With in-person events slowly resuming in Texas given Governor Abbott’s dismissal of COVID 19-preventative measures, and by slowly I mean 38,000 people descending onto Globe Life Park for a recent Rangers game, events related to cannabis reform and hemp expansion are also beginning to resume their operations from a time in American history before everyone knew the legend of Joe Exotic.
Occurring on April 24th in Manchaca just south of Austin hosted at the Manchaca Springs Saloon, the ATX Hemp and Wellness Expo will be a collection of speakers, networking events, CBD infused snacks and even yoga sessions. It’ll be quite a diverse panel of both presenters and participants from all demographics and walks of life, with some of the notable being profiled and interviewed frequently here at the Collective. An honorable mention to veteran superhero David Bass for example, who will be presenting on why hemp/CBD and cannabis could be beneficial towards veterans.
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One such company that will be present is the Hidalgo County-based Nature’s Joint. Known for a variety of products, from their pain creams to their multi-flavored lollipops to arguably their flagship product, their CBD-infused coffee, the personal story behind why owners and operators Christina and Pete found CBD is unfortunately common yet very impactful and even somewhat relatable to the struggles of some veterans.
When Pete was injured on the job and as a result, was prescribed opiates and high-dosage ibuprofen from the doctors he was assigned to via workman’s comp. Christina had concerns surrounding these prescriptions for many reasons, not limited to but including the liver damage caused by such a high dosage of ibuprofen.
But by an experiment with an old Latino “antidote” described by Christina consisting of green alcohol and the stems and leaves of cannabis, the couple were actually led to CBD through someone knowledgeable about cannabis. As her husband’s workman’s comp program forbade cannabis consumption, infusing anything with THC was out of the question.
Among their experimentations, her husband discovered that CBD pain cream was particularly effective. Through his success, Christina and Pete began to educate others in the South Texas area. Through social media and the information provided by the couple, many South Texas locals around the McAllen area began reaching out and finally, they opened Nature’s Joint café flagship location in Elsa.
With a distinct coffee house setting, both the Elsa location and the Austin locations provide consumers and those new to the subject of cannabidiol to not only gain knowledge about the benefits of this plant but also have a good coffee in collaboration with Buddha Beans, tea flavors or other edible product offered by Nature’s Joint.
The casual setting allows for knowledge about cannabis to be freely and comfortably discussed with the occasionally skeptical residents of their Hidalgo County town.
“That has been our primary focus down here in South Texas. Helping those that are really looking for just wellness and become educated about hemp. We’ve encountered it all. We’ve had people tell us we were selling marijuana to us educating them and having them walk out with products from our shop. It’s all about educating and what you present to them.”
Due to the age and political demographics of the area, Christina had her worries about the views on cannabis from the locals. However after four years, Nature’s Joint now has two locations, so any local opposition wasn’t too extreme clearly.
Keeping everything local, the family-owned CBD store manufactures all their own products. As the products offered have been used by the Salinas themselves, they can attest to their equality. From capsules to gummies and the aforementioned lollipops, they’re all homemade, many of them being full spectrum. Even honey from local beekeepers, it’s quite interesting to see how vast their menu is.
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Luckily for consumers attending the ATX Hemp & Wellness Expo on the 24th who are eager to try CBD-infused versions of common beverages, the Salinas family will be present serving their signature coffees and teas.
“We have created our own cotton candy which people go crazy over.” Salinas joked. “But we’ll be serving the cotton candy at the event as well which is made from full-spectrum CBD.”
Salinas hopes that a main takeaway from the expo would be something that participants would ideally learn given the lineup of presenters and vendors. She hopes that attendees learn the possibilities for cannabis’ medicinal uses and the opportunities with the plant beyond just “getting stoned”.
“Cannabis could be consumed in many forms and it doesn’t always have to be psychoactive. It could be a CBD isolate that won’t give you any high, full spectrum where you’ll feel a little more relaxed. There’s plenty of options out there for everybody, not just someone wanting to get high.”
To the Salinas family, cannabis’ medicinal potential is simultaneously a personal matter too, especially for the portion of the expo dedicated to cannabis and veterans.
“Both my father and father-in-law are veterans. My father-in-law served in Vietnam and my father served after Vietnam. The need and desire to use cannabis is there, so we definitely need a medical program for these, and not a 5% percent max THC. We need full access to the plant.”