"Charlotte" - I think you may be confusing the name of high CBD/low THC content cannabis strain that is grown specifically for extraction of CBD/CBD-A to create an oral formulation that has almost no THC in it but is relatively high in CBD, for administration to a target population of children with seizure disorders (empirical evidence seems to be that not all seizure disorders respond equally to CBD - or at all - for some apparently it is ineffective, for others it can be highly effective*). It's named "Charlotte's Web." A search of the Denver Post will give you lots of decent info, most other media reports are taken from the DP's original reporting, so jump to the source...
CBD seems to be a very effective anti-seizure medication for a particularly nasty type of seizure disorder seen in children, it can cause hunderds of seizures a day. Some of these kids have seen a dramatic decrease in the number of seizures they experience when dosed daily with this CBD extract. It originated as an extract in CO Springs, CO. Ironically, yesterday CO Springs was reported to be the 4th most conservative major city in the US and Utah has moved to legalize the import of CBD extracts for treating seizure disorders in children - they don't want any marijuana or hemp in their state, but they're glad to allow our product to bought here and taken across state lines to give their kids - kids with a physician who prescribes it's use. It's about as silly as the state of NY allowing for medical marijuana but not in the form of anything that can be smoked. That's a case of the tables turning upside down in my opinion!
Since the OP was about the media and "tables turning", I'll comment more on what's going on here in Colorado w.r.t. the mainstream press. The Denver Post, despite being a major media outlet, continues to put out some excellent reporting on the marijuana industry and the effects/state of legalization. Their reporting is accurate and balanced judging from my work in the industry and reading how it is reported on. I have worked in a cannabis related industry (lab testing) and I feel if people from outside Colorado read about CO's experiences with cannabis legalization solely through the Post they will have balanced perspective - that's very rare in the mainstream media, ime. I encourage people to read as much material from as many sources as possible to gain insight on any issue in general, I'm just pointing out here that the Post is surprisingly balanced and accurate on this issue. They don't get it all correct, but damn they've made a serious effort to educate themselves, they even hired an editor dedicated to cannabis issues! Many stories I read / listen to from other media outlets or social media regarding CO's experiences are simply re-reports of DP articles.
I have no ties to, nor a particular love of the Post. It's a major newspaper and good for that purpose.
I want to point people interested in this issue to the recent New York Times editorials in support of legalization, see last Sunday's NYTimes editorial section, and the additional editorials published over the last week overwhelmingly supporting legalization - search nytimes.com for aug 1 - 8, 2014, to find those editorials.
The NYTimes arguably being the most respected and widely read of all newspapers it is HUGE that they endorsed federal level decriminalization and state level "local" control of future marijuana industries. I never thought I'd live to see this day. When the NYTimes publishes several major editorials it gets the attention of a lot of powerful, influential people making it easier for those in power to "flip" on the issue (and turn more tables.) This provides politicians and others who have previously opposed cannabis legalization "cover" to change their stance without appearing to be "flip-flopper" politician's, the type Americans proclaim to dislike very much. This is all part of the "tables turning"!
Unfortunately, this is a very politically involved issue, as much as we may want things to just change and the world to adopt something similar to CO's system for legalization it will happen much more slowly without the mainstream media supporting it. So.. good for the Times and the Denver Post. And none of this is to say we got it perfect here, we didn't. There's a lot of issues still to be worked out and for sure not everyone in support of legalization is happy.
Nonetheless, you can grow your own or buy from a retail outlet if you're over 21 and there are hundreds of places to buy cannabis products, albeit if you're in a conservative part of the state you may have a long drive to an area where there are retail outlets - it's like the early days of beverage alcohol de-criminalization in 1930s America. At least in-state residents can buy an ounce at a time, a car full of people can easily grab a QP and some clones and take them back home legally! Contrast this to a year ago and I'd say we have a strong model for successful implementation of retail recreation cannabis in US states.
My major complaints are with the taxes (too high) and local control of retail outlets. I feel the amendment we voted for should not have allowed municipalities to "opt-out" of retail sales, but the referendum that created the amendment may not have passed otherwise, so this was an issue with the voter initiative and not a result of decisions made by regulators during implementation. In time, as the OP stated 'tables' are 'turning', all tables are not turning yet... and it may take a century or more - after all we still have pockets of "dry" areas in the US where alcohol is not sold.
*As we all know we need well designed, validated and properly executed clinical studies to document and quantify the pharmacological effects reported by the super-excited parents of the children for whom this medication has become a life changer. It's granted gradual, or in at least a few cases instant relief from constant seizures (10 - 50 seizures/day for some). It is a miracle to a handful of very severely affected children, and thousands more are waiting for access to it, in part b/c production has been limited and availability is limited to residents of CO only (exactly how those Utah kids are to get the medication is beyond me, transfer of medical cannabis products to others is prohibited - I guess their parents will drive here and buy it at rec outlets.)
I don't use the term miracle lightly, but after hearing these parents speak about their experiences on Colorado Public Radio and at the state capitol building it sure sounds like the closest thing to a miracle I've been near in my lifetime.
