After a long, stressful day at work, Katy Walton treats herself to a large glass of something chilled and refreshing. Something that will help her relax, unwind and even sleep more deeply.
Katy’s drink of choice is not a Pinot or a Chardonnay. It’s sparkling, subtly flavoured – and infused with cannabidiol, an oil derived from the hemp plant.
Commonly known as ‘CBD’, this natural ingredient is also found in cannabis or marijuana. But this does not mean Katy is quietly getting stoned of an evening. Unlike the psychoactive compounds found in illegal forms of the drug, CBD isn’t addictive, doesn’t cause a ‘high’ and is said to promote relaxation.
So perhaps it’s no surprise that canned CBD drinks have found favour among midlife women who previously indulged in the ritual of ‘wine o’clock’.
CBD products – which also include teabags, gummies, oils and capsules – have been sold in this country for over a decade, but first hit supermarket shelves in 2019, causing a huge boom in demand from mostly female customers.
Sarah-Louise Smith, a mum-of-one from the Wirral, Merseyside, suffered from depression in the past and says CBD tea has been a ‘game-changer’
Commonly known as ‘CBD’, this natural ingredient is also found in cannabis or marijuana. But unlike the illegal forms of the drug, CBD isn’t addictive and doesn’t cause a ‘high’
The latest data shows 18 million of us now take CBD in some form, with the market worth around £690 million. According to the British Nutrition Foundation, CBD drinks are consumed by 13 per cent of UK women and 9 per cent of UK men. Some female customers claim it helps cut through menopausal brain fog.
The drinks have a glossy, high-end reputation and have rapidly become one of the trendiest beverages around.
Leading brands Trip and Goodrays, with their sleek packaging and cocktail-like flavours – think peach and ginger, elderflower and mint, or lemon and basil – are sold at Waitrose and boutique online retailers, and have earned A-list endorsement from the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston and Claudia Winkleman.
Leading brand Trip has sleek packaging and cocktail-like flavours, including peach and ginger, elderflower and mint, or lemon and basil
The high price point (up to £7 for four cans) targets a particularly affluent market. And it doesn’t hurt that a can of Trip, containing 15mg CBD, contains only 20 calories.
Advocates like Katy believe they provide a healthy alternative to both alcohol and the likes of Diet Coke. But is this belief misplaced?
In 2022 a report by the World Health Organisation found that CBD can help treat the symptoms of a range of ailments, from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s to arthritis and even cancer.
But last year, the Food Standards Agency drastically reduced its recommended daily limit for the consumption of CBD, from 70mg to just 10mg (less than a single can).
The change – potentially a huge blow to the 400 companies making CBD products for the British market – came with a warning that regular long-term consumption of the chemical is ‘potentially harmful’ to the liver and thyroid.
While there’s no outright ban on products containing more than the new limit, the FSA is planning to work with manufacturers to lower the amount of CBD in High Street drinks.
So will this deter Katy, 42, a PR consultant from Chippenham, Wiltshire, from drinking it?
A mum to four boys – two sets of twins, aged seven and 13 – Katy, who admits that for years she’d indulge in a ‘glass of wine to relax while cooking dinner after a stressful day’, started drinking cans of Trip two years ago to ‘consciously change some unhealthy habits’.
‘I’ve never been a heavy drinker but I noticed that alcohol was something I chose to unwind – and it was actually making me feel more anxious and unsettled,’ she says.
‘CBD makes me feel calm and clear-headed. Wine makes you feel fuzzy. It can also be slightly disorientating. A glass of CBD does the opposite – it makes you feel more present.’
Katy says the drinks even help combat her peri-menopausal symptoms: ‘They give me a sense of sharpness and break through the perimenopausal fog.’
No doubt music to the ears of Trip’s founders – a high-flying British couple, ex-Goldman Sachs analyst Dan Khoury and former lawyer Olivia Ferdi. They are quick to point out that the CBD in their drinks is not dangerous or addictive and is only found in small quantities (15mg per can).
The latest data shows 18 million of us now take CBD in some form, with the market worth around £690 million
But Harry Sumnall, professor of substance use at Liverpool John Moores University, says more research is required into the long-term effects of CBD products.
‘There’s currently no scientific evidence that the doses of CBD in drinks available on the High Street help people relax or reduce anxiety,’ he explains.
‘Not only is the dose of CBD in the most popular drinks low to begin with, but around a third of the dose will be broken down by the body before it can begin to work.’
Reports of the health benefits of CBD are in fact associated with much higher doses, which must be administered under medical supervision.
Amanda Akien, 45, from Buckinghamshire, the founder of copywriting firm Moo Marketing Copy, has been drinking CBD cans for just over a year and has them three times a week.
‘I like the flavours and low calories,’ she explains. ‘They make me feel relaxed and calm. I suffer from anxiety and notice a difference. They aren’t addictive – one is enough for me. Plus, there’s no hangover.’
Amanda describes the feeling she gets after drinking CBD as ‘like a warm hug’, which sets in around ten minutes after the first sip.
‘It isn’t a tipsy feeling,’ she says. ‘It’s just a relaxing one – I’m not sure what is medical and what is mindset.’
She admits, however, that some are shocked by her choice, adding: ‘I was at a networking event the other week and I spoke to two strangers about how I sometimes had a CBD drink instead of a glass of wine during the week. They looked horrified.’
Despite being a fan, she says she always checks the CBD level on the can before opening it – and admits the lack of conclusive research is a ‘negative’.
Advocates believe the CBD drinks provide a healthy alternative to both alcohol and the likes of Diet Coke
While she’s never experienced side effects, and knows no one who has, this is not unheard of – even for infrequent drinkers.
The experts the Mail spoke to mentioned stomach upset, diarrhoea and headaches, as well as a small risk of breathing difficulties, skin rashes and fainting for first-timers with an allergy to CBD.
However, Professor Mike Barnes, a consultant neurologist and medical cannabis expert, says this shouldn’t be cause for alarm, saying: ‘The overwhelming evidence from published studies is that CBD is safe in doses up to at least 15mg.’
One area where experts are uncertain is the relatively new market for alcoholic CBD drinks. Manchester-based Aqua Sativa, for example, makes gin, rum and vodka infused with CBD, while Cannabrew sells pale ale with 15mg of added CBD.
But mixing the two can be unpredictable. Not only do the effects of CBD make it difficult for drinkers to monitor their alcohol intake but in the US the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that the combination can cause drowsiness, impaired coordination and, in rare cases, vomiting.
Amanda Akien says she knows people who mix CBD with alcohol in cocktails, but wouldn’t do it herself.
‘It would defeat the purpose for me,’ she explains. ‘I use them as an alternative, so I wouldn’t even have a CBD drink and then a wine later.’
But fizzy drinks aren’t the only CBD product appealing to midlife mums.
Sarah-Louise Smith, a mum-of-one from the Wirral, Merseyside, suffered from depression in the past and says CBD tea has been a ‘game-changer’.
She started using a few drops of CBD oil in chamomile tea and then, four years ago, found CBD teabags on sale at Holland and Barrett. Initially sceptical, she decided to give it a try – and now buys the bags, which contain around 7-8mg of CBD, in bulk direct from a manufacturer in the Netherlands.
Sarah now buys CBD teabags, which contain around 7-8mg of CBD, in bulk direct from a manufacturer in the Netherlands
Fizzy drinks aren’t the only CBD product appealing to midlife mums, the product is also available as an oil and in teabags
‘I drink it like normal people drink Tetley,’ explains Sarah-Louise, 47, who works in a call centre and runs her own stand-up paddle-boarding company.
‘I’ll have a coffee in the morning, then CBD tea during the day at work. I handed the teabags out to colleagues one day and everyone said they slept so well that night.
‘If I feel agitated, I’ll have a tea and feel, not high, but I’ll return to normal. I had a bad call at work the other day, I took a break, grabbed a brew and ten minutes later I was feeling much better.’
She adds: ‘It makes me feel relaxed – no cares, no issues, just really chilled. If I have a brew before bed I sleep the deepest sleep. If I had a glass of wine my anxiety would be through the roof.
‘The amount of cannabidiols in the tea doesn’t even cross my mind. I feel there is more harm in fizzy drinks.’
It’s certainly a glowing endorsement. But for now, the best advice for women indulging in a cheeky CBD in the evening seems to mirror that around alcohol: think before you drink.
