Hi all! I hope everyone has been well! Thanksgiving just happened in these parts! I think Canada celebrates theirs in October. Normally, I would be at a research conference around this time. I was in Vancouver, B.C. last year, if you all remember presenting my Master's Thesis, but this year I had no new research and opted out of attending. While I missed my colleagues dearly out in New Orleans, I am very pleased to tell you all about a fascinating convention I went to back in late September, CBD Expo West.
Being the spoonie that I am, that is, someone that is directly and personally involved with the chronic illness community, I jumped at the chance to be press for this expo. Over the past year or so, I have been trying to learn all there is to learn about the benefits of CBD. Why, you may ask? Well, I am the type of person who has utilized dozens of medications over the years for a multitude of aliments only to be riddled with numerous negative side effects and no relief. As a result, I turned to the magic of CBD. CBD to put it in simple terms does the same high effects that THC has. It's mostly non-psychoactive. I strongly prefer CBD for this reason. CBD is great for anxiety, pain, seizures, and a multitude of other ailments with virtually no negative drawbacks. Many (not all) CBD products will not show up on a drug test either, and you can check with certain manufactures to ensure this is the case. Some products have a 1:1 CBD/THC ratio along with other variations, so keep that in mind as well. There are many great articles out in the medicine world to learn more about CBD and it's uses for pets, adults, and children. :)
CBD Expo West was held at the Anaheim Marriott hotel near Disneyland and was a two day event (September 21st & 22nd, 2018) kicking off the CBD Expo Tour. Unfortunately, due to recently starting a job, I could only attend on the Saturday, but it was an AMAZING day. The Friday beforehand, the expo had a press and industry mixer, which was THC friendly, but I was unable to attend that event. I had never been to an expo of this kind before so I had no idea what to expect. I was greeted by some of the friendliest people I had ever met at any expo or con. I always say, as staff to two major comic book conventions, that what makes or breaks a con at times is how a patron is treated at first entry. First impressions are everything, and the CBD Expo West staff left a great first impression on me. They were unable to find my press registration information on their list, but instead of sending me away, provided me with a same-day registration pass and some useful pamphlets to get me where I was going. I also still had access to the press lounge and was so appreciative for their generosity.
Now, I am not the type to schedule one-on-one interviews with people as I feel they become too formal and less personalized. So I decided to opt out of doing one-on-one interviews and went to various vendors talking to them as if I was just a regular patron rather than a member of the press. When giving informal meet and greets as opposed to a formal interview, I find it as a way I could get a more relaxed feel of how they were as a person and what their company stood for. I met with Dr. Kerklaan Theraputics, Sativa by Design, Relive Everyday, Sagely Naturals, and Topikal Everything Hemp.
Main takeaways from each of these companies:
Rating: 9.5/10 -
Pros:
I felt relaxed, rejuvenated, entertained, social, and at peace. I don't think it was all the CBD samples talking either. I tried so many samples (probably too many ^_^'), met some cool people, saw some demos, and learned new things about the world of CBD.
Cons:
The only true con was that they didn't have my press registration information on file, but otherwise, everything else was great. I was really glad that they were able to make up for it. Only one vendor rep was slightly standoffish and rude in how she spoke with me, but that might have just been her demeanor in general. I won't hold that against the company. The actions of one do not define the actions of many.
Anyhoo, that's all from me! I delayed this post until I had the time to go through all my samples from the various vendors and I finally got through them all, starting with CBD Living Water's gummy and ending my samples with the hemp infused olive oil by Due Santi that I cooked my baked salmon with. All of the samples were amazing and got me through some rough days the past couple of months. It was much needed and I am very appreciative. If you guys are interested in following the CBD Expo Tour, they have more stops coming through 2019! Their next stop is just around the corner at CBD Expo East in Orlando, Florida at the Hilton Orlando (December 7th & 8th, 2018). I wish I could attend, but alas, living on the West Coast has its drawbacks. I hope to catch them again on this coast!
Being the spoonie that I am, that is, someone that is directly and personally involved with the chronic illness community, I jumped at the chance to be press for this expo. Over the past year or so, I have been trying to learn all there is to learn about the benefits of CBD. Why, you may ask? Well, I am the type of person who has utilized dozens of medications over the years for a multitude of aliments only to be riddled with numerous negative side effects and no relief. As a result, I turned to the magic of CBD. CBD to put it in simple terms does the same high effects that THC has. It's mostly non-psychoactive. I strongly prefer CBD for this reason. CBD is great for anxiety, pain, seizures, and a multitude of other ailments with virtually no negative drawbacks. Many (not all) CBD products will not show up on a drug test either, and you can check with certain manufactures to ensure this is the case. Some products have a 1:1 CBD/THC ratio along with other variations, so keep that in mind as well. There are many great articles out in the medicine world to learn more about CBD and it's uses for pets, adults, and children. :)
CBD Expo West was held at the Anaheim Marriott hotel near Disneyland and was a two day event (September 21st & 22nd, 2018) kicking off the CBD Expo Tour. Unfortunately, due to recently starting a job, I could only attend on the Saturday, but it was an AMAZING day. The Friday beforehand, the expo had a press and industry mixer, which was THC friendly, but I was unable to attend that event. I had never been to an expo of this kind before so I had no idea what to expect. I was greeted by some of the friendliest people I had ever met at any expo or con. I always say, as staff to two major comic book conventions, that what makes or breaks a con at times is how a patron is treated at first entry. First impressions are everything, and the CBD Expo West staff left a great first impression on me. They were unable to find my press registration information on their list, but instead of sending me away, provided me with a same-day registration pass and some useful pamphlets to get me where I was going. I also still had access to the press lounge and was so appreciative for their generosity.
Now, I am not the type to schedule one-on-one interviews with people as I feel they become too formal and less personalized. So I decided to opt out of doing one-on-one interviews and went to various vendors talking to them as if I was just a regular patron rather than a member of the press. When giving informal meet and greets as opposed to a formal interview, I find it as a way I could get a more relaxed feel of how they were as a person and what their company stood for. I met with Dr. Kerklaan Theraputics, Sativa by Design, Relive Everyday, Sagely Naturals, and Topikal Everything Hemp.
Main takeaways from each of these companies:
- Dr. Kerklaan Theraputics - Dr. Kerklaan truly believes in his product and wants his product to work for everyone that uses it. He was a very friendly person, who looked very eager to tell me about why he started his company, and what he hoped that his company could do for the consumer. I really liked that his company also had very focused and specific products for PMS, headache relief, and even sleep therapy. I got some nice creams from them too.
- Sativa by Design - This company was really cool because they will help people create their own products. It's really great for entrepreneurial minded individuals. The people that ran this booth were so friendly and absolutely hilarious and I purchased some CBD tincture for my partner and I from them at a great convention rate that you would rarely find anywhere in California. Their product, Hemp Life Drops work amazingly too!
- Relive Everyday - Probably my favorite booth because I learned so much about this company and what they stand for. The ladies running the booth kindly answered all my questions and even gave me insight of how the life of working the cannabis convention scene can be for CBD vendors. They also gave me the most samples out of everyone. Their pain spray was great, but their gummies and their tinctures were really top notch. I would consider using their company for gummies, if given the chance. The taste is not overwhelming at all and it does work :)
- Sagely Naturals - The rep for this brand had told me that she started out as a customer before becoming a rep and started using the product due to living a high stress lifestyle. Since I work a desk job doing tech based work, she recommended I try out their product called Tranquility to achieve a relaxed mind, while using the Relief & Recovery cream to ease sore muscles from my weight lifting/fitness lifestyle. Those products smelled really good, I must say that for sure. I am really sensitive to smells, and those were very pleasant to the senses.
- Topikal Everything Hemp - The girls running this booth were extremely chill, I mean EXTREMELY chill. They had strawberry lemonade, my favorite kind, and gave me a sample with 5mg of CBD in it, and it was the best. I was actually drawn to this table by their logo rather than the lemonade, to be honest. As a linguist, the way things are written interests me as it looked almost like a different writing system rather than just English. We discussed how the font can really draw in clients and they told me how the artist of it, who also happens to be the owner of the company was very proud of his work.
Rating: 9.5/10 -
Pros:
I felt relaxed, rejuvenated, entertained, social, and at peace. I don't think it was all the CBD samples talking either. I tried so many samples (probably too many ^_^'), met some cool people, saw some demos, and learned new things about the world of CBD.
Cons:
The only true con was that they didn't have my press registration information on file, but otherwise, everything else was great. I was really glad that they were able to make up for it. Only one vendor rep was slightly standoffish and rude in how she spoke with me, but that might have just been her demeanor in general. I won't hold that against the company. The actions of one do not define the actions of many.
Anyhoo, that's all from me! I delayed this post until I had the time to go through all my samples from the various vendors and I finally got through them all, starting with CBD Living Water's gummy and ending my samples with the hemp infused olive oil by Due Santi that I cooked my baked salmon with. All of the samples were amazing and got me through some rough days the past couple of months. It was much needed and I am very appreciative. If you guys are interested in following the CBD Expo Tour, they have more stops coming through 2019! Their next stop is just around the corner at CBD Expo East in Orlando, Florida at the Hilton Orlando (December 7th & 8th, 2018). I wish I could attend, but alas, living on the West Coast has its drawbacks. I hope to catch them again on this coast!
Let me know in the comments below if you use CBD and how it's helped you :)
Till Next Time!
-Hachi
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