Lasting Legacy Green Time Wellness Brand Serves as Tribute to Father By Abby Meaux Conques
Tara Elwell, owner Green Time Wellness at 3711 W Pinhook Road, and fiance, Jeff Guidry, are the managing duo of the wellness business that was built out of what Elwell sees as a lasting legacy to her late father, Robert Elwell. “Previously, I had my career established; I owned my own law firm specializing in Succession & Probate, Wills & Trusts, and Estate Planning. But after my father got sick, everything changed,” Elwell said. In 2018, Elwell’s father was diagnosed with a very aggressive, advanced cancer. His diagnosis would create waves that would carry Elwell in a very different direction than she ever dreamed of. Elwell is a long-time advocate of natural, holistic and alternative health options. When it came to research and documentation, Elwell’s tenacity was a by-product of her twelve year law career. “I began to research CBD and its effects - I wanted to get him to agree to try it daily,” Elwell explained. The Federal Farm Bill of 2018 was recently passed and took hemp and hemp-derived CBD off of the Federal controlled substance list. Her father agreed to CBD to his treatment plan and they began a daily regimen to aid in his discomfort. Elwell began to take stock of her own ailments that could benefit from a daily CBD regimen. She began taking CBD for the anxiety that came with her emotional situation and sleeplessness due to the enormous stress she was encountering. CBD became such a big part of her life, helping her father to be more comfortable and in aiding her own symptoms. She began further research on CBD and the laws surrounding it. “Although Louisiana law had not yet caught up with the Federal law at the time, I started getting involved in advocating with a great hemp group who were encouraging our legislators for hemp and hemp-derived CBD to become legal here in Louisiana,” Elwell said. “My father was an extremely intelligent man and I completely trusted his business advice. When we started talking about me opening a wellness store carrying CBD products, he was fully supportive and encouraged me to do it with full force and passion,” she explained. Elwell began her new business venture and never looked back. Upon entering the world of CBD, there were a lot of hoops to jump through and professional relationships to nurture. Her attention to meticulous detail helped her to secure a connection with one of the largest and most accredited manufacturers and extractors of CBD in the world. She decided to be-
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come one of their distributors, and the Green Time Wellness brand was born. In April 2019, Elwell’s father passed away. “My CBD business is dedicated to my late father and is his legacy,” she said. Even though the pain from losing a parent was still raw, she used her emotions as fuel to ramp up operations and get quality CBD into the hands of people who needed it. Green Time Wellness opened its doors November 2019 and has an online store for ordering and shipping all over the country. Elwell’s advice on beginning a CBD regimen is comprised of 2 parts: find quality CBD and take the time to find the right dosage for your body. “It does take research to find a trusted, quality CBD brand since this industry is brand new and strict regulations aren’t in place yet,” Elwell said. A quality CBD product starts with the seedlings and the growth process. You’ll want to find a reputable company that gets their product from growers who don’t use harsh pesticides and don’t add any fillers post-extraction. You want a product that has the least amount of steps between the seed to seal process. Credible companies have their lab results available so the consumer can double check product quality. Green Time Wellness has the lab results of all of their product categories listed directly on their website. Elwell immerses herself in all of the details of the changing regulations and being in compliance with law. She also serves as a board member of the Louisiana Cannabis Retailers Association. “A lot of times, the first question people ask when they walk in is ‘Will your product cause me to fail a drug test?’” she explained. “People worry and rightfully so. There are people who could lose their jobs or their pain management plan, and there are CBD products out there that don’t comply and could get people fired.” In Elwell and Guidry’s experience since the shop opened, when customers receive the information that Elwell has a law background, they know they're in good hands since they have an understanding of her attention to detail and knowledge of law. Green Time Wellness currently offers CBD tinctures mixed with MCT oil or hemp oil, CBD gel capsules, salves, pet treats, and face care. There are multiple strengths of the tinctures and capsules to suit anyone’s needs from mild anxiety or pains to chronic ailments. All Green Time Wellness products can be purchased online and shipped at www.greentimewellness.com.
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