Caramels, bath bombs, oils: CBD products are filling store shelves. Here's why cannabis items are suddenly trendy.
CHICAGO - People used to wander into the CBD Kratom store in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood thinking it was a pot shop.
It's not, of course. Recreational weed is still illegal in Illinois. The store sells CBD products - caramels, oils, bath bombs, dog treats - that customers use to alleviate conditions like anxiety or chronic pain. CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a cannabis compound that does not get users high. It isn't quite mainstream yet, but it's getting there.
"More people are coming in here with a basic knowledge of CBD," senior store clerk Fred Keen said.
The U.S. market for CBD products - most often derived from hemp, another plant in the cannabis family - grew by more than 80 percent in 2018, to about $591 million,
