Safe Harbor Financial has announced the acquisition of the founders of 420 IT Solutions, a leading cannabis-focused consulting and managed services firm serving financial institutions and cannabis operators, along with the integration of 420 IT Solutions’ core operational assets and active client contracts into Safe Harbor’s platform.
420 IT Solutions co-founders Frank A. Salluce and David Smokler have joined Safe Harbor and will lead and grow the company’s Consulting and Managed Services division. This transaction represents a strategic expansion of Safe Harbor’s financial platform, adding an established operating company, proven leadership, immediate revenue and deep industry relationships in both financial institutions and cannabis operators.
As part of the transaction, Safe Harbor has acquired the operational assets of 420 IT Solutions, including existing customer contracts, trademarks and registered trademarks, proprietary consulting frameworks and related digital and operational assets focused on regulated banking environments.
“This is a strategic expansion designed to accelerate the execution of our consulting and managed services strategy,” said Terry Mendez, CEO of Safe Harbor. “Frank and David bring proven operational business, existing revenue and trusted industry relationships, and their performance-matched incentives should directly support our growth goals. This strengthens our ability to serve both financial institutions and cannabis operators with a broader and more integrated set of complementary solutions.”
“420 IT Solutions was built to help regulated financial institutions and cannabis companies effectively navigate the complex compliance environment,” said David Smokler. “By teaming up with Safe Harbor, we gain the scale, platform and distribution to expand these capabilities while remaining closely aligned with performance and results.”
Frank Salluce added, “Safe Harbor’s leadership, infrastructure and long-term vision create a strong opportunity to accelerate growth in advisory and managed services. We are excited to build on existing client relationships, bring new cannabis operators and financial institutions onto the platform, and expand the value we deliver to operators across the ecosystem.”
GeoCue welcomes MOST Robotics to its global distribution network. Based in Germany and serving customers throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland, MOST Robotics will offer TrueView GO LiDAR solutions and LP360 software, from GeoCue, to surveying, construction, forestry, agricultural and industrial inspection professionals looking for a complete and reliable workflow from data capture to delivery.
Founded in 2021 by Valentin Möller and Lennart Stollberg, MOST Robotics builds on deep UAV experience since 2015, offering integrated turnkey drone and sensor solutions, supported by technical consulting and first-class customer support. Their team works closely with end users to ensure technology works in real-world conditions, from flight planning to endpoint cloud processing, a full-service company for individual solutions.
MOST Robotics is expanding its portfolio of handheld SLAM LiDAR and LP360 software to directly respond to customer needs, especially for projects where flight restrictions, dense vegetation or indoor environments make aerial collection difficult. With TrueView GO and LP360, customers can complement drone surveys with ground-based SLAM capture, process aerial LiDAR and produce high-quality photogrammetric output. This approach supports rapid and accurate classification of large data sets and the creation of highly accurate digital terrain models, helping to reduce office processing time while improving the final quality of delivery.
Valentin Möller, CEO of MOST Robotics, commented: “GeoCue makes UAV LiDAR and SLAM bridges in a way that matches how our customers work in the real world. We spend a lot of time in the field with customers, which gives us practical feedback and clear ideas on what needs to be improved. GeoCue is open to this kind of input, and we’re excited to help shape each of our customers’ missions.”
Samuel Flick, GeoCue’s European Sales Manager, added: “We are delighted to welcome MOST Robotics to the GeoCue distribution network. Their technical depth and customer-first approach make them a strong partner as we continue to grow the LiDAR market in Europe. We look forward to supporting their team as they expand access to the TrueView product line, including aerial, handheld and LiDAR 360 mobile device software.”
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recently issued regulatory status review responses for two new gene-edited hemp varieties, determining that they are not subject to federal regulation under 7 CFR part 340. Developed by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, these gene-edited plants have been found to have no increased risk of plant pests compared to conventional hemp. This federal clearance marks an important milestone in easing the path from laboratory to commercial cultivation of precision-bred industrial crops.
Badger PMR (Dust Resistant) has full dust resistance, and Badger Zero (Cannabinoid Free) is cannabinoid free. The main innovation involves the creation of hemp varieties that are unable to produce THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive compound found in cannabis. Using CRISPR gene-editing technology to turn off specific genes responsible for THC production, the UW-Madison team has solved a major hurdle for the industry. This genetic certainty prevents crops from being “hot” — the term used when THC levels accidentally exceed the legal limit of 0.3 percent — which previously forced farmers to destroy entire fields to comply with federal law.
Beyond THC removal, researchers have also engineered varieties with higher concentrations of CBG (cannabigerol), a non-psychoactive cannabinoid valued for its potential therapeutic benefits. These advances are expected to stabilize the hemp market, providing growers with reliable, high-value and legal-compliant varieties. With the regulatory green light from the USDA, these precision-bred hemp lines are poised to revitalize the industry, providing a safer and more profitable future for farmers across the United States.
For more information: International Service for the Acquisition of Agricultural Biotechnology Applications Email: (email protected) isaaa.org/default.asp
Kentucky’s governor is urging lawmakers to give more patients legal access to medical marijuana, announcing that cannabis gummies can now be purchased at state-licensed dispensaries.
Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said Thursday that his administration has sent a letter urging legislative leadership to pass a bill that lists ALS, Parkinson’s disease, Crohn’s disease, sickle cell anemia, fibromyalgia, glaucoma, terminal illnesses and other conditions as conditions for medical cannabis.
“In most other states that have a medical marijuana program, these are conditions that are covered, and conditions that are deemed appropriate by our board of physicians and counselors,” he said. “Expanding the list could help the approximately 430,000 Kentuckians who currently lack access but face these challenges.”
The governor said state officials are “making great strides” in expanding the medical marijuana program to “increase access for those who are already eligible.”
“We currently have 510 registered professionals and over 18,500 approved cards, and those numbers continue to grow,” Beshear said, adding that regulators are making “steady progress” in accepting businesses at every step of the cannabis supply chain.
“As the supply chain expands, patients are starting to see more options online,” he said. “We can announce that gummies are on the market in Kentucky and showing progress in communities across Kentucky.”
The governor, who has long championed cannabis reform, he anticipated a market launch that monthwhile claiming that medical marijuana will help thousands of patients find an alternative to opioids for pain management.
Beshear previously acknowledged that “it’s taken longer than we would have liked” to sustain the industry since he signed off on legalizing medical marijuana in 2023.
Beshear announced separately that in May the state launched a new online directory that allows people to see where medicinal cannabis will open next to them
Meanwhile, the governors sent a letter to Kentucky’s congressional delegation last yearurging them to “take decisive action to protect the constitutional rights of our law-abiding medical cannabis patients” by repealing the federal ban on possession of firearms by marijuana users.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) warned Kentucky residents that in 2024, if they choose to participate in the state’s medical marijuana program, they will be prohibited from buying or possessing firearms under federal law.
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