Friends of Real Food is an interest group at the Urban Ecology Center that meets the third Thursday of each month to enjoy a potluck dinner along with a speaker and discussion. On Thursday, Feb. 20, Friends of Real Food will present “The Truth About CBD, Weeding Out Fact From Fiction,” featuring pharmacist Dan Zatarski of MD Custom Rx, a custom compounding pharmacy in Brookfield. The meeting will take place at the Urban Ecology Center’s Riverside Park location,1500 E. Park Place.
The potluck begins at 6 p.m., and the program begins at 6:30 p.m. Friends of Real Food events are open to the public, no fee or registration is necessary. Attendees can join the group for dinner or come just for the program. People can bring anything they’d like to the dinner; members are omnivores and welcome any contributions.
Zatarski will discuss the characteristics of cannabidiol (CBD) oil, its benefits and purity, as well as what people should be aware of when supplementing with CBD. He’ll also talk about the benefits of whole food supplements. Zatarski holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from UW-Madison.
“When I meet new customers in my pharmacy that are interested in CBD oil, the most common question I get is whether or not CBD oil is psychoactive,” he says. In addition, he asks questions about proper dosing, or if CBD products will interfere with their medications.
As a pharmacist, he will discuss the pharmacology of cannabidiol as it relates to the endocannabinoid system in the body; review the important factors necessary in evaluating quality hemp oil; and summarize clinical applications for hemp oil and guidance on proper dosing, side effects and drug interactions.
Dedicating a meeting to hemp topics such as CBD is a natural fit for Friends of Real Food. “People who come to our Friends of Real Food meetings generally share an interest in eating a healthy diet, as well as understanding and changing our food system,” states Anne Steinberg, a member of Friends of Real Food and a long-time volunteer with the Urban Ecology Center. “CBD oil is one of the supplements we see advertised and sold all around us, and we wanted to be able to separate the hype from the truth and be informed consumers.”
Friends of Real Food also organizes the annual Local Farmer Open House, during which attendees can meet local farmers and learn about their farming practices and what they produce. Steinberg notes that some of the small, local farmers they know have begun growing hemp for CBD oil, and that focused more attention on the product. “Two of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farmers who come to the Local Farmer Open House each year are now adding that crop to the food they grow,” she says. “So, when one of our members said she knew a pharmacist who could present this topic, we found a lot of interest in the subject.”
If this CBD presentation is well received, Stenberg says Friends of Real Food may offer more CBD topics at upcoming meetings, as well as outings that include visiting a farm that grows hemp.
For more information, visit friendsofrealfood.org/events.html.