Why Are We Just Hearing About CBD?

Why Are We Just Hearing About CBD?

CBD oil, derived from the hemp plant, is a non-psychoactive substance that has been gaining worldwide attention for its positive medicinal effects. The hype surrounding CBD oil is a pretty recent phenomenon, even though it has been used by ancient societies. So why are people just hearing about CBD now? There are a combination of factors: one is the easy accessibility of news because of the internet – Wikipedia, Google, Social Media, medical journal information online. Another is that CBD has been used in a few cases that gained major notoriety, starting in the 1990’s.

Even though CBD was starting to be widely used to relieve pain and other ailments in the 1980’s, one of the first big events in CBD history didn’t occur until 1998. A pharmaceutical company in Great Britain started to grow cannabis plants that contained more CBD than THC (the psychoactive ingredient). This led research companies to begin conducting animal testing, and they started to find that CBD relieved anxiety and seizures. The world really began to take notice, and by 2009, an American company in Oakland successfully grew cannabis plants that contained more CBD than THC.

Then, in 2010, the Hyde family from Montana gained huge press coverage when the father, Mike Hyde, gave a high dose of CBD to his terminally ill infant son. Cash Hyde had an inoperable brain tumor, which shrunk significantly after he was given the CBD oil. Though he was given very little time to live, the CBD oil helped to extend his life another two years before he tragically passed away. But the event caused the state of Montana to change its legislation to make CBD more accessible.

Another huge boost in the spread of information about CBD’s health benefits happened in 2013 in Colorado. A little girl named Charlotte Figi suffered nearly 300 seizures a week. Her parents, at a complete loss for what to do next after many exhausting treatments and medications, decided to give her CBD oil. The effect was incredible; the oil reduced 99% of her seizures, and the story spread all over the world like wildfire. Because of the internet, the story made it much farther than it could have before computers and smart phones. And because of these incredible stories, more research has been done on the positive uses of CBD. And more companies are working on growing CBD-heavy strains of the cannabis plant. As research continues, news of the benefits of CBD will only continue to spread.