CBD oil, products now available on area retail shelves

REGION – A new item has recently been popping up on the shelves of retail grocery stores, gas stations, party stores, and even a video store in both Antrim and Kalkaska counties – CBD oil. 

Formally known as Cannabidiol, the state of Michigan dropped restrictions on the retail sale of CBD oil and products containing CBD late last year after voters legalized the use of recreational marijuana.

Although a member of the Cannabis family, which includes marijuana, most CBD oils are not produced from pot, but rather from a sister plant known as industrial hemp – which with less than .03 percent THC, the psycho-active chemical that produces a "high" – does not give users an altered sense of euphoria – but does, according to promoters, reduce many aches, pains and anxieties.

Additionally, CBD from industrial hemp does not show up on employer-required drug tests. And people are eager to try it.

In fact, although no formal studies have been done by federal or medical authorities, CBD oil is now being taken internally by consumers in increasing quantities for everything from insomnia and migraine headaches to fibromyalgia, intestinal ills and cancer – while lotions, massage oils, body and antiseptic sprays are being used to relieve back, knee and joint pain.

With no formal medical studies, most doctors remain non-committal about CBD, but so far have not openly opposed its use, while others are recommending the products to patients experiencing chronic pain.

Many people, such as Kelly Young of Central Lake, praise CBD for its purported health benefits and are happy to share success stories.

Formerly associated with the Village Markets of Elk Rapids, Rapid City and Central Lake, Young stepped away from the family business a few years ago to concentrate on her growing interest in the marketing of CBD.

Founding a business of her own, Young is now locally producing and marketing a wide variety of CBD products, as well as conducting education and outreach presentations, and hosting support groups on the purported benefits of CBD. She hopes to soon open a nonprofit clinic in Central Lake where veterans with PTSD and those suffering from cancer and can receive free CBD products.

Recently, Young placed a number of her products, sold under the name of "My CBD" – which includes products for pets – on the shelves of Village Market locations in Elk Rapids and Central Lake.

Although her online business, like most of those on the Internet, has been brisk, retail sales have, so far, left something to be desired in Antrim County.

"Most people had never heard of CBD, until recently, and many are worried about what people in their life, like their employers, would think," Young said recently.

"There is still such a stigma about its association with marijuana."

Young tests all of her products for purity, offering a personal guarantee of her creations, and will not sell to anyone under the age of 21.

With no set medical guidelines for dosage amounts or studies on the long-term effects of use, questions remain about the safety of CBD products, which is why Family Video in Kalkaska, which also now sells CBD products, sources its CBD products from an Oklahoma-based wholesaler that reportedly does extra testing.

According to management there, Family Video's products are marked with a code that allows consumers to immediately scan it on a cell phone to see test results and verify the amount of THC in the item.

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