Meet Jessica D. She is a mother and entrepreneur who has found healing with cannabis and CBD. Here’s her story.
Which do you use? Cannabis + CBD
How do you consume? Oil tincture, Topicals
How long have you been using these products? 1- 5 years
What made you seek out these products? Was there a specific situation? In 2017 my health had started to spiral. I began to suffer quickly from severe inflammation and pain in my joints. I went from being a well sought out yoga teacher in Fort Collins, CO and active mother to barely being able to walk up a flight of stairs, pick up my children, or close my hands to achieve the simplest tasks like opening a bottle of water. I had been suffering from sleep deprivation, hair loss, chest pains preventing me from taking deep breaths, painful swollen joints, respiratory inflammation, and battling anemia. My husband and I struggled working with doctor after doctor, misdiagnosis after another, until we finally received the right medical support. I was then diagnosed with Lupus. Along with a conventional approach my doctor suggested I try cannabis to help with pain management. Through the use of CBD and THC, trying a variety of strains, and experimenting with dosages I finally began to take back my health and keep it under control.
And I didn’t stop there, my husband and I then turned to an organic and mostly plant based diet to help support my wellness journey. This was the start to our USDA organic cannabis cultivation which then led to founding Verde Collection, a house of CBD brands; FoCo Organics and Grass Paws. This traumatic experience is a pillar which inspired the birth of our cannabis journey.
What hesitations or concerns, if any, did you have before starting? Mostly stigma around growing these cannabis plants as a woman, a mother of two children, and I was very uncertain how that would be accepted. However, I was met with more love because I decided to step forward and share my journey than I could have imagined possible. It really made me laugh one day when I realized I was in a position to help usher in or pioneer cannabis for women, to remove the stigma around these medicinal plants, to promote wellness, and to normalize the benefits for our everyday lives. It is a responsibility I am grateful for.
What is the biggest change you’ve noticed since using these products? Oh let me count the ways! My inflammation, which lead to anxiety as one could imagine, was the most difficult for me to handle, not being to close your hands or lift your children because of the deep pain felt in my hips and ankles left me emotionally crushed, but feeling relief and replenished with more mobility in my joints and reduced anxiety was the biggest change I had felt alongside many other benefits.
Tell us your routine for how/when you use these products. I take a half a dropper of my 2500 full spectrum Mint in the morning, and in the evening. I apply a restorative body oil every night on my legs and hips, and work my way around my neck and traps as well. This has been an amazing combination.
What are your go-to brands or strains (of cannabis)? FoCo Organics
What advice do you have for anyone looking to use cannabis or CBD products?
Know your grow! These are bio accumulating plants, which means they take up everything in their environment from soil to air, and it will come out in the extract used to make products. Make sure you can see FULL panel tests on your products to ensure they are true to their word and rid of all harmful herbicides, harmful pesticides, heavy metals and mycotoxins. I would look for a USDA Organic product, and one that is transparent and authentic in their growing practices.
