BROOKLINE, MA — If you’ve walked, run or driven past Summit Avenue at Beacon Street, you may have noticed the laundromat on that corner has been closed for some time. Recently, some brown paper went up in the window and a little sign popped up in front.
„Your CBD Store” is opening soon.
CBD, or cannabidiol, is a compound found in the cannabis plant that proponents say has health benefits and as a pain reliever, without the high found in marijuana.
Its popularity stems from 2008, when Congress passed a law that legalized hemp and removed the CBD compound from the controlled substances list as a way to open the hemp market for making products like paper, textiles and concrete.
The Brookline shop is set to have a soft opening this weekend, and then open to the public shortly after.
Cassandra Corona, a senior at Suffolk University is the franchise owner and told Patch this is her first business.
She said the store’s employees – currently only here so far – will consider the interconnection between biology, psychology, and socio-environmental factors to help customers pick out something that may work for them.
Your CBD Store products are made using organically grown hemp from Colorado which has been certified by that state’s Department of Agriculture, she said in an email to Patch.
PATCH: When is your grand opening?
CORONA: I hope to have a grand opening some time in February. However, my doors will be open on Dec 7th for family and friends. I hope to have this soft opening to bring awareness and then hopefully involve the community for the grand opening. I’m a part of the Chamber of Commerce and they are excited to do a ribbon cutting for me, but I want to hold off until my sign and the store is more presentable.
What are you studying at Suffolk?
I am studying Psychology at Suffolk University and graduate this December. I have just recently been accepted to graduate school at William James College where I will be able to learn more about Organizational Psychology. I’m currently interning as Quality Management for Riverside Community Care. I do play a lot roles at this time, but I believe us woman can do anything we put our mind to with balance.
How did you decide to get into this particular franchise?
I enjoy empowering and helping people. I believe and use Cannabidiol CBD. SunMed products are high quality and have won awards for best topical cream. This organization is very transparent and utilizes third party lab reports, so I feel comfortable selling products that have been tested from soil to product. For example, the soil is tested for heavy metals and pesticides. The products are tested after being manufactured to ensure that customers receive what is in the bottle. There’s No room for error and complete transparency. The best thing is that there are QR codes that are on each individual product so customers can track their product and personally see the lab reports. Finally, This franchise is very much a collaborative force of individual store owners who help each other and so this franchise supports me through a network of store owners.
How many people will be working at your shop?
At this moment I am the only individual who will be working. I have a couple brookline residents applications and plan to hire someone from the community who wants to learn and be apart of the CBD community.
Why Brookline?
I chose Brookline because I grew up in the Boston area and had spent some time here. The town has great energy and everyone I meet here is very friendly. Since I started the process of opening this location, the town of Brookline and all the officials have been very supportive and helpful. I can’t tell you how grateful, proud and excited I am for choosing Brookline as my first retail location.
As for the concern surrounding using CBD as a cure all?
We highly recommend that consumers of CBD should always consult their doctors and include their doctors with all decisions. We honor their opinions and never make claims that CBD is a cure for medical conditions or ailments.
CBD can be taken as a pill, in lotions and a number of other ways. CBD products are sold over the counter and online.
In June, the USDA approved the first pharmaceutical drug to contain cannabis-derived CBD. Epidiolex will be used to treat epilepsy. But there are many product uses that have not yet been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
And while many swear by the benefits of CBD, others say it’s important to know the USDA hasn’t yet approved using CBD as a cure for many of the things proponents laud it for.
„The products are not intended for the cure, diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in man or animal,” the CBD store’s website reads.
An instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and president of the Association of Cannabis Specialists cautioned users, according to Harvard Health.
„CBD is being used over the counter in a range of ways that is not supported by the science,” said Dr. Jordan Tishler. „There is still much we don’t know. But aggressive marketing, hype, and word of mouth have made CBD like a drug version of the emperor’s new clothes. Everyone says it works, but lab studies suggest that it’s really not what people think.”
Your CBD store is situated at 1414 Beacon St. and is a member to Brookline’s Chamber of Commerce, according to Corona.
Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).