Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  Yes  o No  x

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act.  Yes  o No  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes  x No  o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes    x No o

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company”, and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one)

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes o No x

State the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold, or the average bid and asked price of such common equity, as of the last business day of the registrants most recently completed second fiscal quarter. As of June 30, 2017, the aggregate market value of the voting and nonvoting common equity held by nonaffiliates of the issuer was $21,974,000.

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date. As of March 26, 2018, the issuer had 90,512,563 shares of issued and outstanding common stock, par value $0.0001.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE. None

CV SCIENCES, INC.

FORM 10-K

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information required by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). You may read and copy any document we file with the SEC at the SEC’s public reference room located at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549, U.S.A. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference room. Our SEC filings are also available to the public from the SEC’s internet site at http://www.sec.gov.

On our Internet website, http://www.cvsciences.com, we post the following recent filings as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC: our annual reports on Form 10-K, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, our current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act.

When we use the terms “CV Sciences”, “Company”, “we”, “our” and “us” we mean CV Sciences, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries, taken as a whole, as well as any predecessor entities, unless the context otherwise indicates.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K, the other reports, statements, and information that the Company has previously filed with or furnished to, or that we may subsequently file with or furnish to, the SEC and public announcements that we have previously made or may subsequently make include, may include, or may incorporate by reference certain statements that may be deemed to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, and that are intended to enjoy the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements provided by that Act. To the extent that any statements made in this report contain information that is not historical, these statements are essentially forward-looking. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate”, “estimate”, “plan”, “project”, “continuing”, “ongoing”, “expect”, “believe”, “intend”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “could”, and other words of similar meaning. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that cannot be predicted or quantified and, consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, marketability of our products; legal and regulatory risks associated with OTC Markets; our ability to raise additional capital to finance our activities; the future trading of our common stock; our ability to operate as a public company; our ability to protect our proprietary information; general economic and business conditions; the volatility of our operating results and financial condition; our ability to attract or retain qualified senior management personnel and research and development staff; and other risks detailed from time to time in our filings with the SEC, or otherwise.

Information regarding market and industry statistics contained in this report is included based on information available to us that we believe is accurate. It is generally based on industry and other publications that are not produced for purposes of securities offerings or economic analysis. Forecasts and other forward-looking information obtained from these sources are subject to the same qualifications and the additional uncertainties accompanying any estimates of future market size, revenue and market acceptance of products and services. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements. As a result, investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Overview

CV Sciences, Inc. (the “Company,” “CV Sciences,” “we,” “our” or “us”) was incorporated under the name Foreclosure Solutions, Inc. in the State of Texas on December 9, 2010. On July 25, 2013, the Company’s predecessor, CannaVest Corp., a Texas corporation (“CannaVest Texas”), merged with the Company, a wholly-owned Delaware subsidiary of CannaVest Texas, to effectuate a change in the Company’s state of incorporation from Texas to Delaware. On January 4, 2016, the Company filed a Certificate of Amendment of Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, reflecting its corporate name change to “CV Sciences, Inc.”, effective on January 5, 2016. In addition, on January 4, 2016, the Company amended its Bylaws to reflect its corporate name change to “CV Sciences, Inc.” The Company previously operated under the corporate name of CannaVest Corp. The change in corporate name was undertaken in connection with the acquisition of CanX Inc., a Florida-based, specialty pharmaceutical corporation (the “CanX Acquisition”) as more fully set forth in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on January 4, 2016 (the “January 2016 8-K”). On June 8, 2016, the Company announced that the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) had approved a change in the trading symbol for the Company’s common stock to “CVSI.” The Company’s common stock formerly traded under the symbol “CANV.” 

The Company operates two distinct business segments: a consumer products segment in manufacturing, marketing and selling plant-based Cannabidiol (“CBD”) products to a range of market sectors; and, a specialty pharmaceutical segment focused on developing and commercializing novel therapeutics utilizing synthetic CBD. The specialty pharmaceutical segment began development activities during the second quarter of 2016.

Current Operations

Consumer Products

We manufacture, market and sell consumer products containing plant-based CBD under our PlusCBD™ brand in a range of market sectors including nutraceutical, beauty care, specialty foods and vape. We currently manufacture and distribute more than 50 stock-keeping units and we expect to continue to add new products to our PlusCBD™ portfolio to enhance our line of CBD and hemp-related consumer products. We also expect to develop and launch new brands to more effectively market and sell certain products. We also sell raw materials acquired through our supply relationships in Europe to various customers that produce products for resale into the market.

We seek to take advantage of an emerging worldwide trend to re-energize the production of industrial hemp and to foster its many uses for consumers. Historically cultivated for industrial and practical purposes, hemp is used today for textiles, paper, auto parts, biofuel, cosmetics, animal feed, nutritional supplements, and much more. The market for hemp-derived products is expected to increase substantially over the next five years, and we believe CV Sciences is well positioned to be a significant player in the hemp industry.

Hemp-derived CBD is one of at least 80 cannabinoids found in hemp, and is non-psychoactive. Our U.S. based operations oversee our raw material supply chain, raw material processing, product development and manufacturing, and sales and marketing. We will continue to scale-up our processing capability to accommodate new products in our pipeline.

We expect to realize revenue to fund our working capital needs through the sale of finished products and raw materials to third parties. However, in order to fund our drug development efforts, we will need to raise additional capital either through the issuance of equity and/or the issuance of debt. In the event we are unable to raise sufficient additional capital to fund our drug development efforts, we may need to curtail or delay such activity.

Specialty Pharmaceuticals

Our specialty pharmaceutical segment is developing synthetic cannabinoids to treat a range of medical conditions. Cannabinoids are compounds derived from the Cannabis sativa plant, which contain two primary cannabinoids, CBD, and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”). Clinical and preclinical data suggest that CBD has promising results in treating a range of medical indications. We acquired two product candidates in the CanX Acquisition, each utilizing synthetic CBD as the active pharmaceutical ingredient.

The Company’s first patent-pending product candidate, CVSI-007, combines CBD and nicotine in treatment of smokeless tobacco use and addiction. There are currently no drugs approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (“FDA”) for treatment of smokeless tobacco use and addiction. We believe this product candidate will provide treatment options for this significant unmet medical need. The Company is hopeful to be in a position to file an Investigational New Drug Application (“IND”) with the FDA in the next 12 months. We completed a pre-IND meeting with the FDA in June 2017 and obtained guidance on this development program. CVSI-007 is based on proprietary formulations, processes and technology that we believe are patent-protectable. In May 2016, we filed a patent application for these formulations and processes with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

We currently contract with qualified parties and contract research organizations for our preclinical research and IND preparation and development. Commercialization of future specialty pharmaceutical products in the United States and other territories may rely on licensing and co-promotion agreements with strategic partners. If we choose to build a commercial infrastructure to support marketing in the United States, such commercial infrastructure could include a sales organization, internal sales support, an internal marketing group and distribution support.

Description of our Subsidiaries

The Company owns 100% of the issued and outstanding membership interests of two subsidiaries: Plus CBD, LLC (formerly, “Global Hemp Source, LLC”) (“Plus CBD”), and CANNAVEST Acquisition, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company formed in connection with the CanX Acquisition. The Company previously owned a 70% interest in CannaVest Europe, GmbH. On January 20, 2017, the Company filed for dissolution of CannaVest Europe, GmbH, with the District Court, Dusseldorf Germany, effective December 31, 2016. CannaVest Europe GmbH did not have any assets or liabilities at the time of its dissolution.

Inventory and Sales

Based on expected increasing demand, we have invested significant capital to develop and maintain relationships with growers on a global scale to ensure access to raw materials to support anticipated revenue growth. We have historically sourced our raw materials from well-established and well-recognized hemp growers in Europe. We have maintained access to these growers for their raw material supply, and continue to explore and develop other relationships to ensure that we can meet the expected demand for bulk hemp products well into the future. However, our current inventory levels are sufficient to support sales through 2019, resulting in reduced cash outflow for inventory purchases. In addition, we do not intend to purchase raw inventory from our supply chain arrangements from the 2017 and 2018 crop. During the year ended December 31, 2016, we recorded an impairment of inventory expense of $3.6 million (See Note 3 of the Company’s consolidated financial statements). No impairment of inventory expense was recorded for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Subject to applicable law, discussed further below we have initiated hemp research and development studies in the U.S. in Kentucky through partnerships with the Kentucky State Department of Agriculture and several universities, on a pilot scale.

Changes in the Law and Development Programs

For the first time since 1937, industrial hemp has been decriminalized at the federal level and can be grown legally in the United States, but on a limited basis. A landmark provision passed in the Agricultural Act of 2014 recognizes hemp as distinct from its genetic cousin, marijuana. Federal law now exempts industrial hemp from U.S. drug laws to allow for crop research by universities, colleges and state agriculture departments. The new Federal law allows for agricultural pilot programs for industrial hemp “in states that permit the growth or cultivation of hemp.”

Under the jurisdiction of the Agricultural Act of 2014, we entered into two separate agreements during 2015. We entered an agreement with the Kentucky State Department of Agriculture to complete research under pilot studies with farmers and processors of CBD. In addition, we entered into an agreement with the University of Kentucky to fund research regarding cultivation techniques to increase CBD production. We are also evaluating opportunities within Kentucky to invest in processing facilities and equipment in support of our consumer products business segment.

Market, Customers and Distribution Methods

The market, customers and distribution methods for hemp-based products are large and diverse. These markets range from hemp-based bio plastics to textiles. This is an ever-evolving distribution system that today includes early adopter retailers and ecommerce entities, and product development companies that use our PlusCBD™ brand oil to develop consumer products for distribution. The number of “mainstream” commercial and retail stores that currently stock and sell our products is increasing primarily through customer awareness. We believe that as awareness grows for the “green”, environmentally-friendly products derived from hemp/cannabis, the consumer market will adapt its current product lines to integrate them with hemp-based additives or replace harmful components in their existing products with the components of hemp.

Our target customers for our consumer product segment are first and foremost end consumers via internet sales, direct-to-consumer health and wellness stores, collectives, cooperatives, affiliate sales and master distributors. Secondarily, we are targeting manufacturers of products that can readily replace their raw base materials for our base materials, making the products more environmentally friendly and sustainable. In the future, we intend to target national and regional broker networks and major distribution companies who have preexisting relationships with major retail chain stores. In addition, we are directly pursuing distribution opportunities with national retailers. As we continue to develop our business, these markets may change, be re-prioritized or eliminated as management responds to consumer and regulatory developments.

Competition

There are several companies developing cannabinoid therapeutics for a range of medical indications. The cannabinoid therapeutic area currently includes formulated extracts of the Cannabis plant and synthetic formulations. These formulations include CBD and THC, or a combination of CBD/THC as the active pharmaceutical ingredient. Certain companies such as GW Pharmaceuticals, PLC have focused on plant-based CBD formulations; while other companies such as Zynerba Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Insys Therapeutics Inc. have focused on synthetic CBD formulations.

The CBD-based consumer product industry is highly fragmented with numerous companies, many of which are under-capitalized. We routinely evaluate internal and external opportunities to optimize value for shareholders through new product development or by asset acquisitions or sales. There are also large, well-funded companies that currently do not offer hemp-based consumer products but may do so in the future.

Intellectual Property

We have filed trademark applications on our brands, logos and marks including, but not limited to CV Sciences and Plus CBD. On January 30, 2016, we received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for our utility patent application number 14/791,184, Novel Process for Generating Hemp Oil with a High CBD Content. This patent covers our solvent-free and highly repeatable process for producing hemp oil with higher concentrations of CBD and expires in 2033.

We have a pending patent application for our product candidate CVSI-007 in the United States that will expire in 2036.

We review our intellectual property portfolio on a periodic basis and we will continue to broaden our portfolio in a fiscally prudent manner. We intend to file for patent protection on our pharmaceutical products based on proprietary formulations, processes and technology.

Research and Development

Our research and development costs have consisted primarily of salaries and related personnel expense, facilities and equipment expense and other costs related to both our consumer product and drug development business segments. We charge all research and development expenses to operations as incurred in the ongoing development of new consumer products and in development of our drug candidate CVSI-007. We incurred research and development expenses of $0.7 million and $1.2 million, respectively, for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016.

Source and Availability of Raw Materials

The Company has historically sourced raw materials from well-established and well-recognized hemp growers in Europe. We have maintained access to these growers for their raw material supply, and continue to explore and develop other relationships to ensure that we can meet the expected demand for bulk hemp products well into the future. Our current inventory levels are sufficient to support sales through 2019, resulting in reduced cash outflow for inventory purchases. The Company had two supply arrangements in place with European farmers to supply raw material through 2018, which have since been terminated. As such, we recorded an impairment expense of $2.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2016, related to acquired goodwill and intangible assets from PhytoSPHERE Systems LLC (“PhytoSPHERE”) (See Note 6 of the Company’s consolidated financial statements). In addition, during the year ended December 31, 2016, we recorded a $3.6 million impairment of certain raw material inventory (See Note 3 of the Company’s consolidated financial statements).

Environmental Matters

Compliance with federal, state and local requirements regulating the discharge of materials into the environment, or otherwise relating to the protection of the environment, have not had, nor are they expected to have, any material effect on the capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position of the Company.

Employees

As of March 26, 2018, we had a total of 52 full-time employees. In addition to our full-time employees, we contract with third-parties for the conduct of certain preclinical, clinical and manufacturing activities related to drug development efforts. We do not currently have any part-time employees. We have no collective bargaining agreements with our employees and none are represented by labor unions. Management believes the Company has good relationships with its employees.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

Not applicable to a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Not applicable to a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

As of December 31, 2017, our primary facility consists of approximately 24,000 square feet of leased office, laboratory and warehouse space located in San Diego, California, which is leased through January 2026 and used by both of our business segments. We lease one facility in Las Vegas, Nevada and one additional facility in San Diego related to our distribution activities that cover an aggregate of approximately 2,500 square feet of warehouse and office space. We believe that our existing facilities are suitable but we may require additional space to accommodate our growing organization. We believe such space will be available on commercially reasonable terms. (See Note 11 of the Company’s consolidated financial statements).

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

On April 23, 2014, Tanya Sallustro filed a purported class action complaint (the “Complaint”) in the Southern District of New York (the “Court”) alleging securities fraud and related claims against the Company and certain of its officers and directors and seeking compensatory damages including litigation costs. Ms. Sallustro alleges that between March 18-31, 2014, she purchased 325 shares of the Company’s common stock for a total investment of $15,791. The Complaint refers to Current Reports on Form 8-K and Current Reports on Form 8-K/A filings made by the Company on April 3, 2014 and April 14, 2014, in which the Company amended previously disclosed sales (sales originally stated at $1,275,000 were restated to $1,082,375 - reduction of $192,625) and restated goodwill as $1,855,512 (previously reported at net zero). Additionally, the Complaint states after the filing of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K on April 3, 2014 and the following press release, the Company’s stock price “fell $7.30 per share, or more than 20%, to close at $25.30 per share.” Subsequent to the filing of the Complaint, six different individuals filed a motion asking to be designated the lead plaintiff in the litigation. On March 19, 2015, the Court issued a ruling appointing Steve Schuck as lead plaintiff. Counsel for Mr. Schuck filed a “consolidated amended complaint” on September 14, 2015. On December 11, 2015, the Company filed a motion to dismiss the consolidated amended complaint. After requesting several extensions, counsel for Mr. Schuck filed an opposition to the motion to dismiss on March 21, 2016. The Company’s reply brief was filed on April 25, 2016. Defendant Stuart Titus was served with the Summons & Complaint in the case and he subsequently completed briefing his motion to dismiss, through separate counsel. No hearing date has been set by the Court at this time with respect to the motions to dismiss. Management intends to vigorously defend the allegations and an estimate of possible loss cannot be made at this time.

On March 17, 2015, stockholder Michael Ruth filed a shareholder derivative suit in Nevada District Court alleging two causes of action: 1) Breach of Fiduciary Duty, and 2) “Gross Mismanagement.” The claims are premised on the same event as the already-pending securities class action case in New York discussed above – it is alleged that the Form 8-K filings misstated goodwill and sales of the Company, which when corrected, lead to a significant drop in stock price. The Company filed a motion to dismiss the suit on June 29, 2015. Instead of opposing the Company’s motion, Mr. Ruth filed an amended complaint on July 20, 2015. Thereafter, Mr. Ruth and the Company agreed to stay the action pending the outcome of the securities class action case in New York discussed above. Management intends to vigorously defend the allegations. Since no discovery has been conducted and the case remains stayed, an estimate of the possible loss or recovery cannot be made at this time.

On October 21, 2016, Dun Agro B.V. (“Dun Agro”) filed a complaint against the Company in the District Court of the North Netherlands, location Groningen, The Netherlands, alleging non-performance under a contract, seeking compensatory damages of approximately 2,050,000 euros, excluding interest and costs. The plaintiff alleges that the Company was obligated to perform under that certain Supply Agreement between the Company and Dun Agro dated December 19, 2013 and to purchase 1,000,000 kilograms of harvested raw material related to the 2016 crop. The Company filed its reply to the complaint by March 29, 2017. Management intends to vigorously defend the complaint allegations and an estimate of possible loss cannot be made at this time.

On June 15, 2017, the SEC filed an enforcement action against the Company and its Chief Executive Officer. We have cooperated with the SEC’s investigation and believe the claims made in the SEC’s complaint are without merit. We believe the allegations in the complaint mischaracterize the actions of the Company and our Chief Executive Officer in connection with the matters related to our quarterly results in fiscal year 2013. The complaint seeks disgorgement of a $10,000 bonus paid to our Chief Executive Officer as well as other incentive-based and equity-based compensation, and payment of unspecified monetary penalties by the Company and our Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 304 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 and Section 21(d)(3) of the Exchange Act. Further, the complaint seeks to permanently bar our Chief Executive Officer from acting as an officer or director of any issuer that has a class of securities registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act. We intend to vigorously contest the allegations in the complaint.

The Company is a plaintiff in two litigation matters involving former credit card processors of the Company. On September 10, 2017, the Company filed a complaint against one such credit card processor, PayToo Merchant Services Corporation (“Pay Too”), a Florida corporation, in the Circuit Court in Broward County, Florida, asserting breach of contract claims for PayToo’s failure to remit approximately $250,000 to the Company for credit card sales processed by PayToo from January 2017 to February 2017. On December 11, 2017, the Company filed a complaint against the other credit card processor, T1 Payments, LLC (“T1”), a Nevada corporation, in District Court, Clark County, Nevada, asserting breach of contract claims for T1’s failure to remit approximately $500,000 to the Company for credit card sales processed by T1 from February 2017 to October 2017.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANTS COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Our common stock is traded on the OTC:QB under the symbol CVSI. Trading of securities on the OTC:QB is often sporadic and investors may have difficulty buying and selling or obtaining market quotations.

The following table sets forth the reported high and low closing bid prices for our common stock as reported on the OTC:QB for the following periods. These prices reflect inter-dealer prices, do not include retail mark-ups, markdowns or commissions, and may not necessarily represent actual transactions. 

No cash dividends have been paid on our common stock for the 2017 and 2016 fiscal years and the Board has not considered any change in this practice, and has no intentions of considering any such change in the foreseeable future.

The payment of cash dividends in the future will be determined by our Board of Directors (the “Board”), in light of conditions then existing, including our earnings, financial requirements, and opportunities for reinvesting earnings, business conditions, and other factors. There are otherwise no restrictions on the payment of dividends. There were more than 18,000 individual participants in securities positions listings of our common stock on March 26, 2018.

We did not repurchase any shares of our common stock during the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K. However, during 2015, the Company was issued a $600,000 secured promissory note in connection with a litigation settlement (the “Settlement Note”) with MJNA, HempMeds PX, LLC, Kannaway, LLC, General Hemp, LLC, HDDC Holdings, LLC, Rabbit Hole Technologies, Inc., Hemp Deposit and Distribution Corporation and MJNA Holdings, LLC (collectively, the “MJNA Parties”). The collateral under the Settlement Note was Company common stock held by the issuer of the Settlement Note. The Company received $305,271 in payments on the Settlement Note before the issuer of the Settlement Note defaulted for failure to timely pay the fourth installment obligation in the amount of $101,757. On December 3, 2015, the Company foreclosed on the unpaid balance of the Settlement Note in exchange for 624,600 shares of Company common stock held by the issuer of the Settlement Note. As of December 31, 2015, the Company had received 500,000 shares of Company common stock in partial settlement of the unpaid balance under the Settlement Note. The Settlement Note balance of $60,351 as of December 31, 2015 represents the fair value at the foreclosure date of the remaining 124,600 shares. In December 2016, the Company obtained the remaining 124,600 shares of Company common stock held as collateral from the MJNA Parties pursuant to the terms of the Settlement Note, which were immediately cancelled upon receipt.

See the Equity Compensation Plan Information table in Item 12 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

On March 30, 2017, the Company agreed to issue 500,000 shares of its common stock to Hemp Consult valued at $.404 per share on such date in exchange for hemp oil. The issuance of these shares of common stock was exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), in reliance on exemptions from the registration requirements of the Act in transactions not involved in a public offering pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) under the Act.

ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

Not applicable to a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of SEC Regulation S-K.

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and the notes to those statements that are included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our discussion includes forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties, such as our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors. We use words such as “anticipate”, “estimate”, “plan”, “project”, “continuing”, “ongoing”, “expect”, “believe”, “intend”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “could”, and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements.

OVERVIEW

We are a life science company with two distinct business segments. Our specialty pharmaceutical segment is focused on developing and commercializing novel therapeutics utilizing synthetic CBD. Our consumer product segment is focused on manufacturing, marketing and selling plant-based CBD products to a range of market sectors. On June 8, 2016, the Company changed its trading symbol from CANV to CVSI, and continues to be traded on the OTC:QB.

Our specialty pharmaceutical business segment is developing synthetic cannabinoids to treat a range of medical conditions. The Company’s product candidates are based on proprietary formulations, processes and technology that we believe are patent-protectable, and we plan to vigorously pursue patent protection on the Company’s two drug candidates.

Our consumer product business segment manufactures, markets and sells consumer products containing plant-based CBD under our PlusCBD™ brand in a range of market sectors including nutraceutical, beauty care, specialty foods and vape.

We expect to realize revenue from our consumer products business segment to fund our working capital needs. However, in order to fund our pharmaceutical product development efforts, we will need to raise additional capital either through the issuance of equity and/or the issuance of debt. In the event we are unable to fund our drug development efforts, we may need to curtail or delay such activity.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We currently focus on Adjusted EBITDA to evaluate our business relationships and our resulting operating performance and financial position. Adjusted EBITDA is defined by us as EBITDA (net income minus interest income, plus interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization), further adjusted to exclude certain non-cash expenses and other adjustments as set forth below. We present Adjusted EBITDA because we consider it an important measure of our performance and it is a meaningful financial metric in assessing our operating performance from period to period by excluding certain items that we believe are not representative of our core business, such as certain non-cash items and other adjustments.

We believe that Adjusted EBITDA, viewed in addition to, and not in lieu of, our reported results in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”), provides useful information to investors regarding our performance for the following reasons:

We use Adjusted EBITDA:

Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure and does not purport to be an alternative to net income as a measure of operating performance or to cash flows from operating activities as a measure of liquidity. The term Adjusted EBITDA is not defined under GAAP, and Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of net income, operating income or any other performance measure derived in accordance with GAAP.

Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Some of these limitations are:

Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as a measure of discretionary cash available to us for investment in our business. We compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on GAAP results and using Adjusted EBITDA as supplemental information.

A reconciliation from our net loss to Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure, for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 is detailed below:

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Critical Accounting Policies

The preparation of these financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. On an ongoing basis management evaluates its critical accounting policies and estimates.

A “critical accounting policy” is one which is both important to the understanding of the financial condition and results of operations of the Company and requires management’s most difficult, subjective, or complex judgments, and often requires management to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. Management believes the following accounting policies fit this definition:

Business Combinations - We apply the provisions of the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 805, Business Combinations (“ASC 805”), in the accounting for our acquisitions, including without limitation, the CanX Acquisition. ASC 805 establishes principles and requirements for recognizing and measuring the total consideration transferred to and the assets acquired, liabilities assumed and any non-controlling interests in the acquired target in an asset purchase. ASC 805 requires us to recognize separately from goodwill the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed at the acquisition date fair values. Goodwill as of the acquisition date is measured as the excess of consideration transferred over the net of the acquisition date fair values of the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed. While we use our best estimates and assumptions to accurately value assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date as well as contingent consideration, where applicable, our estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to refinement. As a result, during the measurement period, we record adjustments to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed with the corresponding offset to goodwill. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the values of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments are recorded in our consolidated statements of operations.

Accounting for business combinations requires our management to make significant estimates and assumptions, especially at the acquisition date, including our estimates for intangible assets, contractual obligations assumed, pre-acquisition contingencies and contingent consideration, where applicable. Although we believe the assumptions and estimates we have made in the past have been reasonable and appropriate, they are based in part on historical experience and information obtained from the management of the acquired companies and are inherently uncertain.

Examples of critical estimates in valuing certain of the intangible assets we have acquired include but are not limited to:

Change in Accounting Policy – During the first quarter of fiscal year 2016, the Company changed its accounting policy for shipping and handling costs from sales of Company products. Under the new accounting policy, these costs are included in cost of goods sold, whereas, they were previously included in selling, general and administrative expenses. Including these expenses in cost of goods sold better aligns these costs with the related revenue in the gross profit calculation.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets – The Company evaluates the carrying value of goodwill and intangible assets annually during the fourth quarter in accordance with ASC Topic 350, Intangibles Goodwill and Other and between annual evaluations if events occur or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of the reporting unit below its carrying amount. Such circumstances could include, but are not limited to (1) a significant adverse change in legal factors or in business climate, (2) unanticipated competition, or (3) an adverse action or assessment by a regulator. When evaluating whether goodwill is impaired, the Company compares the fair value of the reporting unit to which the goodwill is assigned to the reporting unit’s carrying amount, including goodwill. The fair value of the reporting unit is estimated using a combination of the income, or discounted cash flows, approach and the market approach, which utilizes comparable companies’ data. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, then the amount of the impairment loss must be measured. The impairment loss would be calculated by comparing the implied fair value of a reporting unit’s goodwill to its carrying amount. In calculating the implied fair value of a reporting unit’s goodwill, the fair value of the reporting unit is allocated to all of the other assets and liabilities of that unit based on their fair values. The excess of the fair value of a reporting unit over the amount assigned to its other assets and liabilities is the implied fair value of goodwill.

We make critical assumptions and estimates in completing impairment assessments of goodwill and other intangible assets. Our cash flow projections look several years into the future and include assumptions on variables such as future sales and operating margin growth rates, economic conditions, market competition, inflation and discount rates.

We classify intangible assets into three categories: (1) intangible assets with definite lives subject to amortization; (2) intangible assets with indefinite lives not subject to amortization; and (3) goodwill. We determine the useful lives of our identifiable intangible assets after considering the specific facts and circumstances related to each intangible asset. Factors we consider when determining useful lives include the contractual term of any agreement related to the asset, the historical performance of the asset, our long-term strategy for using the asset, any laws or regulations which could impact the useful life of the asset and other economic factors, including competition and specific market conditions. Intangible assets that are deemed to have definite lives are amortized, primarily on a straight-line basis, over their useful lives to their estimated residual values, generally five years. IPR&D has an indefinite life and is not amortized until completion and development of the project, at which time the IPR&D becomes an amortizable asset. If the related project is not completed in a timely manner or the project is terminated or abandoned, the Company may have an impairment related to the IPR&D, calculated as the excess of the asset’s carrying value over its fair value. This method of amortization approximates the expected future cash flow generated from their use. During the year ended December 31, 2016, an impairment expense of $2.7 million was recorded related to the PhytoSPHERE acquired goodwill and intangible assets (See Note 6 of the Company’s consolidated financial statements). No impairments were noted during the year ended December 31, 2017.

Accounts receivable - The Company extends credit to certain customers and distributors located throughout the U.S. Accounts receivable consists of trade accounts arising in the normal course of business. Accounts for which no payments have been received after 30 days are considered delinquent and customary collection efforts are initiated. Accounts receivable are carried at original invoice amount less a reserve made for doubtful receivables based on a review of all outstanding amounts on a quarterly basis.

Management has determined the allowance for doubtful accounts by regularly evaluating individual customer receivables and considering a customer’s financial condition and credit history, and current economic conditions. As of each of December 31, 2017 and 2016, we maintained an allowance for doubtful accounts related to our accounts receivable in the amount of $200,000 and $100,000, respectively.

Inventory - Inventory is stated at lower of cost or net realizable value, with cost being determined on an average cost basis. During the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company recorded an impairment of inventory expense of $3.6 million (See Note 3 of the Company’s consolidated financial statements). No impairment of inventory expense was recorded for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Revenue Recognition – The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with the ASC Topic 605, Revenue Recognition (“ASC 605”) which requires persuasive evidence of an arrangement, delivery of a product or service, a fixed or determinable price and assurance of collection within a reasonable period of time. The Company records revenue when goods are delivered to customers and the rights of ownership have transferred from the Company to the customer.

In the normal course of business, the Company may offer discounts or promotions for various products to incentivize sales growth and brand awareness. Such discounts or promotions are recorded as a reduction to sales revenue.

Long-Lived Assets - In accordance with ASC Topic 360, Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, the Company reviews property and equipment for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of property and equipment is measured by comparing its carrying value to the undiscounted projected future cash flows that the asset(s) are expected to generate. If the carrying amount of an asset is not recoverable, we recognize an impairment loss based on the excess of the carrying amount of the long-lived asset over its respective fair value, which is generally determined as the present value of estimated future cash flows or at the appraised value. The impairment analysis is based on significant assumptions of future results made by management, including revenue and cash flow projections. Circumstances that may lead to impairment of property and equipment include a significant decrease in the market price of a long-lived asset, a significant adverse change in the extent or manner in which a long-lived asset is being used or in its physical condition and a significant adverse change in legal factors or in the business climate that could affect the value of a long-lived asset including an adverse action or assessment by a regulator.

Stock-Based Compensation - Certain employees, officers, directors and consultants of the Company participate in various long-term incentive plans that provide for the granting of stock options, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units, stock bonus awards and performance-based awards. Stock options generally vest in equal increments over a two- to four-year period and expire on the tenth anniversary following the date of grant. Performance-based stock options vest once the applicable performance condition is satisfied. Restricted stock awards generally vest 100% at the grant date.

The Company recognizes stock-based compensation for equity awards granted to employees, officers, and directors as compensation and benefits expense on the consolidated statements of operations. The fair value of stock options is estimated using a Black-Scholes valuation model on the date of grant. The fair value of restricted stock awards is equal to the closing price of the Company’s stock on the date of grant. Stock-based compensation is recognized over the requisite service period of the individual awards, which generally equals the vesting period. For performance-based stock options, compensation is recognized once the applicable performance condition is satisfied.

The Company recognizes stock-based compensation for equity awards granted to consultants as selling, general and administrative expense on the consolidated statements of operations.

The fair value of stock options is estimated using a Black-Scholes valuation model on the date of grant and unvested shares are revalued at each reporting period. The fair value of restricted stock awards is equal to the closing price of the Company’s stock on the date of grant multiplied by the number of shares awarded. Stock-based compensation is recognized over the requisite service period of the individual awards, which generally equals the vesting period.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Refer to Note 2 of our consolidated financial statements for a discussion of recent accounting standards and pronouncements.

Results of Operations

Comparison of the Years ended December 31, 2017 vs. December 31, 2016

Revenues and gross profit - We had sales of $20.7 million and gross profit of $14.5 million, representing a gross profit percentage of 70.0% in 2017 compared with sales of $11.1 million and gross profit of $7.0 million, representing a gross profit percentage of 63.3% in 2016. The Company increased sales by $9.6 million or 87% in 2017 when compared to 2016 results.

The sales increase in 2017 compared with 2016 is primarily due to an increase in distribution, customer awareness and demand for our branded PlusCBD™ products, particularly during the second half of 2017, as we continued to expand and maintain our core customer base which further supports our decision to change our sales strategy from primarily bulk oil sales during 2015 to primarily branded consumer products in 2016.

The gross profit increase in 2017 compared with 2016 is the result of our change in sales mix and the inventory impairment recorded in 2016 which resulted in lower raw material unit costs.

Selling, general and administrative expenses - Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses increased to $16.3 million in 2017 compared with $13.1 million in 2016. SG&A expenses include non-cash expenses of $4.1 million and $4.3 million in 2017 and 2016, respectively, which consisted primarily of stock-based compensation, amortization of intangible assets, depreciation of fixed assets and bad debt expense. After adjusting for these non-cash expenses, SG&A expenses increased by $3.4 million in 2017 compared to 2016, an approximate 38% increase in 2017 compared to 2016. This increase relates primarily to increased employee headcount and higher commissions, both directly related to our 87% increase in sales in 2017 compared to 2016.

Research and development expenses - Research and development (“R&D”) expense decreased to $0.7 million in 2017 compared with $1.2 million in 2016. These expenses are related to our cost of process development, rental of our laboratory facility, payroll expenses, laboratory supplies, product development and testing, outsourced research personnel, and R&D expenses related to our specialty pharmaceutical segment. We incurred $0.4 million and $0.3 million of R&D expenses related to our specialty pharmaceutical segment in 2017 and 2016, respectively. After adjusting for the specialty pharmaceutical R&D expense, R&D costs related to our consumer products segment decreased by $0.6 million in 2017. This decrease resulted primarily from decreased headcount, product research and scientific studies related to our consumer products business segment.

Royalty buy-out – Royalty buyout of $2.4 million in 2017 relates to the Company’s share-based royalty buy-out associated with the CanX Acquisition (See Note 5 of the Company’s consolidated financial statements).

Impairment of Inventory - Impairment of inventory of $3.6 million in 2016 relates to the write-off of certain raw material inventory (See Note 3 of the Company’s consolidated financial statements).

Impairment of PhytoSPHERE goodwill and intangible assets - Impairment of PhytoSPHERE goodwill and intangible assets of $2.7 million in 2016 relates to the write-off of goodwill and intangible assets associated with the PhytoSPHERE acquisition (See Note 6 of the Company’s consolidated financial statements).

Interest expense - Interest expense decreased to $0.5 million in 2017 compared with $1.1 million in 2016. The decrease in interest expense was due to lower borrowings, accrued interest and the amortization of debt discounts and the derivative liability.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

A summary of our changes in cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 is provided below:

Cash requirements and liquidity needs are primarily funded through operating cash flows and proceeds from selling Company stock and debt issuance.

Operating Activities

Net cash provided by or used in operating activities includes net loss adjusted for non-cash expenses such as depreciation and amortization, bad debt expense, amortizations of debt issuance costs and beneficial conversion features, stock-based compensation and accrued interest expense. Operating assets and liabilities primarily include balances related to funding of inventory purchases and customer accounts receivable. Operating assets and liabilities that arise from the funding of inventory purchases and customer accounts receivable can fluctuate significantly from day to day and period to period depending on the timing of inventory purchases and customer behavior.

Net cash provided in operating activities increased to $3.6 million in 2017 compared to net cash used in operating activities of $2.1 million in 2016, an improvement of $5.7 million. The primary reason for this change is the reduction in our net loss to $4.9 million in 2017 compared to $14.1 million in 2016, a $9.2 million improvement. Our increased sales, gross margins, and ability to convert our inventory investment into cash are the primary contributors to this improvement.

Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities increased to $2.0 million in 2017 compared with $0.9 million of cash provided by investing activities for 2016. Net cash used in investing activity in 2017 consisted of tenant improvements of $1.5 million to our new corporate facility, and $0.5 million in equipment purchases. Net cash provided by investing activities were $0.9 million in 2016 consisting primarily of cash received in connection with the collection of the related parties notes receivable and cash received from the sale of fixed assets.

Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities decreased to $0.1 million in 2017 compared with $1.7 million for 2016. The primary reason for the decrease is the Company’s ability to operate and expand from current operating cash flow, lowering the need for external financing. Cash flows provided by financing activities in 2017 consisted of new external convertible debt financing of $0.8 million, repayment of convertible debt financing of $0.5 million and insurance financing of $0.2 million, compared with $2.8 million of external financing and $0.8 million of convertible debt repayment in 2016.

Liquidity

The Company’s net loss decreased to $4.9 million in 2017 compared with $14.1 million in 2016. In addition, we had positive cash flow from operations of $3.6 million in 2017 compared $2.1 million of negative cash flow from operations in 2016. The decrease in net loss and improvement in cash flow from operations is primarily due to increased sales and gross margin. Management believes the Company has the funds needed to continue its consumer product business segment and meet its other obligations over the next year solely from current revenues and cash flow due to increased sales and because our current raw material inventory levels are sufficient to support sales through 2019, resulting in reduced cash outflow for raw material inventory purchases. In addition, we do not intend to purchase raw material inventory from our supply chain arrangements from the 2017 or 2018 crop. The Company’s pharmaceutical business segment may require additional capital over the next 12 months. Management believes that it will be able to fund our drug development efforts in 2018 either through current cash flow, or, through external financing on terms acceptable to the Company, however, there can be no assurances that the Company will be successful. If the Company is unable to generate sufficient cash flow or raise additional capital, the Company would likely be forced to curtail pharmaceutical development.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

The Company previously had two supply arrangements with European farmers to supply raw inventory material through October 2018. Both agreements have been terminated and we do not intend to purchase raw inventory material from the 2017 or 2018 crop.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Not applicable to a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K.

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

The full text of the Company's audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, begins on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

None.

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Our management, which is comprised of one person holding the offices of President and Chief Executive Officer and one person holding the offices of Chief Financial Officer and Secretary, evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) promulgated under the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this report (the “Evaluation Date”). Based on such evaluation, our management concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective, at a reasonable assurance level, as of the Evaluation Date, to ensure that information required to be disclosed in reports that we file or submit under that Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms and to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management in a manner that allows timely decisions regarding required disclosures.

MANAGEMENT’S ANNUAL REPORT ON INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING

The Company’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act. The Company’s internal control system is designed to provide reasonable assurance to the Company’s management and Board of Directors regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:

Because of its inherent limitation, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

An evaluation was performed under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s management of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s procedures and internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017. In making this assessment, the Company used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”) in its Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013). Based on that evaluation, the Company’s management concluded that the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting were effective.

Attestation Report of the Registered Public Accounting Firm

This annual report does not include an attestation report of our registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by the Company’s registered public accounting firm pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, wherein non-accelerated filers are exempt from Sarbanes-Oxley internal control audit requirements.

CHANGES IN INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING

There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with our evaluation that occurred during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION

None.

PART III

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

The Directors and Executive Officers of the Company

Our executive officers, key employees and directors are listed in the below table. There are no arrangements, agreements or understandings between non-management security holders and management under which non-management security holders may directly or indirectly participate in or influence the management of our affairs. There are no arrangements or understandings between any director and any other person pursuant to which any director or executive officer was or is to be selected as a director or executive officer, as applicable. There currently are no legal proceedings, and, except for the SEC enforcement actions discussed in Item 3 “Legal Proceedings” above and judgment against Mr. Mona, Jr. in 2012 in connection with the lawsuit filed by Far West Industries, as previously reported by the Company in its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, and other filings made by the Company pursuant to the Exchange Act and the Securities Act, during the past ten years there have been no legal proceedings that are material to the evaluation of the ability or integrity of any of our directors or director nominees.

Michael Mona, Jr. Mr. Mona, Jr. is the founder of CV Sciences and possesses more than 30 years of senior management experience in a range of industries including real estate/construction, industrial farming operations, chemical processing and consumer products. Mr. Mona, Jr. is a recognized industry leader in hemp farming operations and chemical extraction, and has established a global supply chain of hemp based products for the Company. Prior to founding CV Sciences, Mr. Mona, Jr. was an entrepreneur, founding two successful real estate/construction companies, M&M Development, Inc., where he has served as the President since 1994, and Mona Co. Development. As our President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mona, Jr. is specially qualified to serve on the Board because of his detailed knowledge of our global operations and supply chain, and the end-consumer market sectors that we serve.

Joseph Dowling. Mr. Dowling was appointed as Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) of the Company on June 16, 2014 and was appointed Secretary on August 25, 2014. Prior to his appointment as CFO, Mr. Dowling held numerous senior positions including serving as President and CFO of MediVas, LLC, a biotechnology company focused on drug formulation and delivery from 2005 to 2013 where he led day-to-day operations, drug research and development, product development and commercialization and strategic alliance building including license agreements with Pfizer, Merck, Wyeth, DSM, Guidant and Boston Scientific. Mr. Dowling served as a Managing Director in the mergers and acquisitions group at Citigroup from 2005 to 2013. Earlier in his career, Mr. Dowling served in various finance and accounting roles in both public accounting and in the banking industry. Mr. Dowling graduated from University of California, Los Angeles in Economics and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Michael Mona, III. Mr. Mona, III was appointed as Vice President of Operations on July 31, 2013 and has been instrumental in developing the worldwide supply chain for our hemp products. Mr. Mona, III was appointed as Chief Operating Officer in March 2016 and as a director of the Company on May 24, 2016. Mr. Mona, III’s expertise in hemp farming, processing, testing and product development has greatly aided the Company in developing new markets for hemp-based products. Mr. Mona, III heads our consumer product business segment and also leads our efforts to bring hemp, as a viable economic crop, back to the United States through our affiliation with the Kentucky State Department of Agriculture. Prior to joining CV Sciences, Mr. Mona, III held various management positions in the real estate/construction industry including serving as a managing member of Mona Co. Development from 2009-2013. Mr. Mona, III graduated from the University of San Diego in Business Administration.

Larry Raskin. Mr. Raskin was initially appointed as a director of the Company on May 7, 2014 and resigned from this position on May 5, 2017. Mr. Raskin has been the Global Vice President of Leadership Development of ACN Inc., a telecommunications company, since 2012. Mr. Raskin joined ACN Inc. in 1994 and has held various positions in the company, including Vice President of Sales North America from 2001 to 2006 and Senior Vice President in 2012 prior to his current position. Prior to joining ACN Inc., Mr. Raskin was National Marketing Director at National Safety Associates of Memphis, Tennessee from 1988 to 1994. Mr. Raskin’s extensive business background makes him a valuable member of the Board.

James McNulty. Mr. McNulty was initially appointed as a director of the Company on January 4, 2016. Mr. McNulty has served as CFO of Hopkins Capital Group, an affiliation of limited liability companies which engage in venture activities primarily in the development of pharmaceuticals, since 2000. Mr. McNulty currently serves as CEO of MYMD Pharmaceuticals, is a Director of Quantum Sciences Technology, Inc., and is CFO of Defender Pharmaceuticals, Inc., all of which are privately-held companies. Mr. McNulty was CFO of Biodelivery Sciences International, Inc. (NASDAQ: BDSI) (“BDSI”) from 2000 until his retirement from BDSI in December 2014. BDSI is a specialty pharmaceutical company that is leveraging its novel and proprietary patented drug delivery technologies to develop and commercialize, either on its own or in partnerships with third parties, new applications of proven therapeutics. The development strategy focuses on utilization of the FDA’s 505(b)(2) approval process to potentially obtain timely and efficient approval of new formulations of previously approved therapeutics which incorporate the company's licensed drug delivery technologies. Mr. McNulty has performed accounting and consulting services, including expert testimony as a Certified Public Accountant since 1975. Mr. McNulty chairs the Company’s audit committee which was formally chartered on March 16, 2016. Mr. McNulty’s knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry and technical accounting issues as well as extensive business background makes him a valuable addition to the Board.

Gary Sligar. Mr. Sligar was initially appointed as a director of the Company on June 2, 2016. Mr. Sligar’s career spans 35 years in the commercial real estate industry including appraisal, commercial mortgage, property/asset management, leasing, construction and development. Since 2000, Mr. Sligar has co-owned and managed Paradise Properties LLC, a Florida-based real estate investment/development company focusing on office, retail, hotel, restaurant and multifamily properties in Southwest Florida. In 2008, Mr. Sligar founded TRECAP Partners, LLC which was subsequently acquired by Hunt Investment Management, an SEC-registered investment advisor and a subsidiary of the Hunt Companies, Inc. Mr. Sligar served as President of Hunt Investment Management until 2012 and a consultant to Hunt Investment Management from 2012 to 2014. Mr. Sligar also served on the Board of Directors of Hunt Investment Management from 2011 to 2013. Prior to Paradise Properties, LLC, Mr. Sligar was the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Compass Management and Leasing, Inc. from 1989 until its sale to Lasalle Partners in 1999. Before the formation of Compass Management and Leasing, Inc., Mr. Sligar was the Executive Vice President responsible for the New York office asset management operations for Equitable Real Estate from 1986 to 1989. Mr. Sligar is a graduate of Tulsa University and has completed certain graduate studies at the University of Houston. Mr. Sligar’s extensive business background makes him a valuable member of the Board.

Stephen M. Schmitz, MD, MPH, was initially appointed as a director of the Company on May 10, 2017. Dr. Schmitz is a board certified physician with nearly 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry with extensive experience in drug safety, dietary supplement safety, clinical development and regulatory affairs. He has worked for several major pharmaceutical companies in the Boston area, in the therapeutic areas of neurosciences, ophthalmology, medical devices and orphan (rare) diseases. While the focus of his pharma career has been in drug safety, he has also worked in clinical development and served as the medical monitor for numerous studies. Before entering the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Schmitz worked in preventive medicine, and practiced family medicine and occupational medicine. Dr. Schmitz earned his B.S. in Biology from Fairfield University, an M.D. from Rutgers Medical School, and his M.P.H. from the Boston University School of Public Health. Since 2012, Dr. Schmitz has worked in drug safety for Shire, a global pharmaceutical company. Dr. Schmitz’ knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry as well as extensive business background makes him a valuable addition to the Board.

Bart P. Mackay. Mr. Mackay was initially appointed as a director of the Company on March 14, 2013 and resigned as a director of the Company on June 1, 2016. Mr. Mackay is an attorney licensed since 1984 with emphasis in corporate finance, technology and entrepreneurial legal matters. Mr. Mackay has been a principal of Mackay Ventures LLC (formerly Mackay Ventures, Inc.) since 2001. Mr. Mackay has extensive experience in establishing and developing new enterprises both from management and operational aspects, including the formation and growth of several of his own ventures. Mr. Mackay’s extensive business background made him a valuable member of the Board.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

General

We believe that good corporate governance is important to ensure that the Company is managed for the long-term benefit of our stockholders. This section describes key corporate governance practices that we have adopted.

Board of Directors Meetings and Attendance

The Board has responsibility for establishing broad corporate policies and reviewing our overall performance rather than day-to-day operations. The primary responsibility of the Board is to oversee the management of the Company and, in doing so, serve the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. The Board selects, evaluates and provides for the succession of executive officers and, subject to stockholder election, directors. It reviews and approves corporate objectives and strategies, and evaluates significant policies and proposed major commitments of corporate resources. The Board also participates in decisions that have a potential major economic impact on the Company. Management keeps the directors informed of Company activity through regular communication, including written reports and presentations at Board and committee meetings.

Committees of the Board of Directors

The Company has formal Compensation and Audit Committees. All other functions of the Board, including those functions performed by a Nominating Committee, are being undertaken by the Board of Directors as a whole.

The Compensation Committee consists of all three independent Board members, James McNulty, Gary Sligar and Stephen M. Schmitz, and has established a charter that requires all members of the Compensation Committee to be “non-employee directors” for purposes of Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act, and satisfy the requirements of an “outside director” for purposes of Section 16(m) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Compensation Committee is responsible for overseeing and, as appropriate, making recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding the annual salaries and other compensation of our executive officers, our general employee compensation and other policies and providing assistance and recommendations with respect to our compensation policies and practices. The Compensation Committee is authorized to carry out these activities and other actions reasonably related to the Compensation Committee's purposes or assigned by the Board of Directors from time to time. The Compensation Committee's specific responsibilities are delineated in its charter.

The Audit Committee consists of James McNulty, Gary Sligar and Stephen M. Schmitz, and has established a charter that requires all members of the Audit Committee to be independent in accordance with applicable listing standards. Our securities are quoted on the OTC:QB, which does not have any director independence requirements. Further, companies with securities only listed on the OTC:QB are not required to comply with the independence standards set forth in Rule 10A-3(b)(1) of the Exchange Act. Our Board of Directors has also determined that Mr. McNulty is an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in Item 407(d) of Regulation S-K.

The Audit Committees responsibilities include: a) selecting and evaluating the performance of our independent auditors; b) reviewing the scope of the audit to be conducted by our independent auditors, as well as the result of their audit, and approving audit and non-audit services to be provided; c) reviewing and assessing our financial reporting activities and disclosure, including our earnings press releases and periodic reports, and the accounting standards and principles followed; d) reviewing the scope, adequacy and effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting; e) reviewing management’s assessment of our compliance with our disclosure controls and procedures; f) reviewing our public disclosure policies and procedures; g) reviewing our guidelines and policies regarding risk assessment and management, our tax strategy and our investment policy; h) reviewing and approving related-party transactions; and i) reviewing threatened or pending litigation matters and investigating matters brought to the committees attention that are within the scope of its duties.

We do not have a formal policy regarding the consideration of any director candidates which may be recommended by our stockholders, including the minimum qualifications for director candidates, nor has our Board established a process for identifying and evaluating director nominees, nor do we have a policy regarding director diversity. We have not adopted a policy regarding the handling of any potential recommendation of director candidates by our stockholders, including the procedures to be followed. Our Board has not considered or adopted any of these policies as we have never received a recommendation from any stockholder for any candidate to serve on our Board. We do not know if any of our stockholders will make a recommendation for any candidate to serve on our Board given the relatively small size of our company.

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our executive officers and directors, and persons who beneficially own more than 10% of a registered class of our equity securities to file with the SEC initial statements of beneficial ownership, reports of changes in ownership and annual reports concerning their ownership of our common shares and other equity securities, on Forms 3, 4 and 5 respectively. Executive officers, directors and greater than 10% stockholders are required by the SEC regulations to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) reports they file. Based on our review of the copies of such forms received by us, and to the best of our knowledge, all executive officers, directors and persons holding greater than 10% of our issued and outstanding stock have filed the required reports in a timely manner during fiscal year 2017 with the exception of: (i) one late Form 4 filed by each of Gary Sligar, Stephen Schmitz, James McNulty, Joseph Dowling, Michael J. Mona Jr., and Michael Mona, III; and (ii) one late Form 3 filed by Stephen Schmitz. Each of the abovementioned reports contained one transaction except for one Form 4 filed by each of Mr. Mona, Jr., Mr. Dowling, Mr. Mona, III, Mr. McNulty and Dr. Schmitz, which contained two transactions.

Other Directorships

Other than as disclosed above, during the last 5 years, none of our directors held any other directorships in any company with a class of securities registered pursuant to section 12 of the Exchange Act or subject to the requirements of section 15(d) of such Act or any company registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940.

Code of Ethics

We have adopted a corporate code of ethics that applies to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions. A copy of the code is attached as Exhibit 14.1 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Family Relationships

Our Chief Operating Officer, Michael Mona, III, is the son of our President, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Michael Mona, Jr.

Compensation of Directors

We have an informal plan for compensating our directors for their services, whereby each director, other than Board members who are also Company management, receives $500 per meeting of the Board of Directors attended in person. Each of our directors are expected in the future to receive stock grants as further compensation for their services.

On June 2, 2016, the Board of Directors of the Company approved an award of 25,000 shares of common stock to Bart Mackay with a value equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock at the time of grant. On July 6, 2016, the Board of Directors of the Company approved the issuance of a warrant for 100,000 shares to Bart Mackay. The warrant has a term of ten (10) years, was 100% vested as of the date of issuance and was issued with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock at the time of issuance.

On July 6, 2016, the Board of Directors approved the grant of 200,000 stock options to each of Larry Raskin, James McNulty and Gary Sligar in recognition of such individual’s respective Board service. The stock options have a term of ten (10) years, are durational-based, vesting in twenty-four (24) equal monthly installments measured from the date of grant and were granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock at the time of grant. As of March 29, 2018, 166,666 option shares have vested with respect to each such grant to Mr. McNulty and Mr. Sligar. On July 6, 2016, the Board of Directors of the Company approved the grant of 50,000 stock options to Larry Raskin, James McNulty and Gary Sligar. The stock options have a term of ten (10) years, are 100% vested as of the date of grant and were granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock at the time of grant. None of the recipients has exercised any of the foregoing stock options and all of Mr. Raskin’s options terminated 60 days following the date of his resignation from the Board.

Conflicts of Interest

Our directors and officers are not obligated to commit their full time and attention to our business and, accordingly, they may encounter a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and those of other businesses. In the course of their other business activities, they may become aware of investment and business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as other entities to which they owe a fiduciary duty. As a result, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. They may in the future become affiliated with entities that are engaged in business activities similar to those we intend to conduct.

In general, officers and directors of a corporation are required to present business opportunities to the corporation if:

We have adopted a code of ethics that obligates our directors, officers and employees to disclose potential conflicts of interest and prohibits those persons from engaging in such transactions without our consent.

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The following table summarizes all compensation recorded by us in each of the last two completed fiscal years for our Chief Executive Officer and the two next most highly compensated officers. The value attributable to any option awards is computed in accordance with Financial Standards Accounting Board ASC Topic 718 Share-Based-Payment (“ASC 718”).

Summary Compensation

____________

Compensation Arrangements

The Board of Directors approved a salary of $330,000 for our President and Chief Executive Officer on July 6, 2016 in connection with the entry of the Company into an Employment Agreement with Mr. Mona, Jr. on the same date (the “Mona Employment Agreement”), as previously discussed in the Current Report on Form 8-K filed by the Company with the SEC on July 11, 2016 (the “July 2016 8-K”). During fiscal year 2017, Mr. Mona, Jr.’s total compensation was $1,467,779. During fiscal year 2016, Mr. Mona, Jr.’s total compensation was $867,810. On December 8, 2014, the Compensation Committee approved the grant of 4,000,000 stock options to Mr. Mona, Jr. (the “December 2014 Option”). The stock option has a term of ten (10) years, is durational based, with 67% vested as of the date of grant, and the remainder vesting in twelve (12) equal monthly installments measured from January 31, 2015, and was granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock at the time of the grant. On September 23, 2015, the Compensation Committee approved the grant of 1,470,000 stock options to Mr. Mona, Jr. The stock option has a term of ten (10) years, was 100% vested as of the date of grant and was granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock at the time of the grant.  On December 28, 2015, the Compensation Committee approved the grant of 530,000 stock options to Mr. Mona, Jr. The stock option has a term of ten (10) years, was 100% vested as of the date of grant and was granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock at the time of grant. As previously discussed in the July 2016 8-K, on July 6, 2016, the Compensation Committee approved the grant of 6,000,000 standalone stock options to Mr. Mona, Jr. which were not granted under the Company’s Amended and Restated 2013 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Amended 2013 Plan”). As set forth in the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March 22, 2017 (the “March 2017 8-K”), the terms of the option were subsequently amended and the stock grant has a term of ten (10) years, is performance-based, with the option shares vesting upon the completion of each of four defined option performance conditions. As previously reported by the Company in the March 2017 8-K, on March 15, 2017, the Board approved an amendment to the Mona Employment Agreement to provide eligibility for a cash bonus upon the occurrence of certain liquidity events of the Company as more particularly set forth in the March 2017 8-K and approved the re-pricing of the exercise price of the December 2014 Option to $0.38 per share, which represents the fair market value of the Company’s common stock as of such date. Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, denies a deduction to any publicly-held corporation for compensation paid to certain “covered employees” in a taxable year to the extent that compensation to such covered employee exceeds $1.0 million, subject to certain exceptions. It is possible that compensation attributable to the standalone option awards granted to Mr. Mona, Jr. and Mr. Dowling and Mr. Mona, III, as further discussed below, when combined with all other types of compensation received by such individuals from the Company, may cause this limitation to be exceeded in any particular year. Also, as previously reported by the Company in the March 2017 8-K, on March 15, 2017, the disinterested members of the Board approved the grant of 200,000 stock options to Mr. Mona, Jr. The stock option has a term of ten (10) years, was 100% vested as of the date of grant and was granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock at the time of grant. Also, on March 15, 2017, as previously reported by the Company in the March 2017 8-K, the disinterested members of the Board approved the grant of 5,000,000 standalone stock options to Mr. Mona, Jr., which were not granted under the Amended 2013 Plan. The grant has a term of ten (10) years, is performance-based, with the option shares vesting upon the completion of each of three defined option performance conditions.

The Board of Directors approved a salary of $275,000 for our Chief Financial Officer on July 6, 2016 in connection with the entry of the Company into an Employment Agreement with Mr. Dowling on the same date, as previously discussed in the July 2016 8-K. During fiscal year 2017, Mr. Dowling’s total compensation was $634,492. During the fiscal year 2016, Mr. Dowling’s total compensation was $391,585. On June 16, 2014, the Compensation Committee approved the grant of 600,000 stock options to Mr. Dowling (the “Dowling October 2014 Option”). The stock option is durational-based, with 25% vested on June 16, 2015, and the remaining options vesting in 36 equal monthly installments measured from June 16, 2015, and was granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock at the time of the grant. On May 13, 2015, the Compensation Committee approved a grant of 100,000 stock options to Mr. Dowling (the “May 2015 Option”). The stock option is durational-based, with 25% vested on May 13, 2016, and the remaining options vesting in 36 equal monthly installments. On September 23, 2015, the Compensation Committee approved the grant of 200,000 stock options to Mr. Dowling.  The stock option has a term of ten (10) years, is durational based, with 50% vesting on the one-year anniversary date of grant, and the remainder vesting in twelve (12) equal monthly installments measured from September 23, 2016, and was granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock at the time of the grant. On December 28, 2015, the Compensation Committee approved the grant of 150,000 stock options to Mr. Dowling. The stock option is durational-based, with 50% of the shares subject to the option vested on September 23, 2016 and the remaining options vesting in twelve (12) successive equal monthly installments measured from September 23, 2016, and was granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock at the time of the grant.  As previously discussed in the July 2016 8-K, on July 6, 2016, the Compensation Committee approved the grant of 1,000,000 standalone stock options to Mr. Dowling which were not granted under the Amended 2013 Plan. As set forth in the March 2017 8-K, the terms of the options were subsequently amended and the stock grant has a term of ten (10) years, is performance-based, with the option shares vesting upon the completion of each of four defined option performance conditions. As previously reported by the Company in the March 2017 8-K, on March 15, 2017, the Board approved the re-pricing of the exercise price of the Dowling October 2014 Option and May 2015 Option to $0.38 per share, which represents the fair market value of the Company’s common stock as of such date. Also, as previously reported by the Company in the March 2017 8-K, on March 15, 2017, the Board approved the grant of 100,000 stock options to Mr. Dowling. The stock option has a term of ten (10) years, was 100% vested as of the date of grant and was granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock at the time of grant. As previously discussed in the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on April 12, 2017 (the “April 2017 8-K”), on April 7, 2017, the Compensation Committee approved the grant of 1,000,000 standalone stock options to Mr. Dowling which were not granted under the Amended 2013 Plan. As set forth in the April 2017 8-K, the terms of the options were subsequently amended and the stock grant has a term of ten (10) years, is performance-based, with the option shares vesting upon the completion of each of three defined option performance conditions.

The Board of Directors approved a salary of $225,000 for our Chief Operating Officer on July 6, 2016 in connection with the entry of the Company into an Employment Agreement with Mr. Mona, III on the same date (the “Mona III Employment Agreement”) as previously discussed in the July 2016 8-K. During fiscal year 2017, Mr. Mona, III’s total compensation was $705,514. During fiscal year 2016, Mr. Mona, III’s total compensation was $574,837. On October 1, 2014, the Compensation Committee approved the grant of 500,000 stock options to Mr. Mona, III (the “Mona III October 2014 Option”). The stock option has a term of ten (10) years, is durational-based, with 125,000 option shares vested on June 16, 2015, and the remaining option shares vesting in thirty-six (36) equal monthly installments measured from June 16, 2015, and was granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock at the time of the grant. On January 2, 2015, the Compensation Committee approved the award of 250,000 shares of common stock to the Company’s Vice President of Operations, Michael Mona, III, with a value equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock at the time of the award. On September 23, 2015, the Compensation Committee approved the grant of 343,000 stock options to Mr. Mona, III.  The stock option has a term of ten (10) years, is durational based, with 50% vesting on the one-year anniversary date of grant, and the remainder vesting in twelve (12) equal monthly installments measured from September 23, 2016, and was granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock at the time of the grant. As previously discussed in the July 2016 8-K, on July 6, 2016, the Compensation Committee approved the grant of 4,000,000 standalone stock options to Mr. Mona, III which were not granted under the Amended 2013 Plan. As set forth in the March 2017 8-K, the terms of the options were subsequently amended and the stock grant has a term of ten (10) years, is performance-based, with the option shares vesting upon the completion of each of four defined option performance conditions. As previously reported by the Company in the March 2017 8-K, on March 15, 2017, the Board approved an amendment to the Mona III Employment Agreement to provide eligibility for a cash bonus upon the occurrence of certain liquidity events of the Company as more particularly set forth in the March 2017 8-K and approved the re-pricing of the exercise price of the Mona III October 2014 Option to $0.38 per share, which represents the fair market value of the Company’s common stock as of such date. Also, as previously reported by the Company in the March 2017 8-K, on March 15, 2017, the disinterested members of the Board approved the grant of 100,000 stock options to Mr. Mona, III. The stock option has a term of ten (10) years, was 100% vested as of the date of grant and was granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock at the time of grant. As previously discussed in the April 2017 8-K, on April 7, 2017, the Compensation Committee approved the grant of 1,000,000 standalone stock options to Mr. Mona, III which were not granted under the Amended 2013 Plan. As set forth in the April 2017 8-K, the terms of the options were subsequently amended and the stock grant has a term of ten (10) years, is performance-based, with the option shares vesting upon the completion of each of three defined option performance conditions.

Option Grants

On July 23, 2014, Company stockholders approved the CV Sciences, Inc. Amended and Restated 2013 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Amended 2013 Plan”), which provides for the granting of stock options, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units, stock bonus awards and performance-based awards. On each of December 21, 2015, October 24, 2016 and July 14, 2017, the Company’s stockholders approved an amendment to the Amended 2013 Plan to increase the number of shares that may be issued under the Amended 2013 Plan. There are currently 25,000,000 shares of common stock authorized for issuance under the Amended 2013 Plan. This plan serves as the successor to the 2013 Equity Incentive Plan. There were no option awards under the 2013 Equity Incentive Plan prior to it being amended and restated. As of December 31, 2017, the Company had 9,176,723 of authorized unissued shares reserved and available for issuance under the Amended 2013 Plan.

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End

The following table provides a summary of all outstanding equity awards for Named Executive Officers at the end of fiscal year 2017.

Pension, Retirement or Similar Benefit Plans

There are no arrangements or plans in which we provide pension, retirement or similar benefits to our directors or executive officers. We have no material bonus or profit sharing plans pursuant to which cash or non-cash compensation is or may be paid to our directors or executive officers, except that stock options may be granted at the discretion of the Board or a committee thereof.

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

Beneficial Ownership of Directors, Officers and 5% Stockholders

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC. In computing the number of shares beneficially owned by a person and the percentage of ownership of that person, shares of common stock subject to options and warrants held by that person that are currently exercisable or become exercisable within 60 days are deemed outstanding even if they have not actually been exercised. Those shares, however, are not deemed outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person. The following table sets forth, as of March 29, 2018, certain information as to shares of our common stock owned by (i) each person known to beneficially own more than five percent of our outstanding common stock or preferred stock, (ii) each of our directors, and executive officers named in our summary compensation table, and (iii) all of our executive officers and directors as a group. Unless otherwise indicated, the address of each named beneficial owner is the same as that of our principal executive offices located at 2688 South Rainbow Boulevard, Suite B, Las Vegas, NV 89146.

________________

*Less than 1%

EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION

On July 23, 2014, Company stockholders approved the CV Sciences, Inc. Amended and Restated 2013 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Amended 2013 Plan”), which provides for the granting of stock options, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units, stock bonus awards and performance-based awards. On each of December 21, 2015, October 24, 2016 and July 14, 2017, the Company’s stockholders approved an amendment to the Amended 2013 Plan to increase the number of shares that may be issued under the Amended 2013 Plan. There are currently 25,000,000 shares of common stock authorized for issuance under the Amended 2013 Plan. This plan serves as the successor to the 2013 Equity Incentive Plan. There were no option awards under the 2013 Equity Incentive Plan prior to it being amended and restated. The information set forth in the table below is provided as of December 31, 2017. As previously discussed in the July 2016 8-K and above, on July 6, 2016, the Compensation Committee approved the grant of 6,000,000 standalone stock options to Mr. Mona, Jr., 4,000,000 standalone stock options to Mr. Mona, III, and 1,000,000 standalone options to Mr. Dowling, which were not granted under the Amended 2013 Plan. As set forth in the March 2017 8-K, the terms of the options were subsequently amended and each grant has a term of ten (10) years, is performance-based, with the option shares vesting upon the completion of each of four defined option performance conditions. Additionally on March 15, 2017, the disinterested members of the Board approved the grant of 5,000,000 standalone stock options to Mr. Mona, Jr., which were not granted under the Amended 2013 Plan. The grant has a term of ten (10) years, is performance-based, with the option shares vesting upon the completion of each of three defined option performance conditions. As previously discussed in the April 2017 8-K, on April 7, 2017, the Compensation Committee approved the grant of 1,000,000 standalone stock options to each of Mr. Dowling and Mr. Mona, III which were not granted under the Amended 2013 Plan. As set forth in the April 2017 8-K, the terms of the options were subsequently amended and the stock grant has a term of ten (10) years, is performance-based, with the option shares vesting upon the completion of each of three defined option performance conditions.

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

Except for the transactions described below, none of our directors, officers or principal shareholders, nor any associate or affiliate of the foregoing, have any interest, direct or indirect, in any transaction or in any proposed transaction since January 1, 2017 which materially affects the Company or has affected the Company.

In March 2017, the Company entered into an amendment to the principal agreement for the CanX Acquisition (the “Amendment”), as more fully set forth in March 2017 8-K. Pursuant to such Amendment, which was approved by the disinterested members of the Board of Directors of the Company, the Company agreed to issue the remaining 15,000,000 shares of contingent consideration to the former CanX shareholders, without the Company having yet achieved any of the remaining post-closing milestones.

Additionally, pursuant to such Amendment, the parties agreed to revise the Company’s buy-out option of the royalties payable to the CanX shareholders in the future, to allow the Company to buy-out the future royalty payments in exchange for the issuance of 6,400,000 shares of the Company’s restricted common stock (the “Royalty Buy-Out Shares”) to the former CanX shareholders. The Company concurrently exercised the buy-out option, as so revised.

In the aggregate, pursuant to the Amendment, the Company agreed to issue to the former CanX shareholders a total of 21,400,000 shares of restricted common stock which were issued in April 2017. As previously disclosed in the January 2016 8-K, James McNulty, a member of the Board, is a former shareholder of CanX and thereby received a portion of the consideration paid to the former CanX shareholders pursuant to the Amendment and an agreement regarding share allocation amongst the former CanX shareholders. During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company recorded an expense of $2,432,000 for the value of all the Royalty Buy-Out Shares as a separate line item in the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations.

In March 2017, as further set forth in the March 2017 8-K, the disinterested members of the Board approved the grant of 5,000,000 performance-based stock options (the “Mona Performance Options”) to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock to the Company’s CEO and member of the Board, Mr. Mona, Jr. The Mona Performance Options are contingent and vest only upon the Company achieving three specific milestones related to the success of the Company’s drug development program and were granted outside of the Company’s Amended 2013 Plan. Vesting of such options accelerates upon a sale of the Company or change in control. As of March 29, 2018, 1,250,000 shares have vested.

In March 2017, as further set forth in the March 2017 8-K, the disinterested members of the Board approved a grant of an aggregate of 200,000 fully-vested stock options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock to Mr. Mona, Jr., 100,000 to Mr. Dowling and 100,000 to Mr. Mona, III pursuant to the bonus plan set forth in the executives Employment Agreements for fiscal year 2016 performance.

Also, in March 2017, as further set forth in the March 2017 8-K, the disinterested members of the Board, as the administrator of the Amended 2013 Plan, approved the amendment to certain stock options granted to employees of the Company, including certain options granted to each of Mr. Mona, Jr., Mr. Dowling and Mr. Mona, III, to reduce the exercise price of such stock options. As a result of the amendment to the stock option grants, each of the covered stock options, including those issued to Mr. Mona, Jr., Mr. Dowling and Mr. Mona, III, have been amended to provide for a strike price equal to $0.38 per share, which represents 100% of the fair market value of the Company’s common stock as of the date of the amendment to these stock option grants.

In April 2017, the disinterested members of the Board approved a grant of 1,000,000 performance-based stock options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock to each of Mr. Dowling, the Company’s CFO, and Mr. Mona, III, the Company’s Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Board.

The performance-based stock options are contingent and vest only upon the Company achieving three specific milestones related to the success of the Company’s drug development program and were granted outside of the Company’s Amended 2013 Plan. Vesting of such options accelerates upon a sale of the Company or change in control. As of March 29, 2018, 250,000 shares of each such option have vested.

There have been no other transactions since the beginning of our last fiscal year or any currently proposed transactions in which we are, or plan to be, a participant and the amount involved exceeds the lesser of $120,000 or one percent of the average of our total assets at year-end for the last two completed fiscal years, and in which any related person had or will have a direct or indirect material interest.

Director Independence

Our securities are quoted on the OTC:QB, which does not have any director independence requirements. However, the Board of Directors has determined that three members of our Board, Dr. Schmitz, Mr. McNulty and Mr. Sligar, are independent under the New York Stock Exchange Listing Manual with regards to both their service on the Board and on each of the Audit and Compensation Committees and made the same determination regarding our former Board member, Mr. Raskin (who previously served on the Compensation Committee).

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES

The following table summarizes the fees, as applicable, of Tanner LLC (“Tanner”) our independent auditors for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively; billed to us for each of the last two fiscal years for audit services and billed to us in each of the last two years for other services:

As set forth in the Current Report on Form 8-K filed by the Company with the SEC on February 24, 2017 (the “February 2017 8-K”), on February 23, 2017, PKF Certified Public Accountants (“PKF”), a Professional Corporation, resigned as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company. As further set forth in the February 2017 8-K, on February 23, 2017, the Company’s Board approved the engagement of Tanner as its independent registered public accounting firm in connection with the audit for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016. In addition to the amounts reported above as paid to Tanner, additional amounts were paid to PKF for audit and other fees in connection with the audit of the Company’s financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016. The following table summarizes the fees, as applicable, of PKF for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively; billed to us for each of the last two fiscal years for audit services and billed to us in each of the last two years for other services (which are in addition to the amounts set forth above):

(1) Audit fees includes the audit of our annual financial statements, review of financial statements included in our Form 10-Q quarterly reports and services that are normally provided by the independent auditors in connection with engagements for those fiscal years. This category also includes advice on audit and accounting matters that arose during, or as a result of, the audit or the review of interim financial statements.

(2) Audit-related fees consist of assurance and related services by the independent auditors that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and are not reported above under Audit Fees. The services for the fees disclosed under this category include consultation regarding our correspondence with the SEC and other accounting consulting.

(3) Tax fees consist of professional fees rendered by our outside tax advisors (other than PKF or Tanner) for tax compliance and tax advice. The services for the fees disclosed under this category include tax return preparation and technical advice.

(4) All other fees consist of fees for other miscellaneous items.

Our Audit Committee has adopted a procedure for pre-approval of all fees charged by our independent auditors. Under the procedure, the Audit Committee approves the engagement letter with respect to audit and review services. Other fees are subject to pre-approval by the Audit Committee, or, in the period between meetings, by a designated member of the Board of Directors or Audit Committee. Any such approval by the designated member is disclosed to the entire Board of Directors at the next meeting.  The audit fees paid to the auditors with respect to 2017 and 2016 were pre-approved by the Audit Committee.

PART IV

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

Please see the Exhibit Index which follows the signature page to this annual report on Form 10-K and which is incorporated by reference herein.

ITEM 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY

None.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized,

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

EXHIBIT INDEX

** The XBRL related information in Exhibit 101 shall not be deemed filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to liability of that section and shall not be incorporated by reference into any filing or other document pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing or document.

CV Sciences, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Index to Financial Statements

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders

CV Sciences, Inc.

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of CV Sciences, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2017, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2017, and 2016, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the two-years ended December 31, 2017, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ Tanner LLC

We have served as the Company’s auditors since 2016

March 29, 2018

Salt Lake City, Utah

CV SCIENCES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

CV SCIENCES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

CV SCIENCES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2017 AND 2016

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

CV SCIENCES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

CV SCIENCES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CV Sciences, Inc. (the “Company,” “we,” “our” or “us”) was incorporated under the name Foreclosure Solutions, Inc. in the State of Texas on December 9, 2010. On July 25, 2013, the Company’s predecessor, CannaVest Corp., a Texas corporation (“CannaVest Texas”), merged with the Company, a wholly-owned Delaware subsidiary of CannaVest Texas, to effectuate a change in the Company’s state of incorporation from Texas to Delaware. On January 4, 2016, the Company filed a Certificate of Amendment of Certificate of Incorporation reflecting its corporate name change to “CV Sciences, Inc.”, effective on January 5, 2016. In addition, on January 4, 2016, the Company amended its Bylaws to reflect its corporate name change to “CV Sciences, Inc.” The Company previously operated under the corporate name of CannaVest Corp. The change in corporate name was undertaken in connection with the acquisition of CanX Inc., a Florida-based, specialty pharmaceutical corporation (the “CanX Acquisition”) as more fully set forth in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on January 4, 2016. On June 8, 2016, the Company announced that the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) had approved a change in the trading symbol for the Company’s common stock to “CVSI.” The Company’s common stock formerly traded under the symbol “CANV.”

The Company operates two distinct business segments: a consumer product segment in manufacturing, marketing and selling plant-based Cannabidiol (“CBD”) products to a range of market sectors; and, a specialty pharmaceutical segment focused on developing and commercializing novel therapeutics utilizing synthetic CBD. The specialty pharmaceutical segment began development activities during the second quarter of 2016.

Basis of Presentation - The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of CV Sciences, Inc. and, as applicable, its wholly-owned subsidiaries US Hemp Oil, LLC, CannaVest Laboratories, LLC, Plus CBD, LLC and CANNAVEST Acquisition, LLC; and the accounts of a 70% interest in CannaVest Europe, GmbH (collectively, the “Company”). All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The Company commenced commercial operations for its current business model on January 29, 2013. On May 2, 2016, the Company filed Articles of Dissolution for its wholly-owned subsidiaries US Hemp Oil, LLC and CannaVEST Laboratories, LLC, with the Secretary of State of Nevada, effective as of April 29, 2016. On January 20, 2017, the Company filed for dissolution of CannaVest Europe, GmbH, an entity that prior to dissolution, the Company had a 70% interest in, with the District Court, Dusseldorf Germany, effective December 31, 2016. None of US Hemp Oil, CannaVest Laboratories or CannaVest Europe GmbH had any assets or liabilities at the time of their dissolution.

Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified for consistency with the current year presentation. These reclassifications had no impact on net sales, operating loss, net loss or net loss per share.

Change in Accounting Policy – During the first quarter of fiscal year 2016, the Company changed its accounting policy for shipping and handling costs from sales of Company products. Under the new accounting policy, these costs are included in cost of goods sold, whereas, they were previously included in selling, general and administrative expenses. Including these expenses in cost of goods sold better aligns these costs with the related revenue in the gross profit calculation. This accounting policy change has been applied retrospectively.

Liquidity – For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company had net losses of $4,897,139 and $14,141,298, respectively. In addition, for the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company had positive cash flows from operations of $3,615,004, and for the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company had negative cash flows from operations $2,053,740. Management believes the Company has the funds needed to continue its consumer product business segment and meet its other obligations over the next year solely from current revenues and cash flow due to increased sales and because our current inventory levels are sufficient to support sales through the end of fiscal year 2019, resulting in reduced cash outflow for inventory purchases. In addition, we do not intend to purchase raw inventory from our supply chain arrangements from the 2017 and 2018 crop.

The Company’s specialty pharmaceutical business segment will require additional capital over the next 12 months. Management believes that it will be able to obtain such capital on terms acceptable to the Company, however, there can be no assurances that the Company will be successful. If the Company is unable to raise additional capital, the Company would likely be forced to curtail pharmaceutical development.

Business Combinations - We apply the provisions of the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 805, Business Combinations (“ASC 805”), in the accounting for our acquisitions, including without limitation, the CanX Acquisition. ASC 805 establishes principles and requirements for recognizing and measuring the total consideration transferred to and the assets acquired, liabilities assumed and any non-controlling interests in the acquired target in an asset purchase. ASC 805 requires us to recognize separately from goodwill the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed at the acquisition date fair values. Goodwill as of the acquisition date is measured as the excess of consideration transferred over the net of the acquisition date fair values of the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed. While we use our best estimates and assumptions to accurately value assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date as well as contingent consideration, where applicable, our estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to refinement. As a result, during the measurement period, we record adjustments to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed with the corresponding offset to goodwill. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the values of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments are recorded in our consolidated statements of operations.

Accounting for business combinations requires our management to make significant estimates and assumptions, especially at the acquisition date, including our estimates for intangible assets, contractual obligations assumed, pre-acquisition contingencies and contingent consideration, where applicable. Although we believe the assumptions and estimates we have made in the past have been reasonable and appropriate, they are based in part on historical experience and information obtained from the management of the acquired companies and are inherently uncertain.

Examples of critical estimates in valuing certain of the intangible assets we have acquired include but are not limited to:

Goodwill and Intangible Assets – The Company evaluates the carrying value of goodwill and intangible assets annually during the fourth quarter in accordance with ASC Topic 350, Intangibles Goodwill and Other and between annual evaluations if events occur or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of the reporting unit below its carrying amount. Such circumstances could include, but are not limited to (1) a significant adverse change in legal factors or in business climate, (2) unanticipated competition, or (3) an adverse action or assessment by a regulator. When evaluating whether goodwill is impaired, the Company compares the fair value of the reporting unit to which the goodwill is assigned to the reporting unit’s carrying amount, including goodwill. The fair value of the reporting unit is estimated using a combination of the income, or discounted cash flows, approach and the market approach, which utilizes comparable companies’ data. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, then the amount of the impairment loss must be measured. The impairment loss would be calculated by comparing the implied fair value of a reporting unit’s goodwill to its carrying amount. In calculating the implied fair value of a reporting unit’s goodwill, the fair value of the reporting unit is allocated to all of the other assets and liabilities of that unit based on their fair values. The excess of the fair value of a reporting unit over the amount assigned to its other assets and liabilities is the implied fair value of goodwill.

We make critical assumptions and estimates in completing impairment assessments of goodwill and other intangible assets. Our cash flow projections look several years into the future and include assumptions on variables such as future sales and operating margin growth rates, economic conditions, market competition, inflation and discount rates.

We classify intangible assets into three categories: (1) intangible assets with definite lives subject to amortization; (2) intangible assets with indefinite lives not subject to amortization; and (3) goodwill. We determine the useful lives of our identifiable intangible assets after considering the specific facts and circumstances related to each intangible asset. Factors we consider when determining useful lives include the contractual term of any agreement related to the asset, the historical performance of the asset, our long-term strategy for using the asset, any laws or regulations which could impact the useful life of the asset and other economic factors, including competition and specific market conditions. Intangible assets that are deemed to have definite lives are amortized, primarily on a straight-line basis, over their useful lives to their estimated residual values, generally five years. IPR&D has an indefinite life and is not amortized until completion and development of the project, at which time the IPR&D becomes an amortizable asset. If the related project is not completed in a timely manner or the project is terminated or abandoned, the Company may have an impairment related to the IPR&D, calculated as the excess of the asset’s carrying value over its fair value. This method of amortization approximates the expected future cash flow generated from their use. During the year ended December 31, 2016, an impairment expense of $2,746,512 was recorded related to the PhytoSPHERE Systems LLC acquired goodwill and intangible assets (See Note 7). No impairments were noted during the year ended December 31, 2017.