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Best of 2019: CBD Becomes Seattle’s Favorite Way to Chill

Has everyone around here found bliss or is it just the CBD?

By Daria Kroupoderova December 20, 2019

Food_CBDdrinks

This article originally appeared in the December 2019 issue of Seattle magazine.

This article appears in print in the December 2019 issue as part of our Best of 2019 cover story. Click here to subscribe.

Seattle got really relaxed this year as cannabidiol (CBD) made its way into lotions, dog treats and beverages—it can even be found in the aisles of your local Bartell Drugs. Users of the cannabinoid extract (which does not contain the psychoactive properties of THC) allege that it helps with anxiety and insomnia, giving the consumer a feeling of calm without the high associated with marijuana use. Unfortunately, there is little research substantiating these claims.

Placebo or not, we’re all for some happy juice, particularly if it comes in the form of a white tea ginger beer from Rachel’s Ginger Beer, which joined the CBD game this year by partnering with Seattle-based CBD brand Dazey to create a ginger beer and a slushie. Another favorite CBD drink is The Royal Treatment from Seattle’s first CBD bar, Cleen Craft. The bar opened its doors in Belltown in August, mixing cocktails and mocktails, with its CBD sodas made and packaged in the bar’s backroom.

Since the FDA has not yet approved CBD as a food ingredient, many of these tranquil bevvies may be pulled by the time you’re reading this. It’s a brave new frontier, and we’re here for it. Get your calm on while you still can.

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