Here's everything you need to know about CBD, the cannabis compound that's in everything from coffee to ice cream and could soon be a $16 billion business

By Chloe/Leslie Kirchoff

• Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a key compound in cannabis plants, though it doesn't cause marijuana's high.

• CBD is being added to foods, drinks and creams. The evidence for many wellness claims about CBD is thin, though it is a key ingredient in one prescription drug.

• Business Insider reports regularly on the growing business of CBD. You can read all our stories by subscribing to BI Prime and sign up for our new cannabis newsletter Cultivated here.

Cannabidiol, or CBD, is popping up everywhere, from creams to coffee to prescriptions. CBD is one of the key compounds in cannabis plants, though it doesn't cause marijuana's characteristic high. It's being touted as a treatment for all kinds of ailments, but the evidence for some uses is thin.

Meanwhile, CBD is already a $1 billion industry, and some on Wall Street think it could reach $16 billion, aided in part by a recent change in US law that made some CBD legal.

The CBD boom on Wall Street

• Square has started working with a select group of CBD startups while other payments rivals shy away from the trendy substance

• CBD companies were courted hard by a unit of US Bank — but they got ghosted despite having a 100% legal business

• A top venture investor that's backed companies like Bird and TheRealReal explains why CBD is primed to explode

Food, Science, and Medicine:

• We're at the start of a new era for marijuana-based medicine, according to the CEO behind the first prescription CBD drug

• Wall Street thinks CBD could be a $16 billion industry by 2025. Here's what the cannabis compound does to your brain and body.

• Ben & Jerry's commits to launching a CBD-infused ice cream as soon as it is legalized

• Parents gave their 6-month-old son CBD oil while he was going through chemo. They say 'a drop the size of a grain of rice' stopped his vomiting almost instantly.

• A California company tested 20 popular CBD products and found 'insanely high levels' of dangerous chemicals and misleading labels

• The CEO of Whole Foods just dropped a hint it could soon start carrying marijuana products. It's a sign the biggest consumer companies are 'looming' over the industry.

• Congress quietly passed a hemp law that has people wondering about the difference between CBD and THC. Here's what you need to know.

Startups, venture capital and private equity

• How CBD and hemp startups are using creative 'loopholes' to skirt Facebook's ad ban

• Top cannabis investors reveal where they're placing bets, but say there's 'pain to come' in the crowded CBD space

• A New York private equity firm founded by JPMorgan and Guggenheim veterans is raising the largest-ever fund dedicated to the booming marijuana industry

• Biotech, CBD drinks, and a hot vape company: Here's where all the top marijuana VCs are looking to write checks this year

• Policy

• Illinois is poised to become the first state to legalize marijuana sales through the legislature — here are all the states where marijuana is legal

• Regulators just gave some legal hope to food and drink makers using cannabis extract CBD

• The FDA is putting together a group of experts to figure out how to handle the $1 billion CBD industry

• Lawmakers just took a huge step toward passing a critical bill that could pave the way for banks to work with marijuana companies

• Trump just signed a law that could spark a boom for the $1 billion marijuana-linked CBD industry

Lists

• Top venture investors say these 11 tech startups in the red-hot cannabis sector are set to blow up this year

• Top investors say these 11 buzzy, under-the-radar consumer cannabis startups are set to raise fresh rounds and blow up this year

• The top 12 venture-capital firms making deals in the booming cannabis industry that's set to skyrocket to $75 billion

• Meet the bigshot lawyers who are turning weed into a $194 billion industry

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