Awshad Revolutionizes Medical Cannabis with CBD Products for Wellness in India

In 2019, Richa Jaggi's black Labrador named Champ was diagnosed with an aggressive form of perianal cancer. At 12 years old, with limited hope and immense pain, the veterinary specialists had given up. Desperate to help her beloved companion, Jaggi discovered CBD (cannabidiol) – a natural alternative to harsh cancer medications that would transform not just her dog's final months, but her entire career trajectory. Today, as Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Awshad, Jaggi is pioneering India's medical cannabis revolution, building a D2C wellness brand that's destigmatizing cannabis through education, prescription-based access, and products that address everything from insomnia and anxiety to chronic pain and cancer recovery.

"He was in a lot of pain and he had stopped eating food. I would be taking him to the hospital for like almost 4 hours. He had the drip on and he would be whimpering in pain. That's when the vet told me that he had heard some good reviews about CBD which is a natural alternative to a lot of the strong drugs that we have during cancer therapy," Jaggi recalls.

The Corporate Foundation: 11 Years Before Entrepreneurship

Before founding Awshad, Richa Jaggi spent over a decade in corporate India, leading marketing for some of the country's biggest brands. As Marketing Head at Times Internet, she managed the Times of India brand – India's largest media conglomerate. Her resume included creating campaigns for Vodafone, Hindustan Unilever, Lakme, and working with both Outbrain and advertising agencies.

"I completed about 10 to 11 years in the corporate world and I was the marketing head at Times Internet leading their brand Times of India and completely tech and marketing background in terms of what I did," Jaggi explains.

This corporate experience would prove invaluable when launching Awshad – not just in marketing strategy, but in understanding consumer behavior, building aesthetic brands, and navigating complex regulatory environments.

From Corporate Marketing to Cannabis Entrepreneurship

The transition from corporate marketing head to medical cannabis entrepreneur wasn't immediate. After Champ passed away in November 2019, Jaggi spent nearly two years in grief, self-reflection, and gathering the courage to leap into entrepreneurship.

"The journey of Awshad began. The journey began I would say he passed away in 2019 and the journey began in 2021 but it pretty much was a time of self-reflection, grief and a lot of courage for me to jump into the entrepreneurship world," Jaggi reflects.

Understanding Medical Cannabis: Beyond the Stigma

CBD (cannabidiol) is one of over 100 cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. Unlike THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), CBD is non-psychoactive – meaning it doesn't produce the "high" associated with recreational cannabis use. Instead, CBD offers therapeutic benefits for a wide range of health conditions.

The Cannabinoid Spectrum

Beyond CBD and THC, the cannabis plant contains numerous other cannabinoids with therapeutic potential:

• CBD (Cannabidiol): Most popular, extensively researched, anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety
• CBG (Cannabigerol): Antibacterial, neuroprotective, appetite stimulant
• CBN (Cannabinol): Sedative properties, sleep aid, pain relief
• THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol): Psychoactive, pain relief, appetite stimulation
• Full Spectrum: Products containing all cannabinoids for enhanced effectiveness

India's Cannabis Heritage: Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Science

Contrary to popular belief, cannabis has deep roots in Indian culture and medicine – dating back thousands of years. In Ayurveda, India's ancient system of medicine, cannabis is known as "Vijaya" and has been used for treating various ailments for centuries.

"In India, cannabis was used as a medicine. Probably a lot of Ayurvedic medicines are also based on cannabis. Different forms of cannabis are used in Ayurvedic medicines. It's been around in India culturally for years," Jaggi explains.

The Legal Evolution

The legal status of cannabis in India has undergone significant changes:

• Ancient Times to 1985: Medical cannabis (Vijaya) legal and commonly used in Ayurveda
• 1985: NDPS Act enacted, criminalizing recreational cannabis
• Medical Cannabis: Remained legal under Ayurvedic proprietary medicine category
• Bhang: Always remained legal, government-certified shops still operate
• Current Status: Medical cannabis legal with prescription; recreational use illegal

Destigmatizing Cannabis: The Education Challenge

Despite its legal status and long history in Indian medicine, cannabis faces significant social stigma in India. This stems from decades of prohibition narratives, international pressure, and lack of public education about the difference between medical and recreational use.

"Education is the key to destigmatizing cannabis because end of the day it's a social stigma. Nobody wants to be associated with cannabis, right? It's looked down upon. Nobody wants to be associated with the term," Jaggi acknowledges.

Awshad addresses this challenge through aggressive content marketing, education-focused social media, and transparency about their products and processes.

The Product Range: Targeting Real Health Concerns

Awshad's product line has evolved based on real customer needs and observed use cases. Rather than creating products in isolation, the company develops solutions for specific health problems that customers report.

The Insomnia Success Story

Of all the use cases, Jaggi highlights insomnia as showing particularly dramatic results. Unlike other conditions where improvement occurs over prolonged use, insomnia patients often experience overnight benefits.

"For insomnia it's a great great use case. In fact I myself used to take it for my insomnia and then with years of use it's become a lot better. So now I take it occasionally – a day where I'm very very tired or I'm extremely charged up where I know sleep could be a challenge and it's been one of the best use cases," Jaggi shares.

"In fact, because for every other ailment, over a span of time of usage of the product, the patient has seen a lot of improvement. But for cases like insomnia, it's been an instant – overnight you can see the difference."

The Business Model: Prescription-Based D2C with Free Consultations

Awshad operates as a direct-to-consumer (D2C) brand, but with a crucial difference: all edible CBD products require prescriptions. This regulatory requirement could have been a significant barrier to customer acquisition, but Awshad has turned it into a competitive advantage.

The Seamless Prescription Process

When customers purchase products on Awshad's website, they receive free consultation with certified doctors – removing the friction of finding a prescriber independently.

"We already have several doctors on board. The minute a customer purchases the product on our website – this is only on the cases of purchase – pre-purchase, the consultation with the doctor is free which kind of takes care of the obstacle we have of people not being able to order because they don't have a prescription," Jaggi explains.

Doctor Training and Quality Control

Before onboarding any doctors, Awshad provides comprehensive training on their SOPs, CBD science, product formulations, and appropriate use cases. The medical team includes Ayurvedic doctors, cancer clinicians, and MDs – all professionals already aware of cannabis's therapeutic potential.

"Before we onboard any doctors we train them, we have our SOPs. These are all Ayurvedic doctors, apart even you know cancer clinicians to MDs. So they're very professional and they're already very much aware of you know the potential benefits of these products," Jaggi notes.

Marketing Challenges: Navigating Platform Bans and Keyword Restrictions

One of the most significant challenges Awshad faces is digital marketing restrictions. Both Google and Meta platforms have blanket bans on using keywords like "CBD," "cannabis," "THC," and "marijuana" – despite Awshad having all necessary licenses and operating completely legally.

The Platform Ban Reality

"We're actually completely banned to use the term cannabis or CBD or marijuana or anything of that sort in Google and Meta. Even though we have our licenses, even though we have all of that, we cannot use the word THC, CBD, cannabis, all of that."

This restriction severely limits Awshad's reach and growth hacking potential. While controversial topics typically generate virality, Awshad cannot leverage these keywords even for educational content.

"We use different routes of storytelling, maybe some fan animations, maybe a different story line, maybe keeping it ingredient-based, stuff like that to get our ads out there which are under a huge potential set of getting banned still," Jaggi explains.

The Education-First Marketing Approach

Given the lack of awareness and social stigma around cannabis, Awshad invests heavily in content marketing and educational resources. For the first three and a half years, the company focused exclusively on education content – blogs, podcasts, and informational posts.

"We heavily invest in content marketing and do a lot of educative content. In fact even our social media very recently we've become a little more you know fun content oriented. All of the most three and a half years of Awshad, we were only doing education content and blogs," Jaggi shares.

Supply Chain and Manufacturing: Navigating India's Cannabis Ecosystem

Awshad's supply chain reflects the complex regulatory environment for medical cannabis in India. The company works with manufacturers in states that have legalized cannabis cultivation, with raw materials sourced through official excise departments.

The State-Level Cultivation Revolution

Several Indian states have recently embraced cannabis cultivation, recognizing its economic and therapeutic potential:

• Uttarakhand: Pioneer in legal cannabis cultivation for medical and industrial use
• Madhya Pradesh: Large-scale cannabis cultivation initiatives underway
• Other States: Gradually liberalizing policies for medical cannabis cultivation

"All the cultivation as states are opening up and liberalizing, we are of course going to see a lot more opportunities coming up," Jaggi observes.

The Entourage Effect: Why Full Spectrum Matters

One of Awshad's key differentiators is their focus on full-spectrum CBD products. This approach leverages the "entourage effect" – the synergistic interaction between multiple cannabinoids and terpenes in the cannabis plant.

"When you have a full spectrum which is what at Awshad we sell – the full spectrum oils – when you consume that and they have all the cannabinoids, because full spectrum is a completely pure extract which has all the cannabinoids. When these cannabinoids are consumed, they work and they provide an entourage effect which basically means the benefits of all of these cannabinoids together," Jaggi explains.

Leveraging Corporate Marketing Experience

Richa Jaggi's 11-year corporate career has proven invaluable in building Awshad. Her experience with major brands like Times Internet, Vodafone, Hindustan Unilever, and Lakme provided insights into consumer psychology, marketing strategy, and brand building.

The Corporate Advantage

"The experience I've had with other corporate brands has really given me an insight – how the consumer mindset works, how advertising should be done, what kind of emotion would arouse what kind of reaction... the whole ecosystem of marketing, whether it is on ground to now being very very digital," Jaggi reflects.

This background has enabled Awshad to present a polished, professional image that builds trust in a skeptical market. The company's packaging, social media presence, and overall aesthetic reflect the quality standards of established premium brands.

The Reality of Startup vs. Corporate Skills

While corporate experience provided strategic advantages, Jaggi acknowledges that startup entrepreneurship requires a completely different skillset.

"When you start a startup, none of the skills that you learned in corporate will ever come in handy – but ironically, eventually in the bigger scheme of things, all of that comes together," she notes.

"While in a corporate job when you're sitting right on top of management, you're not really dealing with paper packaging guys and negotiating the cost, thinking out orders and what exactly you want to do because all of that has already been set up. But here in the startup – building, negotiation skills, research skills, going and talking to every possible vendor, being part of finance also, tech also, marketing also – all of that. So it's a gambit of experiences."

Future Plans: Expansion into New Frontiers

Awshad's roadmap includes significant expansion into new product formats and wellness categories beyond traditional CBD oils.

Product Line Expansion

"For now we're really looking towards expanding into more product formats. We've just launched gummies which have done very well for us. So we are planning to launch more formats within the gummy range," Jaggi reveals.

The Mushroom Frontier

In a significant expansion beyond cannabis, Awshad has entered the functional mushroom market – combining cannabis compounds with medicinal mushrooms for enhanced wellness benefits.

"We've also introduced ourselves into the mushroom category. So we have products with cannabis, mushrooms and also nutraceuticals. So we're definitely planning to go deeper into wellness and expand in that direction," Jaggi shares.

Funding and Growth Ambitions

While Jaggi notes that funding plans are for "later part, not immediately," Awshad is preparing to bring investors on board to fuel their expansion into new product categories and broader market reach.

"Hopefully also get some investors on board and funding – but like in maybe the later part, not immediately. But yeah, that's what we're looking towards," Jaggi states.

The Prescription Barrier Challenge

When asked about her vision for Awshad's future, Jaggi acknowledges that the prescription requirement remains a significant friction point for customer acquisition. While she hopes for policy changes that would make medical cannabis more accessible, Awshad is simultaneously expanding its over-the-counter product range.

"To answer your question 110% – would love for it to become a lot more open and the prescription barrier goes away. That will really help all of the brands in this space. But that requires a big policy change at the other end," Jaggi explains.

"But D2C we definitely are and we're planning to have even more topicals and over-the-counter products which we can sell offline without prescription as well."

The Vision: Normalizing Medical Cannabis in India

Awshad represents more than just a CBD company – it's a mission to normalize medical cannabis in India and position it as a legitimate alternative medicine option. Through education, quality products, and professional service, Jaggi and her team are chipping away at decades of stigma and misinformation.

The company's growth – from a personal tragedy to a pioneering wellness brand celebrating its fourth anniversary – demonstrates the market demand for natural, effective health solutions. As more states liberalize cannabis cultivation and public awareness grows, Awshad is positioned to lead India's medical cannabis revolution.

Conclusion: The Future of Alternative Medicine in India

Richa Jaggi's journey from grieving pet parent to pioneering medical cannabis entrepreneur represents the broader transformation of India's wellness industry. As consumers become more educated about alternative medicines and states liberalize cultivation policies, companies like Awshad are bridging the gap between ancient wisdom and modern science.

The challenges remain significant – platform bans, social stigma, regulatory complexity – but the potential impact is enormous. From providing relief to cancer patients and insomniacs to offering natural alternatives for anxiety and chronic pain, medical cannabis is transforming countless lives.

Awshad's success demonstrates that when education, quality, and genuine care for customers combine with entrepreneurial vision, even the most stigmatized industries can be revolutionized. As Jaggi and her team continue expanding their product range and educating the market, they're not just building a company – they're building a movement.

The personal tragedy that started this journey – the loss of beloved Champ – has become a powerful force for healing in the world. That's the essence of Awshad's mission, and it's why this medical cannabis revolution is only getting started.

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