When Debra Dullaghan hit a wall with prescription drugs and the emotional weight of a troublesome life chapter, she turned to an sudden treatment: CBD.
What started as a private experiment developed into 55plus CBD, a model devoted to serving to older adults navigate wellness with readability, confidence, and a THC-free assure.
On this dialog with Hashish & Tech Right this moment, Dullaghan shares how her personal transformation sparked a mission to empower others, why schooling is essential, and the way co-founding the corporate together with her son introduced generational perception to each product and message.
This interview has been edited for size and readability.
Hashish & Tech Right this moment: Your journey to founding 55plus CBD started with private well being challenges. How did your expertise with power ache and sleeplessness form your mission, and what adjustments did you see that satisfied you CBD might be a long-term answer?
Debra Dullaghan: It type of crept up on me. In the future I appeared round and realized I used to be coping with rather a lot unexpectedly—joint ache, sleepless nights, anxiousness. Menopause hit onerous, I misplaced my mother, my son had simply left for faculty, the home felt too quiet, and my marriage was unraveling. It was this good storm of emotional and bodily pressure. I attempted every kind of prescriptions that had been supposed to assist, however the unwanted effects had been typically worse than what I used to be attempting to repair.
All of those lifeless ends led me to start studying about CBD. I used to be skeptical at first, however over time, I observed actual adjustments. I used to be sleeping by the night time once more. My anxiousness eased up. The joint ache that used to wake me up within the morning was gone.
That’s when it clicked. I stored pondering, “I can’t be the one one” and if it might do that for me, possibly it might assist others too. That’s actually the place the thought for 55plus CBD was born.
C&T Right this moment: As a pacesetter for older adults within the hashish area, what distinctive tasks or alternatives do you are feeling include making a THC-free, age-specific wellness model?
DD: The 55+ demographic is usually missed. Many manufacturers say we’re their viewers, however few really join with us. Older adults aren’t all the time on the identical platforms or utilizing the identical instruments as youthful folks, so outreach must be completely different and we’re dedicated to discovering a manner.
There’s additionally a lingering stigma round hashish. Many individuals in our era nonetheless affiliate it with getting excessive, they usually don’t notice the distinction between CBD and THC. That’s why we created a THC-free model—to supply clear, trusted options with out the worry or confusion.
C&T Right this moment: You’re co-founding together with your son Collin. How does your loved ones relationship affect choices round product improvement, advertising, and buyer engagement?
DD: Working with Collin has been a present. We’re at completely different life phases—he’s 28, I’m 60—however that brings steadiness. I deliver the expertise of our core viewers. Collin brings recent concepts, advertising savvy, and a ardour for wellness.
After we consider merchandise, I ask: “Would I take this each day? Would it not really assist somebody like me?” Collin ensures we’re clearly speaking the advantages and constructing belief by schooling. It’s a partnership constructed on love and mutual respect.
C&T Right this moment: What traits are you most enthusiastic about within the subsequent 2–3 years?
DD: I’m actually enthusiastic about how wellness is transferring past simply CBD. That’s the place I began too—however now we’re seeing actual curiosity in different cannabinoids like CBN for sleep and CBG for psychological readability. It’s a game-changer, particularly for the 55+ group.
Extra older adults are turning to hashish as a customized wellness software, and it’s been superb to see how including these minor cannabinoids can actually elevate each day life. I’ve skilled it myself and love serving to others do the identical.
