Indiana stores see spike in marijuana-derived oil sales

KOKOMO, Ind. (AP) - Stores selling marijuana-derived oils in central Indiana are seeing a spike in sales after the state's attorney general declared the products illegal with one limited exception.

Kokomo store owner Joan Johnson said sales and interest in products containing cannabidiol, or CBD, increased after Attorney General Curtis Hill issued his opinion last month, the Kokomo Tribune reported . Hill said CBD products are illegal to possess, make or sell in Indiana, with the only exemption extending to people with epilepsy on a new state registry.

"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," said Johnson, who sells several lines of marijuana-derived oils that customers often use to treat pain and stress.

Many such oils have less than 0.3 percent THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana. Many advocates argue that oils with 0.3 percent THC or less should be considered legal. Gov. Eric Holcomb directed stores on Nov. 28 to pull CBD products containing THC within 60 days.

"We try to assure people that everything we do here is legal," Johnson 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."

Another Kokomo business owner, Mike Wilson, said there's confusion about whether CBD products contain THC. Johnson and Wilson sell products from a local company, Dreem Nutrition, which makes CBD drops and patches without THC.

Owner Austin Rhodus said his products are in high demand after the attorney general's announcement. Businesses selling Dreem Nutrition products have said they're difficult to keep on their shelves.

Rhodus said he doesn't expect any raids on his products because they don't contain THC.

___

Information from: Kokomo Tribune, http://www.ktonline.com