CBD sales spike in Indiana ahead of feared crackdown

Stores selling CBD 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 CBD increased after Attorney General Curtis Hill issued his opinion last month, the Kokomo Tribune reported.

Hill said that CBD products are illegal to possess, make or sell in Indiana, except for people with epilepsy who are listed 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.

Also last month, Gov. Eric Holcomb directed stores to pull CBD products containing THC within 60 days, or by late January.

“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’s causing the panic.”

The owner of Dreem Nutrition, a Kokomo maker of CBD drops and patches, said demand is strong.

Owner Austin Rhodus reported that Indiana retailers selling Dreem Nutrition products have said they’re difficult to keep on shelves.

– Associated Press