CBD firm joins the fight against suicide

A premium CBD brand is joining the fight against suicide in the UK.

CBD lifestyle brand Apothem has partnered with London-based artists The Connor Brothers on a limited-edition collection.

The collaboration sees the artists adapt one of their iconic artworks across a collection of limited-edition products to raise awareness and funds for the charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) – whose life-saving work is leading the fight against suicide in the UK.Mental health and male suicide are matters close to the heart for both brands, who have been personally affected by the issue.

Apothem co-founder Amelia Baerlein (pictured above) lost her dad to suicide while she was growing up.

“CALM is a cause very close to my heart, being quite young I really struggled with my dad taking his own life,” she told Cannabis Health.

“People didn’t talk about mental health issues back then like they do now, especially adult men.

“I always remember one particular conversation I had with him and he must have felt so vulnerable, as though he had nowhere to turn and had to struggle on his own.”

Figures show that every year 125 people take their own lives in the UK and three quarters of all suicides are male.

The Apothem x Connor Brothers collection will also include 18 signature hexagon boxes, designed to be a collectible piece of art, to symbolise the average number of suicides per day.

“Those statistics are sadly overwhelming and the impact that it has on those who are affected is immeasurable,” continued Amelia.

“CALM is supporting so many people and now more than ever, with rising numbers of people accessing their helpline and services due to the pandemic.

“As a brand we always said we wanted to do good and we’re blessed that we can do something to help raise awareness and of course, raise money to allow them to carry on their lifesaving work.”

The Connor Brothers are also ambassadors for CALM and are well-known for their art, activism and voicing their opinion when it comes to social issues in the UK.

The Connor Brothers

Accompanying the visual is a powerful statement – “Call Me Anything But Ordinary” – which conveys the campaign’s message around positive mental health and the artwork features British model Pippa Melody who also uses her platform to promote self-acceptance.

“The tagline is about encouraging people to accept themselves as they are and love their eccentricities and differences,” Amelia said.

“The Connor Brothers have been amazing to work with and share the passion for the work that CALM does. The campaign has had such a positive impact on the whole team, encouraging conversations that we perhaps wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

The collection includes limited edition packaging of Apothem’s signature day drops, as well as a sustainable tote bag produced with social enterprise re-wrap, to help ensure that the campaign is accessible to everybody.

Thirty per cent of the sales will go directly to CALM, with each potentially lifesaving call from their helpline costing approximately £8.

In addition all of the proceeds from the limited edition hexagon boxes, which are retailing at £3,000 will go to the charity.

“There’s a clear divide between what we can do and the lifesaving work that CALM does, the best we can hope for is to raise awareness and encourage more open dialogue,” added Amelia.

“It’s not just a campaign for us, we want to continue to help raise awareness of mental health and we hope to support CALM for a long time to come – it’s a really special charity.”

The collection is available at ApothemLabs.comCALM runs a free and confidential helpline and webchat – seven hours a day, seven days a week for anyone who needs to talk about life’s problems.

If you need immediate help, please call emergency services on 999 or The Samaritans on 116 123