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by Stockwatch Business Reporter

The TSX Venture Exchange fell 2.22 points to 531.50 Tuesday. Dennis Bennie's halted shell, Adira Energy Ltd. (ADL), plans to acquire SMAART Holdings Inc., a medical marijuana company in the United States.

The shell, which has 17,112,022 shares outstanding, will issue shares to SMAART Holdings shareholders such that they own 90 per cent of company when the transaction closes, with Adira shareholders set to own the remaining 10 per cent. SMAART Holdings has three subsidiaries: (i) Empower Healthcare Corp., (ii) the Hemp & Cannabis Company and (iii) THCF Access Points.

The first subsidiary, Empower Healthcare, operates clinics in six states: Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Colorado and Michigan. The clinics operate under the name, The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation (THCF). Representatives from Empower also travel to Hawaii to see patients but the company does not have an office there. The THCF clinics help patients get medical marijuana permits from the state. It is not the sort of clinic where a first-timer can walk in and out within five minutes, but the process seems to be easy enough. To get approval from Empower's physicians, new patients have to fill out a seven-page questionnaire, provide medical records and fill out various state forms. Then, they have to watch a 20-minute video to orient themselves with their state's medical marijuana law. After watching the video, a patient meets an assistant who collects the clinic's fee and hands over a brochure or two. The fees range from $20 to $100 a year, depending on the state and a patient's level of income. Next up is a visit from a nurse who conducts a non-invasive physical exam, after which a medical doctor reviews the physical exam, reads the medical records, fills out the necessary state forms and writes a prescription. For faster service, 24 hours a day and seven days a week, visit your local dealer.

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