grown compliant with section 7606 of the federal farm bill. Janel entered into the cannabis industry as a parent advocate after her research led her to the discovery that CBD sourced from the Cannabis Sativa L plant would potentially be of benefit to her child, Harmony, who suffers from a rare genetic condition called, Lissencephaly. After several failed attempts to obtain safe, tested, CBD-rich oil for her child, she decided she would become the source. Since Janel’s introducing this high CBD/low THC oil into her daughter’s life, Harmony has gained a quality of life that no synthetic drugs had ever provided her. After seeing her child’s own success, Janel made it her mission to help offer the same to all, and that is how Palmetto Synergistic Research & Palmetto Harmony were born. Her company today deals with thousands of people who have benefitted in some way from the cannabis plant and is wanting to donate her time to help advance this cause to allow access to South Carolina residents to the full plant under a comprehensive medical program.

 She also works as a volunteer with Hugs for Horses therapeutic riding program in Georgetown and is a consultant in the hotel industry; critiquing and evaluating sales team professionals as well as offering recommendation and training to increase sales capture rates. Judy’s greatest strengths are her creativity, drive and leadership. She thrives on challenges, particularly those that expand awareness of medical cannabis and its benefits. Judy is a past catering sales manager at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta where she was involved in developing and implementing sales and marketing strategies to include; securing new accounts, maintaining existing accounts, and maximizing profitability while increasing customer satisfaction. Judy organized and helped execute corporate meetings, association groups, social functions as well as catering with notable success in large-scale event planning. She also holds a bachelor’s degree from East Stroudsburg University and an MBA from University of Phoenix. She lives in Murrells Inlet with her husband, their daughter, Kira.

 Don retired after 22-years of active duty from the United States Navy, as a Hospital Corpsman, 13 of those years assigned to the United Sates Marine Corps as a Combat Corpsman. During his war time experience, he administered care in multiple combat arenas to include Beirut Lebanon with the Multinational Peace Keeping Force, where he received a purple heart.  In Somalia, Don participated in Operation Restore Hope, a multinational Intervention to restore food distribution and humanitarian aid operations and aboard ship, he participated in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm.  Having experienced many military conflicts, his expertise with PTSD and other lifelong combat-related injuries among veterans is a source of experience he brings to his profession as a staff nurse in the Veterans Administration Hospital system.

During his tenure he was responsible for administration of the association’s training programs, publications, and interests at the Statehouse. He served on numerous committees,and task forces regarding matters related to vulnerable adults and children and advocacy for crime victims. He also chaired the committee that brought the Amber Alert program to South Carolina. He retired in 2014.

These include retail settings and management, hospital, LTC/hospice and currently pain management. She is the owner of Healing Leaf Health & Wellness, LLC. The most passionate advocates often find their voice when inspired and driven to so out of a loved one’s suffering. It was her mother’s late-life diagnosis of SLE Lupus and father’s degenerative disc disease/stenosis fuels a passion for treatment modalities outside of Western Medicine and to pursue alternative options and educate herself and others. She is an advocate for proper education and responsible use and behavior. This is a critically historical opportunity to set positive guidelines and advance awareness for an amazing plant with medicinal potential to help ease suffering and improve quality of life for a myriad of debilitating conditions. As a clinical practitioner, we strive to generate real-world evidence and seek research that can be translated into direct patient care and safe access for patients and caregivers in South Carolina.

 

 and in a variety of regulatory environments across the United States. I also assisted in the application and licensing process for numerous entities across the country. After working at the law firm for three years, I became In-House Counsel for an international cannabis cultivation management company. As In-House Counsel, I prepared business license applications for entities in highly regulated emerging markets such as New York, Illinois, Florida, and Nevada. I continued at a national cannabis consulting company that assists applicants in obtaining licensure in new markets. This work allowed me to become acquainted with even more regulatory frameworks and compliance requirements.

My time in the cannabis industry has exposed me to constantly evolving regulations which seek to balance public safety concerns with the ability for patients to gain access to medicine to treat their debilitating conditions. As someone who has seen the benefits of medical marijuana on a first-hand basis, I believe that everyone should have access to what helps them the most. Using my background and skills as an attorney I have been able to assist others as they attempt to navigate regulations in hopes of setting up businesses to provide safe and responsible access for patients.

 

Due to service connected disabilities I was able to use the Veterans Administration Vocational Rehabilitation program and complete a Master’s in Social Work degree from the University of South Carolina.

Our youngest daughter Mary-Kate has numerous health challenges such as hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and she is visually impaired. It was during my Research Method course that we tested the effectiveness of CBD oil at treating Mary-Kate’s seizures. The results were eye opening and led me to becoming and advocate for patients in South Carolina to have legal and safe access to physician recommended cannabis.

My father is a Vietnam Veteran with Parkinson’s and Multiple Systems Atrophy due to Agent Orange exposure and like all disabled veterans in South Carolina is being denied legal and safe access to physician recommended cannabis.

It is time for South Carolina to allow children like Mary-Kate and Veterans like my father access to a better quality of life.