Kerry Ann Gooden got her start in the CBD business in Ocean Beach as a patient.
One of several reasons why she swears by her new occupation as a small-business owner marketing the chemical compound.
CBD is the medical abbreviation for cannabidiol, one of the primary active compounds, or cannabinoids, found in Cannabis sativa plants such as marijuana and industrial hemp. Discovered in 1940, CBD is one of 113 identified cannabinoids in cannabis plants and accounts for up to 40% of the plant’s extract. The chemical is used to aid in treating a number of medical conditions including anxiety, cognition, movement disorders, and pain. A native Jamaican and a veteran, Gooden joined the military after migrating to the States. She was deployed twice overseas during the 2000s.
“When I got out I had a lot of ailments, bodily injuries and PTSD accrued from the military,” Gooden said. “My first experience with CBD was after I got out in 2018 in a wellness store looking for something for my migraines. I was looking for natural remedies because I was sick of taking opioids and being tired, angry, depressed and sleepwalking.”
So Gooden tried CBD. “Nothing really happened right away,” she said. “But I kept on using it every day. After two or three weeks, I had the best sleep of my life. I was getting all these good reactions to it.”
It was at that time that marijuana was becoming legal, which led Gooden to begin learning everything she could about cannabis and CBD. “I felt like, if I was going to be using it, I needed to know everything about it,” she said adding, as she became more experienced, “Cannabis became a lifestyle, and then a life-changer.”
Originally, Gooden wanted to get involved in cannabis retail but balked at the expense of acquiring the necessary permitting. It was at that point that Gooden said, “If we can’t get into the cannabis industry, at least we can get in the CBD industry.”
Gooden started selling CBD successfully online and after about a year was able to “get our store opened in OB where we are now.”
The small-business owner believes there now is “a growing awareness” of CBD and its possible health applications and benefits.
Gooden is big on educating people about what they’re doing when they use CBD.
“We want to make sure people gain a basic understanding of what they’re putting in their bodies when they walk out this door,” she said. “We like to inform them about the safe, medicinal use of CBD.”
Pointed out Gooden, “CBD won’t give you a psychoactive high. It really will calm your nerves, or help if you have muscle or joint pain or anxiety or PTSD.”
Gooden added she’s even had customers come in for CBD to treat skin disorders like psoriasis.
“It’s been used to reduce the appearance of scars from surgeries or injuries,” she noted. Added Gooden about the product she markets, “With CBD and dietary changes in my life, I’ve been able to feel better. I’m drug- and opioid-free. I’m only on a plant-based (regimen) right now.” Alive Wellness CBD
Where: 4967 Newport Avenue, Suite 10 Info: 619-890-7689, 760-405-2563