Product diversity is one of CBD’s biggest advantages and forces driving its popularity among users. Consumers can enjoy CBD solutions like shampoos, oils, tinctures, and edibles. Moreover, its versatility has endeared it to different industry players, from the medical industry to the beauty sector.
CBD products are safe, with their minor side effects being highly tolerable among all users. This post examines their diversity across different industries in and outside the United States. Remain on this page to learn more.
What Is CBD?
Before exploring its various applications across industries, let’s define CBD, or cannabidiol, to understand this substance better. In short, CBD is cannabis’s second largest ingredient after THC. This component resides in medical marijuana, but most of it comes directly from hemp, marijuana’s twin sister. Sometimes, it can be manufactured in the lab.
Unlike its fellow cannabinoid THC, CBD doesn’t intoxicate users. No wonder a World Health Organization report says this about its effect on people, “In humans, CBD exhibits no effects indicative of any abuse or dependence potential…. To date, there is no evidence of public health-related problems associated with the use of pure CBD.”
Legal Status
We have seen that CBD is safe for human and animal consumption. But is it legally safe to use CBD or its related products across the United States? All 50 US states have passed laws regulating CBD but with varying restriction levels. In December 2015, the FDA eased its hardline stand on the regulatory requirement to allow researchers to conduct CBD trials.
In 2018, the Farm Bill legalized hemp, from which we get CBD, making it nearly impossible to criminalize CBD. In simple words, trying to criminalize CBD would look like legalizing pineapples but criminalizing pineapple juice in modern reality. Thus, the Bill removed all hemp-derived products, including CBD, from the infamous Controlled Substance Act. At the federal level, CBD is legal when derived from hemp but not from marijuana.
Safety
CBD’s safety isn’t disputed, as we saw from the WHO’s report excerpt. But just like all other drugs or substances, CBD has a few tolerable side effects. For instance, one may feel a bit tired, irritable, and nauseated. Also, CBD can interact (just like most conventional medicines) with other prescription drugs and thin blood. That is why we recommend consulting your physician before using it if you are using other medications.
Currently, all CBD health products are traded as health supplements, not medicines. That’s why the FDA doesn’t regulate them. However, this lack of regulation doesn’t mean the products are essentially unsafe because they undergo independent third-party testing. You can get more information about CBD products on AskGrowers.com CBD.
Now, which industries have embraced CBD since its legalization? Let’s find out how CBD is doing across various industries in and outside the US.
Health and Wellness
We’ll start our coverage where it matters the most—health and wellness. Your health is your number one and the most important wealth, without which you can’t enjoy any other type of wealth. Thus, manufacturers have embraced CBD to promote bodily and mental wellness. Mentally, CBD oil relieves depression and anxiety, enabling users to enjoy peace of mind. CBD oil and its products mitigate pain and inflammation, soothe nausea, and relieve insomnia. Other physical conditions include diabetes, arthritis, and epilepsy.
These benefits motivate, if not force, pharmaceutical companies to start selling and including CBD in their product mix. For instance, Walgreens and CVS have started stocking CBD products along with CBD-specializing companies.
The Cosmetic Industry
The highly lucrative cosmetic industry doesn’t want to lag in the CBD revolution. Cosmetic players have realized CBD’s many skin benefits and aren’t slack to introduce CBD beauty solutions. CBD oil has vitamins, essential fatty acids, and vitamins – a potent combination that improves skin appearance and health.
Moreover, CBD is skin-friendly because it doesn’t clog skin pores and cause breakouts in different skin types. That is why beauty product makers include CBD in serums and moisturizers. Its antioxidant power protects the skin from free radicals that cause oxidative stress. Results? Your skin doesn’t develop wrinkles, dark spots, or become dull. Therefore, it’s a great anti-aging tool for those who want to maintain youthful skin even when their biological clock ticks!
Finally, CBD oil regulates sebum production and reduces inflammation. This quality makes it suitable for users with acne-prone skin.
Food and Drink
What about the food and beverage industry? It has firmly positioned itself to reap big revenues from the CBD windfall. Those who want to enjoy CBD can benefit from edible products. Health-conscious consumers want diverse ways to benefit from CBD health benefits by incorporating it into their daily routines.
You can find different CBD meals in reputable eating joints. Some popular CBD-infused culinary inventions are butter, cookies, chocolates, and sauces. Beverage solutions come as cocktails, coffees, teas, and smoothies.
Sports
Before the demonizing cloud lifted off CBD and the large cannabis family, CBD oil had been banned under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations. Fortunately, what was once a “dangerous” substance simply changed with the stroke of the pen and no chemical alteration.
With this legal shift in CBD’s status, athletes can enjoy their favorite CBD products without endangering their careers. Below are some ways CBD benefits athletes:
It helps with pain and inflammation reduction after sports-related injuries or strenuous exercise.
CBD also shortens an athlete’s recovery time following an injury. It speeds recovery by decreasing oxidative damage and suppressing inflammation.
For sportspersons participating in contact games where they are vulnerable to concussions, CBD oil treats concussion symptoms like headache by reducing inflammation in injured athletes’ brains.
These benefits are just a few an athlete can enjoy. Thus, sports product makers include CBD in various sports edibles. They use it in sports beverages and protein bars. Moreover, CBD also features in topic pain-reducing creams. No wonder sportsmen like Derrick Morgan, an NFL player, and Nate Diaz, an MMA fighter, include CBD in their training regime.
Pet Care
CBD doesn’t benefit humans alone. Pet owners have also turned to it to give their pets a deserved share. This inclination has attracted pet care manufacturers’ attention. These industry players include CBD in pet treats and tinctures. They also use it in their pet drugs.
Pets can benefit from CBD products in many ways. For instance, it can reduce neuropathic, arthritic, and joint pain among pets. Also, CBD oil reduces pet nausea, stimulates appetite, reduces gastrointestinal challenges, and controls seizures.
CBD has many mental and emotional benefits pets can enjoy. For instance, it addresses different behavioral problems affecting pet owners and their families. CBD oil helps cats and dogs experience reduced stress and anxiety levels. This way, they can improve their behavioral challenges and become calmer. However, we recommend proceeding with these products with your vet’s advice.
Closing Remarks
CBD is a broad-spectrum product consumers can enjoy in different forms. Modern manufacturers across diverse industries have upped their game to offer consumers products that meet their needs. We explored its diversity in the health, sports, pet, and other industries. We hope you will use these insights to make a choice that gives you a deserved share of CBD’s many benefits.
The author of this article is Tia Moskalenko, an expert and brand ambassador in the cannabis industry and a regular blogger contributing to the AskGrowers blog. Tia is passionate about finding new things about CBD use cases and educating people about the advantages of CBD treatment as an alternative to painkillers or antidepressants.