Item 1A. Risk Factors
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
In addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the factors discussed in Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, which could materially affect our business, financial condition and/or results of operations. Except to the extent updated below or to the extent additional factual information disclosed elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q relates to such risk factors, there have been no material changes to the risk factors described in the “Risk Factors” section in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for year ended December 31, 2020. The risks as updated below and as described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K are not the only risks facing our Company. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or results of operations.
Competition for the acquisition of properties suitable for the retail sale, cultivation or production of regulated cannabis and alternative financing sources for licensed operators may impede our ability to make acquisitions or increase the cost of these acquisitions, which could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
We compete for the acquisition of properties suitable for the retail sale, cultivation or production of regulated cannabis with other entities engaged in retail, agricultural and real estate investment activities, including corporate agriculture companies, cultivators and producers of cannabis, private equity investors, and other real estate investors (including public and private REITs). These competitors may prevent us from acquiring desirable properties, may cause an increase in the price we must pay for properties or may result in us having to lease our properties on less favorable terms than we expect. Our competitors may have greater financial and operational resources than we do and may be willing to pay more for certain assets or may be willing to accept more risk than we believe can be prudently managed. In particular, larger companies may enjoy significant competitive advantages that result from, among other things, a lower cost of capital and enhanced operating efficiencies. Our competitors may also adopt transaction structures similar to ours, which would decrease our competitive advantage in offering flexible transaction terms. In addition, due to a number of factors, including but not limited to potential greater clarity of the laws and regulations governing cannabis by state and federal governments, the number of entities and the amount of funds competing for suitable investment properties may increase, resulting in increased demand and increased prices paid for these properties. If we pay higher prices for properties or enter into leases for such properties on less favorable terms than we expect, our profitability and ability to generate cash flow and make distributions to our stockholders may decrease.
We also compete as a provider of capital to regulated cannabis operators with alternative financing sources to these companies, including both equity and debt financing alternatives. For example, many larger, publicly traded multi-state cannabis operators are able to raise significant capital through public equity offerings, in addition to access to significant debt financing options. Furthermore, changes in federal regulations pertaining to cannabis could also lead to increased access to U.S. capital markets for our competitors and for regulated cannabis operators (including but not limited to access to the Nasdaq Stock Market and/or the New York Stock Exchange). According to analysis by Viridian Capital Advisors, North American cannabis companies either closed or announced more than $5.0 billion in capital raising through April 9, 2021, representing a significant increase in the pace of capital raising for regulated cannabis operators versus the prior year period.
Increased competition for properties as a result of greater clarity of the federal regulatory environment may also preclude us from acquiring those properties that would generate attractive returns to us.
By way of example, Congress introduced several proposed bills in the past legislative cycle focused on the regulated cannabis industry, including the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (the “MORE Act”) and the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act (the “SAFE Banking Act”). If it became law, the MORE Act, which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in December 2020, would, among other things, remove cannabis as a Schedule I controlled substance under the CSA and make available U.S. Small Business Administration funding for regulated cannabis operators. If it became law, the SAFE Banking Act would, among other things, provide protection from federal prosecution to banks and other financial institutions that provide financial services to state-licensed, compliant cannabis operators, which may include the provision of loans by financial
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institutions to such operators. In April 2021, the SAFE Banking Act was reintroduced again for the fourth time in the U.S. House of Representatives and passed; the bill is expected to be reintroduced in the U.S. Senate for consideration.
If any of the proposed bills in Congress became law, there would be further increased competition for the acquisition of properties that can be leased to licensed cannabis operators, and such operators would have greater access to alternative financing sources with lower costs of capital. These factors may reduce the number of operators that wish to enter into lease transactions with us or renew leases with us, or may result in us having to enter into leases on less favorable terms with tenants, each of which may significantly adversely impact our profitability and ability to generate cash flow and make distributions to our stockholders.
ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS
None.
ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES
None.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.