The cannabis-for-wellness movement is an emerging trend as people look for natural options to improve sleep, fitness recovery, pain relief, skin care and mental health. One reason why there has been such a push in this direction is because of a new and emerging consumer – women.
These days women are busy. Juggling career, family, social life and still maintaining self-care is not an easy task. Many women are discovering cannabis products can help alleviate the stressors of managing the various tasks of daily life.
One thing that is still holding women back is the stigma around cannabis culture and use. There has also been societal judgement, particularly for mothers, that deters them from using the plant even now that it is legal in Canada. However, new products, especially ones with therapeutic benefits that don’t cause intoxication, are convincing people to change their minds.
Cannabis wellness products are defined as anything with therapeutic benefits that is not ingested through the lungs and will not get a user high. They can be administered in various forms – sublinguals (under the tongue), capsules, edibles or topicals.
Sleep
Cannabis has a long history of being used as a sleep aid. Ingesting marijuana strains with higher levels of THC typically reduces the amount of REM sleep you get, which means you’ll spend more time in the most restorative sleep state. Finding the right amount of THC to ingest is based on trial and error but it is best to take a lower dose to see what you can tolerate and waiting at least an hour before taking more.
Skin Care Innovation
Skin care companies are now adding cannabinoids like THC and CBD in products ranging from bath items to skin care lotions. CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties are known to soothe itching from sunburns, psoriasis, and eczema. Other cannabinoids are thought to have antioxidant properties, great for anti-aging skin care.
Mental Health
Canada has some of the highest antidepressant use in the world, with 1 in 4 Canadian women between ages 25 and 55 on an antidepressant drug. Cannabidiol (CBD) is showing promise in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. It is known to reduce heart rate and be a mood stabilizer.
Fitness
Topical cannabis applications are known to relieve muscle soreness and inflammation from post-workout soreness and muscle recovery. They are applied directly to the skin and work locally, meaning typically there would not be any intoxication from using the product.
PMS & Menopause
With the boom of cannabis products stateside, there are many product offerings to soothe the monthly discomfort many woman experience. These will become available in Canada in October 2019 when cannabis laws are expanded to include other products.
About author Krystal Laferriere
With cannabis legalization, Krystal saw an opportunity to intersect her personal journey and professional path. Years of struggling with Crohn’s Disease she found benefits from cannabis topicals, with that, Krystal made the entrepreneurial leap starting a wellness cannabis brand, Kanabé Goods Co. which eventually joined the Experion Wellness family of brands, a Health Canada Licenced Cultivator & Processor of cannabis in Mission, BC. Experion develops world-class cannabis products from flower all the way to topicals for the Canadian medical, adult-use, and export markets.
Krystal joined Experion as a Cannabis Wellness Expert – spearheading cannabis education, marketing and brand ambassadorship. She was named a Lyfebulb Ambassador in 2018, which is a global support group for patients dealing with chronic illness and has fostered a large following on social media for cannabis advocacy and chronic illness support with 6k followers on Instagram sharing industry knowledge and her journey with cannabis for wellness.
