MJBizMag February 2021 - 12

HempNotebook | Kristen Nichols
Press Play
E
veryone in the hemp industry
knows the story of Charlotte's
Web: A group of well-meaning
brothers working under Colorado's
medical marijuana system developed
a cannabis strain that worked miracles
on a sick little girl named Charlotte.
Word spread about the awe-inspiring
results of this low-THC, high-CBD
extract. CNN paid Charlotte and the
Stanley brothers a visit in 2013, and
the story made the brothers rich and
changed minds around the world about
the value of a plant formerly sneered at
by mainstream medicine.
It's an inspiring story. But what many
folks in the hemp industry don't know
is how it happened.
Media Might
The secret behind the shocking
business success of the company that
became Charlotte's Web Holdings is
available to every creator in the hemp
industry. It's free and as close as your
local newspaper. I'm talking about
the press.
As we examine liability concerns in
the cannabis industry, I want to share
how the media can be your secret
weapon in gaining global recognition
without spending a dollar on
advertising or hiring a lawyer to shield
you from sanctions by the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration.
The story of Charlotte Figi is a great
example.
Charlotte and her caregivers
didn't start sharing their CBD story
on prime-time television. Instead, a
local newspaper reporter in Colorado
Springs, Colorado, was the first to tell
their story.
The caregivers and Charlotte's
family were completely honest about
the girl's disease and her treatment at
a time when many parents would be
Make the news media your secret weapon to building a brand without facing liability
considered criminals for giving their
children an illegal drug.
And in an age when people look at
the media with suspicion, Charlotte's
advocates invited a local reporter
and photographer to come see her
progress firsthand. What happened
next was no surprise to folks who work
in journalism.
Free To Tell It Like It Is
The local newspaper report about
Charlotte Figi caught the attention of
larger newspapers in Denver. More
reporters started inquiring about this
little girl, and they were again welcomed
to learn more and share the story.
Media attention grew until the
Denver correspondent for The New
York Times wrote a piece about the
Figis. That's when CNN sent a team to
Colorado Springs.
CNN does great work, but the
network doesn't have the manpower to
discover every sick child experiencing
a shocking medical outcome. Global
media outlets read about those cases
in newspapers.
You can review every news story ever
written about Charlotte Figi. None of
them tiptoes around CBD's effects on
the girl or use vague, lawyer-approved
language such as " may help support a
healthy lifestyle. "
And none of the stories mentions
any scary-sounding side effects of
taking huge quantities of CBD.
Charlotte's Lesson
The story of Charlotte's Web should
inspire everyone making healing
products from cannabis.
Forget the slow-moving FDA.
Forget the constant vigilance of
label language and making sure
customer testimonials don't pop up
on your site.
12 Marijuana Business Magazine | February 2021
Instead, when you have a patient or
a client finding amazing results from
your products, get those folks in touch
with a local reporter.
You can't make medical claims. But
reporters can share the story of your
consumersʼ experiences without fear
of government sanction. Sometimes
those local newspaper stories turn into
priceless global media exposure. Just
ask the Charlotte's Web pioneers.
As you may know, Charlotte died last
year. Let her story inspire you to keep
seeking the healing properties of the
cannabis plant-and let the Stanley
brothers' experience show you how to
avoid liability concerns while still letting
everyone know how miraculous this
plant can be.
Kristen Nichols is editor of Hemp
Industry Daily. She can be reached at
kristen.nichols@hempindustrydaily.com.
MJBizMag February 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of MJBizMag February 2021
