The CBD States Of America — Where’s CBD Most Loved?

Hey number heads! If you’re anything like us, you love to slice and dice facts and figures and look at them every which way.

That’s what this post is about. While you’re sittin’ there just relaxin’ to the max with your CBD or D8 goodies of choice, here’s some interesting tidbits to marinate on. Feel free to put on your “Cannabis Stats & Chill” t-shirt.

States That Search The Internet About CBD The Most

You probably won’t be shocked to hear that searches for CBD started skyrocketing year over year since the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills began opening a path for this cannabinoid.(https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.13853)

According to Google Trends, these states did the most hunting around the interwebz for cannabidiol-related keywords in the last 12 months.

Is it what you expected? Any surprises here for you?

States That Are The CDB-Friendliest

By this, we mean these jurisdictions have the most lenient or most favorable CBD laws. Go to these places and you’ll likely see more explicit and generous permissions for CBD sale, possession, and/or consumption.

According to 2019 info, these states are super warm to CBD. Based on more recent legislative and cultural moves, it’s probably safe to assume that more states (like California with its AB 45) are eligible for this roster, but we’ll stick with the “official” data for now.

• Alaska
• Colorado
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Maryland
• Missouri
• New York
• North Carolina
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Utah
• Vermont
• Wisconsin

If you broaden your scope to cannabis in general, the top ten (as of August 2021) would be: (1)

1. California
2. Nevada
3. Colorado
4. Massachusetts
5. Illinois
6. Oregon
7. Michigan
8. Arizona
9. Maine
10. Washington

Spotting any trends here…? There’s just a tiiiiiny bit (aka a lot!) of overlap.

Best States To Market CBD In

Some places just have higher populations with conditions (e.g., sleep troubles) or circumstances (e.g., toxic levels of life stress) for which people often use CBD to address. The state below fit that bill.

This isn’t to say these locales have the easiest access to CBD or the most users. Instead, they include markets that may offer the greatest sales potential to CBD sellers (as of 2019). (2)

1. Michigan
2. New York
3. Ohio
4. Alabama
5. Tennessee
6. Missouri
7. Kentucky
8. Maryland
9. Wisconsin
10. New Jersey

We just hope the folks in these states are attending to their self-care needs so they can live their best lives.

Top Hemp-Producing States

All that CBD extract needs to come from somewhere. But where? The states below lead the country in growing industrial hemp (as of 2020, in order of licensed acerage). (3)

1. Colorado
2. Arizona
3. California
4. Kentucky
5. New York
6. Oregon
7. Illinois
8. North Carolina
9. Florida
10. Michigan

States That Make The Most CBD

So, where is all this hemp being transformed into CBD extract and other CBD products? It seems that most of the manufacturing and distribution action is headquartered in just a few states. (4)

• California
• Colorado
• North Carolina

Regions That Buy Or Consume The Most CBD

Based on a 2020 poll, it’s pretty clear where people are diving into the CBD waters. The data shows that western states dominate the leaderboard — with Colorado and California topping the chart.(5) Perhaps it coincides with them often being among the CBD-friendliest, CBD-searchiest, and hemp-produceriest?

So, what percentage of peeps in these areas are trying CBD?

1. The West (27%)
2. The Midwest (18%)
3. The Northeast & The South (15%)

States That Sell The Most CBD

Given that the above zones are hotbeds for CBD use, the following figures probably are in line. A 2022 industry report (based on 2019 data) lays out a very clear picture of the CBD sales landscape.(6)

1. California ($730M USD)
2. Florida ($291M USD)
3. New York ($322M USD)
4. Washington ($160M USD)
5. Colorado ($151M USD)
6. Arizona ($134M USD)
7. Michigan ($123M USD)
8. New Jersey ($109M USD)
9. Illinois ($78M USD)
10. Oregon ($78M USD)

And There You Have The CBDest Places in The USA

When you look at the various bits of data and info, you can start to see quite a story. A love story, between people in the US and their CBD.

There aren’t too many plot twists to be found in this tale of cannabidiol, though. Aside from a handful of scattered pockets (e.g., NC, NY, MI, FL) elsewhere, most indicators suggest that CBD popularity — from seed to sale to savoring — is in the West.

It’ll be interesting to see how the next chapters unfold.

SHIFT SOME MORE CBD LOVE TO YOUR STATE — SHOP NOW

References

1. Leas, EC, et al. (2019). Trends in Internet Searches for Cannabidiol (CBD) in the United States. JAMA Network Open. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.13853
2. Weisz, B, et al. (2021). Updated cannabis state-by-state rankings guide – August 2021. JD Supra. https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/updated-cannabis-state-by-state-4241797
3. Popat, V. (2019). Where To Advertise CBD Products in the USA? Here Are The 25 Top Cities. Cola Digital. https://coladigital.ca/where-to-advertise-cbd-products-usa
4. (2020). Top 10 Hemp Growing States in the USA. USA CBD Expo. https://usacbdexpo.com/top-10-hemp-growing-states-usa
5. Drotleff, L. 2020 Us Hemp Harvest Outlook:Top Hemp-Producing States (2020). Hemp Industry Daily. https://hempindustrydaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/hemp-harvest-2020_FINAL.pdf
6. Kopf, D, et al. (2020). Survey shows Americans use CBD to treat anxiety and stress. https://qz.com/1590765/survey-shows-americans-use-cbd-to-treat-anxiety-and-stress
7. (2022). Estimated dollar sales of the CBD market in the United States in 2019, by state. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1065838/dollar-sales-of-us-cbd-market-by-state
8. (2018). Top CBD Products Manufacturers and Suppliers in the USA and Canada. Thomasnet.com. https://www.thomasnet.com/articles/top-suppliers/cbd-products-manufacturers-suppliers
9. (2018). Top Cannabidiol (CBD) Oil Suppliers. Thomasnet.com. https://www.thomasnet.com/articles/top-suppliers/cbd-suppliers