At some time in the near future, every active investor in America is going to ask him or herself: “What the heck is CBD and why is everyone so hyped about it?”
Here’s a fun fact for you. The legal cannabis market, expanding at its current rate, will grow 350% in the 10 years from 2017 to 2026. It should be at $15 billion next year and $20.9 billion by 2022.
That’s big, right? Well, the CBD market is growing EVEN FASTER.
According to an estimate from analysts the Brightfield Group, the hemp-CBD market alone could hit $22 billion by 2022.
So, as an investor, yeah, I’m interested. Hell yeah.
The 411 on CBD
CBD is shorthand for Cannabidiol, one of over 113 cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. CBD is closely related to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the compound that causes the high that cannabis is famous for. But unlike THC, CBD doesn’t make people feel “stoned.”
So, its use is medical. And it’s been proven to treat epileptic seizures and other ailments in some patients.
In fact, Uncle Sam and other governments have sponsored extensive research that focuses on CBD’s potential as a treatment for a wide range of maladies, including:
- Autoimmune diseases (inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis)
- Neurological conditions (Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, stroke, traumatic brain injury)
- Metabolic syndrome (diabetes, obesity)
- Neuropsychiatric illness (autism, ADHD, PTSD)
- Gut disorders (colitis, Crohn’s disease)
- Skin disease (acne, dermatitis, psoriasis)
There are even physicians who are experimenting with CBD in treating some forms of cancer.
I DO NOT believe CBD is the cure-all that some hype would have you believe. But for some things, it works.
And like many new things that can cure what ails you, it’s getting a lot of attention. Heck, my massage therapist is going to start giving massages with CBD oil. Does that make any difference? Will it soothe anxiety?
I guess I’ll find out, because I’m scheduling a CBD-based treatment when she has them available. Like many people who trade the markets, I get stressed out. A lot. Maybe CBD will help with that stress. Maybe it won’t.
In the meantime, I’m researching CBD like crazy. Here’s a chart from Vital Leaf showing the most popular reasons to use CBD …
Americans are getting more stressed all the time. This tells me that CBD is only going to become more popular.
So what’s the best way to invest in CBD? I have some ideas, but I’m still doing more research. That’s one of the reasons I attended the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Toronto last week. I had a terrific opportunity to meet several of the movers and shakers in the industry — cannabis, hemp, CBD and more.
And now that I’m back in the office today, I’m putting the finishing touches on a new project on this topic. Stay tuned, because there are fortunes to be made, and I want to make sure my readers are ready to build theirs in this exciting — and, pardon the pun, growing — industry.
If you’re doing this on your own, be careful and do plenty of due diligence.
All the best,
Sean
