national-CBD-day

Very soon we will be celebrating this glorious and curious industry we’ve all found ourselves in, with the National CBD Day 2024, while I’ve made sure to include as many details as possible so you can celebrate in style!

When Is National CBD Day 2024?

This celebration of CBD takes place on the 8th August 2024, which falls on a Thursday.

What Is National CBD Day?

As the name might suggest, this is a huge shout-out to everything around this glorious cannabinoid. Over time, this day will also involve the other cannabinoids and terpenes as one combined day, in recognition of the amazing results people have seen.

The day has largely been spent with sufferers of epilepsy talking about their life changing moments involving their transition from their traditional medication towards CBD oil. It should however be highlighted that these cases are around medical CBD rather than the products you can buy in the UK, with the levels of THC normally much higher than you can legally purchase here.

The day has now been adopted by a huge number of brands who will discuss their new product launches in 2024, as well as any amazing schemes they’re working on and upcoming events.

What’s The History Of National CBD Day?

CBD isn’t new, people have been using cannabis for 2,700 years or potentially longer, utilising all the great cannabinoids and terpenes. Cannabis was made illegal in the UK in 1928, while it is currently still recognised as a Class B drug, despite a five year period where it changed to Class C from 2005-2009.

In the USA it was a bit more mixed based on what state you were based in, with some starting as early as 1906, many making it illegal in the 1920’s and then it formally being regulated as a drug in each state from the 1930’s.

Having said this, medical cannabis was made acceptable in 2012 in the USA in many states, while this didn’t occur in the UK until 2018. However, despite the laws changing in the UK in 2018, it is still virtually impossible to get any even if you are epileptic, as doctors are either not qualified to prescribe it or don’t feel comfortable doing so.

While marijuana is high in THC, hence its illegal status, most hemp strains were bred to be high in CBD and low in THC, making it ideal to be extracted from. CBD oil is legal in the UK, however it cannot have medical claims, it must be labelled as a food supplement and they cannot claim any health benefits. Also, CBD brands in the UK must now file a form with the Food Standards Agency by March 2021, or they risk having their products removed from the shelves. While this may seem bad, this is a move towards greater regulation, ensuring CBD brands provide the stated quantity of cannabinoids stated on the bottle.

In the USA, the big change was the Farm Bill, occurring in 2018, where industrial hemp cultivation was made legal in order for brands to create CBD oil. It means hemp is no longer listed under the Controlled Substances Act.

But I Digress, how did this day start you ask?

A CBD manufacturer worked to set out the first ever National CBD Day put in the calendar for the 8th August, or 8/8 (which many people say looks like the infinity sign if turned sideways). The day was planned out in 2017, however it didn’t go live until 2018.

As it stands, it seems to be more around special offers and discounts rather than on the educational side, which I find a little disappointing (who needs another Black Friday), but I will try to push as much educational content as I can in the build-up.

The Sad Reality

Having launched the blog back in 2019, I have made great friends with a huge number of people within the industry. I loved attending events such as the CBD Show, while I’m also hoping to attend this year.

But the sad reality is that many of the small business owners in the industry have gone over the past few years.

It’s a very difficult industry to succeed in, with Google Ads not allowed, so many legal restrictions, before the FSA requirements came in that killed off half of them.

This was then all followed by a cost of living crisis, which led to around 12 companies I know going under. The scene looks very different from 3 years ago, but there are a number of great people still surviving and some who are thriving, so here is a big shout out to them all!

How Do You Make A National Day?

Honestly, it’s not that hard. I’ve been involved in setting up and running one for the past few years! I helped with the launch and running of National Bridesmaid Day, while working with a hen do brand. You should submit it to the national celebration websites, at which point they will assess it and work out whether to accept or refuse your application, however they receive thousands of potential celebrations each year so they are very picky and you need to look for any that it would compete with.

But, it should be stated you don’t need their approval. What makes a day is media attention. I’ve been involved in another national day, which we got in 30 large publications (including Ladbible, Metro, The Sun, Cosmopolitan etc). Once it has been featured in all of these, most journalists will have it in their calendar. Then associated brands will have it in their PR calendar and each year they reach out to journalists to discuss the national day, at which point it gets shared again. Over time, it just becomes something solid in the calendar, but the honest truth is they’re 99% of the time fuelled by PR teams.

What Hashtag Do I Use?

The most commonly used hashtag on the day is #NationalCBDDay, however you will also see the year based version – #NationalCBDDay2024.

How Do I Celebrate The Day?

This is all down to how you’d like to celebrate it. You could introduce a number of friends to CBD, invite them over for some CBD tea, make a CBD smoothie and set out some CBD gummies on a plate. Teach them the steps of sublingual consumption and being patient (so many people swallow within 2 seconds rather than holding out for 1-2 minutes). There is even CBD alcohol to get the night a bit more wild!

If you’re a CBD brand, you could run a competition to offer people the chance to win a selection of your products. This was a common theme last year, which was hotly appreciated by plenty of people! In fact, don’t hesitate to get in contact with me, I’d always be open to running a competition on my social channels.

Is It National Or International?

Despite being called a ‘National Day’, it is actually celebrated by CBD brands and CBD enthusiasts around the world, so it is more of an international event. It was started in the USA as a national event, but now it is being recognised far and wide, with myself certain to celebrate it here in the UK.

Are There Special Offers On The Day?

Absolutely, if it’s getting close to the date and you’re in need of a top-up, then it might be worth holding off, to see what deals and special offers are taking place.

I will also endeavour to list them all when possible. Much like Black Friday, the day has become a point for which emails of massive discounts are now to be expected.

By Tom Bourlet

Being based in Brighton, I have directly witnessed the CBD industry grow and prosper, albeit witnessing the difficulties around legislation and the lack of transparency. I therefore decided to become a neutral viewpoint offering genuine reviews, advice and guidance.

One thought on “National CBD Day 2024”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *