JESSAMINE COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — One CBD shop owner in Jessamine County says CBD and medical marijuana have countless health benefits. After yesterday's vote in the Kentucky House of Representatives on a medical marijuana bill passed, this shops owners both say this bill is taking a step in the right direction.
Robert Matheny says he's been an advocate of marijuana for the last 30 years. He says the Kentucky House of Representatives passing the medical marijuana bill this past Thursday was a step in the right direction.
Matheny says, "All these cannabis bills are to help Kentuckians prevent this opioid crisis we've been in. We've done got the opioid payout all these people that lost family members didn't get a dollar of it. It goes into rehab, rehab that then feeds them more pills." Matheny says this isn't the first time a medical marijuana bill has been in the house. He says it’s been heavily discussed since 2018. He explains the marijuana plant -- which is where THC and CBD come from -- has many health benefits including aiding in addictive behavior.
"At Kentucky CBD Farmacy basically all we do every day is take the opportunity to show people that cannabis is a safe effective alternative to basically everything they buy at the pharmacy,” says Matheny.
This CBD shop owner has been in business for going on five years. He says he wasn't a believer in CBD at first, but this major life experience changed his mind.
Kentucky CBD Farmacy Co-Owner, Rachael Osland, says, "His mom had cancer for many, many years she did not want to take narcotics or anything because where she's so skinny it scared her." Matheny’s mother fell ill, and he wanted to investigate alternative forms of medicine.
His friend, Osland had experienced a devastating car accident that left half of her body and her left leg badly damaged. She underwent ten surgeries and was on ten different medications. Osland says, "It helped me in so many different ways not only with my pain but with my anxiety, depression, PTSD. Even now, sometimes being in a car, it scares me."
After a series of tries with CBD, she found one that worked, eventually getting off the prescriptions. Now, after years in business together the two say they've seen countless lives changed. They say they'd like to see the stigmas end.
"It’s important people get involved. That way you have a choice of what's going in your body, what you're being restricted from, and knowledge of why you're being restricted from it,” says Matheny.
