A local couple has opened a hemp dispensary in downtown Bowling Green with the hope of further educating the public about medical cannabis.

Lauren and Matthew Bratcher, longtime veterans of the hemp industry and prominent advocates for cannabis legalization, celebrated the launch of the first One Love Hemp Dispensary franchise in southcentral Kentucky last week.

“We actually have a lot of people come in just to talk about their use of cannabis and not be judged,” Lauren said. “It’s a little therapeutic.”

The couple’s storefront at 310 E. Main Ave carries a colorful assortment of hemp-derived products, including CBD-infused exfoliating rubs and bath bombs, CBD treats for anxious pets, roll-on THC sticks for muscle pain, hemp-infused drink mixes and stacks of technicolor gummies.

“We really take the time to work with each person and talk to them,” Lauren said. “What is wrong with you and how can we help, and what do you need to be addressed?’”

More than just shopkeepers, the Bratchers are also the directors of Kentucky NORML, the state’s branch of the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws that has fought for legalization since 1970.

“If you look at other states that have medical and/or adult (cannabis) use, they usually have a strong NORML organization,” Lauren said.

She said the couple’s advocacy takes the form of organizing rallies, providing medical cannabis fact sheets to lawmakers and facilitating meetings between political representatives and patients who have benefitted from cannabis use.

“We’ve had people that are terminally ill and we’ve had people with brain tumors go up and talk to senators for years and years and years,” Lauren said.

Amid the store’s menagerie sits a framed top copy of Senate Bill 47 that bears Gov. Andy Beshear’s signature. That was the piece of legislation that legalized medical cannabis in Kentucky and serves as a physical reminder of the couple’s work.

Approved in a 26-11 vote and signed into law this March, the bill creates a framework for patients with qualifying conditions, written certification from a practitioner and a state ID card to use cannabis as a form of medical treatment.

Those qualifying conditions include any stage or form of cancer, epilepsy, chronic or debilitating pain, multiple sclerosis or muscle spasms, chronic nausea and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The law will not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2025. Local governments have the ability to opt out of cannabis businesses.

“Every county is allowed to opt out, so if these communities aren’t educated, it’s going to be hard for patients to have that option to get their medicine,” Lauren said.

The Bratcher’s new storefront was not a forecasted development.

The couple earned their wings by managing the One Love location in Louisville’s Highlands neighborhood, but Lauren said the COVID-19 pandemic led them back home to Bowling Green to be closer to family.

Matthew began working remotely, and Lauren said she had extra time to devote to advocacy work. The two began looking for an office and found their current spot on East Main Avenue.

The couple got to talking with their One Love friends back in Louisville, who convinced them to become the company’s first Bowling Green franchise.

“We can do it, we know this like the back of our hand, I can sit down between customers and work on the advocacy stuff and write out letters to senators,” Lauren said. “It’s one of those things that we didn’t plan on, and those are the best things.”

She said One Love’s offerings are organic, third-party verified and, in the case of the THC and CBD-infused gummies, are low-sugar and low-dose.

That dose in question is above board thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill, which removed industrial hemp and its extracts, including cannabinoids, from the list of controlled substances – provided that products do not have more than a 0.3% THC concentration on a dry weight basis.

Customers are provided with informational handouts that list the benefits and potential effects of One Love’s products, along with dosage suggestions.

“The THC that is available here has CBD with it,” Lauren said. “CBD mitigates a lot of the intoxication effects, so it would be hard to get really high on the products we carry. You will feel a little buzzy, but it’s nothing compared to taking a pain pill.”

Customers are given informational handouts that list the benefits and effects of One Love’s products, along with dosage suggestions.

Lauren said she’d like to partner with local businesses and institutions such as Western Kentucky University to further educate the public about medical cannabis.

“We’d like to get involved with Western a little bit,” Lauren said. “We feel like UK has the research, UofL has the agriculture – what does Western have?”

Ultimately, Lauren said the dispensary’s purpose is to lay out the red carpet for medical cannabis’ complete arrival.

“We’re going to know that it’s good for our community, we’re going to know it’s good for our home values, we’re going to know that it’s good for the opioid crisis,” she said.

One Love is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The store accepts cash and Venmo.

“We’re just trying to educate and help people understand what medical cannabis is going to be when it gets here,” Lauren said.