Absorbtion vs. Consumption on Yom Kippur
Since it’s almost time for Yom Kippur (see the Canna-Jewish Holiday Guide), I’m sharing the results of my experiments with Stewart Farms medicated balms and creams to prepare for the holiest day of the year. They were inspired by my Canna-Jewish concern that on the Day of Atonement it’s probably better to forgo consumption and absorb some THC instead to ensure I have enough anxiety to provide the cognitive energy required to berate myself all day. In other words, Yom Kippur is not the day to feel so chill that you space out in shul staring at the bima and wondering what the hell we mean by “Olam Habah” (the “world to come”) anyway?
We view Yom Kippur as the “holiest day of the year” because it also reveals the kind of person you are: do you care about Justice and moral respect, or do you live outside all moral expectations, indifferent to the pain you cause others? If you want to be the kind of person who is morally accountable, rather than the kind who says “I was following orders,” then you need to spend at least one day a year thinking about all the shit you hide behind your good intentions until you discover you’re not as good or clever as you supposed. With stakes this high, I wanted to take extra precautions to adjust how high I get when I medicate with cannabis so I don’t feel *too* content with myself.
I contacted the folks at Stewart Farms in New Brunswick to tell them more than they needed to know about my Jewish predicament, because all of their products are plant-based, organic, and sustainable, and that seemed appropriately kosher for Yom Kippur. They were happy to send a collection of medicated balms and creams to review for the CJM product review, including two new products that just hit the market and—for the moment—can only be bought in Ontario. Stewart Farms is also local, located in nearby New Brunswick, so I counted that another mitzvah.
This was also going to be my first time trying any kind of THC and/or CBD-infused balm, lotion, or cream, as these products tend to be expensive, and I knew that when applied, the cannabinoids interact with receptors within the skin cells rather than with cannabinoid receptors in the bloodstream. For this reason, the absorption of THC infused lotions won’t directly affect the central nervous system. Thus, I’ve been wary of spending a lot of money for medicated lotions that won’t provide the same type of therapeutic relief from chronic anxiety and intrusive thoughts as smoking a joint. The best thing I learned from this experiment is that I’ve been looking at it all wrong, and hadn’t appreciated the role that the tactile absorption of cannabinoids can play as a supplement to consumption, and help you modify your habits (when needed) without completely losing your shit.
Initially, however, the goal of my experiment with the tactile absorption of cannabinoid therapy was to find a means to calm my PTSD sensibility but retain enough anxiety to avoid the self-absorption and creative activity that is not so conducive to the agitating effort to feel your limits and moral flaws.
Criteria for success: if the tactile absorption of a medicated product helped me chill out, but left some anxious energy likely to sustain critical self-inquiry for several hours; however, not so much anxiety that I couldn’t stay around people all day (without consuming some medical cannabis). In order to measure their ability to meet my subjective, Canna-Jewish criteria for a good product able to make me a Good Jew on Yom Kippur, I designed an experiment to test their efficacy in a social situation that was approximately as stressful as going to shul:
I. I would test a product only when sober, instead of consuming medical cannabis.
II. After the application of balm or cream, I would wait 30 15 minutes before walking across the street to gauge how I feel when I go to the Dollar Store.
III. If I can be nice when strangers in Nova Scotia are eager to talk about the weather when I’m scanning the shelves looking for items (e.g. smile and refrain from telling them that I’m American and can’t play this language game) then I’d judge the test a success, and feel more confident in my ability to trade consumption for absorption of cannabinoids on Yom Kippur.
Day One: The package from Stewart Farms arrived right before I was going to smoke a joint. “Well,” I thought, “Let’s Do This!” and chose to start with a lavender + arnica balm called “rebound” by Stewart Farms. It’s described as a non-greasy, fast absorbing, and highly moisturizing formulation with lavender + geranium essential oils and blueberry extract, with 250mg THC / 250mg CBD per 25g. Since I’ve never had a thing for essential oils or balms, I was surprised that as soon as I opened it, I became libidinally invested in keeping the small-tin-of-open-balm on my nose, inhaling deeply. After several minutes, I put a generous amount on my wrists, and then continued to do so for the next 10 minutes. I couldn’t figure out why I should *stop* applying this balm that was completely absorbed upon contact, as it just felt really, really good. It also seemed to remove the pressing necessity to get high in order to be social at all, so I decided to keep it in my pocket during the walk to the Dollar Store. On the way I found myself applying more lavender + arnica balm during the entire 7-minute walk (I should mention that the little tin contains a seemingly endless amount, and retails for $25.00).
When I walked in the store I saw it was unusually busy for that time of day, and then promptly left. Though I felt ok with the scent of lavender all over me, I wasn’t medicated enough to feel calm about the prospect of small talk in the aisles of the Dollar Store. I decided that the next day I would try combining the balm with one of the two new products now available in Ontario: “Lavender Fields” Rebound Face & Body Cream, with 500mg of CBD per 20g ($39.95). It’s described as an ultra-moisturizing, plant-based cream, with shea butter, tucuma butter and coconut oil (which sounds delicious).
Day Two: As soon as I woke up the next morning—before coffee— I put some CBD cream on my face to see how long I could last before consuming my first dose of medicine (with a joint). I don’t think the product description is quite adequate, because its application was kinda magical; it was absorbed so quickly that it didn’t seem possible to overdo it, like my skin was grateful for every hit she could get. I felt guilty this was her first time getting some cannabinoid therapy: what had I been waiting for? As I kept applying more, this lavender face and body cream infused with CBD transformed my experience of skin care and helped me see what “self-care” could actually be if all of my products were plant-based, infused with CBD from flower that was cultivated organically, in living soil.
I could imagine that the regular application of this magical CBD cream could serve as a supplement to consumption and provide a steadier return to homeostasis throughout the day, rather than have to navigate a series of peaks and valleys that correspond to how recently I’ve consumed. For usually, my PTSD anxiety keeps my muscles tense and contracted, which leads to muscle spasms and pain that produce more stress, and keep me trapped in a cycle of stress and pain.
After my skin absorbed the CBD cream and I felt my facial muscles relax, I realized that I needed to integrate the absorption of cannabinoids into my health care routine so that my consumption could be more effective. When this medicated cream is applied, cannabinoids are taken up by receptors in the skin and muscular systems that assist with recovery from cellular dysfunction suffered from un-natural conditions like keeping one’s muscles in a state of contraction all day. So the use of both absorption and consumption to deliver cannabinoids that help us recover from dysfunction in the skin, muscular and central nervous systems can help us break free from a cycle of stress and pain, as muscles have time to unwind before contracting again.
With my glowing skin and newfound optimism, I decided to see if I could shop at the Dollar Store without consuming, having just absorbed a lot of the lavender balm and CBD face cream (since there’s never a residue or excess, applying them can easily turn into a lengthy, meditative practice). I made it into the store, bought one item, and left. It was definitely progress, I wasn’t stressed out, and at 11am I still hadn’t yet consumed my morning dose of medical cannabis (I did when I returned home). Since I had one more item from Stewart Farms to test—their brand-new Arctic heat muscle cream with 500mg CBD & 500mg THC per 120g —I decided to try it the next day, along with the turmeric + arnica balm, and remain with the lavender healing for the rest of the day.
Day Three: The next morning I woke up and immediately applied some of the muscle cream to my neck and shoulders, which are always tight and often ache. It’s the only Stewart Farms product that feels like medicine, thanks to the camphor oil, which produces dual warming and cooling effects that soothe inflammation, itching, irritation, sprains and muscular aches and pains. It also contains tucuma butter and rosemary, and a relatively high dose of cannabinoids. As soon as I applied it I could feel the dual heating and cooling effect, which was both soothing and stimulating to the muscle tissue on my neck and shoulders, providing a better morning than usual. After some coffee, I applied some of the Rebound Turmeric + Arnica balm to my wrists and temples, and found it to be a more stimulating, less sedative version than the lavender—better for Yom Kippur.
When I walked to the Dollar Store my shoulders were still tingling from the artic cream, and I had the turmeric balm in my pocket. As it turned out, I was the only customer there on a Sunday morning. I didn’t sweat it, but stayed calm, did some shopping, and was nice when the cashier asked me about the weather. Instead of finding a way to medicate less effectively, I had found a better approach through integrating some absorption of cannabinoids into my daily routine to provide more consistent relief and ease my dependence on consumption. This year I’m going to keep some lavender And turmeric balm in my pocket on Yom Kippur, so I can adjust my medication to my needs rather than trying to predict exactly what I will need or feel in any particular situation. 
