Not even the most optimistic CBD oil manufacturers could have predicted how popular their product would become. But why has CBD become so popular, and so suddenly?
The market for supplements has always been big. Cod liver oil, multivitamins, and more recent trends like turmeric tablets have all been very popular. CBD oil is just one of many supplements that have seemed to explode in popularity suddenly. What you may have missed is that CBD was popular with a smaller audience before it gained a national platform.
For the majority of the public, it seemed like a few years ago, CBD oil came out of nowhere. But there were lots of people who had been taking CBD for a long time before that. Here’s why it seems like CBD became popular suddenly!
1) When Was CBD Oil Made Legal?
Put the above questions to a regular person, and they might answer that CBD became popular after it was legalised. This seems like common sense, and chimes well with news from around the world of cannabis being made legal. It stands to reason that CBD oil, being a cannabis product, was legalised not long ago?
In reality, products made from hemp like CBD have been legal for a very long time already. It’s been legal to grow hemp in the UK for decades, and products made from hemp have been sold for just as long: things like T-shirts, paper, and other consumables. All you need is a licence from the Home Office.
If you didn’t know, there’s an important distinction between hemp and cannabis. Cannabis is a term that refers to a family of plants. In that family, there are different strains. Some strains have more of the chemical compound that gets you ‘high’, which is THC. These strains are illegal to grow and consume in the U.K.
Hemp, though, is a strain that has almost no THC. It also just so happens to have lots of CBD, a different but related compound. CBD doesn’t get you high but seems to have other effects on our bodies instead. This means that CBD isn’t going to be banned.
2) CBD in High Street Shops
One of the main reasons why CBD seemed to explode onto the scene was because of a big marketing push by high street stores like Holland & Barrett. Big chains that offer supplements like these saw a market of untapped potential and decided to start stocking CBD products.
Why did this change happen so suddenly? It’s likely because of a big change in attitudes towards cannabis and cannabis products. There has been a push worldwide to legalise cannabis, which has been successful in many countries. While the U.K. hasn’t yet legalised cannabis and doesn’t currently plan on doing so, it’s the change in attitudes that matters most here.
To be clear, CBD doesn’t have the same effects as marijuana anyway. But given how much CBD marketing relies on its relation to cannabis, twenty years ago, this could only have brought a negative reaction. But today, with cannabis being less frowned upon than it once was, the public’s perception of CBD oil wouldn’t necessarily have been negative too.
3) Is CBD a Cure-All?
Another reason why CBD has become so popular is that it’s currently not tightly regulated. This has allowed unscrupulous manufacturers and influencers to essentially brand it as a cure-all.
If you read a lot about CBD, you will have encountered this in action. You’ll have heard that it can cure a thousand and one different conditions. You’ll also have read lots of vague things about ‘wellness’ (or similar) which suggests that CBD is helpful, but doesn’t outright say so.
According to the letter of the law, you’re not allowed to say these things. That’s because CBD hasn’t yet been proven scientifically to have beneficial medical effects. But this law isn’t strictly adhered to, or strictly enforced.
As such, lots of manufacturers and marketers have been given leave to say whatever they want about CBD with impunity. This is unfortunate, because not only is it misleading, but it damages CBD’s reputation. Given that it may have real benefits to people who take it, that’s a real shame.
As of now, people are relying on anecdotal evidence to back their claims. That’s not necessarily the worst thing in the world. People’s experiences are real, and you may have a positive experience with CBD, too, if you decide to take it as a supplement. But until these claims are backed by scientific data, it’s too soon to say what beneficial effects CBD might have.
4) There Are More Manufacturers than Ever Before
With the rush of consumers wanting to buy CBD oil for the first time, there has been a commensurate rush of manufacturers wanting to make the stuff. It’s the same with any new market: people wanting to make a fast buck are joined by big-name brands wanting to get in on the action. In between are regular companies like Hempura just trying to make a quality product!
Either way, this means the market gets packed. With manufacturers rushing to make the product, and consumers looking to buy it, there can only be one result: more, more, more!
This can be both a good and a bad thing. It’s good because more competition means greater choice for the consumer. If you want to buy CBD oil today, you can choose from high quality or low price offers. There are also different kinds of oil you can buy, with different CBD concentrations, and manufactured in different ways.
However, it can also be a bad thing. Low-quality manufacturers can flood the market with poor quality oil, which means that many people’s first experience with CBD won’t be as positive as it could be. And given that the sale of CBD isn’t highly regulated, that’s a distinct possibility. When you buy your CBD, you have to take careful note of reviews and ratings or you could end up with dud oil. More important than anything, though, is that CBD oil is bringing positive change to people’s lives. There’s no better reason to try some today!
Last Updated on 08/06/2023
