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Blue Serenity brings science and compassion together, will cement Thomas Hartle's legacy as a Canadian psychedelic icon
Optimi and Hartle to host press conference today at 1:00 PM EST
Optimi Health Corp. ( CSE: OPTI ) (OTCQX: OPTHF) (FRA: 8BN) ("Optimi" or the "Company"), a Canadian-based company licensed by Health Canada to produce natural, scalable, and accessible psychedelic and functional mushrooms, as well as synthetic formulations for transformational human experiences, is celebrating the launch of Blue Serenity, Canada's first natural therapeutic psilocybin product, in collaboration with psilocybin patient advocate Thomas Hartle.
Blue Serenity is standardized to contain a total of 25 milligrams of natural psilocybin in the form of EU-GMP biomass grown as Panaeolus cyanescens mushrooms cultivated at Optimi Labs Inc. in Princeton, British Columbia. Optimi's Chief Science Officer, Justin Kirkland, and Head of Cultivation, Todd Henderson, collaborated with Hartle to breed a specific genetic strain based on Hartle's previous therapeutic experiences.
Once approved by health authorities under Canada's Special Access Program (SAP) or an authorized clinical trial, patients, doctors, and researchers will receive Blue Serenity in blister packs of eight (8) psilocybin capsules. Blue Serenity is packaged according to current regulations and guidelines governing the manufacture and commercial distribution of medical/pharmaceutical products (EU-GMP).
Optimi CEO, Bill Ciprick, says the launch of Blue Serenity is a moment to pause and reflect on Thomas's enormous contributions to a world beyond psychedelics.
"Anyone who has entered the psychedelics space in the last two years will tell you that Thomas Hartle's story of compassion and kindness inspired them in some way to want to make a difference," said Ciprick. "We are tremendously excited to be partnering with Thomas to become the first Canadian company to launch a natural psilocybin product specifically to help patients seeking relief through the Special Access Program," he added.
Further, Ciprick confirmed that proceeds from the sale of Blue Serenity will directly benefit psilocybin patients through Hartle's new charity, a venture that will provide access to psilocybin therapy for underserved adults. Optimi will also make a $5,000 monetary donation to the charity in commemoration of the two-year anniversary of Mr. Hartle's Health Canada approval to undergo psilocybin-assisted therapy.
"It's an excellent opportunity for Optimi to give back to those in need, while helping to build a network of trust between business, advocacy, patients, and doctors, that we hope will further the framework for compliant access and increase the overall confidence of practitioners in this medicine," Ciprick added.
Hartle's choice of the name "Blue Serenity" touches on the emotional and visual aspect of his psilocybin experience, specifically in how he was able to redefine the inner sense of peace his therapy brought him.
"Blue Serenity was born from an experience that took me from a state of extreme anxiety to a feeling of calm that I never knew existed," said Hartle. "Knowing that my journey will live on in a natural substance that others will be able to access goes to the core of everything that is right about psychedelic therapy, and that in itself is an incredibly moving experience for me," added Hartle.
Research shows that up to 80 percent of patients with advanced cancer are likely to suffer distressing thoughts around death and up to 50 percent of patients with generally incurable conditions are likely to have psychiatric diagnoses.
Blue Serenity will be available upon request to all legal psilocybin patients whose access has been approved by Health Canada under legal mechanisms such as the SAP and Section 56 Exemptions to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, as well as authorized researchers interested in standardized dosages of natural psilocybin.
Optimi Health will be hosting a press conference with Thomas Hartle at 1:00 PM EST today (Wednesday, August 10th, 2022) to provide more details on the launch of Blue Serenity.
To access today's 1:00 PM EST press conference, please click here .
For more details or to request an interview, please contact:
Michael Kydd
michael@kyddergroup.com
902.880.6121
ABOUT OPTIMI (CSE: OPTI) (OTCQX: OPTHF) (FRA: 8BN)
Optimi Health Corp. is a Canadian-based company licensed by Health Canada to produce and supply natural, EU-GMP grade psilocybin and synthetic psychedelic substances, as well as functional mushrooms that focus on the health and wellness markets. Built with the purpose of producing scalable psychedelic formulations for transformational human experiences, the Company's goal is to be the number one trusted, compassionate supplier of safe drug products throughout the world. Optimi's products are grown at its two facilities comprising a total of 20,000 square feet in Princeton, British Columbia, making it the largest psilocybin cultivator in North America.
ABOUT THOMAS HARTLE
Thomas Hartle is a 54-year-old husband, father, and IT professional who was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2016. Faced with the typical outcome of stage 4 cancer, Thomas experienced a debilitating level of anxiety over his future, as well as that of his family. This anxiety prompted him to explore new potential options for his treatment-resistant condition. In August of 2020, Thomas became the first Canadian to legally receive psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy.
Since that time, Thomas has experienced a substantial improvement in both his emotional wellbeing and his overall ability to once again enjoy the time he has with his family. He is currently advocating the use of this therapy while undergoing his regular cancer treatment regime.
FOR INTERVIEW REQUESTS OR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Investor Relations
Email: investors@optimihealth.ca
Phone: +1 (902) 880 6121
Web: www.optimihealth.ca
FORWARD‐LOOKING STATEMENTS
This news release contains forward‐looking statements and forward‐looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation (collectively, "forward‐looking statements") that relate to Optimi's current expectations and views of future events. Any statements that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as "will likely result," "are expected to," "expects," "will continue," "is anticipated," "anticipates," "believes," "estimated," "intends," "plans," "forecast," "projection," "strategy," "objective," and "outlook") are not historical facts and may be forward‐looking statements and may involve estimates, assumptions and uncertainties which could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in such forward‐looking statements. No assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward‐looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release. In particular and without limitation, this news release contains forward‐ looking statements pertaining to activities proposed to be conducted under the Company's dealer's license and associated business related to Psilocybin and Psilocin and Optimi's plans, focus and objectives.
Forward‐looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Optimi's control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward‐looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the impact and progression of the COVID‐19 pandemic and other factors set forth under "Forward‐Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual information Form dated January 12, 2022, and other continuous disclosure filings available under Optimi's profile at www.sedar.com. Optimi undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward‐looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Optimi to predict all of them or assess the impact of each such factor or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward‐looking statement.
Any forward‐looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.
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