This Brand Convinced Me That CBD Can Be Good and Do Good

As someone who struggles to turn off my work brain on the weekends, working from home has further enhanced this unfortunate phenomenon. Due to this and the hundreds of other stressors brought on by the pandemic, I decided to try out CBD products for a little extra help on days that I know I need to calm down. The CBD industry is new yet already highly saturated, so it was important for me to find a quality product and company. This is why for my CBD needs, I go to the CBD connoisseur Not Pot.

I first heard about Not Pot through their tongue-in-cheek social media presence. Due to an early period of the gummies being out of stock, the first thing I ever received from the company was a potato. I’m serious. They sent me a potato. And then a few months later, the gummies came.

The brand makes two kinds of gummies, the original which tastes like strawberry, and one for sleep, which is blueberry flavored. I tried out the Strawberry Chill Original Gummies. As the name suggests, Not Pot gummies do not get you high. Instead, taking the 20mg CBD gummies is described by the company as “giving yourself a hug,” and that’s what I felt. These gummies, to me, feel like an extended deep breath and are something I use as a complement to my end-of-week self-care routine.

Strawberry Chill Original CBD Gummies

Buy at not pot$40

Not Pot gummies are a little bit different in taste and texture than the gummies I’ve had before. Not Pot has developed high-quality ingredients to keep their gummies as simple as possible. Instead of processed sugar, they use tapioca as their source of sweetness, which helps keep the gummies free of dyes and artificial flavors. And, instead of gelatin (which is apparently made from boiled pig and cowhides—gross), the brand uses citrus pectin.

The gummies themselves, well, they don’t taste like a typical gummy. I would compare a Not Pot gummy more with the taste and texture of dried fruit or one of those “all-natural” versions of Swedish Fish. But knowing there were no cow bits in my gummy made me more than OK with this.

The integrity of these gummies doesn’t stop there. Not Pot’s mission is one I resonate with, too. The country has not fully reckoned with the damage that the war on drugs, specifically weed, has done to marginalized communities for using the same products that we can now buy in all different forms from major retailers. Not Pot is a rare self-aware CBD brand that actively advocates for criminal justice reform and retroactive relief. A margin of their profits also goes to the Not Pot bail fund, a self-funded organization that pays for someone’s bail every month, a contribution designed to combat mass incarceration directly related to the racially disparate enforcement of cannabis laws. As someone who has reaped the benefits of CBD and faced none of the consequences like so many have, it’s important to me that both I and the place I purchase CBD products from recognizes that.

I take CBD gummies for the benefit they provide me, but I buy Not Pot gummies for the benefit they provide to communities most impacted by the systematic oppression created by the war on drugs. I want to feel good about buying the products that make me feel good. Not Pot CBD gummies check both of those boxes with a couple of potatoes to spare.

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