The skinny on cannabis-infused cosmetics

Here’s the rub

For those who can’t make it to the spa in Grafton, Ste. Anne’s recently debuted a whole line of CBD products. The rescue muscle salve, whose other ingredients include arnica, beeswax and black cumin oil, is designed to reduce swelling and inflammation. $46.50. Steannes.com.

Courtney’s take: “The salve has a pleasant Vick’s VapoRub–esque aroma. I rubbed it on my knee, which had been acting up after a particularly bendy yoga class. I immediately felt a cool, tingly sensation, and half an hour later, my knee was much less cranky.”

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High tea

One bag of Mary’s Wellness Tea won’t get you wasted—and it’s not supposed to, with the relatively low THC dose of 60 mg per serving, plus 6 mg of CBD. $5 per bag. Maryswellness.com.

Courtney’s take: “There’s something delightfully civilized about getting high off a hot cup of tea. I tried the Berry Berry (tart and fruity with a hint of cannabis funk) and Green Tea and Ginger (which tastes like someone dropped a joint in the kettle). It reduced my anxiety and cleared my head. While watching True Detective, I poured a second cup in the hopes of getting buzzed. Instead, I conked out before the episode was over.”

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Eat spray love

Calyx, the city’s first CBD boutique, makes its calming mist with a blend of peppermint extract, grape-seed oil, menthol and about 3.3 mg of CBD. You’re meant to spritz it like a breath freshener. $90. Calyxwellness.co.

Courtney’s take: “It didn’t taste terrible—it reminded me of oily Listerine—but it’s hard to relax when you’re trying to determine whether you’re relaxed. I sampled it again before a work meeting and felt atypically detached, so maybe that was a sign of canna-induced calm. Either way, my breath smelled fresher than after a Wintergreen Lifesaver.”

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Calm bomb

All Things Hemp Seed’s handmade bath bombs purport to harness the power of hemp-seed oil to soothe dry skin. Each one contains 15 mL of the miracle ingredient, plus witch hazel, white Kaolin clay and Epsom salts. $3.75. Allthingshempseed.com.

Courtney’s take: “The orange-ginger version smelled fresh, summery and not too overpowering, and my bath experience was utterly blissful (though I suspect most midday baths are). Pro: afterward, my skin felt noticeably softer than usual. Con: the orange colouring made it look like I was bathing in pee.”

 

 

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The New Gold Rush

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Part 1: Pot-Luck Dinner
The city is teeming with fancy, secret summer clubs serving THC-laced cuisine. We sent our restaurant critic to sample the goods

Part 2: The Pot Pilgrims
These five newcomers packed up their lives and moved to Toronto—all for the chance to work in weed

Part 3: Hot Boxes
Luxurious designer boutiques are the future of cannabis retail

Part 4: Professors of Pot
It’s a stoner’s dream come true: you can finally major in marijuana

Part 5: Plant Managers
The favourite strains of the horticulturally gifted growers at the city’s top cannabis companies

Part 6: Baked Goods
Wellness gurus are spiking their artisanal lotions and salves with a not-so-secret ingredient. We tested out some of the more intriguing products

Part 7: Buzz Food
Cannabis cooking classes—for those who want to cause and cure the munchies in one fell swoop

Part 8: High Rollers
We quizzed the city’s most powerful cannabis CEOs on their favourite strains, weed slang and what they eat when they get the munchies

Part 9: Joint Ventures
Five of Toronto’s hottest burgeoning canna-companies

Part 10: Who You Gonna Call?
The accountants, lawyers and ad agencies carving out a niche in the buzz biz