We interviewed eight CBD users to understand why they use CBD. Their stories are below. If you are new to CBD and looking to learn more about the benefits of CBD, hopefully their stories can help.

Jenny

I use CBD products because I have lower back and shoulder pains. I am 67 years old and recently had back surgery. I love to walk and hike and needed a solution to get back on my feet.  I use CBD cream that my husband places on my lower back both before bed and when I wake up. The cream is gently massaged into my skin and after a few minutes I start to feel better. The pain and aches fade away and I feel comfortable heading outside. I also take CBD cream on my back before bed as it helps me sleep. It is relaxing and helpful. At first, when my doctor advised me to start using CBD, I was skeptical. I don’t do drugs. I barely drink! Sometimes I have wine with dinner but am certainly not in the party culture. 

So naturally I was skeptical. But the results have worked. I went in with an open mind and thought of it as a healthy and low-cost experiment. When the pain was mitigated, I tried it again. I got the same results. I was delighted because I wanted to avoid more serious pain killers and drugs of that nature. I can walk pain-free and my back and shoulders are healing. I love my daily energy and pain-free life that enables me to walk with friends and move about my neighborhood. Hiking has never felt better and while I would like to discuss even more, I have a new trail to conquer!

Michael

I love to play tennis and golf and try to play matches with other retired friends several times per week. I am 70 years old and after many years of wear and tear, I went to see my doctor. In particular my elbow and joints were aching from classic “tennis” and “golf” elbow. My ankles hurt from sprints back and forth on the court and my doctor advised I start using CBD for pain relief. I care deeply about the strength of my lungs and have never been a smoker. I knew that smoking or vaping CBD were not attractive to me. I care too much about my health lifestyle. So for me it was pretty clear: I decided to eat the CBD in its edible form. I also am not in a rush when using CBD.

I generally have it with a meal a few hours before playing sports. Edible CBD can take a few hours to kick in and that aligns well with my schedule. When I arrive at the golf course or tennis courts I am ready to play and not hurting. That makes the world of difference to me. I have discussed CBD usage with my tennis and golf partners. It is becoming increasingly common in my circles because the results are so overwhelmingly positive. I will keep utilizing CBD as long as I play sports and need to invest in my body.

Sarah

I take CBD daily and am a mother of three teenagers. I am 54 years old and feel like I always have a million things going on at once: sports practice for my children, carpooling, work, taking care of my family’s needs. I rarely get “me” time. This constant build-up of pressure and competing demands on my time is hard for me to manage alone. I am always drinking coffee for extra energy or trying to throw in a quick work-out to keep myself moving. I take CBD not for physical pain but for the anxiety that I feel. I am not a highly anxious person and have tried formal therapy. I don’t consider myself depressed. In fact, I am a pretty upbeat person. 

But I have many different people to satisfy in my life and that puts pressure on my shoulders. CBD helps me a lot: simply put, I feel like it’s a healthy and reliable way to calm me down. I feel a sense of tranquility and use low quantities. I prefer CBD gummies because the snack is discrete, tastes good, and is easy to carry in my purse or car. I consume the gummies and then go about my seemingly endless chores. When they start to kick in I really enjoy the feeling. My children don’t know about my usage and the gummies help keep it that way. I am not embarrassed but prefer not to explain my CBD usage to other parents on the soccer field or at school pickup.

Ron

I am a married father of two young kids and am 37 years old. I love my family more than anything but have a job that requires long periods of time at a desk and weekly doses of high stress. During graduate school I tried various CBD related products. I decided that vaping CBD was the best for me as I am always pressed for time and want the greatest and faster results. This is why I don’t use creams or oils. I like vaping because the action is fast and the results impactful. 

When I am sitting at my desk all day my lower back can start to ache. And as the emails pile in and the deadlines mounts, I can feel a sense of dread and pressure. These all too often morph into anxiety. CBD helps combat that feeling and provides me a sense of calm and composure as I tackle various issues. When I am done with work and my kids are tucked in, I am happy to consume a bit more before bed. It greatly helps with my ability to sleep which is critical given my stage of life.

Emma

I am not one to write reviews and consider myself a true tech novice. I am 50 years old and enjoy reading books, taking care of my pets, and traveling. This is my first ever review and I am writing it because CBD has so profoundly helped my quality of life that I would like to give back and help others better understand what CBD has done for me. I have a simple life but, at times, feel both very down and very stressed. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why I feel this stress but I do. My job is not demanding and I don’t have a family but I worry often about the future. I started using CBD last year and have not looked back. 

Even in the very small quantities that are appropriate for my age, weight, and body mass, I feel like a different person. CBD not only provides me a holistic sense of inner calm but it empowers me to better lead the life that I want. I don’t want to feel stress, I don’t want anxiety, I want to sleep through the night and to sleep well. I want to feel confident and rested when I start each day. I can honestly say that CBD has enabled these outcomes for me. I am grateful for its existence and have seen how much it has helped be who I want to be and live the life I want to lead. As long as I suffer from anxiety – which I have for several years – I will enjoy CBD as a friendly assistant. 

Carl

I am 30 years old and work full time as a lawyer. I first noticed bouts of minor depression when I was in law school. I was so consumed by my grades, finding a job, making friends, and passing the bar exam that I never invested in my mental health. It certainly took a toll. CBD is something that I first tried when a family friend – who is a Doctor – mentioned it. I had never considered it before but was open to finding a solution to my depression. I didn’t want to take strong depression meds because I didn’t consider myself in such a dark place. I also didn’t want to use anything that could be addicting. So with that in mind I checked out the legal aspects of the drug (as any aspiring lawyer would) and decided that I should give it a shot. I thought, incorrectly, that CBD was a form of marajuna and therefore illegal. My research indicated that that was clearly not the case and, to my surprise, learned that CBD is legal in every state in the U.S. 

I started using CBD and have never looked back. I am no longer depressed and have found that a small amount of CBD helps keep me calm and preserves my outlook on work, life, and social interactions. Given how affordable these outcomes are I consider my CBD purchases to be pretty great investments in myself and my standard of living. 

Andrea

I am 29 years old and use CBD because it makes me feel calm, and calmness is a state of being that makes me happy, grateful, and relaxed. I like how CBD makes me feel and I primarily use lip balm cream before going out or after dinner. Or when walking my dog. I find the lip balm helpful; lip balms contain .3% or less of THC – so they are federally legal nationwide – and they come in an array of different flavors. The oil in the lip balm feels smooth on my lips and I enjoy that too. But mostly I love how I feel after applying it: a mixture of CBD with French Vanilla or Watermelon or Mango taste great. Lipstick and lip gloss are two options that help me relax and look good in the process. Funny enough, I find it hard to imagine wearing regular lip gloss again. Why waste a perfectly good skin product that doesn’t also make you feel great at the same time?

My use of lip balm CBD is driven by a desire to remain “content”. At times I am easily agitated: I get mild road rage occasionally, frustrated with colleagues, or snap at people I should be more gentle with. When my dog misbehaves I get upset. Sometimes I look at these moments as small fragments of despair. I wouldn’t allow others to behave like this – and hold myself to a higher standard now. These are shortcomings of mine that I am working to improve. CBD has helped me take a giant step forward: I am far more mellow. People seem to find me more pleasant to be around. My dog shows me more affection. I live with less fear. I am gentler, I am kinder. Can I attribute all of this to CBD? I honestly can’t say for certain. But my behavior changed for the better when I started first using CBD on my lips. My mind is not racing like it once was. I have greater control and feel relaxed during moments when in the past I would lose my composure. This is good for me and those in my life.

Matthew

I am 34 years old and consider myself to be an elite athlete. I have less than 9% body fat and compete in marathons and half ironmans throughout the year. Fitness is a passion and I train hard in running, swimming, and biking at least 5 days a week. I unwind at the gym. I am always looking to optimize my time and my body. I started using CBD because I had mild adult acne and CBD has properties that helped reduce this problem for me. I like how I look and don’t lack confidence. On the other hand, I wanted to look better. My adult acne was something I didn’t feel positively about. 

My dermatologist advised different paths of treatment. One path was very strong topic medication. I was worried how this would impact my training: I am frequently sweating and didn’t want to take time off. I also didn’t want a solution that irritated my skin or forced me to take time off. That is when my dermatologist advised a topical CBD cream. I started taking it in the spring of last year and the results have been extraordinary. My acne clusters are down by 80% and my skin is finally healthy again. Given that my diet, exercise regime, and general well being all stayed the same, but my skin quality improved, I can say without a doubt that CBD played a critical role in yielding the outcomes I so desired. When I enter a race, I enter to not only push myself to win but I push myself to be the best version of myself that I can be. Having healthy skin is important to me for that reason. CBD has helped me in that journey which is why I am happy to share my story with others.