We seem to be bombarded these days with claims that CBD and related products can cure everything from backaches to depression, sleeplessness and more.

Neighbors are selling them as a stay-at-home business. You can buy the stuff online, at little specialty shops, even tanning salons, and it seems no matter who you talk to, you'll be told about the miraculous results that can be obtained by a few drops of CBD oil on your tongue.

It's like the old snake oil salesman from the old western movies. Just try it. You won't believe the results. But there are no controls, no regulations, no federal review. Really, we're on our own out there.

Well, Inesa Ponomarlovalte, founder of Nesas Hemp, is an expert on these products -- cannabinoids -- so I invited her on my Lean to the Left podcast to get some facts.
In the interview, we discuss the rapidly growing CBD industry in the U.S. and Inesa walks us through the differences in the various types of CBD products now available – what’s legal, and what works and why.

In 2020 global sales of $2.8 billion are expected to rise by more than 21 percent through 2028. U.S. sales are projected to reach $1.8 billion by 2022. So a lot of people are buying these products, which are NOT cheap.

Inesa is a holistic health practitioner and an expert on hemp and CBD.. She says she’s on a mission to change the world by teaching people to harness the power of nature, and that’s why she founded Nesa’s Hemp.

Interestingly, Inesa is calling on the federal government to regulate CBD and related products. Right now, she says, "it's like the wild, wild West out there."

When we interviewed Inesa, Brittney Griner, the all-star center with the WNBA's Phoenix Mercery, had been sentenced to nine-years in a Russian prison for drug possession -- canisters containing cannabis oil prescribed by a doctor to treat pain. Today, President Biden announced that she was on her way home after a prisoner exchange swap for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout. During the interview, Inesa says sports stars like Griner are helping others realize the health benefits of cannabis products.

Here are some questions we asked Inesa:

First, let’s start with the basics. Exactly what is CBD and how is CBDa different?

To many people, all of these health benefit claims might seem almost too good to be true. What’s your response?

So why would an executive of a company that makes and sells such products want government regulations? Usually that’s exactly the opposite of what most industries want….the government telling them what they can and cannot do.

What kind of regulations should be established and why?

What are your thoughts about the Griner case and its impact on your industry?

What’s the impact on the industry of professional athletes like Griner choosing cannabis to treat pain?

I’m wondering if CBD products have been shown to be effective in helping people with Covid.
How do you feel about legalizing recreational pot. Here in South Carolina, Joe Cunningham, the Democratic candidate for governor, is calling for it to be legalized and his good ole boy Republican opponent has an ad out ridiculing him.

Your website says that deep down in your heart, you truly believe you can create a positive revolutionary change in the world. That’s a lot. Please explain.

What would you like people to take from this discussion?