CBD, or cannabidiol, has exploded onto the market in recent years. Sometime in the past decade, this purportedly medicinal marijuana extract went from being an obscure stoner oil to the wellness product du jour, flooding from holistic markets to the mainstream. Analysts at the investment bank Cowen Inc. predict the industry will balloon to $16 billion by 2025. In comparison, CBD sales totaled less than $1 billion last year, though that’s no small feat for a field that didn’t exist a few years ago.
CBD is purported to help with everything from depression to chronic pain and some animal studies suggest it may even help fight cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. The most compelling evidence for its efficacy at the moment comes from studies of epilepsy patients who have seen their seizures reduced with the help of CBD.
Based in part on its reputed curative properties, the compound ...
