Marijuana Company of America Continues National Expansion with Production Permit in Adelanto, California

BONSALL, CA - (NewMediaWire) - March 22, 2017 - MARIJUANA COMPANY OF AMERICA ("MCOA" or the "Company") (OTC PINK: MCOA), an innovative cannabis and hemp marketing and distribution company, is pleased to announce that it has completed due diligence and entered into a binding joint venture agreement with GateC Research, Inc. ("GCR") for the purpose of engaging in the cultivation of legal marijuana in Adelanto, California.

The terms of the agreement include that MCOA will invest cash and stock in a newly formed entity, and receive a 50% equity and share in the net profits produced in the joint venture in Adelanto, California, where GCR owns a permit for cultivation.

A three-person board of managing members will oversee operations of the newly formed entity. GCR will contribute its expertise in marijuana cultivation, as well as establish partnerships and licensing agreements that will enable the legal cultivation of marijuana in the State of California.

Donald Steinberg, MCOA President and CEO, commented, "We are excited to work with the GateC Research, Inc. team, and we look forward to strengthening our supply chain pipeline in California. We have some very exciting marketing ideas to implement as regulations allow."

"Our partners have managed many successful and legally compliant cultivation projects in California and we are looking forward to expanding our operations with MCOA's assistance into Adelanto County and starting a cultivation model that we intend to successfully replicate with MCOA," said Adam Agathakis, an Officer of GateC Research, Inc.

This joint venture project is solely for the purpose of cultivation, processing and distribution of legal marijuana within the State of California only and not beyond its borders.

GATEC RESEARCH, INC.

GateC Research, Inc. is a California based Mutual Benefit Corporation that has secured a permit to grow medical marijuana in Adelanto County. The Company's principals are successful pioneers in the California and Washington state medical marijuana industry that have successfully owned and operated numerous successful pre-ico dispensaries and cultivation facilities. Eddie Manolos is an advisor of GateC Research and has been on MCOA's advisory board since early in 2016.

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT

This release contains forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions about future events. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and the assumptions upon which they are based are reasonable, we can give no assurance or guarantee that such expectations and assumptions will prove to have been correct. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by the use of words like "may," "will," "should," "could," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "intend," or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as these statements are subject to numerous factors and uncertainties, including but not limited to: adverse economic conditions, competition, adverse federal, state and local government regulation, international governmental regulation, inadequate capital, inability to carry out research, development and commercialization plans, loss or retirement of key executives and other specific risks. To the extent that statements in this press release are not strictly historical, including statements as to revenue projections, business strategy, outlook, objectives, future milestones, plans, intentions, goals, future financial conditions, events conditioned on stockholder or other approval, or otherwise as to future events, such statements are forward-looking, and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made.

For more information, please visit the Company's websites at:
MarijuanaCompanyofAmerica.com
hempSMART.com
Harmoneous.com
agoracom.com/ir/MarijuanaCompanyofAmerica