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Benzinga Live: Cannabis CEOs Talk Reform, Hemp & 2025

By Shadd Dales On Jun 10, 2025

Host Shadd Dales and contributor Anthony Varrell went live from Chicago at the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, a premier gathering of the biggest minds in cannabis finance and policy. This exclusive series features real-time interviews with top industry executives including Boris Jordan of Curaleaf (CURA / CURLF), Beena Goldenberg of Organigram (OGI / OGI.V), Jason Wild of TerrAscend (TSND / TSNDF), Charlie Bachtell of Cresco Labs (CL / CRLBF), Tim Seymour from CNBC, and the CEO of Safe Harbor Financial (SHFS).

Howard Schacter, the Chief Communications Officer at MariMed, and Vlad Bautista, CEO & Co-Founder, Happy Munkey, also weigh in with recent cannabis advocacy gains in Washington DC. Presenting the Bob Fireman Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Howard Schacter recognizes this year’s recipient, Vlad Bautista, who has transitioned from legacy operator to legal dispensary owner in Manhattan and Brooklyn. His work exemplifies the spirit of entrepreneurship and social equity that Fireman championed.

Social and industry trends are a big topic of conversation among all the cannabis leaders. We’ll discuss the rise of AI tools like AI budtenders, the growing consumer demand for tested products, branding, and the growth of regulated markets. We’ll also discuss the national policy barriers and corporate resistance from alcohol and pharma. Brown-Forman recently cited cannabis as a primary reason for their declining alcohol sales.

The political sphere, of course, is also something to keep an eye on. Schacter has a leadership role at USCR, formed by the merger of the US Cannabis Council and the National Cannabis Roundtable. This merger signals a more unified industry front when engaging congress.

There’s certainly a lot to unpack in more than three hours of livestreams, and you may want to tune in to catch more. Head to our socials to find all three live stream videos from Benzinga on YouTube.

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Shadd Dales

Shadd Dales is the Founder and President of The Dales Report and has an extensive background in the business media industry.

His work translates into over 15 years in mainstream media that included roles with BNN Bloomberg, CTV Properties and the iHeart Radio Network.

Shadd is considered one of the leading on air talents in both the cannabis and psychedelic space and has interviewed some of the most notable CEO names in the industry.

Shadd’s vision is to establish a content platform that is equivalent to a mainstream broadcast produced in a format that is relevant for today’s investor.