There are a ton of different CBD brands on the market, but none have had quite the same impact on the industry as Charlotte’s Web CBD. This brand has been around since the beginning and paved the way for the CBD industry as we know it today.
This brand started with the best of intentions; to help a young girl named Charlotte Figi live a healthier and happier life. They spent countless hours developing some of the finest CBD available and dealt with an unbelievable amount of scrutiny for going out on a limb to help a little girl.
In this article, we’ll explore the impressive world of Charlotte’s Web. We’ll discuss how it all started, the incredible mission that they undertook, and introduce you to the amazing little girl who inspired it all. This story is not a happy one, but it is indeed beautiful and has shaped the world of CBD as we know it.
An Introduction to Charlotte Figi
Charlotte Figi was an American girl who suffered from Dravet syndrome. She was born on October 18th, 2006, to parents Matt and Paige Figi. Charlotte was only 3 months old when she had her first seizure, but it was only the beginning of a journey that no child should have to suffer through.
As Charlotte got older her Dravet syndrome got worse. By the age of 5, she suffered up to 300 gran mal seizures per week. She had difficulty speaking, taking care of her basic needs, and could’t live a normal life. Doctors informed her parents that any one of her seizures could be fatal and they didn’t know how to help her. This was terrifying news for Matt and Paige. It inspired them to delve into research in hopes that they could find any way to help their child.
The Struggle to Help Charlotte
There is no cure for Dravet syndrome and the medicine the doctors were providing Charlotte wasn’t helping reduce her number of seizures. Her parents scoured the internet trying to find a way to help their daughter. In 2012, Paige Figi finally decided to incorporate Marijuana into Charlotte’s treatment. This was a highly controversial decision.
The use of medical marijuana was still fairly new in 2012. There wasn’t much information supporting its medical merits and the general public had their own perception of the plant. The problem with giving Marijuana to a child is that it is intoxicating. What many people didn’t understand was that Charlotte’s parents were giving her Marijuana oil that had a very low THC content and a high concentration of CBD.
Charlotte experienced an immediate reaction to the oil. She suddenly went from experiencing 300 gran mal seizures per week to just 2-3 per month. The results were nothing short of incredible. It didn’t matter that doctors and scientists weren’t able to explain this because the results were so apparently positive.
The Stanley Brothers
When Charlotte’s parents were searching for a way to help their child, they reached out to the Stanley Brothers. Since 2009, the Stanley Brothers have been committed to growing medical marijuana for people who suffer from serious illnesses. Though they were heavily involved in the world of THC, they were also looking into leveraging the medicinal potential of a compound called Cannabidiol. CBD (cannabidiol) boasts many of the same benefits that users experience with THC, but CBD is completely non-intoxicating. They began finding ways to craft hemp oil that contained minuscule amounts of THC but offered a high concentration of CBD. This carefully crafted CBD-rich oil was called “Hippies Disappointment” and was the CBD oil that was administered to Charlotte Figi. The name probably reflects the fact that this oil wouldn’t get you “high”, but was strictly used for medicinal purposes. After seeing the effects of this oil on Charlotte, the name was changed to Charlotte’s Web.
Media Attention and a Renewed Public Perspective
Charlotte’s situation caused a media storm. Giving Maijuana to a minor is illegal, but the results were undeniably positive.. It was the perfect story. People who heard about this were either outraged or amazed. Some people couldn’t understand how CBD oil could be non-intoxicating and others were just happy the child was getting some much-deserved relief. The public was torn between legality, ethics, and results. Fortunately, this also influenced lawmakers. Why should a plant-based product be illegal if it can save a child?
Many people credit Charlotte Figi with being the poster child for CBD. Charlotte showed the world what is possible with the use of cannabidiol, and many believe that she can be credited with influencing the decisions of lawmakers when it came to making CBD legal.
Charlotte’s story is nothing short of miraculous, and the powerful oil that helped her is still being produced today.
If you’re interested in trying this incredible oil yourself,
Check out our complete selection of Charlotte’s Web CBD products at CBD.co!