The Hamilton Morris Podcast Lessons from Joel Stanley on Charlotte's Web
Feb 23, 2026
Joel Stanley, entrepreneur and biotech CEO who co-founded Charlotte's Web and now leads AJNA BioSciences. He recounts early Colorado medical cannabis battles and federal raids. He describes breeding high-CBD strains, Charlotte’s rapid seizure improvement, the media surge that changed policy, and the shift from supplements to FDA‑path botanical drugs including psilocybin work.
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How Charlotte's First Response Sparked A Movement
- Joel Stanley met Paige Figge and saw Charlotte seize in front of him, then prepared a 50 mg/mL CBD tincture that stopped her seizures in the first week.
- That result spread via hospice nurses and Facebook groups, growing to hundreds of families moving to Colorado before Sanjay Gupta told the story on CNN.
CBD Opened Conservative Doors For Cannabis Reform
- CBD's non-intoxicating profile made it politically palatable and unlocked compassionate laws in conservative states like Utah and Georgia.
- That allowed incremental policy wins where all-or-nothing activism would have failed, seeding broader cannabis reform.
Pursue Incremental Policy Wins For Immediate Help
- Accept incremental steps in policy rather than demanding immediate full legalization when aiming to help desperate patients.
- Joel persuaded activists in Georgia to support a CBD law as a pragmatic path to get treatment to families out of options.