Newark High School graduate Jeremy Jimenez lived out of state for years. He’s back home now, preparing a new CBD business in the same Jackson & Perkins greenhouse his mother worked at for two decades before it closed. 

“To come back and do this here, and bring jobs to a community that I left 15 years ago and come back and do this, this is great,” says Jimenez. 

That could bring up to 60 new jobs. Newark Mayor Jonathan Taylor says that impact will radiate out, with people living and shopping in town.

“It helps spur the entire economy, so there’s a domino effect that it helps the whole economy,” says Taylor.

He says with industrial hemp now a part of the federal farm bill, this CBD plant became a possibility. 

“I’m looking forward to putting more people to work,” he adds.

Jonathan Callahan, President of the Honest Pharm Company, says attitudes on CBD have changed over the years, as people have discovered the natural therapeutic value of the product, of which there are many.”

Sleep, anxiety, it helps with…arthritis, cancer patients see benefits from it,” says Callahan. “It’s not a miracle drug, but it’s really close,” says Jimenez. 

As doctors have told News 8 in the past, CBD is not what some people think of to get “high”. What Honest Pharm Co will be making is a dietary supplement extracted from cannabis plants with little to no THC.

Jimenez says educating the community on CBD is important saying they will hold tours and showcase the process to the public. He says he hopes to employ farmers in the area and grow even bigger adding, “I feel great doing this, this is awesome.”