shit i bought and liked no. 28: mARiJuANa
Shitters. We’re what—33 days out? We just watched the most batshit debate in the history of humankind. THIS IS A STRESSFUL TIME. We all have our preferred coping mechanisms, which, if you are like me, are largely not great for you, your body, and/or your bank account. But if you aren’t already mainlining a CBD of some kind, apparently you are better at this shit (and by “this shit” I mean THE WORLD) than I am! It is perhaps my only in-the-moment stress relief that doesn’t give me a headache, stomachache, or general feelings of regret, while leaving me fully functional/with time to deal with whatever was sending me spiraling in the first place (and these days that is A LOT).
For the uninitiated (non-LA residents/humans who don’t inhale ~wellness~ content on IG), CBD is a NON-PSYCHOACTIVE cannabinoid in mAriJuANa (Spongebob meme typing necessary) that’s known for calming anxiety and inflammation. It helps you relax, but it does not get you high, which is nice when you still have 7+ hours in your workday, during which god knows who or what will pop into your inbox at any given time.
I have two CBD recs, depending on what you’re in the market for. My first, for general daytime purposes, is Not Pot. I first tried these gummies at the start of the q in the AM or early afternoon on work days, and though I will not preach like one of the 850000 Instagram influencers who make it seem like its a complete fucking miracle that any of us can function at all without CBD, I didn’t actually realize how nice they were until I ran out. If you’re on the fence, I’d suggest it as a good intro to CBD in general. They come in a vvv modest dose, so even if you’ve never inhaled (I too am disgusted that I made a Bill Clinton reference), you can handle it. One gummy will either help you ease up/feel less reactive, or you might not notice anything at all (these aren’t edibles—they won’t surprise knock you out, so you can definitely double up if you could use a little extra).
They’re also vegan (no gelatin!), all-natural, and come in fun flavors that don’t taste artificial and gross. I like Green Apple and Strawberry best, but every flavor I’ve tried (Pineapple and Elderberry Immunity too) has been good. Full disclosure, there’s a slight aftertaste (nothing crazy), but it goes away after a minute or two or with water.
Aside from the ~vibes~ Not Pot is especially good for a few reasons. a) It was started by a fellow Hinsdale Central grad (hi Kati! You’re a star!!!!). b) The ingredients aren’t sus. And, c) most importantly, fun branding and buzzy product aside, the brand demonstrates a basic understanding of how marijuana has been used to drive the mass criminalization and incarceration of Black people in this country, while having been effectively legal for white people forever. It’s very fucking weird to watch a bunch of white people evangelize pot and capitalize on it as a wellness trend while black people around the country are still serving decades-long sentences for carrying the same amount of weed that I could now order to my apartment via at least three delivery services within the next half hour. It’s even weirder to not hear a peep about it from the aforementioned white people or their brands!
Not Pot has their own Bail Fund that they send some of their profits to in order to fund one person’s bail each month. What does that mean? Listen to very smart humans Josie Duffy Rice and Clint Smith III explain money bail and what it means to reform that system right here. Bail can be thousands of dollars even for misdemeanors, and innocent people sit in jail ALL OVER THE COUNTRY because they can’t afford to pay theirs. This is the LEAST brands in this space could/should be doing, and this is one of the few (maybe the only?) that I’ve tried that does!
My other rec is specifically for bad sleepers—Highline Wellness’s CBD Night Gummies. These babies are spiked with melatonin and H2GKMO (Ariana Grande burned this abbrev into my brain like she did with Pete Davidson’s skin). This will get you sleeping FAST. I’m talking, from full on functional to out in 10 minutes, even if your brain insists on moving 8500000 miles a minute at all times (hi, it me). It’s been especially useful for me as we get closer and closer to the BIG DAY and my to-do list becomes even more insurmountable than usual (though uh… hello—we should all be voting far before the BIG DAY. More on how you can do that here).
What are your other self-care/stress-relief/feel good methods of choice these days? Slide into the DMs (inbox? Literally just reply to this email) and let me know because I NEED SOME IDEAS. SPEAKING OF FEELING GOOD, IMO nothing could possibly be better self care than ending this fucking nightmare we’re all living in, which starts at the top (in the words of the great Danny DeVito, @DJT “retire bitch“). If people in your life are on the fence about voting or JB or any of it, talk to them. And if you don’t know where to start, there are some good ideas here and here.
As always, if you had fun reading this newsletter, sign up to get it in your inbox here so we can do it again. I swear I’ll be funnier after we win this election, ok?
Priyanka