Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Despite confusion and frustration over statements from the Indiana governor and attorney general, local businesses are continuing to sell cannabidiol, or CBD, and they're seeing a spike in sales.
Mike Wilson, owner of American Dream Hi-Fi in Kokomo, said there has been a lot of confusion around CBD oils, which are used by people for a variety of reasons, including to help relieve stress and pain.
Wilson himself uses the CBD products he sells out of his store for anxiety, claiming he cannot use traditional anxiety medications. These oils, he said, help calm him down, and they offer a variety of benefits to his customers who purchase the products.
Part of the confusion, he said, is whether CBD oils contain THC, which is considered the psychoactive component of the marijuana plant, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The Indiana attorney general, Curtis Hill, issued a statement last month with the opinion that cannabidiol is illegal, and that "cannabidiol is likely to contain some other amount of other cannabinoids (i.e., another basic molecular building block of Cannabis) such as 'Tetrahydrocannabinol,' which is better known as THC."
Also according to the statement, "any substance containing cannabidiol is prohibited in Indiana as it falls under the definition of 'marijuana' and contains THC, both of which result in it being a Schedule 1 controlled substance."
Gov. Eric Holcomb issued a statement a week later, saying he will direct excise police to perform regular spot checks for CBD oil, focusing on products with THC.
"Because CBD oil has been sold in Indiana for several years, the excise police will use at least 60 days to educate, inform and issue warnings to retailers so there is a reasonable period of time for them to remove products that contain THC," according to the statement.
Though some CBD oil users and business owners are arguing those oils with 0.3 percent THC or less should be considered legal, the products sold at American Dream Hi-Fi and several other businesses in town contain no THC.
These products are from Dreem Nutrition, a local company owned by Austin Rhodus, who started the company in 2015. Rhodus said he was looking for a product that could help him sleep after leaving the military.
His products include CBD drops and patches, and he said since the announcement that CBD oil is considered illegal in Indiana, sales have spiked. In fact, his website lists the drops as sold out, and other businesses selling his products said it's been tough to keep them on the shelves.
Wilson cited the Agricultural Act of 2014 as allowing industrial hemp, though this section appears to deal specifically with industrial hemp research, not the sale of CBD oils or related products. Cannabis is considered a schedule 1 drug by the Drug Enforcement Administration, meaning it currently has no accepted medical use and has a high potential for abuse.
Rhodus said he doesn't expect to see any raids on his products or the businesses that sell them, and Wilson agreed, saying because the products contain no THC, they should still be legal.
Joan Johnson, owner of Sunspot Natural Market in Kokomo, said her store sells several lines of CBD oils, all of which include no more than 0.3 percent THC. She also sells the Dreem Nutrition products.
"There's been a lot of interest because so many people are in pain, and they have not had success with the prescription pain medicine," she said. "Every state in the nation has had tragic stories of people [overdosing] on the opioids because they're addictive. They want something that can help with pain, stress, anxiety, inflammation, etc., even seizures and tremors, that is not addictive."
Like Wilson and Rhodus, Sunspot has seen an increase in sales and interest in CBD oils since the attorney general's and governor's statements.
"We try to assure people that everything we do here is legal," she said. "It's a gray area as far as the state and the definition, and they need to clarify that because that's what causing the panic."
She said she doesn't know if they'll see any raids at the end of the 60-day period, but she said if they find any products with higher levels of THC, she'll gladly let them take those products from her shelves. As far as selling the products at all, she said it fits in with her store's philosophy.
"My whole store was founded on plants and the health in the plant kingdom for our bodies," she said.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: In Kokomo, CBD oil is flying off shelves | Local News | pharostribune.com
Author: Caele Pemberton
Contact: Contact Us | Site | pharostribune.com
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Website: pharostribune.com | Giving you the news you care about
Mike Wilson, owner of American Dream Hi-Fi in Kokomo, said there has been a lot of confusion around CBD oils, which are used by people for a variety of reasons, including to help relieve stress and pain.
Wilson himself uses the CBD products he sells out of his store for anxiety, claiming he cannot use traditional anxiety medications. These oils, he said, help calm him down, and they offer a variety of benefits to his customers who purchase the products.
Part of the confusion, he said, is whether CBD oils contain THC, which is considered the psychoactive component of the marijuana plant, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The Indiana attorney general, Curtis Hill, issued a statement last month with the opinion that cannabidiol is illegal, and that "cannabidiol is likely to contain some other amount of other cannabinoids (i.e., another basic molecular building block of Cannabis) such as 'Tetrahydrocannabinol,' which is better known as THC."
Also according to the statement, "any substance containing cannabidiol is prohibited in Indiana as it falls under the definition of 'marijuana' and contains THC, both of which result in it being a Schedule 1 controlled substance."
Gov. Eric Holcomb issued a statement a week later, saying he will direct excise police to perform regular spot checks for CBD oil, focusing on products with THC.
"Because CBD oil has been sold in Indiana for several years, the excise police will use at least 60 days to educate, inform and issue warnings to retailers so there is a reasonable period of time for them to remove products that contain THC," according to the statement.
Though some CBD oil users and business owners are arguing those oils with 0.3 percent THC or less should be considered legal, the products sold at American Dream Hi-Fi and several other businesses in town contain no THC.
These products are from Dreem Nutrition, a local company owned by Austin Rhodus, who started the company in 2015. Rhodus said he was looking for a product that could help him sleep after leaving the military.
His products include CBD drops and patches, and he said since the announcement that CBD oil is considered illegal in Indiana, sales have spiked. In fact, his website lists the drops as sold out, and other businesses selling his products said it's been tough to keep them on the shelves.
Wilson cited the Agricultural Act of 2014 as allowing industrial hemp, though this section appears to deal specifically with industrial hemp research, not the sale of CBD oils or related products. Cannabis is considered a schedule 1 drug by the Drug Enforcement Administration, meaning it currently has no accepted medical use and has a high potential for abuse.
Rhodus said he doesn't expect to see any raids on his products or the businesses that sell them, and Wilson agreed, saying because the products contain no THC, they should still be legal.
Joan Johnson, owner of Sunspot Natural Market in Kokomo, said her store sells several lines of CBD oils, all of which include no more than 0.3 percent THC. She also sells the Dreem Nutrition products.
"There's been a lot of interest because so many people are in pain, and they have not had success with the prescription pain medicine," she said. "Every state in the nation has had tragic stories of people [overdosing] on the opioids because they're addictive. They want something that can help with pain, stress, anxiety, inflammation, etc., even seizures and tremors, that is not addictive."
Like Wilson and Rhodus, Sunspot has seen an increase in sales and interest in CBD oils since the attorney general's and governor's statements.
"We try to assure people that everything we do here is legal," she said. "It's a gray area as far as the state and the definition, and they need to clarify that because that's what causing the panic."
She said she doesn't know if they'll see any raids at the end of the 60-day period, but she said if they find any products with higher levels of THC, she'll gladly let them take those products from her shelves. As far as selling the products at all, she said it fits in with her store's philosophy.
"My whole store was founded on plants and the health in the plant kingdom for our bodies," she said.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: In Kokomo, CBD oil is flying off shelves | Local News | pharostribune.com
Author: Caele Pemberton
Contact: Contact Us | Site | pharostribune.com
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Website: pharostribune.com | Giving you the news you care about
