It’s my job to stay informed—and to keep you informed—so I rely on several strategies to keep me in the loop on all the news and happenings. One handy tool is Google News Alerts. I have all sorts of alerts set, and months ago I added one for CBD. It was simple enough to keep up with at first—a few articles a day, which I could easily review, research and report on to help you grow your business.

Every day, though, the amount of information to sort through increases. As I write this article, a small sampling of the CBD-centric headlines include:

“Great-grandmother arrested at Disney World for carrying CBD oil” (Tampa Bay Times) Update: Great-grandma said she intends to sue Disney. (Find more on this here.)

“Could CBD oil show up on a drug test?” (WVNS-TV)Yikes…go here for key insights on this from a legal expert.

“Combining CBD with food: Few tricks to your diet” (Augusta Free Press)Yum! And read about CBD-infused functional foods here.

“Family Video to Sell CBD Products in 250 Stores” (Ganjapreneur)Seriously…everyone really does want in!

And, just when I thought I was done following the life of Kim Kardashian (after working at a celebrity weekly magazine earlier in my career), my Google News Alerts were filled with a flurry of articles about Kim’s CBD-themed baby shower featuring products from Wildflower Brands, Inc. (The shower looked like a fabulous time, and talk about awesome party favors!)

Of course, all this press (well, most of this press, anyway) is good news—consumer awareness of CBD is high among everyone from Hollywood starlets to great-grandmothers. In late March, we reported that anew study by High Yield Insightson U.S. CBD consumers shows about 40% of adults over the age of 21 are willing to explore CBD. And we can’t leave out our furry friends—another survey, this one from Packaged Facts,revealed that 39% of dog owners and 34% of cat owners like the idea of CBD supplements for their pets.

To help you navigate this massive and ever-growing market, we present our 5th annual phytocannabinoid/hemp/CBD feature. Our most in-depth feature on the topic yet, it covers a lot of ground, and we have loads of additional coverage—including specialized information for manufacturers looking to get into the CBD market—on our website.

As our experts point out in the article, as CBD drives new customers to your store, there’s a great opportunity to introduce them to the many offerings that can optimize wellbeing. Top concerns include looking great (go herefor the latest on nutricosmetics) and feeling more vibrant (go herefor information on functional foods and the plant-based trend).

You’ll also find information on what may just be the next consumer buzz words—psychobiotics and postbiotics—here. As one wise retailer told us inWholeFoods 41st Annual Retailer Survey,“Future growth will depend on continued sales of CBD. When that’s gone…the Next Big Thing is likely to be non-meat and non-dairy protein. Independent retailers are always searching for the Next Big Thing. It’s what keeps us ahead of mass market.” Looks like it’s time to set another Google Alert!

Maggie Jaqua Editor-in-Chief