In my years of working in the cannabis industry, I have come to see infused topicals as the perfect “ambassador” for the plant’s medical properties.

I’ve been making infused cannabis products for more than a decade, and it’s clear that social acceptance is growing, but a stigma remains for many people who may have negative stereotypes about the plant or its consumers. But the application of cannabis-infused topicals gives people the opportunity to experience the medical effects of cannabis without having to smoke or vape it, and without any of the psychoactive effects.

And for those nervous about having cannabis in their system, there’s another upside: Because topicals don’t enter the bloodstream, we have yet to hear a case where they showed up in a drug test.

In fact, here’s a real-life example of topicals as a risk-free entree into cannabis:

When I was a massage therapist, I served clients of all ages. But when I started making cannabis-infused massage oil, I was nervous to say what I was doing. But 99 percent of the time when I would tell people about it, they were open to trying it.

Mary Janes Medicinals Massage OilOur signature massage oil is infused with fragrant essential oils like lavender, peppermint and cedar, so there are familiar elements of aromatherapy that help people relax. People of all ages, from those in their 20s to grandmothers, enjoy the sensations and relief they get from our topical products. The anti-inflammatory properties of our salve, in particular, makes it a natural to recommend to older folks with aching joints.

I’ve found that talking about the plant and its properties openly, and having people recommend it to their friends or family, starts to normalize marijuana as a self-care product.

One test of cannabis topicals’ ambassador qualities came when I was giving massages to a conservative Texas family that was in Colorado for a vacation. One member of the family was a district attorney, and one was a judge. I was wondering how they might react to trying a massage oil infused with cannabis, but all of them loved the massage and raved about the infused oil, and said they wished they could take my products back to Texas.

I have a customer who is a member of the same golf course as a rather well-known Texan, President George W. Bush, and he swears he has seen more than one other member of the club pull our popular salve out of their golf bag. (Reminder: Please pay attention to laws regarding the transportation of cannabis products out of Colorado or other legal states.)

Another example from closer to home is a rancher from a conservative town near our southwest Colorado headquarters in Telluride. Some people in the town have expressed concern about cannabis grows proliferating in the area. But one of those ranchers confided to me, “I don’t know about cannabis, but I don’t use anything else on my hands except this salve.”

Experiencing firsthand the healing properties of cannabis-infused lotions and oils can change people’s perspectives—and lives, even—opening them up to new experiences and educating them about the positive aspects of cannabis, as opposed to the negative misinformation and propaganda they have been exposed to.