Cheddar's "CannaBiz" program is dedicated to the business of marijuana. In each episode we explore the growing market, landscape for regulation, and ways people and businesses are capitalizing on the space. During this episode Cheddar Anchors Hope King and Brad Smith explore pending legislation in Vermont, and a company expanding deeper into the medical marijuana market.
According to a new report by New Frontier Data, Cannabis could create more than $130 billion dollars in federal tax revenue by 2025. That's if the federal government legalizes the drug. It could also ad 1.1 million jobs by 2025.
Vermont could be the next state to change it's current marijuana laws. Vermont Governor Phil Scott planning to sign a bill to legalize marijuana for those 21 years or older. This will make Vermont the first state to do so through legislation. Montpelier, Vermont Mayor John Hollar explains how this could impact the growing market.
"People generally think its an inevitability in our state that we will have a legalization," says Hollar. "I think people understand and recognize that its going to happen."
Now that cannabis is legal in California, many people are wondering how to add it to their recipes in the kitchen. Cheddar's Alyssa Julya Smith joined Jeff the 420 Chef in the kitchen to talk about his specific technique to clean cannabis and make sure you are taking out all the smells and flavors to seamlessly add to your food.
Namaste Technologies is rolling out a telemedicine portal to connect doctors to medical marijuana patients virtually. The company's co-founder and CEO Sean Dollinger explains how they are bringing this technology to the Canadian market.
"NamasteMD is the first application allowed by the app store for telemedicine in Canada ever for cannabis," said Dollinger. He explains his hope for Namaste Technologies to become a global leader in cannabis by leveraging its technology for partners in the market.
Attack surface management startup CyCognito recently raised $100 million in its latest funding round, valuing the company at $800 million. CyCognito offers cyber security through its attack surface scanner, which uses artificial intelligence to identify weak spots in an organization's network. The new funding comes as companies around the world continue to add new defenses to the growing rise of cyber threats and attacks. CyCognito co-founder and CEO Rob Gurzeev joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
A mental health crisis among young people is looming, and a large part of it is online. Cheddar News speaks with digital policy expert Karen Kornbluh on the issue.
Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, faced withering questions on Capitol Hill about the reports the social media app was aware of the severe mental health impacts it was having on teenage girls. Karen Kornbluh, the director of digital innovation and democracy for the German Marshall Fund, joined Cheddar to discuss the rare show of bipartisan outrage on display at the Senate hearing. "The senators came really loaded for bear on both sides of the aisle," she said. Kornbluh explained how senators like Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) set up fake Instagram accounts with teen girl profiles in order to research the effects firsthand.
Roshan Jhunja, head of retail at Square, joined Cheddar to talk about the financial services company's second annual Future of Retail report. Square expects the massive shift to e-commerce to continue into 2022 as more consumers get used to the online shopping experience. For Square, soon-to-be renamed Block, which began predominantly as a digital payment platform, Jhunja said the company is also helping sellers with automation amid ongoing labor shortages.
Facebook is undergoing more than a name change. The company, now known as Meta, has also seen an exodus of executives this year. While the timing of some of these resignations came before whistleblower allegations, it's undeniable the tech giant is undergoing big changes. Doug Astrop, Managing Partner at Exponential Investment Partners, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss Facebook's current state, possible regulatory scrutiny, the impact of Instagram chief Adam Mosseri's Congressional testimony, and more.
Fast AF, a premiere quick commerce retailer for products and brands just announced the close of its Series A investment round. That round puts the value of the company at $200 million. The company gets items to customers ranging from masks to sneakers and is now launching its own in-house delivery service. Lee Hnetinka, founder and CEO of FastAF joins Cheddar News to discuss the announcement.
