COLUMN: Chicago Nurse-Turned-Entrepreneur Pushes for Responsible Hemp Regulation

By Brandy Garner My journey into the hemp industry didn’t start with a business plan. It started with two close friends battling cancer — one enduring the pain of her illness, the other navigating the side effects of chemotherapy. Both were desperate for relief but skeptical of the options available to them. When one of them asked if I could create a pain cream she could trust, it sparked something in me. As a psychiatric nurse on Chicago’s South Side, I’d spent my career focused on helping others. But this request sent me in an entirely new direction. I dove into research and holistic medicine, determined to provide my friends with something safe and effective. That determination eventually grew into a mission to help others experience the benefits of hemp-derived products, including CBD. Today, I’m the proud owner of Brandy’s CBD, my own business rooted in integrity and care. And my store has become a hub for wellness in a neighborhood too often overlooked. With a hemp license from the state in hand, I partnered with labs to ensure rigorous testing for purity and quality, creating products that my family, friends and community could trust. Beyond our storefront, our products...