Alexandria has its first CBD oil store.
Your CBD Oil opened on May 20 at 301 S. Washington St. and features a wide array of CBD (cannabidiol) products made using organically grown hemp from Colorado.
Available products include water solubles, tinctures, edibles, soft gels, skin care, and pet products. These products are intended to be used as herbal supplements, so no prescription is necessary.
CBD oil has been used to treat a slew of conditions, proving to be particularly effective in treating childhood epilepsy. It has also been commonly used to treat symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, and various types of chronic pain.
Not to be confused with medical marijuana, CBD oil (or cannabidiol) is derived from the hemp plant.
Your CBD Oil founder Rachel Quinn was inspired to found Your CBD Store by her own personal experience with CBD oil in treating her Crohn’s disease. After several ineffective prescription medications, she was finally able to get her symptoms under control with CBD oil, which has anti-inflammatory properties. Her mission is to help others find pain relief through the use of hemp-derived products.
Although the store is new to Alexandria, it is not new to Virginia. There are locations in Gainesville, Chesterfield and Richmond, as well as several dozen stores across the United States.
What exactly is CBD oil?
Many confuse CBD oil or cannabidiol with medical marijuana but they are not the same. Although CBD is a key element in marijuana, it does not come from the marijuana plant. Instead, it is directly derived from the hemp plant, a cousin of the marijuana plant. Hemp and marijuana are the two primary species of Cannabis sativa.
The main distinguishing factor between marijuana and hemp boils down to their THC content. While hemp can contain no more than 0.3% concentration of THC, marijuana can contain up to 30% concentration. Therefore, CBD is not psychoactive and does not deliver the same feeling of being “high” that marijuana does.
The products at Your CBD Store fall into either the full spectrum, broad spectrum, or isolate category. Shells Karle, the manager of the Old Town location, explained that full spectrum products, such as tinctures, contain less than 0.3% THC. She said, “ Everything else is broad spectrum or an isolate. A broad spectrum is going to have all the CBD properties, amino acids, terpenes but the THC has been completely removed. An isolate product is just the CBD compound that’s been extracted and added into some edible, typically a gummy or hard candy, something like that.”
Is it legal?
A CBD product derived from industrial hemp that contains less than 0.3% THC is federally legal under the 2018 Farm Bill. However, laws vary from state to state and currently CBD is not regulated by the FDA. The FDA is still in the midst of deciding whether CBD oil should be classified as a drug or a supplement, which will impact its regulation. A hearing about CBD oil was held on May 31, so FDA officials could gain more knowledge with respect to the products. In Virginia, there are no laws specific to CBD, but local governments are working to update their legislation.
Your CBD Store is committed to providing consumers with safe, quality CBD products. “We don’t want bad products out there.” Karle said. “We have a very reputable brand, we third-party lab test everything, and we feel that most people, well every community we’ve gone into has been very happy that we’ve been there. We’re happy to work with local law enforcement and state regulations as well, we just want to make sure that we have safe products on the market for everybody.”