The CBD industry reached a milestone last year with the introduction of National CBD Day, an officially recognized event on the National Day Calendar, which keeps track of more than 1,500 officially designated days that raise awareness of cultural events and unique products.
National CBD Day this year is on Thursday, August 8.
“The main reason we founded National CBD Day [in 2018] was to generate more awareness and education for CBD. Through accurate and poignant education, we can truly change the way people approach CBD and wellness,” cbdMD President Caryn Dunayer told CBD Today. “With so many fad diets, pills, and cure-alls, people are desperately looking for more natural solutions—that’s where CBD comes into play. Naturally sourced and federally legal, CBD is here to stay.”
While CBD Day may not have the level of recognition of THC-infused unofficial cannabis holiday 4/20, it does show how far CBD has come in being recognized as an alternative, plant-derived, medicinal compound with purported, wide-ranging benefits.
Common ailments like chronic pain, anxiety, and insomnia are said to respond well to CBD supplementation for some patients. Cannabidiol (aka CBD) already has been clinically proven to benefit epilepsy sufferers, specifically young children, with U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved prescription medication Epidiolex—the first cannabis-based medication approved in the U.S.
The FDA continues to consider regulations for CBD and for its use as an ingredient in foods and beverages, as well as a health supplement.
CBD producers PūrWell, Kana Vita, and Veritas Farms commented about how activists, patients, and consumers have shaped the conversation around CBD and herbals, which is booming in mainstream health and wellness markets. CBD Day gives their companies a chance to shine a light on outreach and information.
Derek Thomas, vice president of business development at Veritas Farms said, “Every day is a great day to inform people about the differences between full-spectrum hemp oil and CBD.”
“National CBD Day is not only a great chance to educate more people about CBD, but also a celebration of achievements by cannabis activists and a time for recognizing the role of cannabis in our lives,” Kana Vita Chief Operations Officer Asel Hofgartner told CBD Today.
“It’s the time to raise awareness of the healing properties of the plant as well as ending the stigma attached to this natural, mostly wildly grown plant. It’s a salute to the natural healing, human curiosity, culture, and a movement that is breaking all kinds of boundaries,” she said.
PūrWell Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing Nick DiFrancesco agreed the industry is in a nascent phase when consumer education is indispensable.
“Promoting education about the vast health benefits of hemp-derived CBD like ours is part of what PūrWell is all about,” he said. “Having a day dedicated specifically to CBD gives our entire industry the opportunity to educate people who may be unfamiliar with CBD, and to continue to educate those who already are familiar with CBD.
“Of course, we always like to be able to promote our products, but to the team at PūrWell National CBD Day is really all about educating and helping everyone to live their healthiest, happiest life possible,” DiFrancesco said.
PūrWell will celebrate National CBD Day by offering a daylong 20 percent discount on products at their website.
At cbdMD, consumer outreach and re-education is encouragement for consumers to consider the possibilities of hemp-based, CBD-infused medicinal products and supplements, as well as various applications including topicals, inhaled products, and consumables, to name a few popular methods of using CBD. Overall, cannabis has had a tarnished reputation for more than 70 years, which still intimidates some people.
“There is such a misconception between CBD, THC, marijuana, hemp, and cannabis, we felt the need to bring awareness to CBD itself. Because CBD, THC, marijuana, and hemp are all similar yet vastly different, we wanted a day specifically dedicated to CBD,” cbdMD’s Dunayer emphasized
“While it may get clumped in with THC and marijuana, CBD is completely different. Since federally legal CBD is extracted from industrial hemp (which must contain less than 0.3 percent THC) there is absolutely no associated high,” she described. “This is what presents such an enticing option for people of all ages from all walks of life.”
