life & style // no. 20 theotherpress.ca Everything I learned about CBD while working 1n the cannabis industry » Cannabidiol’s therapeutic properties and lack of high appeals to many Alexis Zygan Staff Writer Camis can be a tool for alleviating chronic pain and mental health symptoms. I worked at a cannabis dispensary pre-legalization where the products sold were not certified or packaged by the government. Meanwhile, the second dispensary I worked at in 2019@—the winter after legalization—sold legal cannabis secured in child-lock containers with labels that informed consumers about the product with info like the percentage of THC and CBD, and the primary active ingredients of a cannabis plant. Cannabis became legalized for adults over the age of 19 in BC on October 17, 2018. This decision reduced the stigma around the once-vilified plant medicine. Now people who once shunned cannabis were entering dispensaries to ask how cannabis could alleviate their headaches, lower-back pain, and anxiety. As a salesperson, it was my job to lead them in the right direction. I first inquired how they wanted to ingest. The options varied from dried flowers to edibles, vape cartridges, and my personal favourite topicals: creams and salves. My knowledge of cannabis previous to working in the industry was that when consumed, the plant created a psychoactive response in the brain and makes you ravenous for food (specifically junk food). As] entered my first shop, I browsed the glass shelves. To my surprise, there was a wide variety of products outside of dried cannabis, many of which were CBD- dominant. As the year went on, I got well- acquainted with cannabidiol, aka CBD, the non-psychoactive part of the cannabis plant. CBD has become increasingly popular for its therapeutic properties it offers people of all ages. CBD products provide many benefits that scientists are still learning about. For example, the plant has proven to relieve the symptoms of PTSD by impacting the amygdala: the part of the brain responsible for processing memory and emotional responses. CBD also reduces anxiety in both people and pets. The shop I worked at sold CBD in bacon or seafood flavour for both cats and dogs. CBD even relieves gastrointestinal symptoms caused by irritable bowel syndrome and has been shown to reduce seizures caused by epilepsy. A common concern customers inquire about when trying out CBD is whether or not this product will get them high. For manny, it is because their goal is to find a replacement product for Advil. Thankfully, CBD does not get you high because it impacts the body more than the brain. The following question is what dosage to administer. Of course, the amount depends on the method they are using. Unlike THC, excessive CBD consumption does not cause hallucinations, dizziness, and nausea. However, CBD may make you drowsy in large quantities, which is why it is not recommended to operate heavy machinery or drive after consumption. | advise first-time users to try out capsules to reduce the financial commitment if it doesn’t work out. The more affordable option for long-term usage isa tincture. My favourite tincture is sold by wellness company Miss Envy Botanicals and uses organic MCT as a carrier oil. The product is absorbed quickly, which is beneficial for panic attacks as the relief is instantaneous. There are several factors in how fast CBD is metabolized by the body, such as weight. When I worked at a cannabis store and first-time users came in to ask for recommendations, I encouraged them to embrace a trial-and-error approach of different doses to see what works best for their condition and desired results. While working in the cannabis industry, I also learned that mixing CBD and THC can yield the most effective results in many cases. But that all depends ona person's comfort levels. The scare tactics from the war on drugs has resulted in many people still holding a negative Dream doughnuts and BTS >» BTS Meal and new Dream Doughnut Reviews Jerrison Oracion Senior Columnist perception of THC. Meanwhile, CBD has become popular among wellness communities and people who want relief but not another daily prescription. CBD is so mainstream that you can even find CBD at some local corner stores. Many new companies have appeared, trying to profit from the newfound glory; I recently came across a CBD lavender- infused face mask that reduces aging— and other companies are selling CBD- infused lube. Research in CBD has only just begun, but as scientists and doctors learn more about CBD, it’s a surprise that such a safe and beneficial substance was once illegal in Canada. It is estimated that the industry will be worth $20 billion in less than half a decade. I was asked to do a review of the BTS Meal, which was something everyone was hyped up for this past Illustration by Athena Little Te Hortons is known around the country for their signature doughnuts including the Boston Cream, the Honey Cruller, and their bite-sized Timbits. They have been experimenting with new doughnuts to create new instant classics with their Dream Doughnuts series. Some of their recent offerings included doughnut- related desserts, making them Canada’s favourite doughnut, according to their new Dream Doughnuts commercials. Before renowned Canadian chef Tallis Voakes joined the Tim Hortons team, the doughnut place looked like Burger King. Since then, he revamped their menu and improved the quality of their sandwiches, bagels, and is always thinking up new artisan ideas such as the new Dream Doughnuts—while also offering more sustainable initiatives. For their new Dream Doughnuts, Voakes decided to make French-inspired doughnuts filled with cream-like pastries, based on the famous culinary school Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa where he studied. (He cooked a dish for Queen Elizabeth II when he lived in London!) There is the Strawberry Shortcake Doughnut which is dually filled with cream on one side and strawberry filling on the other side, and the Vanilla Cream Doughnut which is filled like a cream puff and drizzled with chocolate. The Vanilla Cream Doughnut had a lot of cream inside and the creaminess of it is dense like the Boston Cream Doughnut—except it does not taste like custard. The same thing for the Strawberry Shortcake Doughnut; the strawberry cream had an artisan taste. month. The greatest K-pop group of all time, BTS—who currently has the number one song worldwide and the fastest music video to get to 10-million views with “Butter, —collaborated with McDonald's as part of their offerings of meals designed by famous musicians beginning with the Travis Scott Meal. The meal involves one of my favourites: Chicken McNuggets. The commercial for the BTS Meal made Chicken McNuggets look appealing and I was sold on getting the meal after watching K-pop music videos (which always have product placement). The meal consists of the 10-piece Chicken McNuggets Meal and includes fries and a drink. The only difference is that it includes two sauces designed by the members and inspired by sauces in McDonald’s in South Korea. There is Sweet Chili Sauce and Cajun Sauce which shows that the members like spicy food and they have good taste. There is special packaging for the meal, including the bag, where a lot of BTS fans were selling them on the internet and there is also text and the group’s name in Korean throughout the packaging. Both sauces were flavourful where the Sweet Chili Sauce is smokey and spicy and the Cajun Sauce tasted like a Creamy Chipotle Sauce. They do taste like “Dynamite” and are smooth as “Butter.” While the BTS Meal is no longer available, it was worth the hype. McDonald's will probably offer more designed meals by musicians that are under the group's record label Hybe which recently merged with Scott Braun’s record label and includes Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, and Canadian singer Justin Bieber.