British American Tobacco (BAT) has acquired 19.9 per cent equity investment in Organigram, a leading Canadian cannabis licensed producer, according to a company press release.

BAT has signed a strategic collaboration agreement with Organigram Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of publicly-traded Organigram Holdings Inc. (collectively Organigram), that focuses on research and product development of next generation adult cannabis products, with an initial focus on cannabidiol (CBD), states the press release.
The new collaboration is another step on BAT’s journey to building A Better Tomorrow™ and will help the company to expand its portfolio going “beyond nicotine”. According to the press release, through working with Organigram, BAT will gain access to cutting-edge R&D technologies, product innovation and cannabis expertise.
"We believe this collaboration has significant potential to enhance our activities, allowing us to combine our world-class expertise while enabling scientists from both BAT and Organigram to work closely together and share information real-time. We know that in R&D this is how you make real breakthroughs and accelerate progress,” said Dr David O'Reilly, Director Scientific Research at BAT.
"This is a tremendous milestone in the evolution of Organigram. It is instrumental in advancing our commitment to offering consumers innovative cannabis products and to furthering our long-term international strategy. We have been extremely selective about aligning with a strategic partner and, in BAT, we've found a leading consumer goods business with innovative product platforms, an impressive dedication to research and development, deep consumer insights, regulatory expertise and a commitment to responsible stewardship and consumer safety,” commented Greg Engel, Chief Executive Officer of Organigram.