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What started with ex-sports stars such as Paul Pierce and Rob Gronkowski, has now entered the realm of movie stars with the news that Mark Wahlberg has invested a portion of his considerable resources into a water company looking to expand into the CBD market.

Wahlberg’s Company Merges with Industry Rival

His involvement - along with rap mogul Sean Coombs - with a Los Angeles-based bottled water company called AQUAhydrate has taken him into the CBD business via an acquisition by an industry rival named the Alkaline Water company. Consumers may know the company better by its trading brand name, Alkaline88.

The newly-combined company intends to diversify their offerings to include hemp-derived CBD products. It’s expected that these products are set to take the form of beverages, rather than more traditional offerings such as CBD oil or CBD flowers. 

Wahlberg Ditches Marijuana for CBD

Mark Wahlberg has long been famed for his pot smoking. Perhaps depicted most famously through his scenes in the Seth MacFarlane comedy movies Ted and Ted 2. However, he recently admitted that a conversation with his daughter was enough to make him throw away his bong and quit smoking marijuana for good.

After announcing the deal with the Alkaline88 he remarked;  

“When Sean and I first got involved in the business, our vision was to build a lifestyle company focused on health and wellness, and that’s what we’ve done. The AQUAhydrate and Alkaline88 brands align well and will support exciting innovations in flavors, sparkling and CBD products.”

Other Celebrities Are Singing the Praises of CBD  

Mark Wahlberg has joined a growing list of famous faces who are discovering the benefits of CBD first-hand. One of which is fellow movie star Seth Rogan, who is more famed for his links with smoking cannabis than for its potential medical benefits.

Seth’s experience with his mother-in-law’s descent into dementia has seen him campaign for CBD to be used as a treatment. Indeed, early studies concerning CBD’s effect on dementia have produced some positive results.

But what are some of the other health benefits associated with CBD?

CBD has a Range of Purported Health Benefits 

Despite the fact that the US Food and Drug Administration claim there isn’t enough science to back up many of the claims associated with CBD, there have been multiple early studies to suggest that this chemical compound is helpful for a wide range of ailments.

Clinical conditions including: chronic pain and inflammation, epilepsy, sleep disorders, multiple sclerosis, anorexia, schizophrenia and other mental health conditions have improved with the use of CBD in early studies.

Clinical trials are now required to validate the evidence found during these initial studies. If those trails prove successful, the FDA has said it’s willing to verify claims about CBD’s health benefits on an evidence-based case-by-case basis.

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Up at 2400ft on the Mauna Kea, Big Island, Hawaii

Sup Dawg! 🐶😎✌️

The move has opened up the possibly for suppliers to manufacture and sell products such as CBD oil, CBD tinctures and CBD flowers in this relatively-recently-formed Eastern European country.  

So what factors changed the Slovakian government’s mind?

Slovakia Follows European Precedent 

Made famous by the marijuana shops of Amsterdam, Europe has long been one of the most liberal parts of the world when it comes to cannabis, marijuana, and legalization. However, Slovakia has always lagged behind her European neighbors in this particular area.

That is until last month.

Legislators finally permitted the legal sale of hemp-derived products containing CBD back in late August. The draft bill rules that since there is no psychoactive element to CBD it has no scope for abuse or addiction, and therefore can be cultivated and sold to the public.

Background to Slovakia’s Previously Tough Stance on CBD

Prior to last month’s ruling, Slovakia had classed CBD as a regulated substance since 2011. It was added to Group 2 of what later became known as the Psychotropic Substances Act.  

What this meant in practical terms was that - up until now - the handling, import, and export of all products containing CBD had to pass through the national Ministry for Health. Making it impossible for businesses to take advantage of the burgeoning CBD industry.     

The initial decision was based on tests of the drug Sativex which contains both THC and CBD chemical compounds. Since the drug was deemed psychoactive both CBD and THC were added to the controlled substances list, despite the fact that CBD is proven not to have any psychoactive effects.

When Is the New Bill Likely to Become Law?

Now that the initial bill has been drafted, it must go through Slovakian parliament (named the National Council) so that debates and amendments can take effect.  

Despite the likelihood of some debate amongst members and possibly a few amendments, the overall sentiment is that the bill will pass through the Slovakian government with very little resistance.  

With an election on the horizon in February 2020, lawmakers will look to push it through before the parliament dissolves just after the turn of the new year.

 Europe Becoming Increasingly Important Market for CBD

With the explosion in popularity of CBD products in the USA following the federal delisting of hemp as a controlled substance, many European countries have responded in kind.

In 2011, just 8,000 hectares of European land was dedicated to the cultivation of hemp. In 2019 that figure stands at over 90,000, with France producing almost 50% of Europe’s total production.  

The CBD market has also expanded in step with swelling production numbers. Now worth an estimated £253 million per year in CBD product sales, the European market represents 31% of global cannabis demand.

As a result, many American companies are looking at how they can take advantage of this burgeoning market by legally exporting their products to CBD-friendly countries.

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