General Cannabis Corp Strengthens Balance Sheet by Raising New Capital, Retiring Existing Debt and Extinguishing Put Obligation


DENVER, Jan. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- General Cannabis Corp (OTCQB: CANN) today announced that it has raised over $2.9 million of senior convertible promissory notes (“Notes”) and extinguished an existing put obligation.  Collectively, these actions restructure the Company’s debt, reduce its interest expense, increase its operating cash and provide additional financial flexibility.

In conjunction with this capital raise, the Company has now rolled or extinguished over $2 million of its outstanding short-term debt, which carried a 15% annual interest rate and was to come due in the first quarter of 2021, and replaced it with Notes that have a 10% annual coupon and mature in December 2023.  The new Notes do not begin paying cash interest until 2022, giving the company more flexibility in 2021. Note holders received warrants to purchase up to 20% of the value of their Notes in common stock at a strike price of $0.56, and also have an option to convert up to 50% of the Notes into shares of common stock at a premium to the current market price, with a floor of $0.65 per share and a ceiling of $1.00.  Every member of the Company’s Board participated in the raise, underscoring the Board’s belief in the direction of the Company.

Simultaneously, the Company announced that Barker Dalton, one of its largest shareholders and the founder of SevenFive Farm (a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company), has waived his right to put one-quarter of his shares to the Company in exchange for cash. Said Dalton, “I am excited about the future for General Cannabis.  I am aligned with my fellow board members and the management team; our overriding goal is to drive shareholder value. Waiving my put right gives the company more flexibility to use cash for value-creating purposes.”

Steve Gutterman, CEO of General Cannabis, stated, “We are pleased to strengthen our balance sheet and grateful for the support from both new and existing shareholders.  We are also deeply appreciative of Barker’s waiver; he continues to be a fantastic partner.  We are entirely focused on getting to cash flow positive and executing on our roll-up strategy, and today’s announcements are important steps towards achieving our goals.”

About General Cannabis Corp
General Cannabis Corp is a Colorado-based cannabis company with deep expertise in wholesale and retail operations as well as cultivation consulting.  The Company is pursuing a rollup strategy of cannabis assets in mature markets.  The Company's website address is www.generalcann.com.

Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “expect”, “estimate”, “plan”, “outlook”, and “project” and other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management in light of management’s experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors relevant in the circumstances. Although General Cannabis Corp believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, caution must be exercised in relying on forward-looking statements because General Cannabis Corp can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, current and future market conditions; the expected or potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on General Cannabis Corp’s business operations, financial results and position, as well as world economy and volatility, risks related to federal, state, local and foreign government laws, rules and regulations, including changes in the regulation of medical and recreational cannabis use; as well as those risks and uncertainties discussed from time to time in General Cannabis Corp’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q under the heading "Risk Factors" and in subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release. General Cannabis Corp undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made herein.

Contact:
Steve Gutterman
sgutterman@generalcann.com