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If it feels like CBD products are everywhere these days, it’s because they are. From health store tinctures to infused lattes and deodorant, cannabidiol is having quite the moment, and the end is nowhere in sight. But when it comes to quantifying cannabidiol’s popularity, the industry’s rapid growth and lack of regulations has made sales data scarce. 

Thankfully, that’s where Gallup, one of America’s most respected polling institutions, comes in. According to Gallup’s latest tracking data, 14% of all American adults are using some form of cannabis or hemp-derived CBD. Extrapolated to the total US population, that’s more than 50 million Americans.

As for the other 86% of US residents, Gallup’s poll shows that 35% of the country has still not even heard of CBD, while 50% know what the cannabinoid is but have not used it. To reach their research goals, Gallup pollsters surveyed 2,543 adults living in all 50 states and Washington DC from June 19th to July 12th. 

Broken down by age, the new survey indicates that CBD is most popular with Americans between the ages of 18-29, with 20% of that cohort saying they use cannabidiol. And while adults aged 30-49 use CBD at a rate 2% higher than the national average, only 8% of those 65 and older said they had used a product containing the non-psychoactive cannabinoid. Regionally, more than one fifth of all West Coast residents said they had tried CBD, while Americans in the East, South, and Midwest all reported below average consumption rates.

Gallery — Feel-Good CBD Memes You Can’t Get High On: 

CBD first gained national attention in state-legal medical marijuana programs, but the expansion of hemp-derived cannabidiol over the past few years has created a new industry separate from legal weed altogether. Last year, the 2018 Farm Bill was passed by the federal government, meaning low-THC hemp and its derivatives are now legal across the nation. In the months since the Farm Bill passed, the CBD industry has grown more rapidly than ever.

But even with the option for CBD edibles, oils, topicals, tinctures, vapes, and more available at seemingly every storefront, most Americans are using those products to help combat a few specific ailments. According to Gallup, 40% of positive respondents said they used CBD to help with pain, with an additional 20% saying the cannabinoid helps them with anxiety, and 11% saying they use CBD for sleep or insomnia. 

Since the hemp CBD industry is exploding so quickly, the FDA is currently in the process of constructing comprehensive rules and regulations, in part to combat rampant cases of product mislabeling. But even without government oversight, it’s safe to say that the CBD trend is here to stay. 

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