Did you know that the CBD industry surpassed a billion dollars in 2019? That’s right! The health and wellness trend is well beyond just being a fad, and if expert figures are correct, it’s only going to continue to grow well into 2020 and beyond.

With billions of dollars in potential profits, a massive audience of millions that grows daily, and a natural compound that seems to do everything it’s advertised to do, it’s pretty easy to see why this industry is thriving. 

It’s time to dive into this industry and look at what exactly CBD has to offer and why so many people, including experts and celebrities, are endorsing it. Here’s how this billion-dollar industry is shaking up health and wellness.

The Road To A Billion Dollars

What does it take to reach the billion-dollar mark? More than just a “fad”, that’s for sure! Let’s rewind to about 2013 when the CBD industry was barely bringing in a few hundred million per year. What changed in seven short years? Why has the industry flourished since then?

For starters, the federal government finally removed hemp and CBD from the controlled substances list, thus legalizing the growth and cultivation of industrial hemp in 2018. That was only two years ago, and since then, the industry has experienced exponential growth.

For nearly five decades, hemp was lumped together with dangerous drugs like heroin and cocaine, despite the fact that it contains low amounts of the psychoactive compound THC. This is the same compound that gives marijuana its classic “high”.

“While hemp and marijuana are both strains of the Cannabis plant, they’re more like distant cousins than close siblings,” says Penguin CBD. Marijuana contains high concentrations of THC and less CBD, and hemp is the opposite.

CBD and THC are both cannabinoids, but produce different effects when they interact with our nervous system. Despite this distinction, the federal government has viewed hemp and CBD with the same critical eye as marijuana and THC since the early ‘70s.

Pain Management

CBD oils and other products are used for a variety of everyday applications, and CBD’s versatility is a big reason why it’s been so popular. Safe, natural, and effective, CBD is a potentially effective alternative to something that’s had a major effect on the US: opioid-based painkillers.

Different CBD oils have different effects on the users, but one thing that rings true is that CBD is a natural and safe painkiller. The nation’s opioid crisis has been raging for several years now, with no true end in sight. The sad fact is that opioid-based painkillers are often the doorway to addiction for many addicts, and something needs to change.

A study in 2018 concluded that every day in the US, 128 people died from an opioid overdose. That’s about 46,000 people per year; the population of a large town. A safe and natural alternative is needed for pain management, and preliminary research suggests that CBD might be it.

CBD is a natural painkiller and has no addictive properties that we know of. It doesn’t even have any serious side-effects, which painkillers often do. They can cause liver damage, among other things.

Anti-Inflammation

CBD is also an excellent natural anti-inflammatory compound. If you’ve got joint swelling, a localized injury, or chronic condition, CBD can help to reduce your inflammation and promote healing. Not to mention, the less inflammation you experience, the less pain you’ll be in from it.

Some athletes and everyday people even use CBD as a post-workout supplement to help minimize the soreness that comes with exercising. CBD oil is the easiest way to take your CBD after a workout, as you can simply include it in your post-workout meal or protein shake.

Mental Health

One of the most exciting benefits of CBD is its ability to help manage anxiety-related disorders and boost your mood. Conditions like depression are caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, which is a by-product of hereditary, external, and internal factors.

CBD is known to offer anti-anxiety effects to frequent users, but the true extent of its value in managing mental health conditions is still unclear. More research is needed to fully understand how this compound can help, but the evidence we have so far shows promise.

Seizures

Seizures affect people with certain conditions like epilepsy, but can also be caused by fever or trauma. In those with chronic conditions where seizures are a symptom, life can be difficult to navigate with the threat of sudden seizure always looming.

CBD has been used in the treatment of epileptic seizure patients and those with rare seizure conditions, to great effect. The compound is a natural anticonvulsant, which means it’s biologically programmed to help fight seizures. There’s even a CBD-based drug available for certain seizure disorders.

Everyday Use

Now that we’ve listed some of CBD’s specific uses, let’s look at how everyday people are using it and why it’s had such an impact on the wellness community. Perhaps the best feature of CBD is that anyone can use it, even kids and pets! It’s safe and natural, with almost no side-effects in most cases.

People use CBD for their post-workout routines, to help manage stress from work or home pressure, to ease joint pain and discomfort, and even to improve focus, memory, and mental clarity.

Users swear by CBD for improving mental and physical health, and the research behind it seems to back up these claims.

The Bottom Line

While CBD might not be the “miracle compound” it’s made out to be, it certainly has quite a few practical and medical applications, and as we learn more about it, we’re certain to find more uses. CBD is readily available, but be sure to buy your products only from reputable dealers, so as to avoid scams and sub-par products.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on the CBD industry in the future to see what new products, information, and companies arise in the coming years.