FAQ with HTA

1. Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the “backstory” about what brought you to the cannabis industry? In the summer of 2017, I was going to a wedding and like so many women, got my hair colored. After I hit my forties, a few gray hairs crept in so I went to my regular beauty salon with my favorite stylist and followed a routine I had gone through dozens of times before. A few hours after I got home, a rash broke out on my neck and scalp. At first, I didn’t think anything of it. But as the itching and redness increased, I realized I was having some sort of allergic reaction. It spread to my arms, legs, chest, and back. As a doctor, I try to consider my own health concerns clinically. However, even from a medical perspective, the rash and inflammation were getting worse remarkably fast. I spent weeks consulting with many colleagues who were talented doctors, all I had was a vague diagnosis: “multiple chemical hyper-sensitivity.” And they prescribed a cocktail of drugs. As a doctor who had avoided prescription drugs for most of my life, I was distressed to be on so many of them. I decided to attack the problem from the other side—eliminating the potential cause of my skin problems. I tossed out almost everything in my bathroom. No perfumes, no dyes, no chemical additives. I slowly got better. But my skin was peppered with scars and lesions from the constant scratching and trauma. Around the same time, my husband was being treated for chronic and severe Crohn’s disease and started using CBD to alleviate his symptoms. He got so much better that he was able to reduce his medications. Intrigued, I thought that CBD might offer relief for my own skin condition and started researching the compound. One of my husband’s friends owns a high-end beauty product development laboratory, with a reputation for using premium, pure, non-toxic ingredients. We met with him and discussed creating a skin serum with extremely pure CBD. Finally, after a lot of experimentation and research, we settled on oneformulathat really helped soothe my skin. A big bonus was it also made my skin looked amazing. We decided to create a company around these serums, Aethera Beauty. Along the way, I had done so much research on CBD and its skin care benefits that I decided to write a book called the “CBD Skin Care Solution” which is being published by Llewellyn Worldwide for a summer 2020 release. Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that? At Aethera, our team of experts and chemists take pride in only using the highest quality CBD and other well-studied active botanicals to create our line. We partner with a lab which allows us to havemultiple chemists helping with product development. We didn’t take any short cuts and researched numerous CBD suppliers. Every product went through multiple trials and iterations before becoming available for consumers.

2. As a medical doctor, it was important for me to know exactly what goes into every bottle of product and track it all the way from sourcing of the raw materials to the bottling of the products. We are non-GMO, phthalate- paraben-, and sulfate-free, and vegan. What was really interesting to me is how much consumer confusion there is in the space. When we did competitive analysis, we noticed thatmany CBD productsactually don’t state dosage or have very low dosage. Quite a few products are still coming from small craft brands that sell direct to consumer or don’t use proper Ingredient decks. Early on, especially in this business, we realized the importance of “trust but verify”. It is critical to ask for a Certificate of Analysis (“COA”) as well as do your own independent testing of suppliers. A COA is documentation that describes the results of product testing to determine the actual potency or amount of CBD and, when applicable, THC in the product. Legitimate manufacturers run these tests as part of the product quality assuranceand make the COA available upon request. The COA will also list significant amounts of any other ingredients, including other cannabinoids, and any potential allergens or contaminants. One of the most significant pieces of information you can take away from a COA is whether the lab meets ISO 17025 standards of testing. These are considered the high-bar standard and reputable labs use them as a baseline. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that? It’s funnier now than it was at the time, but getting credit card processing set up was a bit of a process, with one rep form a company authorizing our account and another cancelling it, sometimes within days. Do you have a funny story about how someone you knew reacted when they first heard you were getting into the cannabis industry? I have had a few friends, when they heard that I was developing a CBD beauty line, think that I have access to some amazing, really pure version of marijuana. I get constantly asked for samples for them to smoke or ingest. I try to explain that CBD is non-psychotropic and doesn’t get you high, but a few felt that “I was holding out” in order to “keep the good stuff for myself.” None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story? Because Aethera is a JV with a high-end beauty product development laboratory, I get a lot of support from their in-house team. Our VP of marketing has had a long career in the beauty industry and most recently ran the Prestige Beauty business for Beauty.com. It’s been a real pleasure to work with another woman entrepreneur and executive, especially one who has worked in the digital space since its infancy.

3. But overall, the collaboration with all the women on our collective team has allowed us to create products that work for different ages with different skin types and skin concerns. Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people? I am very excited for my book to come out and to have the opportunity to tour and chat with people about my CBD learnings – and to hear their stories. One-on-one time with consumers is the best way to know where there is still confusion and what we need to do from an education standpoint to make sure people understand what CBD is and its therapeutic potential. Ok. Thank you for all that. Let's now jump to the main core of our interview. Despite great progress that has been made we still have a lot more work to do to achieve gender parity in this industry. According to this report in Entrepreneur, less than 25 percent of cannabis businesses are run by women. In your opinion or experience, what 3 things can be done by a)individuals b)companies and/or c) society to support greater gender parity moving forward? 1)Irrespective of a company’s size, it is incumbent to include gender equality and diversity at the core of its mission. As reported in studies by both Harvard Business Review and Mckinsey and Company, profitability as high as 33% across industries have been associated with simply increasing female share in the C suite. 2)Education, cross-training and mentoring women by women in the cannabis industry will be paramount to achieve sustainable success, as many companies globally are experiencing. I recently attended the annual conference held by Women’s Grow and was energized myself by the tremendous outpouring of support for women at all levels – from seed to sale. Access to such groups for its network of women for women cannot be well underscored. 3)Funding in the cannabis industry especially with the current Federal restrictions is a significant challenge. Large majority of anything cannabis are self-funded and increasingly cost prohibited. My projections are as companies recognize the value added of diversity and gender parity, they will gain the edge in innovation and profitability. You are a “Cannabis Insider”. If you had to advise someone about 5 non intuitive things one should know to succeed in the cannabis industry, what would you say? Can you please give a story or an example for each.

4. 1)Banking –Before you start, make sure you tell your bank EXACTLY what you are doing. Don’t try and hide the fact that you are selling cannabis and be very specific whether you are selling Hemp, CBD or THC. The financial industry has not caught up with the Hemp Bill of 2018, many banks will shut you down if they find out that you are selling cannabis. We had to go through 3 banks before we found one that was willing to work with us. 2)Payment Processing –Also, similar to the banking issues, this is something you should get sorted out before you start. While there have been strides made in the last couple of months, it is very tough to get the right payment processor and you might have to go to a “high-risk” credit card processor that will charge you a much higher fee as well as subject you to many complicated hurdles. 3)CBD expensive –It is an expensive product and can cost thousands of dollars for just a kilo. You will burn through a lot of product before you come up with a formulation that you really like. 4)Cannabis is a tough medium to work with –In its purest form, CBD can have a very sticky, overpowering smell. I remember smelling one of the initial CBD distillates from a vendor and almost got sick from the strong smell of weed! You will need to budget for multiple test batches because it can be difficult to get the right luxurious texture and smell. We needed to try out many different active ingredients to work with the CBD to ensure our product was on par with, or superior, to other prestige non-CBD brands in the beauty space. 5)Buy American - Experts generally consider domestic hemp sources more reliable than foreign sources. That’s because there are currently no regulations on how foreign- source hemp is grown, processed, or tested prior to importation. Consumers Reports recommends buying only from states that have legalized cannabis because those states are more likely to have regulations on the books that control the quality and claims made around hemp-derived CBD (and other cannabinoids). For instance, they limit the type of pesticides that can be used on the plant, because the plant is grown solely for consumption purposes. Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the cannabis industry? 1)Innovation –Because the industry is so new, it also creates unique business opportunities and new discoveries are coming to light, as scientists continue to study cannabinoids. The medical potential is undeniable, but medical research takes time and careful analysis. I strongly believe that the best is yet to come in cannabis research and product development. 2)Opioid Addiction Treatment (Pain management) –As Chief Medical Officer of a hospital where many of my patients suffer from opioid addiction, I am excited about recent studies thathave found cannabis to be useful for treating opiate addition in chronic pain sufferers. Our inability to tolerate pain has resulted in our culture’s unhealthy dependency on painkillers. Although our ancestors have used cannabis as a safe, effective painkiller for thousands of years, we are just starting to scratch the surface of medical cannabis for pain. In a related trend, many studies have shown real promise and

5. success for using CBD to slowly detox from and eventually be free of opioid addiction (and other addictions as well, such as alcoholism). 3)Limited Side Effects –One of the reasons why CBD creates so much excitement in doctors and researchers is that unlike many new drugs and treatments, the risk of side effects with CBD is extremely minimal. Evidence so far suggests that the potential for addiction or overdose with pure CBD is minimal. Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest? 1)Lack of Regulation- A 2017 Journal of the American Medical Association that analyzed 84 CBD products sold by 31 different online companies found that 1 in 5 contained marijuana components. Other studies have shown that many the claims of CBD concentration in products are much lower or non-existent versus what brands have claimed on their packaging. We support more regulation in the space and third-party verification of CBD potency. 2)Lack of Clinical Trials–While research on the benefits and action of CBD in topical formulations as well as ingestible forms is ongoing, there are still not enough clinical trials. That experimentation is in its preliminary stages and there is a long way to go. We are only just starting to learn how CBD and THC interacts with the human body. Also, most relevant studies have taken place within the last two decades—a blink of the eye in terms of scientific inquiry. In addition, we need to see more clinical trials into plant- based cannabinoids in order to determine its full range of medical benefits. 3)Lack of Education- As with any ingestible or beauty product, I would be skeptical of overblown marketing claims. I would recommend that consumers read labels closer than you do marketing materials and advertising. And ask questions! The CBD product marketplace is crowded and growing right now. One easy way for companies to distinguish their products is to oversell benefits. A natural anti-inflammatory property might be embellished to become an “advanced wrinkle fighter.” Be critical of any statement not grounded in scientific reality. What are your thoughts about federal legalization of cannabis? If you could speak to your Senator, what would be your most persuasive argument regarding why they should or should not pursue federal legalization? I support federal legalization of Marijuana. Marijuana continues to be treated like a street drug at the federal level and unfortunately, the classification is overly broad, and—until very recently—it included hemp and non-intoxicating components such as CBD. In the United States, these legislative assaults essentially have killed any research into the medicinal value of not only marijuana and its psychoactive components, but also the more benign compounds found

6. in hemp. Legalizing cannabis means it can be funded for research. That means exciting new discoveries are coming to light, as more scientists study what was once stigmatized and forbidden. Today, cigarettes are legal, but they are heavily regulated, highly taxed, and they are somewhat socially marginalized. Would you like cannabis to have a similar status to cigarettes or different? Can you explain? I don’t believe that cannabis and cigarettes should be treated in a similar fashion. There is ZERO clinical data that supports cigarette smoking as a way to improve health. I have personally scoured the medical journalsand have discovered thousands of studies showing the positive effects of cannabinoids. Cigarette are purely recreational with deleterious health benefits while cannabis has been used for thousands of years for its medicinal qualities. Cigarettes taxes are also structured to be regressive which means that low- and middle-income taxpayers pay more of their income in these taxes that upper-income families. I support more ways in being able to get cannabis to the people that need it the most. Can you please give us your favorite "Life Lesson Quote"? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life? “Be Kind to yourself” a quote that I often recite to both friends, family members and even patients. As women, I believe that we are often very good at showing love and kindness to others but less so to ourselves. One important element of this quote is letting go of judgement of yourself and showing yourself more compassion. Many women are juggling work, family and a myriad of a thousand other things. There is always more to be done and we need to let go of what we think we should do and try and accept what is. We need to be kind to ourselves when we make mistakesand forgive ourselves when we have done the wrong things. One of the exercises that I do every day, is to take out time in the morning for self-care. Whether is being reciting Sanskrit mantras or spending 20 minutes meditating before going to work, I find these exercises help grounds myself and enables me to offer kindness to not only myself but also to others.Be kind to yourself is for me an attestation of self-acceptance and love. You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amounts of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-) I would create the “Medicine Cabinet Movement” which would be a spring cleaning of everyone’s medicine cabinet to eliminate as many pharaceuticals as possible. Of course, this would be done in conjunction with trained, holistic minded medical professionals.

7. As a physician, I am tired of the outlandish claims that big pharma has made to consumers and their pervasive marketing blitz that makes it seem that it is normal to take a pill for every imaginable symptom or problem. Then, they push pills to treats the symptoms created by these very pills. Most pills create a toxic imbalance in the body and I personally recommend to my patients, whenever possible, to use fewer drugs, not more. We have created a culture of sickness and a business out of reactive healthcare as opposed to preventive care. I am a proponent of focusing our limited health care resources on prevention of disease rather than reaction and turning to to nature for solutions when it is medically appropriate. My personal and professional mission is to provide holistic wellness, incorporating best of Eastern and Western medical tools. Again, this brought me todevelopment of Aethera Beauty with focus on non-toxic formulations featuring hemp-based CBD and other botanicals. I firmly believe our modern scientific studies in cannabis will continue to unlock inherent benefits known by our ancestors of thousands of years ago. Visit https://www.docsingal.com/