CBD ReLeaf provides relief

Finding relief for people suffering from chronic pain, sleep disorders and anxiety has become a passion for Terri Anderson of Owatonna.
Anderson has turned that passion into a retail store offering CBD ReLeaf, which is cannabidiol, the second most prevalent of the active ingredients of cannabis. On June 1, she opened the first CBD store in Owatonna at 346 W. Bridge St. Since then, another CBD store has also opened.
CBD ReLeaf’s products feature hemp grown at Green Door Farms in Tennessee. The farm was founded by John Mitchell, a former infantry Marine and retired undercover narcotics detective. He suffered from chronic knee pain due to his time in the military and back pain as a result of an on-duty injury when a fleeing suspect ran him over with his vehicle.
Mitchell decided to try CBD to find out if it might be helpful for his pain. He tried many different brands of CBD, some from gas stations and some from stores that specialized in CBD. He found that many of the products were ineffective, and likely counterfeit. He then decided to go into the CBD business on his own.
Anderson’s husband, Alton, has known Mitchell since he was 5 years old. The Andersons decided to bring the CBD product line to Owatonna. But it hasn’t come without careful research.
Anderson has been in the healthcare field for more than 30 years, most recently serving as a nurse at the Northfield hospital. She has researched CBD on her own for the past five years and become an advocate for the product for three years. She retired from the hospital to commit to the business full time.
“I have the education and knowledge to help people pick the products that are right for them and their situation,” Anderson says. “I can guide you to what is best. I want people to have a true CBD store where they can be educated.”
She also draws upon personal experience. In March 2017, she was involved in a near fatal truck crash in Tennessee. She underwent nine months of recovery utilizing multiple medications. She then tried CBD. “Within six months I was off every prescription medication I was given,” Anderson said, adding she has been an avid CBD user for four years.
CBD calms, relaxes, lowers blood pressure and promotes rest and sleep, according to Anderson. “It helps regulate every system in your body,” she said. “It’s crazy what it does to the human body.”
Anderson says CBD is considered a supplement just like any kind of vitamin. It’s not regulated by the FDA. After the Farm Bill was passed in 2018, which allowed hemp to be grown, CBD products are in their infancy.
There is nothing in the product that will cause mental impairment, Anderson noted. She also points out that people cannot overdose on CBD. Worst case scenario, she added, is that people would become “very sleepy.”
While Anderson is hoping to sell lots of product, she is more concerned at this point about getting the word out about CBD. “One of the biggest things for me is education,” she said. She added she wants to teach people how it works and why it works for them.
Anderson is adamant about not harming anyone with CBD. She encourages people to talk to their doctors to get their approval for using CBD. She said she will refuse to sell to people if she thinks it’s not a fit for them. People must be 18 years or older to purchase the product.
“I want to be available to people,” Anderson relates. “I care for people and help people. I want to give them a natural product that can help them,” she said.
Pharmacies do not like CBD and have fought to make it illegal as a controlled substance, Anderson said. She notes that she has clients who are doctors and chiropractors utilizing CBD. “We have a lot of doctors on board,” she said.
Besides chronic pain, CBD also helps veterans with PTSD and kids with ADHD, Anderson said. The Mayo Clinic is starting to do studies on CBD, she added.
Said Anderson, “It’s exploding what this product is doing for people.”
Within the first month, Anderson has experienced a clientele base increase by three-fold. She expects to expand to a second store within the next year.
CBD ReLeaf is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.