8 Men Who Have Impacted the CBD Industry
CBD topicals, gummies, and oil tinctures might be all the rage at the moment, but Cannabidiol use actually dates back thousands of years. As crazy as it may sound, everyone from the ancient Chinese, to George Washington, to professional athletes have played a role in championing this magic plant. With its long and colorful history, CBD uses and discoveries have helped to make the world a healthier and happier place. Now we take a moment to honor the eight innovators who have all had their own special impact on the CBD industry.
Chinese Emperor Shen-Nung
By Guo Xu (1456–c.1529)
The ancient Emperor Shen-Nung, also known as the father of Chinese medicine loved to use plants to heal the various ailments of his subjects. He would create hundreds of drugs, poisons, and antidotes all from wild plants – among them the cannabis plant. The Chinese cultivated the female plant which they used to treat menstruation pain, gout, rheumatism, malaria, constipation and absent mindedness.
George Washington
George Washington, the illustrious founding father of America was actually a prolific grower (if not a smoker) of hemp! At his Mount Vernon homestead he planted and tended to acres of hemp for a variety of uses. In particular, Washington was fond of using the strong hemp fibers that could be spun into either rope or canvas for outfitting his beloved fishing fleet.
Robert S. Cahn and Roger Adams
In the field of science it would be remiss to not honor the work of two great men: Robert S Cahn and Roger Adams. British chemist Cahn was the first to discover the individual cannabinoid and report the partial structure of Cannabinol (CBN). American Adams made significant contributions to science and the future of CBD by identifying and synthesizing cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabinol (CBN) in the early 1940s. In 1942, he won a patent for his method of isolating CBD. Adams was also the first researcher to identify tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)!
Nick & Nate Diaz - MMA Fighters
UFC Superstars and brothers Nick and Nate Diaz have been very vocal about their avid CBD use both pre and post matches. In fact, the brothers are such fans of CBD in treating muscle aches, pains, and inflammation they have even started their own plant based wellness company GAME UP Nutrition which sells high quality, organic, vegan friendly CBD products.
Dr. Joshua Kaplan - Neuroscientist & Professor
A true brainiac with a heart of gold, Dr. Joshua Kaplan is a neuroscientist and science writer who specializes in medicinal cannabis use. As a senior fellow at the University of Washington he is currently working on developing the therapeutic potential of using the endocannabinoid system to treat autism and epilepsy.
Justin Hartfield - founder of Weedmaps
Chances are, if you’ve used your phone to (legally) buy weed or CBD in the last year you have Justin Hartfield to thank! Justin is the creator and former CEO of Weedmaps, a revolutionary SEO based platform that allowed seekers of medical marijuana to find dispensaries and access their medicine in MMJ states. Marketed as ‘Yelp’ for weed, Weedmaps lets users review and rate products and dispensaries.