Canada’s NewLeaf Brands names ex-Ebbu director as new chief science officer

Published May 13, 2020

A cannabinoid scientist in Colorado is being tapped to develop mushroom products for a CBD company that is exploring the market for psilocybin mushrooms.

Canadian CBD business NewLeaf Brands Inc. announced that the former research director of a Colorado hemp company, Ebbu, will be their new chief science officer.

The announcement Tuesday that Robert Roscow was joining NewLeaf Brands comes two weeks after the company said it bought Mydecine Group, a Colorado business co-founded by Roscow that cultivates different strains of mushroom strains for medical use. Roscow co-founded Mydecine Group.

Last year in May, Denver voters approved an ordinance to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms.

“The diversity of medical potential in mushroom compounds is astounding … and production presents a remarkable opportunity for advances in both pointed treatment of serious conditions as well as general wellness,” Roscow said in a statement after his new position was announced.

Canada-based Canopy Growth Corp. acquired Ebbu in 2018 for $25 million Canadian dollars ($19.3 million) and 6.2 million shares.

NewLeaf Brands trades on the Canadian Stock Exchange as NLB.