“We are in an opiate epidemic and CBD is the answer.” is the clear and consistent message conveyed by the panel of four cannabis advocates at a recent talk I attended at Soho House New York.
To clarify early in this article, CBD is a substance extracted from the cannabis leaf. When I talk about CBD in the article I’m referring to the THC-free, non psychoactive products available on shelves in Planet Organic, John Bell & Croydon, Holland & Barrett and other hight street stores. Aka it doesn’t get you ‘high’. Claimed to have properties that reduce anxiety, health the mind and body, help sleep, increase focus and more, I describe this as the real life, super effective rescue remedy that comes in the form of oil drops, cream, capes, and in the wise words of Drake “even my CBD got chocolate in it.” 🍫
The talk I went to focused on CBD and sports recovery. With 2 ex pro-athletes still very much in touch with their industry, they discussed how CBD is being used by athletes as a preventative substance and something that heals the route of problems. One athlete explained how he received multiple head traumas throughout his career as a professional hockey player and that CBD is thought to help protect the brain. The panellist I haven’t yet mentioned was the author of ‘The ABC’s if CBD’, founder of a CBD brand, and a (proudly) self proclaimed ‘pro cannabis Mom’. She’s at the forefront of the fight to spread the legalisation of cannabis as a substance that has greatly improved the quality of life of physical and mind-related conditions her immediate family. Some of these substances include THC.
The panel described the USA as being in the midst of an opiate epidemic and firmly believe that the legalisation of cannabis will reduce the need for many Americans to be on multiple strong, unnatural drugs, that mask pains and illnesses rather than cure them. They conveyed facts that heavily support the idea that this movement will not only relieve people of the many negative side effects of the medical drug industry, they feel that in many cases, various elements of the cannabis plant and of other natural plants will help to cure the root of the problem.
This ‘medical opiate epidemic’ doesn’t start and finish in the USA, it’s true of many parts of the globe including the U.K. and Europe. We need to undo the idea that masking pain relates in any way to curing ailments.
When I first heard about CBD, where it comes from and the effect it has, in my mind it was a drug. It was weed. To the point where I was actually nervous to try it, even though it was out in the shelf at Planet Organic. You know me though, if a small brand has the sass to present its deeply researched, well produced product beautifully, to get itself into the reputably natural Planet Organic, and if it comes from Norfolk (I’m talking about a brand called Kiki Health here), I’ll give it a go. After my first drops I totally got that it’s not a big deal. Scratch that, it’s benefits are a huge deal, but only in that I felt a calmer, less sleep deprived version of myself. I didn’t feel super high and get the munchies or whatever it is that weed does. Whether my experience with CBD is purely physchosomatic or not, I unwittingly felt that a chest tightness a lot of people constantly live with, dissipate. In all honesty it wasn’t until a few weeks later that I really noticed a lot of slightly anxious reflexes had gone. I don’t know if it really works or if I simply think it does but I have some pretty interesting stories about people guessing others are taking it because of changes in behaviour. I personally don’t like fads or food & drink trends, I don’t indulge in them, my eating routine is simple and old school and I don’t smoke weed socially, recreationally or medically - I do, however, have to say, I think the cannabis leaf may have some effective healing and preventative properties and very much believe in the medical benefits it has when sourced and prescribed carefully.
Here are a few of the many kinda cool trends that I have tried and tested in New York and Los Angeles over the last 2 weeks:
- MedMen is a rapidly growing chain of Cannibis product stores. They sell purely THC to purely CBD based products and everything in between with different ratios for different effects claimed to help labedo , concentration, sleep, sex and more. Take a look inside their store on my recent Instagram post.
- CBD Chocolate
- CBD oil
- The amazingly Instagrammable Carerra Cafe offer CBD oil in all their hot drinks
- All three Soho Houses in New York offer drops of CBD oil in their cocktails
Here’s where we at Araminta Marketing come in. Although we are not directly marketing a CBD brand (any that would like to get in touch please do), we see trends, we notice behaviour and we take the social responsibility that comes with putting constant information in front of day to day consumers very seriously. This is why we developed Conscious Marketing and this is why we are careful in our decision to work with like-minded brands. As a natural derivative of these decisions we are proud to now working with a series of very talented preventative therapy businesses ranging from a physiotherapy clinic, a chiropractic clinic, a 360 degree thinking fitness / physio / nutrition studio, aromatherapy based products, and companies who use design of building and design for brands, to create communities and make positive change. You only have to go to the Design Museum or the Welcome Collection to see exactly how much impact design has on mental and physical health. Each of the brands we are working with has something very important in common. They need to be valued and commonly recognised as preventative therapies and cures to a multitude of mental and physical ailments.
As a conscious marketing agencies, and as conscious humans, our drive for success when it comes to marketing these brands go so much further than wanted to create sales. We want to create an awareness and an accessibility to the humans that need them. We are aiming to take the tie between these brands and the impact they could have on the U.K. a lot further than purely marketing them so watch this space..
NB: it’s important to note that not all CBD related products are equally as effective and they do work differently for different people. Different oils and carriers work differently.