The icon who sparked the CBD movement was only 13 years old.
Charlotte Figi died from complications from COVID-19 on Tuesday afternoon. Charlotte’s story helped kickstart the modern CBD movement, a global phenomenon which has already saved many lives and improved the quality of millions more. Charlotte, a Colorado native with a rare form of epilepsy, Dravet Syndrome, began to experience a reduction in the amount and intensity of her seizures after receiving experimental doses of cannabis at the age of 5.
Inspired by a little girl named Charlotte, the Stanley Brothers started Charlotte’s Web to share their proprietary hemp genetics with the world in 2014. We’ve been here since the start, and there’s something to be said for that. https://t.co/aLs6ZIsuKn pic.twitter.com/lcFXmRljjM
— Charlotte’s Web (@charlottesweb) August 10, 2019
The famous strain, Charlotte’s Web was created in inspiration of Charlotte in 2011 by the Stanley Brothers of Southern Colorado. The brothers crossbred marijuana with industrial hemp to create a strain low in THC and high in CBD. This strain has no psychoactive properties, yet possesses many medicinal properties. Under this strain, Charlotte, who had previously suffered from over 300 Grand mal seizures each day, saw a dramatic improvement in the quality of her life.
CNN featured Charlotte’s story in 2013 in Weed, the first installment of a docuseries in which Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores the medicinal benefits of cannabis.
Our flagship product is called Original Formula. It’s name is an ode to how we started over 5 years ago by cultivating and formulating this product for our original family of customers. Today, it’s made the same way with our proprietary hemp genetics. https://t.co/gIfhHt5WAk pic.twitter.com/ghmu0X99cZ
— Charlotte’s Web (@charlottesweb) September 5, 2019
Charlotte’s mother, Paige Figi founded Realm of Caring in 2013 alongside The Stanley Brothers and Heather Jackson, another mother and cannabis activist who is now CEO of the brand. The non-profit works hard to normalize cannabis use and to assist families needing cannabis to improve quality of life.
“Your work is done Charlotte, the world is changed, and you can now rest knowing that you leave the world a better place” Realm of Caring proclaimed in a statement.
“Charlotte is no longer suffering. She is seizure-free forever” Nichole, a close friend of the family said in a statement on their behalf.
“The girl who is changing medical marijuana laws across America” passed away Tuesday afternoon from complications, after testing positive for COVID-19.