Funding will investigate medical cannabis impact on arthritis pain and disease management

LEAMINGTON, ON, July 7, 2015 /CNW/ - Aphria Inc. ("Aphria" or the "Company") (TSX-V:APH) has signed a sponsorship agreement with The Arthritis Society to provide $100,000 for medical marijuana research and education programs. The agreement is effective immediately and extends to March 31, 2016.

With this support, The Arthritis Society will investigate medical cannabis treatment benefits in arthritis pain and disease management and develop medical cannabis educational resources for Canadians living with arthritis. It will also convene a round table discussion to establish consensus in the arthritis community, pinpoint top research priorities and identify funding opportunities.

"Aphria has taken a leadership position in funding high-quality research and developing much-needed educational tools on the topic of medical cannabis," said Joanne Simons, Chief Mission Officer at The Arthritis Society. "Our collective aim is to help Canadians who live with the chronic pain of arthritis. By teaming up, we can accelerate our understanding of medical cannabis as a potential therapeutic option."

"With a growing number of authorized medical marijuana users accessing cannabis as a treatment option for arthritis, it's imperative that physicians and patients have access to evidence-based medical research validating medicinal use and benefits associated with treatment," stated Vic Neufeld, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aphria. "The Arthritis Society is the leader in arthritis research in Canada and we are thrilled to partner with them to expand the body of clinical knowledge in this area of treatment for Canadians living with arthritis."

ABOUT THE ARTHRITIS SOCIETY
The Arthritis Society has been setting lives in motion for over 65 years. Dedicated to a vision of living well while creating a future without arthritis, The Society is Canada's principal health charity providing education, programs and support to the over 4.6 million Canadians living with arthritis. Since its founding in 1948, The Society has been the largest non-government funder of arthritis research in Canada, investing nearly $190 million in projects that have led to breakthroughs in the diagnosis, treatment and care of people with arthritis. The Arthritis Society is accredited under Imagine Canada's Standards Program. For more information and to make a donation, visit www.arthritis.ca.

About Aphria
Aphria Inc., a company continued under the laws of the Province of Ontario and based in Leamington, Ontario, is in the business of producing, supplying and selling medical marijuana pursuant to the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (the "MMPR"). Under the MMPR, Health Canada is responsible for the oversight of commercial medical marijuana growers such as Aphria. Aphria's common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker symbol "APH". For more information, visit www.Aphria.com.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "intend" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to estimated margins and expectations for future growing capacity. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks, including, without limitation, risks associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; marketing costs; loss of markets; future legislative and regulatory developments involving medical marijuana; inability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favourable terms; the medical marijuana industry in Canada generally, income tax and regulatory matters; the ability of Aphria to implement its business strategies; competition; crop failure; currency and interest rate fluctuations and other risks.

Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

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SOURCE Aphria Inc.

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