When ACTIVE RELEAF first started out, our sole purpose was to unleash the healing powers that nature had to offer. It sounds like a lofty goal, but at its heart was our CEO Allan MacLean, whose initial intention was to enhance physical and mental wellness by producing the highest quality, plant-based remedies. Those goals still remain at our company’s core to this day.
These are not just empty words. Allan and the team at ACTIVE RELEAF firmly believe in the incredible healing benefits of their company’s products. In this blog, we would like you to meet Allan to tell you how it all started, how their plant-derived products are good for the soul and how they are not just another CBD seller.
Q: Before starting business, you were doing rigorous soccer training with the intention of embarking on a career in the sport. Tell us how you went from a soccer player to heading up a cannabinoid business?
A: I was playing at a high level and tried out for a semi-pro soccer team in Mexico for which I didn’t do so well and returned to Vancouver. From there, I continued playing soccer at the college level and was training five days a week for soccer but my plans were derailed by a horrific car accident. I incurred a concussion and separated shoulder which ended any chance of a promising career in soccer.
Although I recovered, I was dealing with constant pain in my shoulder and headaches from my concussion. I was never keen on taking prescription drugs and hence, was introduced to cannabis for medical purposes and was able to obtain a medical license to grow cannabis. Through that process, I could feel the difference that cannabis made in helping alleviate my headaches and calming my mental state after the accident.
Life in this day and age tends to be stressful and hectic. Although we encourage our employees to take breaks and to try to lead a balanced life, it isn’t always easy. The positive results led me to introduce the industry to my family. My eldest brother at the time was a sales director for a medical supply company and had the idea of creating products and a brand. With my experience in the industry, we researched and learned that Cannabidiol (CBD), the main compound found in hemp plants, could be extracted. After two and half years of testing and product development, it was a true eureka moment when we realized that we had created an all-natural topical product, which helped people manage constant everyday pain.
Q: What was the market like at that time? Were there already quite a number of established cannabinoid brands in North America?
A: In early 2015, the CBD industry was very new and many companies were not focusing on CBD, therefore we had a huge advantage. In those days, everyone knew about THC products but not many people knew very much about CBD and its benefits. We focused our time on educating our vendors and customers to help them understand that oils from the hemp leaves could be extracted to obtain what is now known as CBD full spectrum, broad spectrum and CBD Isolate. Since the beginning, we have used full spectrum oil which contains a range of cannabinoids other than just the CBD component. Following the legalization of cannabis in Canada in 2018, we decided to rebrand and only focus on our CBD products and grow our reach into the Canadian market.
Q: Do you find that the popularity of CBD has risen in the last couple of years? Or is it just that there is more awareness of its healing benefits?
A: I would say that there is certainly a higher awareness of its benefits. More and more people are becoming educated about CBD and know that it is NOT marijuana and that it WILL NOT make a person high. Generally, people seek out CBD for a few main reasons.
CBD Helps You Manage Stress and Anxiety
to do. No matter what stage in life, most of us are beset by some level of anxiety. CBD can play a big role in tempering anxiety and fostering a sense of calm. How? Too much ongoing stress can ravage our endocannabinoid system (ECS) and cause us to feel constantly anxious. The regular use of CBD helps to keep our ECS balanced and running effectively, enabling a relaxed feeling.
CBD Helps Recovery from Exercise-Induced Inflammation
Exercise can sometimes cause tiny tears in your muscle tissue. It is not really an injury but this can trigger inflammation which serves to rebuild the muscle. Your ECS system facilitates balance in our body to help in the recovery from inflammation. CBD can be used to promote balance and recovery from exercise-induced inflammation.
This leads back to the prolonged stress I mentioned earlier. More and more people nowadays are plagued by sleep problems, spurred on by life’s stressors. We all know that without a good sleep, our productivity and well-being will eventually be compromised. CBD is an excellent way to promote regular sleep cycles to allow you to sleep more deeply.
Q: With so many CBD companies doing business in the last couple years, what sets ACTIVE RELEAF apart from the rest?
A: No matter how much our business grows, we make sure to always follow the guiding principle that propelled us from the start—“Helping others be good to themselves.” We adhere to stringent standards to offer premium quality, all-natural cannabinoids products throughout Canada based on a family recipe. Since we are a family operation, our team is close-knit and each of us takes a vested interest in our products. We are committed to producing in a clean and safe production site in British Columbia. All of our products are tested thoroughly by a third party vendor and we have a quality assurance professional on our team to ensure the best consistent quality for our customers.
