While a student in Saint Louis University's cannabis science and operations certificate in 2019, Ashanti Hasam, 41, started to learn the true power of cannabinoids.
"I was learning different ways to help relieve [pain in] people without them having to take actual medication," she says, adding that in addition to business classes, the program also teaches about the holistic benefits of weed.
Intrigued, she started tinkering around with CBD. This was before medicinal cannabis was legal in Missouri, and Hasam thought that CBD was the fastest way to get into the business. Plus, CBD offers pain relief and relaxation similar to THC without the psychoactive effects, she says.
She started making topical products such as lotions and body butters as well as edibles including granola and gummies for class projects. Her mom, who has arthritis, was her first tester.
"Once I found that I could pull her off of three different medications, oh, you couldn't tell me anything else," Hasam recalls. "She can, literally, instead of taking her arthritis medication, she can take two of the gummies and halfway through the day rub the CBD cream on and feel relief."
Hasam now runs GreenGirl STL, which she started in 2021. She makes almost all of her products to order.
"I'm big on custom orders. I won't make it until I talk to you because I want to know what's going on, and I want to make sure I'm selecting the best strain," she says. Hasam knows how to make lotions, bath bombs, body butters, edibles and even dog treats.
Wait. Dog treats?
Yep. "I have a customer, and she has really big, excited dogs. They're huge. And their bones get tired as they age," Hasam says. "So when she gives her dogs the CBD treats it helps relieve their muscles." Hasam also gives the treats to her own dog, who suffers from anxiety if Hasam leaves. The treats help keep the dog calm.
Hasam's appreciation for CBD has grown as she's seen its impact. "It's a magical plant that people just don't give its due," she says.
"What a lot of people don't realize is that CBD and THC work together," Hasam continues. "For instance, a lot of people don't know that if they get too high, they get too much of that psychoactive effect of THC, you can take CBD behind it." That could be through CBD gummies or even lotion, and it will help ameliorate the paranoia or anxiety that sometimes comes withTHC, Hasam says.
Helping people heal has long been part of Hasam's daily life. Not only did she work in health care, she also started making lotions to help her daughter and then-boyfriend, who both suffer from eczema. So when it came time to start making products for her SLU course, she knew just what to start with. She also learned to extract the CBD oil from the plant herself.
"I prefer it that way. I like to be hands on," Hasam says. She does the extraction and creates her products in her home but hopes to be able to afford a workshop soon.
In the meantime, Hasam is working to spread the word about CBD oil through events and pop-ups, where you can meet her, test out her products and order some for yourself. Having used her CBD-infused body butter, I know it smells great, enriches the skin and helps relieve some of the pain from my carpal tunnel syndrome. Check out greengirlstl.com or her Instagram for more details.
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