James Dean and Linda Lee, co-founders of the nonprofit Generations Against Bullying (GAB), along with one of their volunteers, Martha Sanchez-Hernandez, had found success using cannabidiol (CBD) to treat painful conditions. The trio knew they could also help others searching for quality CBD products and accurate information about the cannabis plant, dosages, ways to take CBD, ingredients and more. They opened Pure Golden Botanicals (9100 W. National Ave.) in March.
Dean had worked in the technical water treatment industry for more than 30 years, and he was also a pharmaceutical sales rep for a decade, even though he had a strong interest in natural health remedies. He built up a small library from his extensive research into cannabinoids and how they affect the body, which he frequently consults to assist customers. He notes that operating a CBD retail store fits well with his scientific background, and it echoes the work they do at GAB—helping to improve people’s lives.
Venturing Into the CBD business
“We wanted to open a store because our research showed this in an exploding industry and there’s a lot of accurate and also false information out there,” Dean says. “We wanted to differentiate ourselves by having a store where people could come in and, first and foremost, get accurate information about what CBD is all about.”
They also wanted to offer premium products at competitive prices. Dean notes there’s a lot of CBD oil out there with unknown origins. “We wanted to carry products organically grown, with no GMOs and produced here in the United States,” he emphasizes. Their suppliers provide third-party lab testing that proves what is listed on the bottle is actually in the products.
They carry CBD tinctures, capsules, gummies, pain salves and cosmetics. They partner with U.S. farms to provide a Pure Golden Botanicals brand of tincture, and they also carry products by cbdMD and Arise. They have a water-soluble tincture that can be mixed into juice or other beverages for quicker absorption. They also carry chewing gum, honey sticks, coffee, pet products and prerolls.
There’s also a cosmetics line of bath bombs, mud masks, moisturizers and creams for smoothing wrinkles and reviving skin tone and appearance. “CBD oil and its cannabinoids are great skin healers,” Dean remarks.
Their products are either full- or broad-spectrum CBD. Full-spectrum products contain all the cannabinoids of the hemp bud—and Dean points out that CBD comes from the bud, not the stalks or leaves. Full-spectrum CBD products contain a trace of THC under the legal limit of 0.3%. “All the cannabinoids work better together than any of them alone. It’s called the entourage effect,” he explains.
Broad-spectrum CBD products have the THC removed but still contain the other cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids to provide that entourage effect, making it ideal for people concerned about testing positive for THC. Dean says they ask CBD companies for samples first, so they can try products before putting them on their shelves.
Like many CBD retailers, Dean says they’ve had issues with banks and merchant processing. He notes the banking industry hasn’t yet caught up with the explosion of CBD businesses, and there’s still much confusion about hemp versus marijuana and the different strains of the cannabis sativa plant.
Dean also observes how many people are rushing into the hemp business. “I think there’s going to eventually be a shakeout, and the people offering high-quality products and accurate information will stick around,” he says. “My fear is that you have too many inferior products sold by people who don’t know how to help you, and people will try those and say CBD didn’t work. You need to look at the label and know exactly what you’re getting.”
For more information, visit puregoldenbotanicals.com.
