Health & Wellness has a New Face in Bishop Arts
DeShawn Andrews
This past Saturday, I encountered something very odd while walking on S Madison Ave, on the edge of Bishop Arts. I was passing a building I thought was unoccupied for quite some time when I see City Councilman Chad West through the glass. He’s in front of at least 20 people giving a talk of some sort.
The space he was standing inside of didn’t look vacant at all either, it looked like a boutique that was supposed to be built on Bishop St. but accidentally was constructed at the wrong address a block over.
The situation needed mining in my opinion. The sign in front read #HEMP, and the event apparently was at a ribbon cutting of some sort. I stepped inside and joined the crowd just as Councilmen West was catching his stride. Discussing how big of a day this was for the neighborhood. He said “ It’s important that we now have this credible and legitimate voice in the Chamber of Commerce, which will be able to educate the public on the benefits of CBD.”
He deferred the floor to a young African American man named Martell, who founded #HEMP. He was hesitant to speak initially but then began to talk very passionately about the stigma surrounding CBD and how it’s strictly due to the lack of education. He believes if 100 people over 50 were asked if CBD is legal, half or more would say “Yes!”. The truth is CBD has been federally legal since December of last year, and officially legal in TX since June 16th.
He offered that the same ratio would likely apply if you asked that demographic (or any) "Does CBD got you high?" Most younger and older people would tell you “Yes!”. That’s not nearly the case though, you could smoke or drink a literal ton of CBD and not get high or fail a drug-test.
For those of you that have been under a rock. CBD is the latest and greatest to hit the health market in some time. It’s made from industrial hemp, which is cannabis that has a THC percentage under .3%, so it doesn’t have psychedelic effects like its cousin marijuana. After being approved for use in the epilepsy drug Epidolex last year, CBD has been hailed as almost a wonder drug which has been effective against a wide range of ailments from chronic pain to anxiety.
Martell opened the space to combat the stereotypes and provide a safe space that grandma would feel comfortable coming to learn about CBD. His business model apparently was formed around education and customer experience, since most places that sell CBD locally have the appearance of a smoke shop and a similar style of customer service.
As the first CBD company to enter the Chamber of Commerce and the first Health & Wellness Company as well, he is ready for the responsibility of making CBD and #HEMP a household name in the community. He ended the ceremony after the ribbon was cut by saying “If everyone were accurately educated on CBD, there isn’t anyone that wouldn’t be using it daily.”
They currently carry a very wide range of CBD products for wellness issues, pain-management, pets, and cosmetic application. I personally purchased an energy product and some alkaline water that they distribute on subscription service. Admittedly, both products are very high-quality.