Cannabis Is Not A Crime

Cannabis is not a crime and never should have been.

I’ve seen pain, trauma, and the aftermath of medical systems that fail to truly help people heal. I’ve watched too many of my fellow veterans, friends, and family fight battles with their pain. A battle of addiction, isolation, and inadequate options for relief. Battles where ‘approved’ treatments that only manage symptoms and disregard finding solutions. I will be the first person to tell you I was wrong about cannabis. I believed the propaganda, yes propaganda, that cannabis was awful, destructive, and addictive. It wasn’t until my mother awoke from a surgery with her right leg paralyzed. I watched her suffer through the pharmaceutical pain management system. A copious amount of opioids and other medications that did not fix anything. Then she told me she started using cannabis and it was helping. It more than helped, it was the only thing that worked. That’s where cannabis came into the picture for me. It wasn’t about getting high, it was about getting better. There is more to Cannabis than THC.

I founded Carolina Dream not just to create quality cannabis products, but to lead a movement. A movement rooted in healing, truth, and education. I’ve experienced firsthand what this plant can do. It’s helped me sleep again. It’s helped me control my drinking. It’s helped me be present. It’s helped me live and achieve the best health of my life. That’s not criminal, that’s powerful.

But for decades, we’ve seen communities and lives ruined. Families separated and futures stolen over a plant that has been proven time and time again to be harmless. No one has ever died from using cannabis. Meanwhile, a system was established to profit from the very same thing that landed someone else behind bars. That’s not just unjust, it’s immoral and no one wins.

At Carolina Dream, we’re not just making products. We’re rewriting the story. We hold ourselves to the highest standards because we believe cannabis deserves the same legitimacy, respect, and regulation as any other wellness product. We make products that we give to our own families and use every day. We test them, refine them, improve them, and never cut corners.

But even as we innovate, we advocate.

Where small businesses and legacy growers thrive instead of being shut out. We are building that future in South Carolina and beyond.

This isn’t just about legalization, it’s about liberation. It’s about empowering people’s freedom of choice of treatment. It’s about reclaiming the beneficial perception of what was taken. It’s about ensuring this industry grows with integrity.

So when we say “Cannabis is not a crime,” we’re not just making a statement. We’re making a promise. To our customers, to our communities, and to everyone still waiting for justice. We believe in a future where cannabis is not criminalized, but normalized. I will not stop until education replaces fear, healing replaces punishment, and stigma is replaced with acceptance. 

We see you. We stand with you. We won’t stop until this plant, and the people it helps, are finally and fully free.

Cannabis is not a crime, join the dream.

Cody L. Callarman
Founder, Carolina Dream