The popularity of CBD has been fueled by many factors, such as its recent legalization and a growing body of scientific evidence that indicates its potential benefits being chief among them. 1 in 7 Americans has tried CBD in the past year, an astonishingly high number or a product that was just legalized.
Marketing dollars have also flowed heavily into the CBD area, and many of those dollars have been used to secure celebrity endorsements and testimonials. Indeed, celebrities have been a big part of why CBD has become popular. Here’s a look at how celebrities have used CBD, both in terms of their personal lives and paid endorsements.
Celebrities and CBD Use
It has been said that celebrities are truly no different than the population which exalts them. When it comes to CBD, this has proven to be a correct statement. Many celebrities use CBD for a variety of reasons, including anxiety and pain reduction. Indeed, many articles have been written about just this subject.
The specific uses for celebrities and CBD have ranged wildly. For example, Kim Kardashian said that she hoped her baby shower would be CBD-themed. Indeed, her baby shower was CBD themed, resulting in later articles from people who tried the CBD products she received at that shower. Jennifer Aniston told reporters that CBD helped her with pain and anxiety. Victoria’s Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio swears that CBD helps her with anxiety and says she takes it before a big show in order to ensure that she gets a good eight hours of sleep. Dakota Johnson says CBD is the only thing that helps her get to sleep on planes. Many celebrities, such as Mandy Moore, say that CBD helps them deal with the pain of standing on a red carpet for hours at a time.
Sports stars and boxers have also said they use CBD to help them recover from fights or injuries. Former NFL Quarterback Jake Plummer has said that CBD helped him heal from major hip injuries, and boxer Nate Diaz has said that CBD helped him reduce inflammation and recover from injuries.
The above paragraphs barely scratch the surface of the interaction between celebrities and CBD use. In all of these cases, celebrities are just commenting that they use CBD. In many cases, however, famed actors, actresses, and sports stars have gone even further.
Endorsements and Sponsorships
One of the primary ways in which celebrities now endorse products is by putting up positive mentions of them on their social media (usually Instagram). In this regard, many celebrities have been extremely active. For example, Kim and Khloe Kardashian have both been paid upwards of six figures to formally endorse CBD brands and do so on their personal (and wildly popular) Instagram pages.
Of course, sponsorships have also been a big part of CBD advertisements. Take Joe Rogan, the comedian, MMA commentator, and podcaster. Rogan has repeatedly used his podcast to discuss the various benefits of THC and CBD. Rogan once hosted famed entrepreneur and futurist Elon Musk, who proceeded to smoke marijuana on the show, ultimately costing Musk his job as chair of Tesla. Rogan’s podcast is now sponsored by two CBD companies.
Celebrity CBD Brands
In some cases, celebrities have gone even further than discussing CBD’s benefits or endorsing a specific product: They have gone to create their own CBD line. For example, Mike Tyson has unveiled his own line of CBD drinks called “DWiiNK” (the name is a plat on Tyson’s famous lisp). The actor, comedian, and noted marijuana enthusiast Tommy Chong created a CBD line called “Chong’s Choice.” Chong credits CBD for helping him to fight off prostate cancer. Melissa Ethridge is also creating her own CBD line after using the product to help her recovery from breast cancer.
Celebrities and Normalizing CBD
The rapid endorsement of CBD by celebrities and sports stars all feeds into a normalization of CBD in our culture. On one hand, this is a good thing: While research is still being conducted, it does seem apparent that CBD has the potential to be extremely helpful at addressing numerous issues. Celebrity use and endorsements can help to bring attention to CBD’s benefits.
On the other hand, don’t be fooled or allow the endorsement of a popular celebrity to steer you to one brand over another. While celebrity endorsements can be powerful, they don’t inherently mean that one brand is better than another – they just mean that a specific company has been able to obtain the financial backing necessary to earn the praise of a highly prominent individual.
No matter what you think of a celebrity, you should only purchase CBD which is high quality, affordable and independently tested for accuracy. This way, you ensure that you are consuming nothing but the best and healthiest CBD.