Eye-Opening CBD Stats for 2020
Statistics are essential because they allow us to learn from unbiased data. When discussing CBD stats and CBD research, we’re able to evaluate trends within the cannabis industry as a whole. These stats can teach us what clinical trials are aiming to prove regarding CBD effects, answer important questions surrounding the consumer trends of commodities like CBD oil, and offer insights into how CBD products stack up against other dietary supplements. Analyzing these statistics can even show us how things like using CBD for chronic pain are gaining acceptance at the federal level.
The CBD industry is chock full of anecdotal evidence: testimony from users that relies heavily on personal opinion. Because of this, it’s difficult to know what to believe about CBD and cannabis in general, especially when it comes to the potential benefits of cannabinoids.
Some users claim that CBD has cured their illnesses; others say it does absolutely nothing. These are the most common examples of anecdotal evidence within the CBD industry and should be taken with a grain of salt.
With statistics, however, the numbers don’t lie. In fact, the numbers don’t make any claims at all, merely showing us raw data, which allows us to draw our own conclusions. Properly conducting CBD research and analyzing the corresponding stats are important to know what to believe about CBD effects.
Cannabis Laws: What Do the Stats Show?
Being an election year, 2020 holds a lot of sway for cannabis laws nationwide, both at the local and federal level. Currently, only 12 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized both medical and recreational cannabis. Why is this important for the CBD industry? Because increased legalization leads to an increased acceptance of all cannabis compounds. In turn, this provides more opportunities for clinical trials, allowing us to understand CBD and other cannabinoids further.
All in all, 22 states (without recreational cannabis legislation) already have some system of medicinal cannabis legislation in place. If we take a look at the stats, 12 states could make the jump from medical legalization to total legalization by the end of the year. These states include:
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Delaware
- Hawaii
- Missouri
- Montana
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
That means that about 55 percent of states with some form of cannabis legalization are open to expanding their legislation. If all 12 states pass recreational legislation this Fall, we’ll likely see expanded access to scientific investigation, opening up more possibilities for CBD research.
But that’s not the only statistic to pay attention to. According to a 2016 Pew Research Center poll, 55 percent of Republicans opposed cannabis initiatives in general while 41 percent of Republicans supported the legislation. If we look at an updated Pew poll from 2018, using the same criteria as the 2016 study, Republican support for cannabis legalization rose to 55 percent, with 44 percent opposed.
This shift means that among Republicans – the biggest political party to oppose cannabis laws – support for cannabis rose 14 percent, and opposition fell 11 percent, signifying increased acceptance of cannabinoid research and use among a historically anti-cannabis group.
Among the states that may pass recreational cannabis legislation this year (above), seven (about 58 percent) voted predominantly red in the 2016 election. This also signifies a potential political flip-flop on cannabis legislation, opening the door to future CBD research.
Another statistical key for cannabis laws may lie in South Dakota, the most notoriously anti-cannabis state in the United States. Some have even referred to their current cannabis illegality as “Draconian.” South Dakota also tried to ban CBD products after the federal government legalized the cannabinoid. However, under mounting pressure from South Dakotans and the scientific community, the state may pass both medical and recreational cannabis laws this Fall.
South Dakota hadn’t wavered from voting Republican since 1968 when they helped elect Richard Nixon to the Oval Office. This sudden change to cannabis acceptance could mean two very important things:
- People are forgetting the stereotypes surrounding cannabis. These stereotypes have plagued cannabis legislation for decades, causing people and politicians to completely ignore relevant research regarding cannabinoids. The earliest, credible piece of cannabis research I could find was published in 1950 and dealt with cannabis’ effects on chronic pain. This scientific analysis did not change the legal landscape of cannabis whatsoever, likely due to cannabis’ stereotypes of the time.
- Cannabis acceptance is no longer marred by one powerful political party. This could open the doors to further acceptance and research, as individuals may begin to teach themselves the truth about cannabis and CBD. Citizens could vote pro-cannabis because they’ve been thoughtfully informed by clinical trials, not voting against cannabis legislation just to stand with their party.
If South Dakota can overhaul their outdated cannabis legislation and come into the pro-cannabis fold, we may see many more, historically anti-cannabis states do the same.
Other points of interest that may influence how voters and politicians tackle the future of the CBD and cannabis industries include:
- The Pro-Environment Effect of CBD Products
- CBD’s Acceptance by Parents (one of the largest demographics in the world)
- CBD’s Potential to Solve the Vape Crisis in America
CBD Stats for Health Benefits & Medicinal Research
The future of cannabis laws isn’t the only thing that can be analyzed through CBD research and statistics. We can also understand the furthered acceptance of CBD effects on health. By looking at current medicinal research, we come to see just how far CBD and other cannabinoids have come in just the last few years.
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), there are only 44 clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of CBD treatment on various ailments. Some have been completed, but many are still in the works. However, a whopping 100 percent of these trials were commissioned and approved by the U.S. government starting in 2014 or later.
What do these numbers tell us? Research into CBD is extremely young when compared to other compounds or dietary supplements. Clinical trials of CBD oil were only made possible after public interest into the cannabinoid exploded around 2013, primarily because of the story of a young Charlotte Figi and her struggles with severe childhood epilepsy.
When examining scientific studies into the effects of cannabis in general, not just CBD, the number of clinical trials rises to 404. However, only about 40 percent of trials even began before 2010, and many simply mentioned cannabis as a substance used by a trial participant.
We see from these numbers that scientific interests towards both CBD and other cannabinoids are growing monumentally, and the number of clinical trials into the efficacy of CBD and CBD effects has more than doubled since 2010.
Public Opinion: Is CBD Becoming More Accepted?
As we can see from the raw data, CBD is becoming a more acceptable option for obtaining increased health and wellness. After examining both the legal and scientific statistics regarding CBD and other cannabinoids, what can we learn about user trends surrounding CBD use?
CBD Choice stands in an optimal position: we both research and offer CBD products for sale, able to maintain a well-informed position within the cannabinoid industry. What have we learned from our years of expertise?
What Users Want the Most
At CBD Choice, the most popular CBD products are CBD oil tinctures. In fact, users are at least ten percent more likely to purchase a CBD tincture than any other product.
Why? Because CBD tinctures are known for their purity and accessibility. They can be taken in a variety of different ways and even infused with your favorite foods or drinks. Plus, CBD Choice offers a variety of different CBD oil variations:
The next most popular products are CBD topicals, which serve a slightly different purpose than CBD oil. While CBD tinctures are typically ingested orally via sublingual capillaries, CBD topicals offer a direct-to-skin application, allowing users to target specific areas of the body that may need CBD the most.
Why Users Use CBD
At CBD Choice, we believe in staying in-tune with not only what our customers want, but why they take CBD. Regularly staying up-to-date with user experience allows us to gain a general sense of why so many have taken to CBD treatment.
What do we hear the most? An overwhelming majority of our users state that CBD is most effective at targeting chronic pain, anxiety, and inflammation. Many also believe CBD to be an effective alternative to sometimes chemically-overwhelming dietary supplements.
What we’ve learned from our CBD Choice family seems consistent across CBD statistics. According to a social media review of social media comments conducted in March of this year, over six percent of all comments stated CBD as a potential relief agent for anxiety.
What We Can Learn from CBD Statistics
Statistics are important for us to shape how we approach the CBD and cannabis industries moving forward. With increasing acceptance comes more access to CBD research, and with more access to research comes a greater understanding of CBD’s effects on specific ailments like chronic pain and inflammation.
As of right now, the only FDA-approved medicine containing CBD deals in treating rare and severe forms of childhood epilepsy. Moving forward, we expect to see a surplus of approved uses for CBD and other cannabinoids at the federal level. The statistics show an increased level of interest in CBD and an increase in the number of clinical trials taking place, so the future of CBD may not be far away.
CBD Choice will continue to bring you all the important information about CBD you’ll need. Staying informed – especially with such a lack of credible evidence – is vital for continuing to bring people the health and wellness they deserve.
