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.
Cannabis producer Cresco Labs is acquiring rival Columbia Care in a $2 billion all-stock deal, creating the largest U.S. cannabis company by sales. The deal, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2022, is one of the biggest in the industry's history and would make Cresco the dominant player in a market projected to reach $46 billion in revenue by 2026. Charlie Bachtell, CEO of Cresco Labs, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Sports betting has boomed over the past year; but at the same time, sports betting stocks have not been so hot. Now, some sports betting brands are starting to rethink how to spend their money, especially when it comes to ads. It will come after online sports betting brands spent more than $320 million on advertising in 2021, up 38% from 2020, per MediaRadar. Brendan Coffey, sports finance reporter for Sportico, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Rowing-machine maker, Hydrow, raised $55 million in Series D funding round, led by Constitution Capital. Hyrdow offers a connected rowing machine that costs $2,495. The company's funding round comes as the at-home fitness industry is facing some challenges, due to many consumers returning to gyms after working out at home during the pandemic. Bruce Smith, founder & CEO of Hydrow, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Sam Thapaliya, Founder of Zebec, explains the two major problems associated with paying public figures in crypto, and how his firm is best-suited to help facilitate payments within the growing industry.
Wes Fulford, CEO of Viridi Funds, breaks down how several key headlines, include President Biden's executive order on crypto and rising inflation, are impacting the price of major cryptocurrencies during a volatile period.
Volvo electric vehicles will soon be able to charge at Starbucks ChargePoint locations. Anders Gustafsson, head of the Americas for Volvo Cars, Michael Kobori, Starbucks chief sustainability officer, and Pasquale Romano, president and CEO of ChargePoint, joined Cheddar News Wrap to talk about their joint effort to provide more accessibility for electric vehicle charging. “When you pull into the Starbucks, you pull into the parking lot and the chargers will be set up right there so you can pull in, plug in your car, walk into the Starbucks," said Kobori. "And it's a safe location to recharge, to connect to the Internet while you're charging."
