MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio — Since there have been so many questions surrounding CBD, yesterday we first broke it down to the simplest explanation: What it is, what it does, and whether or not it's safe.
RELATED: Why is CBD such a big deal?
Now we’re looking at how the selling of CBD and Hemp products has become the modern-day Tupperware party where entrepreneurs are cashing in on this craze.
It's become a $5 billion craze, and is expected to grow. They're even selling it at gas stations now, everything from donuts to dog treats.
But companies are now recruiting sales people to bring it directly to curious customers in social settings. Just last month, we caught up with Jill Russell and Carrie Rudow, where they were holding an event at 56 Kitchen in Mayfield Heights.
The ladies are independent sales affiliates for Prime My Body, a self-described wellness company committed to helping people live healthier lives with CBD and Hemp infused products.
"We are on a mission," they told the audience of men and women. "Two women on a mission trying to help educate people on the benefits of CBD from Hemp."
The company sells everything from meal replacements to muscle and joint balm at events designed to educate and entertain anyone who will listen.
"We can't claim that our product can cure, treat or diagnose or prevent a disease, but it may help you," Rudow admitted.
And maybe help get you off the expensive prescription drug train with products you can legally buy over the counter, because they won't get you high like hemp’s sister plant, Marijuana.
"It may actually become one of the most important supplements to add to your health regime," Russell said. She got sold on CBD after it helped ease the symptoms of her daughter’s Tourette’s Syndrome and anxiety, without the side effects of pharmaceuticals.
Their audience is not just buyers though, but potential sellers who are also looking to cash in on what's become a $5 billion business.
These parties, with people on a mission, are popping up all over the country, governed by the same strategies that Avon ladies employed for the past 100 years. But that was chump change.
"I can make $500 or more in sales at a party in just one night," Allison Papesh told us.
Papesh sells CBD for a living. She got involved after, she says, it cured her Fibromyalgia and bladder disease, providing "instant relief." She says hosting CBD parties lets her spend more time home with her daughter, and bond with other women, who are the primary customers.
"Our grandmother's had these parties and it really gave them a sense of community," Papesh said.
The difference is, at today's parties, they're selling beauty for the "inside," with products that may not have all the scientific research to back their claims but with experiences that are convincing.
"I saw such a profound effect...on my family, and I was like 'Oh my gosh, this is just too good to not to share,'" said Jill.
Just to give you an idea of how fast this industry is growing, by 2023 it's expected to hit $26 billion. But, before you sign up as an independent sales associate with any company, research them first. With some of them, only the first ones in make the serious cash, and you could pay for a lot of products up front and be stuck with them if you can't sell ‘em.
Prime My Body: