*By Jacqueline Corba*
This summer season, CBD-infused beverages were among the hottest new drinks on the market. The drinks, said Dirty Lemon's CEO Zak Normandin, offer an alternative way for some to just chill ー sans alcohol, and sans the traditional marijuana-induced high.
"A lot of consumers are actually replacing ... an alcoholic beverage \[with this\]. So at the end of the day you've had a long day at work incorporating this product into your daily routine to just relax," Normandin, also a co-founder of the beverage company, told Cheddar's CannaBiz on Tuesday.
Dirty Lemon, which launched in 2015 with a charcoal-infused lemon-flavored beverage called a detox "elixir," introduced its first CBD drink this July. The new product sold out of the first batch, roughly 20,000 bottles, in only two days.
"It's been challenging for us to keep up with demand," Normandin said. "People want to experience it for themselves."
Normandin said the combination of ingredients in a ready-to-drink format is driving the success of his company's beverage products and his new CBD drink, which uses cannabidiol produced by cannabis brand [Beboe](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-hermes-of-marijuana-wants-to-bring-you-cannabis).
Dirty Lemon is just one example of many companies that want to capitalize on the benefits of this marijuana extract, which does not actually contain THC or produce a high.
"It's a very crowded field and there is a lot of competition," Green Market Report CEO and editor-in-chief Debra Borchardt told Cheddar Tuesday.
CBD maker Charlotte's Web went public on the Canadian Securities Exchange [last week](https://www.newcannabisventures.com/charlottes-web-ipo-and-secondary-offering-boosted-to-16-45-million-shares-as-underwriters-exercise-over-allotment-option/). Its products are sold in 2,700 retail locations and the company is looking to triple its annual revenue this year. Borchardt said the company has already been able to capture 14 percent of the market.
And investors are taking note ー the stock surged more than 13 percent Tuesday, its third day of trading on the public market.
This is only the beginning for CBD products on the market, Borchardt said.
"You're going to be seeing people buying CBD water, and they are going to feel good. It's a wellness thing."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/dirty-lemon-adds-cbd-to-its-beverage-menu).
Some of Tiktok's biggest stars have a message for the platform: It is time to pay up! As the platform has skyrocketed in popularity, many content creators have been given the opportunity to garner millions of fans and even sometimes billions of views. In 2020, the company launched a creator fund in order to incentivize the platform's users. However, while the group of creators has grown larger, the pool of money has remained the same, and creators are fed up, they claim as Tiktok becomes more successful. Senior Editor at Engadget, Karissa Bell, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
In 2021, QAnon, the community which traffics in conspiracy theories saw a rapid growth in its numbers. As a result of vaccine rollouts, a number of conspiracies surrounding them also began to circulate which then led to the rise of "Anti-Vaxxers". As a result, the QAnon and anti-vax communities have become increasingly intertwined and the results could be costing lives. Senior Researcher at Media Matters Alex Kaplan, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Neil Young gave the streaming service Spotify an ultimatum demanding that his music be removed if the Joe Rogan experience remained on the platform. Joe Rogan's platform has been questioned a number of times as a result of some of his takes on covid treatment strategies and at times downright misinformation. Ultimately, Spotify decided to stick with Joe Rogan's podcast. The Director for the Business and Entertainment Program at American University, John Simson, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Nutritional supplement beverage company Athletic Greens has achieved unicorn status. The company announced a new $115 million funding round, bringing its valuation to $1.2 billion. The company's flagship product AG1 combines 75 different vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients into one daily serving. Athletic Greens says it is poised to reach the millions of consumers who are currently driving the health and wellness market's exponential growth. Athletic Greens founder and CEO Chris Ashenden joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Michael Mitchell, senior director of brand at Mailchimp, joins Cheddar News to discuss the launch of Bloom Season and what every BIPOC entrepreneur needs to know to succeed.
Janet Jackson shared that she had a conversation with Justin Timberlake who had asked her if he should make a statement during the scandal over her Super Bowl XXXVIII wardrobe malfunction, in her new self-titled Lifetime documentary. The musical icon said that she viewed the incident as an accident and remains "good friends" with Justin Timberlake.
The gaming industry has seen multiple large scales deals this month alone, including Microsoft's megadeal for Activision Blizzard. And, seemingly in response, rival Sony, picked up Bungie for $3.6 billion, a studio once owned by both Microsoft and Activision. The sector is reportedly on track to spend $150 billion on mergers and acquisitions just this year alone, a record-breaking total, according to investment firm Drake Star Partners. Michael Metzger, a partner at the firm specializing in technology, media, and communications, joined Cheddar to discuss the flurry of deals in the gaming space and what might be behind the hot M&A activity.
Ari Redbord, head of legal and government affairs and TRM Labs, joins Cheddar News to discuss why Facebook is ditching its crypto project and what that means for the space.
