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Village Farms International and executives recognized for cannabis industry contributions

(Globe Newswire) Vancouver — Village Farms International, Inc. announced the recognition of two executives for their industry contributions. President and chief executive officer, Michael DeGiglio, has been named a 2023 Notable Leader in cannabis by Green Market Report, an aggregator of financial news and analytics for the cannabis industry.

John Harloe, J.D., Ph.D., General Counsel at Village Farms’ wholly owned subsidiary, Balanced Health Botanicals, has been appointed to the governing board of Colorado’s Institute of Cannabis Research (ICR). The company was also honored, for the second consecutive year, as the Best Canadian Cannabis Company at the 2023 Benzinga Cannabis Awards.

Michael DeGiglio named Notable Leader in Cannabis for 2023

DeGiglio is among 75 Notable Leaders in Cannabis that according to Green Market Report “have demonstrated a willingness to effect meaningful change in a dynamic industry. Their innovation, drive, and leadership help move the market forward while navigating a wide range of challenges thrown in their directions.”

Green Market Report’s Notable Leaders in cannabis is part of a time-honored Crain Communications’ program that recognizes leaders across a range of industries for their success and accomplishments, both in their field and in their communities. The Notable program began in 2017 and has recognized more than 5,000 leaders in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Grand Rapids, and New York — and now nationally for the cannabis industry. The cannabis industry honorees include plant-touching and non-plant-touching companies from across the cannabis world.

John Harloe appointed to governing board of Colorado Institute for Cannabis Research

As a member of Colorado’s Institute of Cannabis Research Governing Board, Harloe will serve as a representative of the cannabis industry, deploying his extensive scientific, regulatory and legal experience in support of its role and mission to conduct or fund research related to cannabis and publicly disseminate the results of the research, as well as to advise any Colorado institution of higher education developing a cannabis-related curriculum and provide input to the Colorado Commission on Higher Education before approving any cannabis-related degrees or certifications.

Harloe has been General Counsel of Balanced Health Botanicals since January 2019, a month after the 2018 Farm Bill was passed. In 2022, he was appointed by the state to serve on Colorado’s SB22-205 Task Force to develop regulations on intoxicating hemp products.

Village Farms named Best Canadian Cannabis Company at 2023 Benzinga Cannabis Awards

Village Farms was named the Best Canadian Cannabis Company at the 2023 Benzinga Cannabis Awards, the second consecutive year that the company has received this award. The Benzinga Cannabis Awards “celebrate the new, creative, innovative, and outstanding of the cannabis industry, spotlighting the industry’s luminaries, from trailblazers and innovators to advocates who are helping to advance all facets of the business.” The awards were announced during the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Chicago on September 27.