that then shared in the earnings of the entity unless inclusion of such shares would be anti-dilutive. Since the Company has only incurred losses, basic and diluted net loss per share is the same. Securities that could potentially dilute loss per share in the future that were not included in the computation of diluted loss per share as of September 30, 2022, and 2021 are as follows:

OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS

The Company does not have any off-balance sheet arrangements.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

As a “smaller reporting company” as defined by Item 10 of Regulation S-K, the Company is not required to provide this information.

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.

The financial information required by Item 8 begins on the following page.

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors

of Stem Holdings, Inc

OPINION ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Stem Holdings, Inc. (the Company) as of September 30, 2022 and September 30, 2021, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years then ended, 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 September 30, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years then ended in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH – GOING CONCERN

The financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully explained in Note 1, the Company had a net loss of approximately $17.5 million, negative working capital of $0.8 million and an accumulated deficit of $133.1 million as of and for the year ended September 30, 2022. In addition, the Company has commenced operations in the production and sale of cannabis and related products, an activity that is illegal under United States Federal law for any purpose, by way of Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, otherwise known as the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (the “ACT”). These facts raise substantial doubt as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

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

The critical audit matters communicated below 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.

Going Concern

Critical Audit Matter Description

As discussed in both note 1 to the financial statements and above, the Company incurred significant losses since inception, and has an accumulated deficit of approximately $133.1 million and a working capital deficit of $0.8 million as of September 30, 2022.

How We Addressed the Matters in Our Audit

Our audit procedures included (1) identifying the conditions and events noted above that, when considered in the aggregate, indicate there is substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern; (2) evaluating management’s plans in connection with their intent to raise additional equity and debt financing in order to overcome the presumption of going concern; (3) reviewing and evaluating the financial statement presentation and disclosure regarding the substantial doubt about the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern.

Impairment of Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

Critical Audit Matter Description

The Company’s impairment evaluation of its goodwill, and finite-lived intangible assets involves the comparison of the fair value of each reporting unit or intangible asset to its carrying value. For goodwill, the Company determined the fair value of its reporting units using the market-based approach which incorporates assumptions it believes market participants would utilize. Under the market-based approach, the Company determines fair value by comparing its reporting units to similar businesses or guideline companies whose securities are actively traded in public markets. The Company assesses the recoverability of its finite-lived intangible assets by comparing projected undiscounted net cash flows associated with the related group of finite-lived intangible assets over their remaining estimated useful lives against their respective carrying amounts. In cases where estimated future net undiscounted cash flows are less than the carrying value, an impairment loss is recognized equal to an amount by which the carrying value exceeds the fair value of the asset or asset group. Fair value is generally determined using the assets expected future discounted cash flows or market value, if readily determinable.

During the year the Company recorded $5.9 million impairment charge to its California reporting unit goodwill and a $2.0 million impairment charge related to its Oregon reporting unit finite-lived intangible assets.

Given the significant estimates and assumptions management makes to estimate the fair values of the goodwill and finite-lived assets, performing audit procedures to evaluate the reasonableness of management’s estimates and assumptions with respect to the revenue growth rates, the market-based valuation approach, and the valuation approach used for certain cannabis licenses, require a high degree of auditor judgment.

How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit

Our audit procedures with respect to revenue growth rates, the market-based valuation approach, and the valuation approach used for certain cannabis licenses included the following, among others:

STEM HOLDINGS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands except for share and per share amounts)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these audited consolidated financial statements.

STEM HOLDINGS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2022 and 2021

(in thousands except for share and per share amounts)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these audited consolidated financial statements.

STEM HOLDINGS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

For the Years Ended September 30, 2022 and 2021

(in thousands, except for share and per share amounts)