In 2013,  a hemp strain known as Charlotte’s Web drew national attention to the therapeutic benefits of cannabidiol (CBD), especially for children suffering from health issues that make them prone to seizures. Developed by six siblings known as “the Stanley Brothers”—the founders of Colorado-based CW Hemp—Charlotte’s Web represents one of hundreds of commercial CBD products now sold throughout the U.S. that contain THC levels of less than 0.3 percent.

The efficacy of Charlotte’s Web and similar hemp strains paved the way for Epidiolex, a hemp-derived CBD solution approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) June 25. Developed by London-based GW Pharmaceuticals to treat patients as young as 2 who suffer seizures caused by two rare epileptic syndromes, Epidiolex is referred to by the federal government as “Cannabidiol Oral Solution” (CBD-OS) and could be legally available as soon as this fall.

Historically, hemp has played an important role as a utilitarian plant; widely deemed a “superfood” today, it’s also consumed as a nutritional supplement. Once the regulatory floodgates are opened, consumer adoption of hemp-derived CBD as a plant-based medicine seems like an obvious and natural next step.

The FDA’s approval of Epidiolex, as well as the recent introduction of the Hemp Farming Act of 2018 in Congress, will help pave the way for the legal sale and distribution of CBD across the United States. This would be viewed as a boon for the entire cannabis category, as it establishes a precedent for the medicinal value of cannabis and should further the acceptance of CBD as a safe and therapeutic treatment option.

Read the article here CBD Reaching a Tipping Point