In August, CNBC\u2019s investment-meets-travel-journalism show \u201cThe Profit\u201d hopped on the cannabusiness bandwagon with an episode called \u201cMarijuana Millions.\u201d While host Marcus Lemonis promises \u201cto take you on a journey and show you where the profit is in pot,\u201d he is so unfamiliar with the topic that he ultimately delivers little more than the uninspiring opportunity to watch a straight-laced guy in dad jeans check out his first dispensary. A journey it is not, but while it may be a little rudimentary for Cannabis Now readers, the episode serves a reminder that, for some folks, understanding the appeal of the cannabis industry requires a particular approach.<\/p>\n
To begin, Lemonis repeatedly reminds viewers than he is not<\/em> into weed, stigmatizing the product sold in the industry he has set out to hype. He separates himself from the cannabis culture ad-nausea, informing viewers that he\u2019s not only never smoked weed \u2014 but he\u2019s also never even seen<\/em> it.\u00a0 \u201cMarijuana isn\u2019t my thing,\u201d he explains, \u201cI\u2019ve never even considered investing.\u201d<\/p>\n So, what brought him on this journey to the profit in pot?<\/p>\n \u201cThe market here could reach $6 billion dollars,\u201d he says, \u201cand that\u2019s impossible to ignore.\u201d The overtly simplistic portrayal of the potential for profit fails to consider the many barriers companies face to industry access. However, while the episode misses opportunities for more inspired narratives, it may appeal to some skeptical viewers who are fans of Lemonis and interested in investment opportunities.<\/p>\n Early in this episode of \u201cThe Profit<\/a>,\u201d for example, Lemonis visits a bankruptcy-plagued California town using industrial cannabis grows to generate much-needed revenue.\u00a0 Taxation from legal pot is not exactly news, and Lemonis\u2019 quote \u2014 \u201cA once-dying town is dying no more, thanks to recreational pot\u201d\u2014 is clich\u00e9.\u00a0 He leaves the nuances of taxation largely unexplored, but for those na\u00efve to the benefits of cannabis legalization, the clip is a clear-cut example of the economic advantages of legal pot.<\/p>\n The economic angle is reiterated by Greta Carter, a Republican in Desert Hot Springs, California who hopes the feds don\u2019t get in the way of her plans to open a commercial grow. Noting the threat of federal prohibition, Carter says of her interest in the industry, \u201cThis is not me being a radical. This is having my eyes open.\u201d The public, she says, is ahead of politicians when it comes to pot.<\/p>\n While federal prohibition looms large throughout the episode, the show\u2019s plot is mostly restricted to Lemonis meeting with some cannabis entrepreneurs to assess their potential and offer his assistance. Given that his target audience may be the investment-hungry and stock-obsessed, Lemonis\u2019 goes to great lengths to depict the industry as shockingly professional. The resulting portrayals are niche and a bit bizarre, but they do convince viewers that the industry isn\u2019t always dressed in tapestries and black lights.<\/p>\n At luxury brand Canndescent<\/a>, for example, viewers learn of the company\u2019s slimmed-down inventory of five strains groupings \u2014 Calm, Cruise, Create, Connect, and Charge \u2014 that are intended to professionalize the strain experience for customers.<\/p>\n \u201cCall us the Courvoisier of cannabis, Hermes of cannabis,\u201d CEO Adrian Sedlin says. \u201cWe\u2019re going after that high-end adult use.\u201d<\/p>\n Lemonis calls the packaging \u201cWhole Foods-esque\u201d and notes that \u201cyoga enthusiasts\u201d might relate.<\/p>\n Similarly, at the high-tech and pricey dispensary Med Men, Lemonis\u2019 astute observations include, \u201cI loved the design\u201d and \u201cthere were iPads everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n The branding drama reaches a peak, however, at the \u201cstart-up\u201d edibles company Treat Yourself<\/a>, run by BFFs Cindy Pinzon and Leone Posod. Lemonis is reviewing the packaging \u2014 \u201cI love the vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, refined sugar-free\u201d \u2014 when he sees a \u201cproblem\u201d on the other wide of the label. Lemonis narrates aghast, \u201cGreat for menstrual cramps, relaxation, and inflammation.\u201d Then, he asks Posod and Pinzon, \u201cWhy did you choose to alienate men from the product?\u201d<\/p>\n Posod and Pinzon explain that they want their product to be \u201cfemale-friendly,\u201d but Lemonis isn\u2019t hearing it. \u201cFemale female-friendly or totally female-directed?\u201d he counters, insisting that the \u201cvernacular\u201d suggests, \u201cIf you are a man, put it down.\u201d<\/p>\n It is telling that what may be Lemonis\u2019 most profound reflection came by way of this debate, when the host remarked, \u201cBy the way, every product in the world should be female-friendly since more than half of the people that buy things are females.\u201d And with that, Lemonis hit the floor of his show\u2019s depth.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Profit\u201d is not exactly riveting television, but for people who have never smoked or seen weed, it may offer a different perception of an industry with which they are unfamiliar.<\/p>\n Originally published in\u00a0Issue 28\u00a0of Cannabis Now.\u00a0<\/em>LEARN MORE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n TELL US<\/b>, do you have a favorite TV show about marijuana?<\/p>\n The post CNBC\u2019s \u2018The Profit\u2019 Introduces the Pot Industry to Newcomers<\/a> appeared first on Cannabis Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n
In August, CNBC\u2019s investment-meets-travel-journalism show \u201cThe Profit\u201d hopped on the cannabusiness bandwagon with an episode called \u201cMarijuana Millions.\u201d While host Marcus Lemonis promises \u201cto take you on a journey and show you where the profit is in pot,\u201d he is so unfamiliar with the topic that he ultimately delivers littleContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":173,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[108,1092,99,85,2629,4444,1095],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26554"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/173"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26554"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26554\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26555,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26554\/revisions\/26555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nRead More: CNBC\u2019s \u2018The Profit\u2019 Introduces the Pot Industry to Newcomers<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"