Our Journey

Welcome to Four Green Fields! Julie Donovan, was a single mom to two wonderful children. She worked in the legal arena for 30+ years, first as a paralegal in Baltimore and D.C. and then as a computer consultant for a software house that designed software for law firms.

Her path to owning a medical marijuana dispensary began when a friend approached her and asked whether she might be interested in investing in the medical cannabis industry. Her first reaction was, "NO WAY." However, after doing a little research and discussing the idea with her sister, Beth, and her husband, an attorney, they began to see the possibilities.

Both Beth and Julia witnessed firsthand how Lyme disease affected two good friends. They shared with us the pain, lack of appetite, seizures and depression they have battled with while trying to fight this awful condition. One of these friends, who has been suffering for eight years, told Beth and Julia that cannabis is helping him sleep and enhancing his appetite. However, due to restrictive laws, he had been forced to buy cannabis off the street…not knowing how it was processed but willing to take a risk because he was desperate for relief. Stories like this alarmed Beth and Julia so they decided to apply for a license to open a medical cannabis dispensary, knowing that they could help their friends make safer health choices.

This endeavor has been exciting, yet because legal medicinal cannabis is still relatively new, they have encountered quite a bit of confusion, anxiety and misconceptions. The word "cannabis" invokes strong opinions, many of them negative. Four Green Fields is here to dispel some of the rumors and untruths. Four Green Fields is here to answer your questions and to listen to your stories. Four Green Fields is here to help you decide if medical cannabis is the right choice for alleviating your health concerns. Four Green Field’s looks forward to being of service.

Julia Ann Donovan, 60, of Chestertown, Maryland, passed away on January 25, 2020. After a courageous fight for life against a rare cancer, her mission and vision that is Four Green Fields lives on and will continue to help the community.

My name is Beth MacLeod. My husband Chip and I have four adult children. I never envisioned that at this stage in my life I would be advocating for medical cannabis, but after watching several good friends battle Lyme disease and cancer, I felt obligated to become an advocate for, and educator about, this treatment option.

I have a science background - a BA in Biology from the University of Delaware and a Masters degree from Washington College in Psychology with a particular emphasis on the biology of the brain. For more than 14 years, I taught all levels of high school biology including Advanced Placement. I transitioned to marketing for a science-based wellness company about a decade ago.

Julie and I grew up with parents who were in the medical profession. Our father was a pathologist and our mother an ER nurse. Both worked well into their seventies and demonstrated compassion for ailing neighbors, dying family members, and thousands of patients throughout their careers. We really feel that our parents (sadly, now deceased) have served as a guiding force in the spirit of true compassion as we pursue the legal dispensing of cannabis as medicine.

This is a family business for us. Our parents ingrained in us a drive to help those who don't have the same resources that we were blessed with - to muster our courage or, as my mother would say, "get your Irish up," and be a voice for people who may feel powerless. We hope you understand that it is this passion that brings us to this project.