Idaho business selling CBD oil opposes ban
NORTH IDAHO – A North Idaho businessman is concerned the government is trying to prevent him from selling one of his more popular health products – CBD oil.
Marijuana is not legal in Idaho. The oil is made from the cannabis plant, but it does not contain any THC – the compound in the plant that makes people high.
Kurt Wilson is that owner, and he said the people who have bought CBD oil from him have seen great results.
“There’s over 6,000 years of recorded history of this oil being used,” Wilson said. “It’s plant!”
The store is called Survival Enterprises. Wilson caters to customers who want to live a lifestyle of being self-sufficient. He had everything for sale from knives to nutrition. Part of that nutrition is Cannabidiol, or CBD for short.
“This stuff helps them not to be nauseous after chemotherapy,” Wilson said. “And they don’t have to get goofy by smoking dope or anything like that.”
CBD is oil that comes from industrial hemp. Wilson said it does not contain any THC. Most CBD’s contain less than one percent of THC anyways, he said.
Wilson said because of that, he said they are legal to sell.
“I can give you a gallon of it to drink, and it’s just going to mellow you out a little bit and that’s it,” Wilson said. “So there’s no drug involved there in any way shape or form.”
Wilson said he sells around 30 to 40 bottles a month of this stuff, but it is technically a controlled schedule 1 substance by federal standards.
According to an article on leafly.com, a marijuana trade website, the US Drug Enforcement Administration clarified and reinforced their position that all cannabis extracts, like CBD, are illegal.
The DEA action did not bring about any major change in law, but rather reinforced their position.
Wilson said CBDs are an alternative for his survivalist customers who do not want to purchase medicines from big pharmaceutical companies.
“What’s occurring here is that, again, we don’t have government,” Wilson said, “we have corporate representatives. And the corporations have told government we can’t really have competition.”
In Idaho, CBDs are in somewhat of a gray area, Wilson said. In 2015, Governor Butch Otter vetoes a state bill that would have allowed Idaho parents to treat their epileptic children with CBD.
Over however issues an order directing the state to study the effectiveness of the substance. Although federally illegal, Wilson said this is simply the byproduct of a plant.
He wants to keep selling it to those who need it.
“Now they’re going to start doing that to little guys like me selling a couple of jars of this stuff,” Wilson said.
(© 2016 KREM)
