Marijuana is the Mexican Word for Cannabis. It is a wonder plant that has been hijacked and given a bad name by underworld gangs, exploiting a chemical compound in the plant called THC that produces intoxicating highs sought by drug users.
Hemp is also produced from the Cannabis plant and is the source of Canabidiol, a chemical compound commonly shortened to CBD. This has negligible intoxicating THC content and will increasingly become freely available online and in supermarkets, pharmacies and health shops. A wide range of therapeutic benefits are claimed for it.
CBD is naturally occurring in the Hemp plant and according to the United States own government patent #6,630,507 it supports nutrition of aging bodies.
Cannabis medicine is not a new concept. Its medicinal use dates back thousands of years – at least 1,000 years in India and 5,000 years in China.
Before its prohibition in the West, major pharmaceutical companies offered a wide variety of cannabis-based medicines, with 1840 to 1937 being the “golden age” for cannabis medicine.
Source - (Leonard-Johnson & Rappoport, 2014)
With the discovery of the cannabidoid non intoxicating compound CBD in Cannabis Hemp, It is predicted that prescription-Free CBD products from Cannabis Hemp will pose competition for the $1.1 Trillion Pharmaceutical Industry.
Which is not surprising. As soon as the Farm Bill passed in the USA, effectively legalizing CBD nationwide, it was only a matter of time before major retailers stepped into the market.
Last week, Walgreens announced it would begin selling CBD products in its stores.
CBD products on sale in American States with Walgreen stores means other States and Countries will be watching public response.
Walgreens has entered the CBD market in direct competition with rival CVS Health ( Consumer Value Stores)
Proof that 2019 will be the “Year of CBD“continue to pour in.
It will mean big sales for those health and wellness companies with leading brands and an eye towards becoming global consumer packaged CBD goods giants.
Walgreens spokesman Brian Faith said in a statement.
“This product offering is in line with our efforts to provide a wider range of accessible health and wellbeing products and services to best meet the needs and preferences of our customers,”
Walgreens rival, CVS Health ( Consumer Value Stores), made a similar CBD announcement days before.
In a true show of that rivalry, Walgreens is attempting to outpace CVS. While the initial CVS rollout covered 800 stores across eight states, Walgreens will begin carrying the products in nearly 1,500 stores across nine states.
And competition between chains is not only expected, but also healthy for the growth of the cannabis industry.
The sale of prescription free CBD through major retailers in these states is not unexpected, and it signals something huge for the cannabis markets as a whole…
Existing Markets Examined
CBD creams, patches, and sprays hitting the shelves of major retailers in California, Colorado, Oregon, and Vermont seems like a natural progression. States like these already have a robust cannabis presence, and there’s no reason to think residents will hesitate to purchase those CBD products.
CBD Hemp from Cannabis is expected to create growth at an unbelievable speed in 2019.
As these products are wellness-based, selling them in states with medical-only markets is a no-brainer. No one should be taken aback to see the companies offer CBD in states like Maryland, New Mexico, and Illinois.
And even without legal marijuana, states like Kentucky and Tennessee already have incredibly well-established industrial hemp industries. So it makes perfect sense that both CVS and Walgreens have chosen to include these states as part of their initial CBD rollout.
But there are a handful of states whose inclusion in these deals is completely unexpected.
CVS will sell CBD products in Alabama, Walgreens will sell them in South Carolina, and both will sell them in Indiana.
The decision of these two major drug stores to sell CBD in these states is surprising. Hemp cultivation is far more recent in Alabama,South Carolina and Indiana, and there are no serious efforts to see medicinal or recreational cannabis legalized in any of them.
Clearly, the Farm Bill is having far deeper-reaching effects than anyone could have imagined – and at an astounding pace. Once again, we have clear evidence that 2019 is the “Year of CBD.”
CBD is not just a wellness product with incredible healing potential – it’s the key to normalizing cannabis and penetrating markets no one imagined cannabis would touch in our lifetimes.
CVS and Walgreens are only the beginning. Considering this progress, it’s hard to believe that cannabis in your grocery store is very far away. Don’t be surprised when you see CBD reach the shelves of Target or Walmart.
