A must watch interview with Garrett Manes, a successful professional race car driver at age 18 who found his path through an autism diagnosis through his love of racing.  Watch Kristin Selby Gonzales of Autism Hope Alliance and co-host Justin Benton of 101 CBD with Garrett as he literally lights up the world with his story and his contagious enthusiasm.

Garrett recounts his autism diagnosis at age two or three, how he was “closed up socially” with only one or two friends in grade school and “stayed in my own lane”. Garrett’s father is in racing and got him interested in racing with some milk-shake bribery to put the pedal down and go faster with go-karts when he was in kindergarten. By age 10 he was doing arena racing indoors and winning, and by 13 he was winning again when racing in simulators. 

Garrett reports there is little difference between the simulator and a real car except for the G-forces. His immersive experiences in both come from his focus on the wheel and what he sees. “Honestly, if you give me a steering wheel, give me a car, and put me on a track, I will be very happy.” So, it is no surprise those that are at the top in the Sim world like Garrett are also at the top in live racing. 

His passion for racing coincided with the COVID 19 pandemic which closed professional racetracks.  This closing brought the top racecar drivers to I-racing and gave Garrett another opportunity to race and win against the top drivers. 

Garrett’s dedication to racing rewarded him in many ways. He developed a passion for racing, overcame his terror at doing interviews to now looking forward to them, developed the confidence to talk to anyone including the stars of the racing world, expanded his skills to several types of racing, helped him with his job of developing high end simulators with motion, and allowed him to compete with the top professional race car drivers in the country. Garrett was invited to join a sports car league of I-racers and oval racers, and his team won the championship in Corvette Class this year.

Garrett is grateful for the sponsorships he has received (including from 101 CBD) at the nationals last year. Let’s all support Garrett and his five-year goal of racing in the NASCAR series with enough funding and sponsorship to meet that goal.  You can follow Garrett online at Facebook: Garrett Manes or Garrett Manes Racing, Twitter: @garrettmanes, Instagram:  Garrett Manes, or watch his I- races live streaming on Twitch as Garrettmanes1.

Watch and share this video of his amazing journey. We thank Garrett for inspiring so many people by living his dream. We are looking forward to seeing his name in lights. 

Hemp Hero 101 CBD CEO Justin Benton Shines in Interview with RAWmarketplace

Listen to 101 CBD CEO Justin Benton for his Hemp Hero interview with Neshama Abraham at RAWmarketplace.com in the link below to learn more about the unique history and whole plant, high CBDA products of 101 CBD.

Justin has truly been a Hemp Hero since the start of his family’s journey with hemp extracts as a solution to his son’s autism diagnosis.  Using a holistic approach of whole plant, cold processed extraction to preserve the high CBDA content and a wider range of plant constituents with organic ingredients was the key to his son’s unprecedented progress.  Honoring the potential of this miracle plant used by humans for centuries by keeping it as close to nature as possible not only helped his son but is the foundation of the customer demand that led to the continuing expansion of 101 CBD.

You can also join the fun talking 101 CBD products with host Neshama sharing her reactions to trying 101 CBD’s high CBDA products – Chill X tincture in Blueberry and Alleviate X in the new Tropical Bliss flavor.

In her own words…

“I loved them both. Blueberry Chill is delicious.”

After taking the Alleviate Tropical Bliss, she reported…

“I had a sense of wholeness, like body repair. Like my body was going, yes, thank you! It felt like it was doing all the right things inside.” 

Neshama took the Blueberry Chill before going to sleep and reported…

“I had a very good sleep, so I wanted to thank you. Just to be able to deeply relax and sleep well.”

In summary, she noted…

“I want to attest I think they are excellent. And I love the flavor of the one you are testing, Tropical Bliss.”

There is a link in the interview chat to receive a free bottle of 101 CBD Chill in the new Tropical Bliss flavor, as anxiety is now surpassing pain as the number one reason to use CBD.

When asked about the research on CBD vs. CBDA for debilitating body conditions, Justin referenced current published research, especially Dr. Raphael Mechoulam’s findings of the increased benefits of high CBDA for a variety of conditions.  In simple terms, CBDA is closer to raw, fresh squeezed orange juice which most of us can agree has more benefits for our bodies than heat, processed fruit drinks or instant orange juice powder. 

Justin is a member of the California Hemp Council which benefits from the excellent legal guidance of internationally known Patrick Goggin of Hoban Law.  California is now making a second attempt to pass a bill to set regulations for hemp and CBD.  California, which is often described as a nation state with its GDP being sixth in the world, recognizes the need to have hemp regulations of its own as there is no timeline for FDA regulations or future updates of the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills.

One key concern of hemp farmers in California is the push back from local Boards of Supervisors wanting a half mile barrier from roads for hemp planting, costing hemp farmers up to 30% of their crop.  A second national concern, best explained by Doug Fine in his book The American Hemp Farmer, is the burden on hemp farmers with the restrictive .3 % THC limit on hemp plants at all stages of growing in the field. With even a slight increase over that level, the hemp plants are considered “hot” and cannot be used for CBD products and sometimes are destroyed.  The proposed solution is to enforce THC level in finished products and to raise the limit to 1% as it was in the 2014 Farm Bill.

A question and answer session covered a broad range of topics and clarified that the COA third party test results show 101 CBD products, like all legal hemp products, met the guidelines for less than .3% THC. He also clarified the coming standards for cGMP production for all manufacturers, and the power of the hemp plant for farmers and consumers. He quoted Jack Herer in The Emperor Wears No Clothes, “Hemp may not save the world, but it is the only thing that can.”

The biggest take-away from Justin’s talk was the importance of using the whole hemp plant in a cold process extraction to maintain the plants naturally high levels of CBDA and hemp’s many other beneficial components for the ultimate entourage effect and effectiveness.

Don’t forget, use the link in the interview chat to receive a free bottle of 101 CBD Chill in the new Tropical Bliss flavor or email info@101CBD.org and mention you listened to Justin’s Hemp Heroes Interview.

Congratulations to Ryan Cosyns, franchise owner of the 101 CBD store in Westminster for winning Best of the Best in the CBD Store category.  Colorado Community Media just announced readers nominated and voted the 101 CBD store at 7713 W 92^nd Ave, Westminster, Colorado as the 2020 Best of the Best winner.

The 101 CBD store opened this year with a mission to educate and assist consumers in the area with their hemp-based CBD needs. Ryan and his staff have a passion for helping others that comes through clearly to each person who comes in their door. They are highly educated on all aspects of the hemp plant, hemp products and their uses, and how to individualize the products to match each customer’s needs.

At the core of the 101 CBD store are the unique whole plant, cold processed, high CBDA hemp products, created by a family to meet the needs of a young family member with significant issues. After the amazing success of these products with that family member, the company and product lines naturally grew as they sought to “pay it forward” to others.  Customer feedback and testimonials continue to pour in as others’ lives are also improved.

The 101 CBD store in Westminster offers a wide range of tincture or sublingual oils in several strengths, flavors, and targeted infusions. They also offer a topical line with Raw Relief for localized discomfort and swelling that comes in a cream, roll-on, or travel size roll-on. Raw Renew Skin Treatment has extra base oils like argan and jojoba oils for any skin issues including keeping your skin looking its best.  The latest product is Hand Shield, a roll-on to help cleanse and protect the skin. Hand Shield is made with microbe killing essential oils and rich oils to prevent dryness and leave behind a protective layer.

Ryan says “It has been my absolute pleasure to open the first 101 CBD store in the Denver metro area.  Colorado has always been a leader in promoting the benefits of hemp and it was a natural fit to bring the amazing products at 101 CBD to this great state.  I look forward to continuing to educate people about the amazing benefits of the miracle hemp plant.”

Please stop in at the corner of 92^nd Ave and Wadsworth Parkway in Westminster to congratulate Ryan and his staff and try the hemp-based product line.