Home About Archives RSS Feed

The Independent Investor: CBD Is a Real Market

By Bill SchmickiBerkshires columnist
Cannabidiol is popping up all over the country. Local drug stores, supermarkets and health food shops, among other retailers, can't seem to get enough of this stuff on the shelves. Is this a fad, a fake, or does it have some real health benefits?
 
It's called CBD, for short, and this oil can be eaten, inhaled, and/or applied to the skin.  It is a substance extracted from the flowers and buds of the marijuana and hemp plant. And no, before you ask, you can't get high from it.  
 
Back in the day, (when I had hair to my shoulders, along with my buckskin jacket) I simply smoked marijuana or ate it in cookies. It contained THC. THC, a chemical, attaches to the CB1 receptors in the brain and triggers all those familiar sensations like increased appetite, giddiness, moods swings, etc.  Unlike THC, CBD was at first thought to attach to the CB2 receptors, which does not trigger psychoactive sensations. You don't get a buzz from it, although for someone like me that is no longer important.
 
The FDA allows CBD to be prescribed for epileptic seizure disorders and other ailments, but the research for other uses is till ongoing. Most consumers are using it for things like anti-inflammation and pain, especially for arthritis and injuries. Diabetes and acne are also conditions where CBD is used. Others believe it may have properties to treat Alzheimer's disease. Whether any of these claims are true, will be borne out in time through research.
 
Given my own arthritis issues, I decided not to wait to try it on my neck problems. It worked. The pain vanished for an entire day. I gave some to my neighbor, who has the same condition. It worked on him as well. Certainly, that is no scientific study, just personal experience. Now, what you should know is that CBD can be derived from both hemp and marijuana plants, which are similar, but not identical. Thanks to the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, hemp is now legal to grow and sell. Marijuana is not.  The CBD, which is derived from hemp is legal, as long as it contains less than 0.3 percent THC.
 
Sales of hemp-derived CBD oil four years ago was around $90 million. By next year, sales are estimated to top $450 million. If, over the next year or so, the federal government allows marijuana-derived CBD to be legally sold, the CBD market could generate as much as $1.2 billion in revenues.
 
CBD crystals are the purest form of the product. It can be dabbed, made into a tincture, or used as an edible by mixing it with high-fat foods. Topicals and salves can be sold as soap, lotions, even shampoos. It can be inhaled as a wax or inhaled as a vapor, as well as eaten in chocolates, baked goods, and even gummy bears. Pills and capsules are now marketed as nutritional supplements as well.
 
By the way, Titus, our ten-year-old Chocolate Lab, has been eating CBD-infused snacks for over two months now. Like me, Titus suffers from arthritis (me in the neck/back, him in both shoulders). Since he has many of the same brain receptors that I do, CBD works well on his arthritis as well
 
While pot stocks overall remain the darlings of the stock market, at least those companies that sell the legal form of CBD may have some real value. As for the companies that market the THC-based products, the risk is much higher. Under federal laws, growing and selling marijuana is not legal, at least until the U.S. government and more states pass new legislation that would legalize those products. That should happen within the next 12-18 months, according to both company managements as well as some legislators.
 
Bill Schmick is registered as an investment adviser representative and portfolio manager with Berkshire Money Management (BMM), managing over $400 million for investors in the Berkshires.  Bill's forecasts and opinions are purely his own. None of the information presented here should be construed as an endorsement of BMM or a solicitation to become a client of BMM. Direct inquiries to Bill at 1-888-232-6072 (toll free) or email him at Bill@afewdollarsmore.com.

 

     

Support Local News

We show up at hurricanes, budget meetings, high school games, accidents, fires and community events. We show up at celebrations and tragedies and everything in between. We show up so our readers can learn about pivotal events that affect their communities and their lives.

How important is local news to you? You can support independent, unbiased journalism and help iBerkshires grow for as a little as the cost of a cup of coffee a week.

News Headlines
Pittsfield Super Details Emergency Communication with Families
Weekend Outlook: Bazaars, First Friday and Day of the Dead
Are your heirs ready to receive an inheritance?
Berkshire Organizations Awarded Food Security Infrastructure Grants
MCLA Announces the MountainOne Fund
Greylock Federal Promotes Assistant Vice President, Market Manager
Greylock School Project Moves Into Detailed Design Stage
MCLA Awaits for News on Donor Gift
Lanesborough Select Board Decreases Bailey Road Speed Limit
Pittsfield Licensing Board Says Bar Responded Properly to Melee
 
 


Categories:
@theMarket (506)
Independent Investor (452)
Retired Investor (214)
Archives:
October 2024 (9)
September 2024 (7)
August 2024 (9)
July 2024 (8)
June 2024 (7)
May 2024 (10)
April 2024 (6)
March 2024 (7)
February 2024 (8)
January 2024 (8)
December 2023 (9)
November 2023 (5)
Tags:
Bailout Federal Reserve Pullback Crisis Jobs Oil Rally Interest Rates Metals Congress Retirement Banks Economy Japan President Election Markets Stimulus Recession Taxes Qeii Energy Currency Unemployment Deficit Europe Commodities Greece Stock Market Selloff Stocks Debt Ceiling Fiscal Cliff Debt Euro
Popular Entries:
The Independent Investor: Don't Fight the Fed
Independent Investor: Europe's Banking Crisis
@theMarket: Let the Good Times Roll
The Independent Investor: Japan — The Sun Is Beginning to Rise
Independent Investor: Enough Already!
@theMarket: Let Silver Be A Lesson
Independent Investor: What To Expect After a Waterfall Decline
@theMarket: One Down, One to Go
@theMarket: 707 Days
The Independent Investor: And Now For That Deficit
Recent Entries:
The Retired Investor: Betting on Elections Comes of Age
@theMarket: Election Unknowns Keep Markets on Edge
The Retired Investor: Natural Diamonds Take Back Seat to Lab-Grown Stones
@theMarket: As Election Approaches, Markets' Volatility Should Increase
The Retired Investor: Politics and Crypto, the New Bedfellows
@theMarket: Stocks Make Record Highs Despite a Wall of Worry
The Retired Investor: Back to the Future in Nuclear Energy
@theMarket: A Week to Remember
The Retired Investor: Economic Storm Clouds Could Be Just Around the Corner
@theMarket: China Stimulus Boosts World Markets