CBD scene
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CBD scene the FAQ on CBD
EVERY THING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT CBD, BUT DIDN'T KNOW WHO TO ASK
words by TOM GIFFEY SUNNY SKIES CBD
FIRST THINGS FIRST. WHAT EXACTLY IS CBD?
CBD is an abbreviation for cannabidiol, a chemical compound found in the cannabis plant. CBD is one of more than 100 identified cannabinoids. In recent years, it has been promoted as a treatment for a wide range of health concerns, including anxiety, chronic pain, insomnia, seizures, and more. It is available for sale legally in Wisconsin in the form of a distilled oil and in numerous other products.
SO THIS COMES FROM THE SAME PLANT AS MARIJUANA?
Not really. CBD is derived from what is known as industrial hemp, which is a relative of marijuana. Scientifically speaking, both industrial hemp and marijuana are classified as strains of cannabis sativa. While the two kinds of cannabis may look similar – tall, green, and with easily recognizable long-lobed leaves – chemically they are very different. Industrial hemp contains a lot of CBD but very little THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the active ingredient in recreational and medical marijuana. Specifically, to be grown legally in Wisconsin, cannabis plants must have less than 0.3% THC content.
SO CBD DOESN’T GIVE PEOPLE A HIGH?
No, it won’t. While marijuana does contain CBD, it’s the THC that gives that kind of cannabis its psychoactive kick. Because it has such a negligible amount of THC, consuming – even smoking – industrial hemp won’t get you high. In fact, CBD can actually inhibit the impact of THC.
WHY DOES IT SEEM LIKE CBD IS EVERYWHERE THESE DAYS?
Laws and regulations governing cannabis have been in flux at the federal and state levels. In Wisconsin, CBD possession was legalized in 2017, and in 2018 farmers began growing cannabis under the state’s industrial hemp pilot program. Since then, CBD products have appeared on store shelves and a growing number of farmers have cultivated cannabis for a variety of commercial purposes, including CBD production and use for fiber and food.
WHY DO PEOPLE USE CBD?
According to Dr. Rachna Patel, author of “The CBD Oil Solution,” CBD “has been shown to reduce inflammation, intercept pain signals to the
CBD has been promoted as an alternative therapy for a variety of ailments, including chronic pain, anxiety, insomnia, migraines, menstrual cramps, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and more. brain, boost serotonin levels, dampen the flight-or-fight response, and help regulate sleep.” CBD has been promoted as an alternative therapy for a variety of ailments, including chronic pain, anxiety, insomnia, migraines, menstrual cramps, post-traumatic stress disorder, neuropathy, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and more. For such uses, it is sold as a dietary supplement, not a prescription medicine, so it is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The only FDA-approved medical use of CBD is a pharmaceutical drug called Epidiolex, which was OK’d in 2018 to treat two severe forms of epilepsy. Research is ongoing about the medical effects of CBD. According to Dr. Peter Grindspoon of Harvard Medical School, a study found that “CBD applied on the skin could help lower pain and inflammation due to arthritis. Another study demonstrated the
CBD Scene 2020
mechanism by which CBD inhibits inflammatory and neuropathic pain, two of the most difficult types of chronic pain to treat. More study in humans is needed in this area to substantiate the claims of CBD proponents about pain control.”
HOW DOES CBD WORK?
CDB interacts with what is called the endocannabinoid system within our bodies. This system can impact our mood, memory, appetite, perception of pain, and more, and it is impact by substances both produced inside our bodies and outside them (such as CBD and THC). THC fits snugly into certain cannabinoid receptors, causing the brain to release dopamine, which causes a high. CBD molecules also fit into the same receptors, but not in the same way as THC. This causes particular chemical reactions in the body, but not a THC-driven high.
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IS CBD ADDICTIVE?
No. According to a 2017 report by the World Health Organization, “In humans, CBD exhibits no effects indicative of any abuse or dependence potential. ... To date, there is no evidence of public health related problems associated with the use of pure CBD.”
CAN CBD HAVE SIDE EFFECTS?
Yes, it can. “Side effects of CBD include nausea, fatigue, and irritability. CBD can increase the level in your blood of the blood thinner coumadin, and it can raise levels of certain other medications in your blood by the exact same mechanism that grapefruit juice does,” writes Dr. Peter Grindspoon of Harvard Medical School. CBD can also impact the metabolism of some chemotherapy treatments, according to Dr. Brent Bauer, director of the Mayo Clinic Integrative Medicine and Health Research Program. Bauer advises that people talk to their health care providers about using CBD. “I’m very optimistic that there will be something beneficial there,” Bauer said in Mayo Clinic News Network video. “I don’t think it’s going to be magic.”
WHAT KIND OF PRODUCTS CAN I FIND CBD IN? CBD is available in a myriad of overthe-counter products. Most commonly, it’s sold as an oil, which is extracted
CBD scene from the cannabis plant and tested to ensure its THC content is below 0.3%. This oil can be added to topical creams and salves, gummies bath bombs, breath sprays, inhalables – the list goes on.
hear it from the people W E TALK ED TO SOME RE AL CBD USERS ABOU T W H Y THE Y USE IT
COMPILED by TORI JOHNSON
An increasing number of Wisconsin farmers. There were 185 registered growers in the state in 2018, but only 135 of them actually planted industrial hemp, according to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Production. Last year, there were 1,247 registered growers, 850 of who planted a crop – an increase of more than 500%. Those farmers grew about 5,000 acres of industrial hemp. The DATCP is currently taking applications for the 2020 growing season.
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SUNNY SKIES CBD
WHO GROWS CBDPRODUCING HEMP?
WHAT ELSE CAN INDUSTRIAL HEMP BE USED FOR?
Hemp has a myriad of uses. According to a 2018 report by Congressional Research Services, there are an estimated 25,000 products derived from hemp in nine categories: agriculture, textiles, recycling, automotive, furniture, food and beverages, paper, construction materials, and personal care. You can find hemp in everything from twine, diapers, and fiberboard to salad oil, birdseed, animal bedding, and shampoo.
IS HEMP SOMETHING NEW IN WISCONSIN?
Not at all. Before the industrial hemp industry was essentially obliterated by anti-drug laws, Wisconsin was a top hemp state. According to a 2019 article by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, “In the early 1940s, Wisconsin led the country in the production of hemp. University researchers began growing hemp in 1908, and by 1917, farmers had 7,000 acres under cultivation. During World War II, demand for hemp increased due to its utility for making rope. At one point during the war, Wisconsin had 42 hemp mills across the state.” The last legal hemp grower in the nation was the Rens Hemp Co. of Brandon, Wisconsin, which grew its last crop in 1957.
IF CBD IS LEGAL IN WISCONSIN, CAN RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA BE FAR BEHIND?
That’s unclear. Proposals to decriminalize marijuana in Wisconsin have gone nowhere. In his state budget last year, Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, proposed legalizing medical marijuana and decriminalizing possession of up to 25 grams of marijuana for recreational use. However, the Republican majority in the state Legislature removed those provisions from the budget. Meanwhile, medical marijuana is legal in three of Wisconsin’s border state (Minnesota, Illinois, and Michigan) and recreational marijuana use has been legalized in two of them (Michigan and Illinois).
CORA
Age: 40s Occupation: Office manager, “Office Cora” on WAXX 104.5
“I started using CBD products a couple of months ago. The effects have been outstanding. It has helped immensely with inflammation and joint pain. I recently moved to a new house, and as everybody knows, that puts a lot of stress on the body. My muscles were sore and achey. After taking a soak with a CBD bath bomb and applying the CBD lotion, my muscles felt much better. I’ve also been using a daily dose of the CBD tincture. ... I know that there was a stigma around CBD products because of their association with cannabis, but I’m happy that this stigma is starting to lift and that these products are becoming more available for us to use. I bought some CBD products online and had no results. I was skeptical to try Sunny Skies, but gave their products a shot. These are the products that actually provided relief. These are the products that worked for me and are locally produced and you know you are getting what you are paying for.”
JORDAN MUNSON
Age: 22 Occupation: Web-store fulfillment
“CBD use isn’t a constant for me, but it something I do frequently to help with specific things. For extreme sports-related pains (i.e. rock climbing, backpacking, mountain biking) I use a 900mg CBD Pain Cream, usually in specified areas like the shoulders, neck, back, and feet. I’ve had a very pleasant experience using CBD pain cream, and notice a significant level of relaxation in the muscles after using it. On occasion I will also use a small CBD vaporizer with a 350mg cartridge of full spectrum CBD extract and MCT oil to ease anxiety and help with sleeplessness. I have found this doesn’t work as strongly as the direct topical pain cream, but works for what I use it for. I have yet to have a negative experience with CBD. Note: all of the CBD products I use have absolutely 0.00% THC in them.”
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SHAWN C. SCHEMENAUER:
LISA HARRIS GORE
Age: 38 Occupation: Production/brewing assistant
Age: 43 Occupation: Owner of Holy Hemp Company
“I have been using CBD for the past 2-3 years. I’ve only recently (in the past 3-4 months) been using Sunny Skies CBD. I trust Sunny Skies more because it’s locally grown AND processed. Before I wasn’t really sure what I was getting. It helps keep me calm throughout the day when situations can get a little hectic. Right now I only use the Full Spectrum at 1,500mg. I feel the Full Spectrum has more benefits and better results for me. Before I started using CBD I was anxious a lot about stupid little things that come up in dayto-day life. This helps take the edge off of worrying so much. I can’t say it will work for everyone, but I will say if anyone out there is thinking about trying CBD, they have nothing to lose!”
“CBD has changed my health and my family’s health in a number of ways including: no longer needing ADHD meds for my son, no more pain medications due to inflammation issues and we all sleep better then we ever have! CBD and other cannabinoids have helped us in ways we never expected, so much so that we began growing legal hemp right here in Eau Claire and have begun helping countless others with their health also. We use CBD oil, the capsules, a concentrated paste, a topical salve, a safe and effective CBD vape, and the flower of the plant daily. CBD works and is something EVERYONE needs to help the body heal itself. CBD is the TOOL to help the body become more balanced and healthy!”
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CLAYTON YEAZLE Age: 25 Occupation: Bartender
“Having dealt with back pain since 2016, I was desperate for relief when the issue came to a crippling peak in early 2018. Priceland Hemp in Black River Falls was the first hemp shop in Wisconsin at that time so for 45 minutes I dealt with the extreme pain that car rides gave me to hopefully find some relief. I bought a 1 gram CBD joint, smoked it, and headed back to Eau Claire. To my surprise, I had no discomfort to speak of throughout the ride. Ever since that day I have continued to use CBD flower, ingestible oils, and topical salves because I found that they are the best natural herbal alternatives in many aspects whether it was relieving anxieties, pain, or even helping me fall and stay asleep. With so few side effects and seemingly so many benefits, I recommend anyone that suffers from frequent pains, anxieties, or troubles with sleep to give CBD an honest try and see what relief you may find.”
CBD scene budding industry
CULT I VAT ING HEMP IN T HE CHIPPE WA VA L L E Y OF F ERS OPP OR T UNI T IE S, PI T FA L L S
words by TOM GIFFEY / PHOTOS BY ANDREA PAULSETH LIKE THE CANNABIS PLANT ITSELF – which grows
from a tiny seed to a Christmas-tree sized bush in just a few months – the cultivation of industrial hemp has exploded nationwide over the past two years. Wisconsin, the pre-Prohibition king of industrial hemp, hasn’t been immune to the post-legalization boom: In 2018, 135 licensed industrial hemp growers planted a crop in the state, a number that ballooned to 850 last year. Likewise, the number of acres of hemp grown in Wisconsin expanded from 1,872 in 2018 to about 5,000 last year, many of them in the Chippewa Valley. Many farmers have been eager to get into the hemp business, largely because of a boom in the use of CBD, the nonpsychoactive compound in hemp that users say helps them with inflammation, anxiety, and more. But experts and hemp growers themselves know that the promise of cannabis cultivation is tempered by the uncertainty that comes with any kind of agriculture, particularly one that is so new. On a frigid evening in January, Dr. Heather Darby, an agronomic and soils specialist for the University of Vermont Extension, spoke to a roomful of farmers at session about industrial hemp at Sleep Inn & Suites outside Eau Claire. “There’s definitely opportunities,” Darby said about the hemp boom. “But we have to remember that hemp really just became a legal crop.” Nationwide, she said, half a million acres of industrial hemp were planted in 2019, about half of it grown without an identified market. “The markets and the industry itself is just really getting started,” she cautioned. “Our enthusiasm is way ahead of where everything else is that this point.” Jerry Clark, UW Extension agriculture agent in Chippewa County, said local hemp farmers are raising the plant for CBD, rather than for seed, fiber, or other purposes. There isn’t yet a sufficient market for hemp fiber in the state, he said. However, one might develop: Last growing season, the Chippewa County Extension office grew a small test plot of industrial hemp as part of a UW-Madison research project. Because the industry is so new and the plant requires lots of handson attention, hemp cultivation is very time-consuming, farmers say. “Growing quality CBD hemp is more like tending a vegetable garden than farming mass row crops or managing a hay field,” said Allegra Schafer, proprietor of Chippewa Valley-based Monarch Hill Hemp and Botanicals. Harvesting is a timeconsuming physical job, and it takes hundreds of hours to hand-shuck and
We have been losing the value of what small farms offer our communities," said Allegra Schafer of Monarch Hill Hemp. "We finally have the chance to grow something of real value.” trim the plants, and additional time to dry them for storage, she said. Monarch Hill grew its first crop of hemp last year, planting four varieties on several acres, and they hope to boost production to 5 acres in 2020. The business focuses on using organic methods and tending crops from start to finish. Getting into hemp cultivation is costly: Seeds can cost $1 to $2 each. There are license and testing fees, expensive equipment, and volatile markets to deal with. Furthermore, Schafer said, largescale processors seemed uninterested in working with small farmers, which led her business to process its own CBD oil, which Schafer says she uses herself for its many benefits, including joint pain relief, better sleep, and better mood. Beyond its many uses – not only CBD but also producing clothing, animal feed, plastic, and fuel – Schafer sees the return of hemp as a boon to Wisconsin agriculture, which has seen hundreds of dairy farms vanish annually. “We want to keep our farm, too,” Schafer said. “The representatives of the state are finally allowing farmers to get back to growing hemp. They realize the small farms in the state are disappearing or are in serious trouble. We have been losing the value of what small farms offer our communities. … We finally have the chance to grow something of real value.” Mike Hanson, CEO of operations for Everything Hemp LLC – which grew 5 acres of hemp last year near Glen Flora and also processes hemp for other growers – is optimistic about both his business and the industry in general. “I’m a big true believer in nature,” Hanson said. “I’m all about what comes out of that field, as little processing as possible into a high-quality carrier oil and into
CBD Scene 2020
MONARCH HILL HEMP
THE HARVEST AT EVERYTHING HEMP
the body. That’s where I’ve found the best relief, personally.” Everything Hemp has been selling its products online and through distributors and other retailers. “The marketing and advertising on this stuff has been tough,” Hanson said. “This is really a grassroots product right now.” And even if Wisconsin were to legalize recreational marijuana, as some of its neighbors have, Hanson doesn’t think the CBD market will suffer. Even
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in states where recreational marijuana is legal, he said, the CBD market dwarfs the marijuana market. CBD users aren’t chasing a high; instead, in Hanson’s words, they are seeking relief from the “creaks and squeaks” that come with aging. Hanson said most of his customers are women aged 45 and older. “They’re not going to get up in the morning and take a high THC tincture when they’re got to get the kids out the door and go to work,” he said.
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CBD scene
CHRIS BUSKE OF WONDERS OF NATURE HEMP PRODUCTS
getting into the business
THREE CBD RE TAILERS SHARE THEIR THOUGH T S, PR AC TICES IN A TRICK Y M ARK E T
words by LAUREN FISHER / photos by andrea paulseth GETTING INTO CBD SALES COMES WITH ALL THE SAME CHALLENGES OF STARTING UP ANY BUSINESS, plus the uncertainty
of wading into a newly legal industry with evolving regulations and a customer base that’s often just as new to the game. Every day comes with new questions, new answers, new problems, and new solutions, but the people who are getting into the market are dedicated to their products and their customers.
“The workload on opening a business is just insane,” said Christopher Buske, owner of Wonders of Nature Hemp Products (416 S. Barstow St., Eau Claire). “And this industry takes it tenfold, a hundredfold more complicated, just because nobody knows anything because it’s brand new.” CBD is short for cannabidoil, a derivative of hemp that people use to treat pain, sleeplessness, anxiety, and many other ailments. Buske is licensed by the state of
CBD Scene 2020
Wisconsin to make his own hemp products, and carries a range of oils, cannabis flowers, and more. Just getting people in the door can be a challenge, he said. Many people associate hemp and CBD with other substances, behaviors, or aesthetics they are uncomfortable with, making them hesitant to explore the topic. Buske tries to make people feel welcome by maintaining a calm, quiet atmosphere. Wonders of Nature is clean without being clinical, with a
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social space in the front where people will soon be able to hang out and enjoy CBD-infused baked goodies. “I see this as medicine, and if people don’t feel comfortable with something then they’re not going to be as accepting of it,” Buske said. Because the substance is relatively new to the legal market, people also have little reference to determine fair prices or good quality. Buske hears stories about people paying high prices for low-quality CBD oils and not
CBD scene
E OF TURE UCTS
experiencing the benefits he believes are possible. This gives the industry a bad name, he said, so he invests all he can in giving each customer a good experience at a fair price, building his reputation as a reputable merchant. Buske came to the business when a family member asked him to help her find legal, quality CBD products to treat symptoms she was struggling with. A personal connection is a common thread among CBD retail operations; Mellissa Bellovary, owner of Your CBD Store (1418 S. Hastings Way, Eau Claire), benefitted from the use of CBD products before going into business. “I didn’t have any intention of starting my own store, but I started using the product and I was amazed with my results,” she said. “I feel like it’s a way to help people with another option. Whatever they’re searching for, I hope we have something that will work.” Bellovary sells a wide range of SunMed CBD products, including oils, water solubles, bath bombs, and even pet products. Azara, a statewide retail chain specializing in tobacco products, vaporizers, pipes, and smoking accessories, expanded its offerings to include CBD products when the substance became legal in Wisconsin. While Azara Vape (2510 London Road, Eau Claire), offers hemp cigarettes, CBD vape liquids, and tinctures in its dark, edgy store, right next door their subsidiary business, Evolution Hemp (2600 London Road), sells a wider variety of products in a calmer environment. “Most people who come into the Azara stores are looking for our pipes, our tobacco products, and then they see the CBD,” although some come on recommendation from friends who have enjoyed the benefits of CBD products, said JP Parker, who does marketing for Azara. Their customers range in age and lifestyle from 18-year-old college
students to middle-aged parents and even grandparents, which is true for Bellovary and Buske as well. Quality control and product security is a huge focus of Buske’s business. He personally evaluates the farms that he sources his hemp from, keeping meticulous records of the THC content (the psychoactive ingredient in recreational and medical marijuana) in the raw product. To be legal in Wisconsin, hemp and hemp-derived products need to have less than 0.3% THC content. Buske documents his processing procedures, gets things third-party tested for legal compliance, and packages his finished items with security seals to ensure that the product in a container is exactly what it’s supposed to be. Azara’s products come from a wider range of distributors, who should be able to provide paperwork of thirdparty testing for legal compliance, Parker said. Your CBD Store deals with a single distributor which provides proof of quality and legality, reducing the burden on Bellovary to track down lots of paperwork. Buske keeps an open dialogue with local government officials and law enforcement agencies about hemp and CBD. He hopes that in doing so, he can educate people, and that informed citizens and representatives can make wise decisions as they create and enforce product regulation. Some CBD retailers are looking ahead to potential marijuana legalization in Wisconsin, viewing the product as a stepping stone to what they perceive as the enhanced healing possibilities of the full plant. Buske looks to other states that have decriminalized or legalized all cannabis for instruction, trying to stay ahead of the curve. “I’m playing the long game, basically, and I want to do it right,” Buske said.
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CBD scene sunny disposition
SUNN Y SK IE S CBD IN DUR A ND S AY S T HE F U T URE L OOK S BRIGH T F OR T HE NE W INDUS T R Y
words by TOM GIFFEY / PHOTOS BY ANDREA PAULSETH ON DURAND’S MAIN STREET YOU CAN CATCH A GLIMPSE of what could be a big
part of rural Wisconsin’s future: There, just past the City Hill, across the street from the Courier-Wedge newspaper office, and next door to the RoosterTail Bar & Grill, is the headquarters of Sunny Skies CBD, one of that CBD-related businesses that have proliferated in the state in the past two years. Literally and figuratively, Sunny Skies is a homegrown company, selling products made from industrial hemp (aka cannabis) grown on in west-central Wisconsin. As with most growers and processors in Wisconsin’s budding hemp industry, Sunny Skies is focused on CBD – otherwise known as cannabidiol – a non-psychoactive compound in hemp that is used as a supplement to treat a range of health concerns. In one short year, Sunny Skies has gone from only an idea to a bustling business with big plans. “We want to be the premiere Midwest CBD brand,” CEO and co-founder Ben Rippley said. “It shouldn’t be be too difficult because it’s all just starting.” Rippley co-founded the company with Durand native Pete Adler, a lifelong friend of his father’s. Rippley grew up in Colorado, where he previously worked for a CBD product manufacturer, but he frequently visited his grandparents in Durand growing up. A little more than a year ago Rippley’s father, John, read about the
upcoming second year of Wisconsin’s hemp pilot program. One thing led to another, and Rippley decided to relocate to the Badger State and get into the
CBD Scene 2020
hemp business. Last spring, plants were started in a greenhouse, and by summer they were flourishing on 10 acres in Somerset and Arkansaw. When dried, the result was about 20,000 pounds of hemp with a 21% concentration of CBD. The figure pleased Rippley, who said he would have been happy with 10%. And it’s that CBD – not the psychoactive THC that gets marijuana users high – that’s key to businesses such as Sunny
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Skies, which has converted most of a former auto dealership into a high-tech extraction and production facility. During a recent tour, processing engineer Hunter Adler demonstrated the equipment that extracts CBD from the hemp. Dried biomass – essentially, the shucked flowers and leaves of the cannabis plant – are placed in filter bags inside an extractor tank. Here, the aromatic plant material is bathed
CBD scene “It’s still the beginning," Sunny Skies CEO Ben Rippley said. "The more research comes out, the more people will try it. The more people try it, the more people will keep using it, because it works.” in supercooled ethanol, which acts as a solvent to remove CBD. The resulting product is run through a centrifuge and heated in another machine to remove the remaining ethanol. Finally, it is run twice through a still, which produces jars of golden-colored, CBD-rich distillate. At Sunny Skies, large Ball jars are filled with the rich fluid, which resembles honey or iced tea. The distilled CBD may then be used in so-called full-spectrum products (which contain trace amounts of THC but are below the legal threshold of 0.3%) or in products that are tested to be entirely THC free. Like most CBD businesses, Sunny Skies produces a range of products aimed as a variety of consumers. The most popular are CBD tinctures: Sold in small bottles with droppers, tinctures are mixtures of isolated CBD oil in a carrier oil (MCT, or medium chain triglyceride oil), and flavoring. There are also CBD cremes for aching joints, pet tinctures, bath bombs, breath sprays, and more. Sunny Skies also produces products that are intended to be inhaled, such as “shatters,” which are made to be vaporized and smoked with a technique called dabbing. CBD businesses must walk a fine line in promoting their products. Rob Griffin, Sunny Skies’ director of marketing, said specific claims about the curative properties of CBD are a no-no because CBD – while legal – isn’t approved as a treatment by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Like vitamins and supplements, CBD products typically carry disclaimers such as “These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.” Because of this, Sunny Skies and other businesses rely on testimonials from customers who have found that using CBD has helped ease pain, inflammation, anxiety, insomnia, and
Sunny Skies CBD in Durand grows its own industrial hemp (left), which is distilled and refined (facing page) to remove THC, the psychotropic compound in marijuana. The final product goes into tinctures and other formulations that are sold in stores and online.
other problems. Through advertising and social media, Griffin said Sunny Skies is focused on educating the public about what CBD is – and what it isn’t: For example, a recent Facebook post began with the question, “Will CBD get me high?” (The
CBD Scene 2020
short answer is “no.”) Colorado, Rippley’s former home, is at the forefront of cannabis culture, having been the first state to legalize recreational marijuana in 2012. By contrast, Wisconsin’s hemp industry is still in its formative stages, which gives
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businesses such as Sunny Skies the chance to become big players. At the moment, Rippley estimates his business is one of the larger CBD processors in Wisconsin, although he’s quickly to point out there are only a handful of processors in the state and that no Midwest CBD brands are among the top 25 nationwide. “I don’t see any reason why it would slow down,” Rippley said of the rapid growth of the CBD industry in Wisconsin. While producers and retail outlets have proliferated in the past two years, Rippley notes that most people still haven’t tried CBD, which means a huge, untapped market remains. “It’s still the beginning,” he said. “The more research comes out, the more people will try it. The more people try it, the more people will keep using it, because it works.” Learn more about Sunny Skies CBD at sunnyskiescbd.com or find them on Facebook.