Was it something she smoked? Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart has a new line of wellness products — Martha Stewart CBD.
The gourmet gummies, oil drops and soft gels, which launched this month ($34.99 to $44.99, shopcanopy.com), contain hemp-derived CBD isolate and are a partnership with Canada’s Canopy Growth Corp. Flavors of citrus (Meyer lemon, kumquat and blood orange) and berry (raspberry, huckleberry and black raspberry) are based on plants grown in Stewart’s greenhouse and gardens, and used in her kitchen. Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a non-psychoactive substance used to quell anxiety and inflammation. A gift box and pet products are in the works.
It was rapper Snoop Dogg, her co-star on VH-1 TV’s “Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Party Challenge,” who introduced Stewart to Canopy Growth executives several years ago. Stewart eschews THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactve component) and marijuana but is drawn to advancements in health and good living.
After sampling several products herself, Stewart adopted CBD as part of her wellness routine. “Creating my own product line felt like a natural extension of my brand where the goal has always been to give consumers the products, knowledge and tools to live better lives,” she wrote in an email.
Mainstream acceptance of cannabis is growing, and people ages 45 to 65 — Stewart’s target audience — are embracing CBD for help with chronic pain and insomnia instead of opioids and sleeping pills. Sales of THC and CBD edibles are also rising as consumers sheltering in place look for methods to quell pandemic-related anxiety.
Canopy Growth CEO David Klein said the company has worked in recent years to increase its research on CBD products, focusing on safety and efficacy in a bid to differentiate itself from the other 2,700 CBD brands on the market. Consumer trust in Stewart, her emphasis on quality (she tested all the flavors personally) and competitive pricing may also serve to draw more shoppers to her line, he said.
A sampling of the cube-shaped, sugar-dusted gummies found the fruit flavors to be balanced, refined and pure; ditto for the oil drops. Noticeably absent was the unpleasant vegetal tang (think lawn clippings) often found in CBD products. The gummies’ consistency was soft, yet slightly resistant to the teeth — like fruit gelees from a fine Parisian confectioner — and not sticky or gooey like some edible products. The CBD kick? Rapid and soothing, even when half the cube or oil drop dose was consumed (each contains 10 mg per serving).
“We set out to create the best-tasting CBD products on the market,” Stewart said, “and I think we’ve succeeded.”
Carolyne Zinko is a freelancer and former Chronicle staff writer.