Lord Jones co-founder Cindy Capobianco describes her luxury cannabis-infused product business in much the same manner as any maker of a prestige natural skincare brand: it’s made in small batches, organic ingredients, medicinal value of said ingredients. With a body lotion and face products slated for release later this year, Lord Jones is trying to be a prestige natural skincare brand. One major difference: Lord Jones employs a team of lawyers to ensure they don’t have to tussle with the DEA over a moisturizer.

Though cannabis is more mainstream than ever, with 29 states and Washington, D.C., having legalized medical and/or recreational marijuana, the fact that it’s still classified by the federal government as a Schedule I drug means companies like Lord Jones are racking up legal fees as they attempt to navigate the grey area of selling cannabis-based skincare products. Cannabis has at least 80 different cannabinoids, a group of active compounds that give the plant its medical and psychoactive properties. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) might be the best-known cannabinoid, for creating the “high” effect, but non-psychoactive cannabidiol (CBD) tends to be the star in cannabis-based skincare.

Hemp-derived CBD has been touted in several medical studies as having a myriad of health benefits ranging from treating psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and eczema to minimizing seizures, stress, and insomnia. According to research firm Brightfield Group, the rapidly growing CBD market hit $170 million in 2017 and is projected to reach $1 billion within the next three years.

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