WS Chronicle

A local couple is preparing to open a CBD store right here in Winston-Salem. 

Theo and Ke’Ke Jones started thinking about opening a CBD dispensary about two years ago and later this fall 4Ever Health & Wellness will officially open its doors. 

CBD or cannabidol is the second most common active ingredient in marijuana. Although it is a component of marijuana and derived from the hemp plant, which is in the cannabis family, CBD does not cause a “high.” And according to the World Health Organization, “In humans, CBD exhibits no effects indicative of any abuse or dependence potential … To date, there is no evidence of public health related problems associated with the use of pure CBD.”

Theo and Ke’Ke said after doing their research and learning about the health benefits of CBD and witnessing them firsthand, they knew it was something they wanted to bring to this community. 

Theo has served in the military for more than 10 years and is a former fighter, while Ke’Ke suffers from chronic migraines. Health experts have touted CBD for a number of health issues including anxiety, insomnia, chronic pain, and symptoms linked to childhood epilepsy. 

Theo said although PTSD isn’t something that just goes away, CBD does help him relax. 

“When I’m having an episode of sheer anxiety, I may smoke some CBD or take some gummies and the anxiety goes away,” he said. “It gives me a clear mind, it gives me peace. It really brings me back to an understanding of myself and level out everything going on around me.”

Ke’Ke said after taking the medication prescribed by her neurologist for years, she decided to try CBD instead. She also uses CBD for nausea. She said, “Of course those medications prescribed by doctors come with side effects and if you stop taking them, then your headaches get worse. 

“So I decided to stop taking the medication and CBD has been something I’ve put in place of taking those medications. And I’ve noticed that a lot of our customers that come in are dealing with migraines and other pains.”  

Purchasing CBD is legal as long as it doesn’t contain more than 0.3 percent THC. According to the Joneses, to avoid that they decided to go with a supplier with CBD that doesn’t contain any THC. 

“With the laws and how slow things are coming to North Carolina, we wanted to bring something here,” she said. “Our CBD has zero THC. We decided to go with a company that has zero THC just to start to see how things would go and eventually, of course, if and when cannabis is legal, we can go both ways.”  

By the year 2024, the legal cannabis industry in the United States is expected to generate $40.6 billion. According to the Associated Press, in 2018 alone investors poured $10 billion into the North American marijuana industry. 

Although the lawful use of recreational marijuana hasn’t made its way to N.C., with CBD stores popping up across the city and the state, Theo and Ke’Ke are the latest to catch the wave. 

When asked how it feels to know they are investing in something that could possibly make them billionaires, Theo said it’s exciting. He said 4Ever Health and Wellness will help their other investments, which include a film production company and a nonprofit. 

“To know we are tapping into a multi-billion dollar company is exciting because we are really bent on breaking generational curses. And lacking prosperity is one of the things we are really tuned into and breaking away from.” He continued. “And not just to fill our pockets, but with every move that we make, because this isn’t the business or thing that we’ve done to try to help our community. Having this opportunity is going to feed everything else that we desire to do.”

During there interview with The Chronicle, the Joneses thanked William and Nashika Lowery, Brittany Counts and Vernon Wadelington for helping make the vision of 4Ever Health & Wellness come to life.

4Ever Health & Wellness is located inside the Whitaker Square Shopping Center, 1969 N. Peace Haven Road. The grand opening is scheduled for late fall. Until then, visit “4Ever Health & Wellness” on Facebook and “4Ever_Health_Wellness” on Instagram.