There was nothing available to prepare Founder and Chairman R.J. Williams for the fight of his life in 2005.  Just a year and a half prior, he was diagnosed with a chronic, debilitating form of San Joaquin Valley Fever (coccidioidomycosis) that spread to the spine and other areas of the body.  A partial spinal replacement with full spinal support rods and pins would be a part of my daily life for 8 years, a myriad of staph infections, abscess drains, pain and discomfort ensued.  It took family, faith, and a holistic lifestyle to bring me all the way back to 100%

     Taking the scripts from the doctors to fill prescriptions for pain medication that was causing liver damage on top of side effects of the anti-fungal medication was not an ideal long-term pain management solution.  Being a decades-long cannabis user, the best alternative was a holistic approach to manage discomfort and pain.  Specifically, I turned to three substances in particular:  CBD, CBG, and CBC; all non-psychoactive, all-natural hemp-derivatives that supported my boycott of high-powered opioids.

     Nearly 3 decades of moving in the black market serving Raw CBD Oil and cannabis to whomever needed relief, the decision was made to enter the legal industry to participate in the awareness-raising and education of the Plant; soon after, we noticed a disconnect and a ‘wild west’ way of transacting hemp on the wholesale level, ultimately is was explained that the lion’s share of deals in this hemp sector never complete. 

     Either the brokers, buyers, and/or the sellers in these transactions were of poor business acumen and integrity, and an absence of honesty –and presence of treachery — even permeated the development of this Marketplace from the inside.  We realized quickly, we could not be a platform that only sold products and services.  The industry needed more responsible stewards contributing to its emergence in a manner that makes it welcoming and of quality to be a part of, as a career goer or an entrepreneur.  So a Co-operative Marketplace that encompasses all the tools, tips, and experience needed to survive and thrive in the hemp and cannabis industries.
     
     Someone approached me some 18 months ago and expressed to me that “99 percent of the bulk cannabinoid deals in that sector do not consummate…” (bad actors, bad product, etc.).  

     Couple that with the reality there is an absence of effective regulation of hemp or hemp products on the Federal or state level (in the case of my state of California and many others), and I concluded the development of a Cooperative-spirited Marketplace for hemp and hemp products –that also provided ancillary services and a self-paced cannabis educational hub with a residual chest fund-raising initiative to forward a disruptive legalization of cannabis under the provisions of Article V of the Constitution (whew, that was a lot before this next hyphen)– was a necessary project to take on.  

     Along our ‘education to sustainment’ supply chain, our Co-Op Marketplace strives to have (for each ‘link’ of the chain):  a) product/service offering that is trusted, vetted, and does clean business; (b) an educational offering that prepares individuals for a career in a specific sector or field; and (c); a series of ancillary and business services essential to the sustainment and fiscal health of all businesses who aspire to thrive in the hemp and cannabis industries.

     Just as hemp and CBD have significantly helped R.J. to redesign, rebuild and reclaim his health through the cannabis Plant, his Marketplace and Initiative has been conceived to ensure everyone has the same resources to lay claim to their health and vitality. 

     From every farmer who supplies the Plant, to the processors who turn the plant into life-benefiting substances, to the educators, financial service providers, and everyone in between, the Emerald Marketplace is the place to help heal the world through the offerings of its fine product providers, educate the World and raise awareness of the power they can reclaim to control their vitality, and assist any and every person who wishes to be a part of this industry with the ‘good, the bad, and the ugly” of an industry that we are so very proud to be a part of and share with all who loves the Plant like R.J. does.