CBD Has Made It… Into The Oscars Gift Bags

From chocolates for anxiety to luxury beauty creams, celebrities will be receiving gift bags worth over six figures that will contain some CBD and THC-infused products. A marketing company in LA provides the items, and while only a handful of them are cannabis-related, it indicates the prominence CBD has reached in society. It also showcases the need for relaxation in a world that constantly induces anxiety, something research shows CBD may alleviate.

CBD Products in Oscars Gift Bags

Gift bags given to the 25 Oscars nominees will contain CBD and THC-infused products this year.

The gift bags, called “Everyone Wins,” are distributed by Los Angeles-based company Distinctive Assets and are worth over six figures.

Companies pay a small fortune to have their products included, anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000, according to Entrepreneur.

Of the 51 gifts in these bags, here are the four cannabis-related items, as listed by the Independent:

• Coda Signature premium cannabis-infused edibles, topicals and concentrates
• An annual VIP membership to MOTA, LA’s first cannabis-friendly social club
• Age Interventionist Renee Lynn’s CBDRxSupreme protocol
• High Beauty High Five Cannabis Facial Moisturizer and High Expectations Cannabis Facial Oil Instytutum skincare products

Other gifts include vacations, beauty products, opulent trinkets, and several items for mitigating anxiety, including “phobia relief sessions” with the world’s leading phobia expert Kalliope Barlis.

So why do celebrities walk away with all of this in addition to the possibility of a trophy?

Brands want exposure and hope society’s biggest names will give it to them by using their products in front of their respective fans.

Several of the companies providing products for the gift bags are in the self-care and wellness industries, which is indicative of the current health trends in America.

With the rise of medical and recreational marijuana legalization in many states, cannabis brands are also looking to stake a claim in the health and wellness industry.

CBD is a case in point.

The cannabinoid is popping up in all sorts of products intended to help relieve anxiety and promote calm and relaxation.

However, does CBD really help with anxiety?

Scientific research says it has promising potential.

CBD and Anxiety

A 2011 study on CBD for social anxiety disorder (SAD) by researchers from the University of São Paulo in Brazil used a simulated public speaking experiment to test the cannabinoid’s effects on patients with SAD.

The participants were 24 SAD patients and 12 healthy patients.

The SAD patients were split into two groups, one receiving 600 mg of CBD and the other a placebo.

The patients that took CBD felt significantly less anxious and performed similarly to the group of healthy participants.

The researchers concluded the results were, “a promising indication of a rapid onset of therapeutic effect in patients with SAD.”

The mechanisms CBD uses to provide these anti-anxiety benefits include a couple of receptors.

According to a 2015 review of scientific literature about CBD’s anxiolytic effects by researchers from the New York University School of Medicine, CBD seems to primarily interact with the 5-HT1A receptors, while also modulating vanilloid receptors.

The 5-HT1A receptors are a type of serotonin receptor—serotonin contributes to feelings of well-being and happiness—and are commonly targeted in antidepressant medications.

Researchers concluded the review, writing, “Preclinical evidence conclusively demonstrates CBD’s efficacy in reducing anxiety behaviors relevant to multiple disorders….”

While there is a need for more clinical research, science is supporting CBD as a potential treatment for anxiety.